Last weekend I went on a DVD rampage, which is highly unusual since I rarely buy that sort of stuff. When I emptied out the bags onto the table - Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Pokemon 4Ever, Red Dwarf Series 1, and a Mystery Science Theater 3000 episode - it struck me that I was looking at a pretty accurate DVD selection of my life to date. An autobiography told through entertainment media.
When my family bought our first VCR (circa 1986), I would obsessively tape everything. Mom still has most of those tapes... crappy off-air dubs of Pee Wee's Playhouse, the X-Men cartoon, the Spitting Image specials, Liquid Television, Brisco County Jr. In those days, we had to operate under the assumption that Program X would never be seen again. So you had to act while you could, and stock up on VHS tape.
But today, with specialty cable channels and widespread DVD releases, you don't have to live under that fear anymore. Well, Matt is still recording Dragon Ball Z on VHS, but that's an exception. Between Cartoon Network, Boomerang and Toon Disney, the vast majority of 80s and 90s cartoons that I watched are still around. Except "Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors," anyway.
Remember when Nickelodeon was a total craphole? Full of syndicated stuff that your local affiliate wouldn't even run, like "Mysterious Cities of Gold." Three boring children of the year 1532 on the hunt for legendary seven cities of gold. The show went out of production after they found one, leaving six cities still unlocated. Maybe the gang from "Yogi's Treasure Hunt" could have helped them out.
Kinda makes you respect how Nick has built their empire. Going from low-quality shit like "Pinwheel" and "You Can't Do That on Television" to major league franchises like Spongebob and Rugrats. I think the turning point was "The Adventures of Pete and Pete." That show symbolized Nick's change from imported cartoon whore to smart kids trendsetter. Firing J.D. Roth was a good move.
