I Remember…Saturday Morning Cartoons

Day 138

Was there really a time when I would wake up at 6 a.m. on a Saturday…on purpose?! Yes, there was a time, when I was a kid and my Saturday revolved around cartoons on TV. It doesn’t make sense now (why would anyone want to get up early when they didn’t have to?) but back then it was as logical as getting excited about starting a new school year!

I remember how I would literally spring from my bed, hurry out of my room and head to the TV in the basement in the dark (as it was still dark outside) I’d turn on the TV, making certain that the volume wasn’t up too high so it wouldn’t wake up the rest of the household. I’d quickly adjust to the sudden light emitting from the television set and then I’d select a channel showing a cartoon and thus would my Saturday morning ritual begin. Bring on shows like The Smurfs, Pac-Man, and Bugs Bunny!!

Here’s a list of some of the shows I remember

watching on Saturday morning:

Alvin And The Chipmunks

“…Alvin, Simon, Theodore - doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo…”

Long before the movie and its sequel came out there was this cool cartoon. I loved it because Alvin and his brothers would often sing current, pop hits on the show. There’s nothing better than an animated chipmunk singing “Maniac”!

Dungeons & Dragons

I remember how this cartoon always started: a group of kids are on a ride at an amusement park and suddenly the ride goes out of control and sends these kids to a parallel universe full of…you guessed it…dungeons and dragons. And each kid is given a special power/ability/weapon in this new world (an invisibility cloak, a magic shield, etc.)

The Kwicky Koala Show

This was one of those cartoons that had “mini” episodes, featuring various characters; but the one that I remember most is Kwicky Koala. He’s this adorable koala bear that has the ability to teleport in the blink of an eye, and he had this cute little voice (like so many cartoons!)

The Littles

“We are the Littles…”

I remember watching this cartoon all of the time! It was about a young boy Henry who discovers that a family of little people are living inside his house. He keeps their existence a secret and the family gets into all sorts of mishaps and adventures in the “big” world.

Muppet Babies

Perhaps one of my all-time favorite Saturday morning cartoons…c’mon, how could you NOT like this? They’re baby Muppets!! Like Alvin and the Chipmunks, the Muppet Babies would often perform memorable songs on the show. There would often be funny, clever pop culture references and images featured on the show (such as Star Wars).

Richie Rich

As it was the 1980s, there had to be at least one cartoon that conveyed the message of capitalism and wealth. I remember watching this cartoon all the time, enjoying the adventures of Richie Rich, his dog Dollar, his friends and his robot maid (because only the rich could afford a robot servant!)

Spider-Man And His Amazing Friends

What Saturday morning would be complete without a superhero cartoon?! I loved this show, the action and excitement! Spider-Man was so awesome, and he was joined by the very hot (pun intended!) Fire-Star and the ultra cool (another pun intended) Ice Man!

Tom And Jerry

I remember that in the ‘80s the classic cartoon duo Tom And Jerry was updated, and on this show Tom and Jerry were now friends, living together in peace and harmony…BORING, right? Well, they still had lots of “adventures” and there were also “mini” episodes featuring a lot of forgettable characters. Even though I don’t condone violence, I missed the battling between Tom and Jerry!