When I watched a clip of a recent cartoon on Fox (which was painful), I debated whether the cartoon really was terrible or I was too old to like it (I'm way, way above the target age). I decided that it really was terrible. Why? Because kids' TV has dumbed down SO drastically over these recent years.
But just ten years back things weren't like this. Sure, there were really stupid shows, but great shows still weren't uncommon. 'The Busy World of Richard Scary' was a favorite of mine for years, even when I started to naturally grow out of little kid shows. Why? I'll tell you.
'The Busy World of Richard Scary' was such a wonderful show because it had something that most kid shows and most new shows in general lack: MATURITY. It didn't talk down to the audience at all. And each episode had one cartoon that took place in another country with so many different characters. The stories were often simple, but the characters were so interesting that it really made up for it. The show was based on the books and characters by Richard Scarry, and it really lives up to his books (which I also loved when I was a kid).
The show was also sweet and child-like (NOT childISH, which is a totally different thing). The antagonists were always just mean or rebellious, not full blown evil. It was able to be innocent without being unrealistically perfect ('PB &J Otter', eat your sorry little heart out). The show was also great because it had SO many characters, not just a handful like most cartoons. The characters more than obviously had their faults, but this way you could really relate to them. They felt REAL. Even though 'Rolie Polie Olie' is cute and has charm, it's just too picture perfect to take seriously (even though you're not supposed to, but that's not the point).
Kids today really, really need to see 'The Busy World of Richard Scarry.' My mom was by all means not ashamed of loving it as much as I did. How many kid shows today can you say THAT about? The videos are kind of easy to find, so if you've got kids or are a kid at heart, check it out. You'll be so glad you did.
