One of the best parts of parenting is being able to relive certain parts of your own childhood. Being a 6-year-old in 2009 is so different from when I was a kid in the 80s, but it’s nice to know that some things are constants — like GOOD CARTOONS!
If you’ve been following my blog at all you know how much of a Pokemon fiend my son Justin is. So over the Easter Holiday I borrowed my sister’s Thundercats DVD collection to show him what real cartoons are supposed to look like! When I got home I stuck my chest out and boldly declared to Justin that “Thundercats are better than Pokemon!” and he leapt to their defense, mumbling something about a crystal laser-guided Pokemon that I’d never heard of before. I teased him back, saying that no Pokemon that was a match for Lion-O, The Sword of Omens, or Panthro and his Thunder Tank! He just rolled his eyes as I put the DVDs in and waited for the opening theme song.
At first he tried to player hate because the first episode had no real action, it was just them landing on Earth and Lion-O aging in the capsule giving Snarf a heart attack. When the credits rolled he let out an incredulous, “That’s it?” I told him to be quiet and watch the next episode.
Then things changed.
When he saw the battles with the evil mutants and all the fighting styles of the different Thundercats I definitely had his attention. By the third episode, he already knew the theme song and had choreographed his own dance moves. It was fantastic.
The best part was remembering all of the lessons they actually taught about patience and using your brain instead of rushing into battle first. Justin took a liking to Wilykat and Wilykit, because they were kids like him that got by on their wits even though they were small. (And who remembered that Cliff Huxtable’s dad, actor Earle Hyman, voiced Panthro??) It was just as great as I’d remembered.
Now, does Justin think that Thundercats are better than Pokemon? Watch the video to find out! Which classic cartoon should I show him next?
