After an 8-hour shift, there’s nothing better than winding down with a few episodes of my favorite cartoon. There’s something about watching animation that calms the nerves in a way that True Detective, Game of Thrones or Orange is The New Black will never be able to do. Maybe it’s the nostalgia factor of Saturday mornings. The desire to run to the couch bundled in a blanket to watch Scooby-Doo and my inner child often take over that way. I’ve learned not to question it; I roll with it. The body knows what it needs — classic cartoons!

Classic Cartoons - Jonny Quest

The cartoon world has upped their game with new favorites such as Adventure Time, Rick and Morty and Gravity Falls. I see more depth in cartoons than ever before. Plot lines and characters have become more dynamic and at times it’s hard to remember you’re watching a show for kids. We can’t forget the classics that brought us to where we are today, the viewing staples for cartoon lovers, and there are some kooky ones out there!

From the earliest to the newest (I’ll try not to let the 90’s kid in me come out), let’s start with:

1. The Jetsons, 1962. The Jetsons live in a futuristic utopia of elaborate robotic contraptions, aliens, holograms and whimsical inventions. You know you wanted to live next door to the Jetsons.

2. Jonny Quest, 1964. The Quest family and their bodyguard investigate strange phenomena and battle villains around the world.

3. H.R. Puff N’ Stuff, 1969. Whacha gonna do when things get rough? The adventures of a boy trapped in a fantastic land with a dragon friend and a witch enemy. Okay, okay, this is not a cartoon but it deserves cartoonic attention. I was terrified of Witchy-Poo’s cackle.

4. Snorks, 1984. The Snorks are playful, multicolored underwater creatures who use their built-in snorkels to dart about and make music.

classic cartoons - snorks

5. Droids, 1985. Droids shares the adventures of R2-D2 and C-3P0 before they joined Luke Skywalker.

6. Silverhawks, 1986. A team of cyborgs protects Limbo from Mon Star and his gang.

classic cartoons - silverhawks

7. Fraggle Rock, 1987. Let the music play! An animated version of Jim Henson’s classic series, and we should probably include the original too (see, H.R. Puff N’ Stuff).

8. Tiny Toon Adventures, 1990. Warner Bros brought new generation of cartoon characters to attend Acme Acres Looniversity and learn comedy from the greats.

9. Bobby’s World, 1990. A boy named Bobby Generic creates adventures using his overactive imagination.

10. Aaahh!!! Real Monsters, 1994. This show takes us through the struggles of life as a child monster. Three monster friends study how to scare humans in school.

classic cartoons - Aaahh! Real Monsters

11. Gargoyles, 1994. A clan of heroic night creatures pledge to protect modern New York City as they did in Scotland long ago.

If you’re like me and don’t have cable it’s hard to watch the newer cartoons. Waiting for the new season of Rick and Morty to come out on DVD so that I can indulge leaves me with no fingernails and lots of anxiety. What’s great about the classics is they’re usually easier to find. On any given day at Bookmans our shelves have a LEAST a few of the titles mentioned above as well as others that are equally worthy of cartoon glory.

Allow Bookmans to take you back. Even if it’s not a Saturday morning, stop by to see what we’ve got. You never know what great memories will resurface when you see all seasons of Thunder Cats next to She-Ra. Give us a call to locate a particular title.