Another repost from 2008

If You’re In Need of an Acid Trip at 6 A.M.

“Here use my cell phone. I have unlimited minutes“ is not such a strange statement. It does become stranger when said by a squirrel. On a cartoon show. While she (the squirrel) is riding around on a kid’s head. When the squirrel is built like a Russian nesting doll and is the voice of reason for a bunch of Canadian kids on a cartoon show it borders on WTF? When all of the kids on the cartoon are built like Russian nesting dolls and they hop around doing good deeds and spouting out Fargonian phrases like, “Don’t ya know” it becomes just a little much for a mom to take before 7 a.m.

This is just one of about three psychedelic cartoon shows on Playhouse Disney (by far the tamest of the cartoon channels) that lets me know that the 60’s are not dead. Apparently Disney has hired all of the ex-acid freaks to think up new and original cartoon concepts. The other one that I love to hate is the Doodlebops. I can’t do this one justice and you might just have to Google it, but I will try. Three characters with over the top costumes that make them appear to have either pink, blue, or orange skin. And they have BIG FREAKY PUFFY HANDS. And two out of three of them have really yellow teeth. And when I watch I can’t help but wonder why they didn’t make them bleach their teeth. I mean the orange guy has teeth that are obviously bleached and then Dee Dee(Miss Pink) and Roony (Mr. Blue) have distractingly yellow teeth.
There’s also a show called Bunny Town that has British Bunny Puppets that look like moths have been nibbling on them. Within each episode they somehow manage to incorporate a female sports reporter in a pink get up, knee socks, and a blond flip wig. Her name is Pinky Pinkerton. She commentates what looks like college football mascot Olympics for a while and then they switch back to the moth-eaten bunnies. Makes the damn Wiggles look downright normal.

But, really has it changed that much over the years? It’s no secret that one could do an entire thesis on the sociological and psychological implications of cartoons over the years. Tinker Bell and Peter Pan border on sociopathic. Bugs Bunny mocked the Japanese while Elmer Fudd stalked him with a shotgun. Tom and Jerry beat the hell out of each other and most of the cartoon characters smoked like fiends.

And then there was Scooby Doo. Who could forget Shaggy’s need for a smoke and a snack at every turn. These days the cartoons are as PC as Good Morning America. And damn if my kid doesn’t love them. Truly the more psychedelic the better. So here’s to cell phone carrying squirrels, pink puffy hands, and Scooby Snacks. I’ll take mine with coffee please.