Now and then, while I surf through the channel list, I stumble upon the memory lane of all millennials and Gen Z: Cartoon Network. Back in the day, all of us came home and turned on the television to watch this one channel which gave us our childhood dreams, motivation, inspiration, happiness, and drama — overall great entertainment. Cartoon Network was at the centre of every 2000s kid’s universe. You might not enjoy it much now, but seeing its logo and listening to that iconic transition song, leaves you with a bittersweet yearning for golden bygone days. Rewatching it feels like finding that one unsuccessful attempt at a diary: it doesn’t feel like something you would write at this age, but reading it makes you feel the emotions and ideas you once had, stepping into the shoes of a kid with big dreams. 

However, nowadays, media and entertainment have become complete chaos:

waking up and checking our Instagram feed has become part of our morning routine, along with watching YouTube while getting ready to go to college. People hunched over a screen, scrolling endlessly as they browse for the perfect sitcom to go with their food has become a common sight nowadays. On the bright side, if aliens were to take over, they would not know if humans had to consume food or content to survive. It’s like a human reflex by now. 

Before the existence of such media, or rather our acknowledgement of these platforms, everyone enjoyed Cartoon Network with its diverse array of quality shows. Case-in-point below. 

Tom and Jerry:

A Little Mischief Never Hurt Nobody! Tom and Jerry was a simple yet amazing show based on the rivalry between a cat and a mouse.  Be it Tom’s murderous attempts against Jerry or Jerry’s unsuccessful attempts to steal food from the fridge, the conflict between the two, with their violent approaches such as the use of military arms against each other which we agree was very justified, was always the source of a good laugh. Tom is the embodiment of your average hopeless romantic with no goals other than sleeping (not attacking any common room enthusiasts here) while Jerry is like one of the volleyball kids, a complete sadist who wants to watch the world burn. This iconic duo and a simple formula for each episode became the best entertainment for many, even winning Tom and Jerry seven Academy Awards. Truly, it was one of the greatest shows of all time. 

Ben 10:

Ben 10 needs no introduction, being the sole reason why everyone beat up their watch to test if they secretly had alien powers. A mysterious alien watch turns the ordinary Ben Tennyson into ten parts hero and one part kid with the ability to transform into aliens with special skills. My personal favourite was the ghost freak, for it was not only the most thrilling alien, but also because I was called this name a lot as a child (usually separately!). Ben encounters many villains during his vacations and fights them off to protect his family and humanity. This show brought about the most epic fight scenes, stealing away all your attention, leading you on a whole Ben 10 binge-watching spree. Buying its merchandise made you the coolest kid in class. If anyone is still rocking that Ben 10 lunch box or geometry box, I’ll buy you a milo to see that drip. 

Powerpuff Girls:

Sugar, spice and everything nice: Professor Utonium’s ingredients to create the perfect little girls. The accidental addition to the concoction of the Chemical X led to the birth of the Powerpuff Girls *cue the epic theme song*. The crime-fighting sister trio with supernatural abilities made the show a comedy and action masterpiece. In Townsville, the girls ‘save the world before bedtime’ with their unique personalities. Blossom is the leader, Bubbles is the kind-hearted, and Buttercup is the toughest. Although their different characteristics create conflict, the villains create the most friction. My favourite villain of the show was: MOJO JOJO, just your average hyper-intelligent, eloquent and redundant ape to conquer Earth. The scenes with this character had hilarious outtakes and bits. One thing that was distinct about Powerpuff Girls as a show was that it taught ethical and educational morals in most episodes, like the episode where Buttercup learns to master emotions by becoming fire or water and that one episode where the bacteria gang teaches multiplication and division.

Scooby-Doo, Where are you?:

We have a mystery: why aren’t we all watching this show now? Scooby-Doo is the first incarnation of a comedy franchise that spans decades. As viewers, we unwrap spooky mysteries with the gang: Shaggy, Scooby-Doo, Daphne, Velma, and Fred. Not only are they entertaining detectives, but their team dynamics are hilarious. With the number of plot twists each episode had, no wonder we have trust issues now. The show was always a few steps away from becoming a horror franchise, but thanks to the zestful duo of Shaggy and Scooby-Doo, every interaction brought laughter. Despite being the most terrified members of the gang, they managed to help solve the mysteries and were driven by one noble goal: eating scooby-snacks. 

Other than these engrossing shows, Cartoon Network hosted a few programmes throughout the day, the two notable ones being Toonami and POGO.

Toonami was the introduction to anime every kid in the 2000s got. It used to air shonen anime, also known as action anime like Dragon Ball Z, Samurai Jack, Naruto and for the older generations, ThunderCats. Every gym boy right now was first inspired by Goku. Toonami was the perfect programme to watch while eating a snack in the evening, and it had you hooked for the next episode of the show airing. On the other hand, POGO was a segment to promote artistic and creative thinking with shows like Art Attack, MADS, and several classic shows like Mr Bean. I could bet that all of us had the timings of these segments memorised by heart as we fought with our siblings for the remote.

Now, whenever I see Cartoon Network on TV, I’m compelled to sit down, but then I usually get annoyed by the shows being aired. They aren’t even close to what we had in the past; it’s either that or we’ve grown up too much that our standards of entertainment and humour have advanced. If you think about it, we don’t miss the shows but we miss the simplicity and the comfort of days spent without worry. All that wishful thinking now is not about the show, but the nostalgia for simpler days.  

By Salman Moazzam
Managing Editor

Note: the views expressed in the article solely belong to the writer and do not reflect TLC.