By Nicole Park
Daily Titan Staff Writer

Photo illustration by Shruti Patel.

When you hear the words ‘Saturday’ and ‘morning’ together you may think of the joys of sleeping in, the relief of a non-school day or the dreaded nausea of Friday night’s good times.

But do you remember what Saturday mornings used to mean?

Think back to when you were a child, to the one day a week you woke up before the grown-ups did.

Saturday mornings were once synonymous with one thing: cartoons.

Although sleep patterns and time priorities may have changed many classic cartoon lovers’ viewing patterns, the animation has exploded and branched off into many sub-genres, widening cartoon programming.

Now there is no need to set your alarm to tune/“toon” in; cartoons even have their own channel, Cartoon Network.

It plays new spins on old classics like “Scooby Doo,” “Transformers” and “Hot Wheels,” but is also home to Adult Swim, a nighttime block of cartoons with adult humor.

Not only do cartoons have their own cable network, but the Internet also lends a helping hand to anyone with a reliable Web connection.

“I watch a lot of cartoons. Pretty much if I studied as much as I watch cartoons, I’d have straight A’s right now,” said Angelo Andrada, a computer science major.

While Jocelyn Aragon, 19, a radio-TV-film major, recalls fond memories of older cartoons featuring Tom and Jerry, Wile E. Coyote and the Roadrunner and Pinky and The Brain, she is also a fan of modern cartoons. Aragon is also the current president of the TV Film Society at Cal State Fullerton.

“I still watch cartoons, mostly ‘Batman’ and ‘X-men’ online. My favorite newer cartoons are ‘Family Guy’ and ‘South Park’ because they are so satirical. I love how they poke fun at what’s really going on in the world,” Aragon said. “They are just much more ‘college.’ All of my friends watch them, too.”
When asked about the difference between her old favorites and her new ones, Aragon acknowledged violence in both, but said that the classic cartoons aimed at children had lessons to be learned in the episodes.

“Now that I’m older, when I watch cartoons, I usually look at the problems and how they relate to society,” Aragon said.

The innocence of cartoons may be gone with age, but the popularity isn’t.

In some instances, the popularity of new cartoons is dependent on the popularity of the classics. The satire Aragon likes so well mixed perfectly with two of her aforementioned favorites.

In one episode of “Family Guy,” Wile E. Coyote finally kills his elusive nemesis, Roadrunner, and at last eats his cooked remains at the dinner table amongst company.

To add to the humor, Coyote soon becomes depressed and suffers from having no direction in life without Roadrunner. After serving at a fast food joint, Coyote contemplates suicide but instead turns to evangelism and preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Shows that incorporate satire, like “South Park” and “Family Guy,” feature the likenesses of many celebrities and, in most cases, mock them. In some cases, the celebrities are killed.

“You’re always going to have violence. There’s really no way to stop it in the world, and it can be really good in a storyline,” Aragon said.

Photo courtesy MCT.

Alex Plefka, a TV-Film Society member, said that a group called the Parents TV Council, whom he called “a bunch of idiots,” makes sure to do its part in ending such humor by making hundreds of thousands of complaints annually to the Federal Communications Commission, better known as the FCC.

Among the television shows on the PTC’s “worst” shows list are three cartoons: “Family Guy,” “American Dad” and “The Cleveland Show.” All three the brainchildren of Seth MacFarlane.

Outside of the cartoons aimed at adults, Plefka said, “Cartoons now are shit.”

“All the children’s programming now sucks, like ‘Spongebob’ and all that stuff,” Plefka said, though he also criticized classic cartoons’ intentions.

“The older cartoons were cool, but a lot of them were based off of products that were already toys, like ‘Carebears’ and ‘Transformers’,” he said.

The same is true of the popular cartoons “Rainbow Brite” and “Strawberry Shortcake.”

Plefka says the shows were created after the toy in order to generate sales for the product.

Plefka names “Doug” and “Rocky and Bullwinkle” as old favorites.

Andrado and his girlfriend of seven months, Janine Fernandez, met on campus in the TSU Underground over conversation involving Disney, a staple in the cartoon industry.

“I told her I was just getting back from Disneyland and that I have my annual pass,” Andrado said.
Fernandez, a pre-nursing major, has been the proud owner of her own annual pass for six months now.

The 19-year-old donned a pair of Minnie Mouse ears on a headband in the TSU.

“Just as an accessory,” she said.

“We’re actually on our way now to get some Mickey ears with the wizard hat for me,” Andrado beamed.

Of their favorites, the two rattled off a well-blended list of cartoons ranging from “Lilo and Stitch,” “Doug” and “Cinderella” to “The Simpsons,” “Rocko’s Modern Life” and “Ren and Stimpy.”

Being so close to Anaheim, a kingdom of cartoons is virtually next door to CSUF.

Doug Robertson, 24, said it was an unusual experience being an employee at Disneyland.

“You’re a grown-up and you’re hanging out with Sleeping Beauty or Mickey. It’s weird, but cool,” Robertson said.

Robertson works as “show support,” meaning he works backstage during the parades.

“There are always people. There are almost always lines. From being here every day, I can tell you that people still love cartoons, new and old,” Robertson said of the timeless cartoon craze.