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Alex Pipes

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Have you ever been sitting on your couch, flipping through the channels, and come across one of the cartoons that was your favourite when you were a kid?

You know, the ones that you barely remember but, regardless, you know they had a huge impact?

Well, the other day I walked into the lunchroom at work, and sat down to have breakfast before my shift started; I looked over at the TV just to see the Bugs Bunny and Tweety Show buzzing away in the corner. I was completely overcome by a wave of nostalgia, and it absolutely got me thinking about some of the shows that we all used to watch as kids and that still hold special meanings for us now.

For many of us, there are the usual suspects such as Sesame Street and Barney. Having never been a Barney kid, I can't say as I've ever really felt too strongly about the big purple dinosaur. However, anything Muppets was always a favourite in the Pipes house. The Muppet movies, The Muppet Show, made-for-TV Muppet specials, anything and everything Muppets was always a hit. I can still sing the theme song from the original Muppet movie and know my older brother used to do the same- when he was only two! Even A Muppet Christmas Carol (replete with Beaker giving Ebenezer the finger) is still a tradition in our house.

Delving a little deeper into my subconscious, I also vaguely remember a show called "King Arthur and the Knights of Justice." This was a show about a teenage football star brought back in time to fulfill his destiny as King Arthur.

I was never much for the gooey princess shows, so I really do remember experiencing wild excitement at the premise of being a Knight of the Round Table. When I was a kid, the female counterpart to "King Arthur and the Knights of Justice" was either "Princess Guinevere and the Jewel Riders" or "Star Dancers."

Both shows mixed a predictable plot with the combined fantasy of fairies, princesses and horse-back riding. What girl could resist this marketing triple-threat?

I'll readily admit I was a little more fascinated with Guinevere and King Arthur than "Star Dancers," but does it really matter when you're six? Kids can be fickle and I was no exception -- especially when the toy for Star Dancers became available.

I think the attraction had something to do with pulling a cord and watching the fairy fly, but I'm not altogether sure. I just remember everyone became really tired of getting fairies launched into their faces -- and,like many annoying toys, my Star Dancer mysteriously "went missing" one day...

Guilty as I am to admit it, another show I was hooked on was Sailor Moon. What nine-year-old girl wasn't? It had everything! Magic, girl superheroes, romance, drama, good vs. evil...and the list goes on.

Unfortunately, due to culture clash, the behaviour of the lead character was sometimes...questionable. What were perfectly understandable teenage mannerisms in Japan were judged as bratty and self-centred on our side of the world.

As a kid, I wasn't really allowed to watch Sailor Moon very often, and did so (when I had the chance) under cover of darkness (or at a friend's house), which is exactly what you do when you're a kid and a favourite show is "banned." To this day, my parents believe that every brat in North America grew up that way because of Sailor Moon.

As we continue down memory lane, I have to include "Generation Cellphone's" classic, Pokémon. This (also Japanese) animated sensation took North America by storm. My generation even remembers the first-ever episode, when Ash picks Pikachu from Professor Oak's laboratory. From that episode on, Pokémon became the be-all-end-all for kids all over the world.

I even vaguely remember kids scamming other kids to trade their best cards for less-prestigious cards on the playground of Frank L. Bowser School.

A good friend of mine traded me a Charmander for 3 Bell Sprouts, then reneged on the agreement and asked for the Charmander back. To this day I haven't received my Bell Sprouts, as I reminded that friend at graduation this year, which generated a very long and heartfelt fit of laughter.

It's weird how memories like that stick with you, even when it was too long ago to remember why it mattered so much. Since those days years ago, Pokémon has continued to morph into countless plots and storylines and is now one of the most popular game franchises ever made.

So this has been my bit of nostalgia for this week, and I shall now embark onto the Internet to try to download all of these shows. Especially Sailor Moon. I am going to be 18 in two weeks and something tells me Mom and Dad aren't interested in censoring my cartoon-watching anymore.

The moral of today's column would have to be to stay a kid. Do kid things. Watch kid's shows. They're good for you, and you WILL enjoy yourself. Go out and try to buy a Beyblade, too, just to see if they make them anymore.

Go buy some Pokémon Cards, and then rent the DVD of a show you haven't seen since you were a kid. It is so much fun, and you'll realize just how much -- deep down -- you missed being a kid.

* Alex Pipes graduated from Riverview High this spring. She is a veteran of the local arts scene.