An extraordinary relationship between word and image is developed within the pages of cartoon books. For some people cartoon books teach history lessons, for others, they are simple ways of relaxation and amusement, a way of access to fantasy, adventure and horror stories.
Nowadays, cartoon books became a widely accessible commercial way of expression in the form of visual narratives. They are tailored to specific loyal audiences. These can exchange views on the latest editions or simply talk about them.
People have also access to more technically sophisticated cartoon books. Better printing techniques and paper of higher quality are currently increasing these books' value.
More and more cartoon fans amuse themselves searching for cartoon books for their collections. They go to stores or they surf online for the best cartoon books related to subjects they know or they want to discover. Usually they look for old cartoon books, limited editions, no longer available on the market, so popular decades ago. For them, the period in which these cartoons were conceived is very important and they evoke their childhood.
Many of these cartoon books were transposed into television cartoons and characters became more and more popular. Some of the old characters are still very popular and producers are struggling in making new episodes.
Where can a cartoon collector find books? One can find them in the flea markets, other collectors that sell their collections, book stores, antique stores, auctions and online sources.
Cartoons are the very essence of entertaining television. They inspire our imagination and can't help but make us smile with their slapstick jokes.
A lot of care and attention was put into the making of the really old cartoons. Some of them were very well animated with intricate plots, hilarious voices and music that followed the action to perfection.
I'd like to cast your mind back to a few cartoons you probably loved when you were growing up, and which are now classics.
Many people loved to watch the Jetsons, a cartoon created in the 1960s about a space age family. I grew up with it in the 1980s and I remember believing that the future would be just like that.
We really enjoyed watching the portrayal of life for the Jetsons out in the cosmos, and we didn't find it too hard to believe, either.
Watching one of Popeye's fine episodes, you'd be hard put to believe that it was made over fifty years ago. It always had a 'good versus evil' story line that has stood the test of time.
Popeye's nemesis was Bluto, his rival for Olive Oil's affections. Just as Clark Kent became Superman, Popeye, once he'd eaten a can of spinach, became a super hero. Every child would get excited as he combated evil thanks to spinach.
Lonely Toons is a time-honored cartoon that deserves to be on my list. Bugs Bunny is the mythical star of this classic show and is as relevant to the world of entertainment now as he ever was.
Back in the good ole days' those of us in our 20's, 30's, and maybe even early 40's enjoyed some great cartoons back in the 80's. There might be a Saturday where we long for some of our old cartoon companionships on a dreary rainy or snowy morning. When we were children, we woke up early in the morning, just so we could begin the day with our favorite pals.
Now as the years have passed, and watching some of the newer and futuristic cartoons, we long for the familiar. Where have some of our old favorite cartoons gone? Will we ever get to see them again? With the great birth of the internet, it could be possible to see some of our old friends and possibly even introduce them to our own children.
One of the old popular cartoons was the Smurfs. They aired on television from 1981-1986, and some channels even carried some reruns as well. Actually, for the year 2008, the Smurfs are celebrating their 50th anniversary on their website. Fans of the Smurfs can purchase figurines to celebrate the special occasion. You can also catch the celebration at Happy Smurf Day on the internet too. While the Smurfs aired as cartoons in the 80's, their first appearance was actually on October 23, 1958. They were featured in a story of Johan & Peewit in "Le Journal de Spirou". They were also just secondary characters. After being in the story, then the Smurfs appeared in a film called The Magic Flute with music that was written by Michel Legrand. While the cartoon may have aired long ago, the Smurfs are still widely popular. Their books, figurines, and toys are still the most popular in the world, and their cds have sold 10 million copies in the last three years. For those who long to see episodes of the Smurfs, you can purchase the video collection in a dozen different languages and also in story-cd's as well. Also, you can watch free episodes on the popular video website, youtube.
Another popular series was the almighty, "She-Ra, Princess of Power." Young girls all over wanted to be powerful and beautiful just like the princess She-Ra. Shera was a spin-off cartoon from the He-Man series. Girls longed to wait for her to change over to She-Ra as she withdrew her sword into the air while a wild pop music tune played as she announced that she was yet, "Shera-Princess of Power." Her long flowing blond hair danced in the wind as she road upon her horse to go save the world and rescue those in need. And her brother He-man she stayed loyal and true, as they fought on the same side with the good trying to put evil in its place. Season one began with its first episode, Into Etheria Part , which aired September 9th, 1985. She-Ra-continued on through 1987 with over ninety cartoon episodes. Along with the airing of the cartoon, popular figures and toys were released during the period. Some of these toys can now hardly be found and are now considered rare items. For those who want to relive the Shera days, DVD collections of the show were released in 2006 and 2007. She-Ra: Princess of Power, Season 1, Volume one was released in November of 2006 and Season 1, Volume 2 was released April of 2007. Old episodes of She-Ra can also be watched at youtube.
One last great cartoon to watch on Saturday mornings was a cartoon about a family of little people who lived in people's homes. It was called "The Littles." There were William and Willa Little, the children, Tom and Lucy, and Uncle Pete. The Littles had some amazing adventures and viewers would even get a little nervous when these little gals found themselves in some trouble or danger. The Littles became friends with the young boy, Henry, whose home they lived in. Henry was one of the few who really knew about the Littles. The Littles were always running away from the evil scientist, Dr Hunter, who was always trying to capture this little family. He wanted to try and catch them so that he would become rich and powerful. The Littles aired on the ABC network from 1983-1985. Some of the shows even reaired on the Toon Disney network from 1998-2002. They have also been in syndication from 2003-2007. So there is a chance that you might have even caught this widely popular cartoon show. If you are craving some of the non-stop action adventures of the Littles Family, the entire series from 1984 can be purchased at amazon for $35.99. If you want to relive some parts of the cartoon, there are videos of the Littles found at youtube.
So if you find yourself craving some of the old cartoons from your childhood, remember, that our favorite best friends aren't that far away. There are dvd collections,books, cds, and even memories of them distributed across the world wide web. While we might have thought that we had lost that part of childhood, they were still never really that far away.
