Written by: Sky Cummings
Before my life was comprised entirely of emails, deadlines, and trying to figure out what to make for dinner, there were cartoons. Like any other 2000s baby, I loved Wizards of Waverly Place, Hannah Montanah, and Gossip Girl growing up – but I honestly have much clearer, fonder memories of my favorite childhood cartoons. I can vividly see exactly how my living room looked. I remember the way my little sister and I would plop couch cushions on the floor right in front of the television set. I discovered a few cartoons from the cable TV playing in the hotels my family stayed at when making trips back to Canada. The majority of my most cherished, however, are ones my parents watched when they were kids. These colorful, chaotic, and occasionally profound stories shaped my widely overactive imagination. So, I want to hit rewind on my favorite cartoons that – surprisingly – made me who I am today.
1. Madeline, 1988
“In an old house in Paris that was covered in vines, lived twelve little girls in two straight lines…” To this day, I know the opening pages to Ludwig Bemelmans’s 1939 children’s book, Madeline, by heart. Fast forward almost fifty years and the animated special based on Bemelmans’s story was released in 1988. The book and cartoon center around a witty, brave, and sometimes troublesome heroine, Madeline. She lives in a Parisian boarding school under the care of the kind and intuitive Miss Clavel, alongside eleven other young girls. Around the same age, I felt connected to the character because amidst the twelve students, “the smallest one was Madeline.” As a shorter child, often teased for my stature, I looked up to Madeline. She represented everything I wanted to be – courageous, independent, and compassionate. My favorite episodes were “Madeline and the Bad Hat” and “Madeline and the Missing Clown.”
2. Paddington Bear, 1976
What would you do if you came across a bear in a blue coat at Paddington Station? Well, if you’re anything like the Brown family in Michael Bond’s stop motion cartoon, you name him Paddington and adopt him! Paddington was one of my mum’s favorite characters growing up, and I too became fond of the accident-prone bear from Darkest Peru. I enjoyed how the show’s style differed from many of the other cartoons on cable – Paddington himself is a three-dimensional puppet of sorts backed by a paper set and accompanied by cut-out characters like the Brown family and Mrs. Bird. As a clumsy child myself, I always laughed at the clever ways in which Paddington managed to get himself out of trouble. My favorite episode was always “A Bear in Hot Water.” In the spirit of transparency, Paddington Bear is still a comfort show I watch as a twenty-one-year-old adult.
3. The Pink Panther Show, 1969
Another show taken from my mum’s childhood, The Pink Panther Show is a series of animated shorts starring the mischievous and humorous Pink Panther. I remember most of the episodes only had a laugh track and sound effects. Despite the simple background and the lack of voice acting, this cartoon makes me laugh harder than any other to date. Each episode revolves around the countless ways in which the Pink Panther complicates the lives of The Inspector, The Little Man, or whoever else manages to become entrapped in his plots. From befriending a fortune-telling scale to relentlessly disrupting an orchestra, the Pink Panther always manages to get his way and make the audience giggle as he does so. This cartoon was always featured on my sister and I’s watchlist for long road trips. I rewatched “Dial P for Pink” and “The Pink Blueprint” on repeat between ages six and twelve. Yes. Twelve.
4. Charlie & Lola, 2005
Anyone who has a sibling can appreciate the genius of Lauren Child’s Charlie & Lola. The pair were introduced as characters in Child’s 2000 book that was later adapted into the cartoon that I know and love. The imaginative and energetic Lola often looks to Charlie, her patient older brother, for guidance. Charlie and Lola share a fondness for pink milk and adventure. Growing up, I loved their accents and cadences. I sympathized with Charlie when Lola caused trouble and with Lola when she made well-intentioned mistakes. My favorite episodes were undoubtedly “This is Actually My Party” and “I Just Love My Red Shiny Shoes.” In fact, I currently own a pair of red flats that I got for Christmas and every time I wear them, I look in the mirror and say, “my red shiny shoes!”
Upon completing this list, I see one theme clearly uniting all of these cartoons: troublemakers. As a goody-two-shoes child – terrified of causing a rift or breaking the rules – I think cartoons served as an outlet for me to outsource mischief. They fed a desire I had for the unexpected, and in turn, contributed to the ways in which I construct whole worlds in my imagination. By the same token, I also think I felt drawn to the animation style. Each show was designed uniquely, but all had a similar cozy, hand drawn quality that evokes a sense of solace and ease. Some were heartwarming, others totally ridiculous, but all of them left a lasting mark. No matter how old I get, I’ll always come back to these cartoons – whether I need a dose of childhood comfort or just an excuse to indulge in a little harmless chaos.
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