One of my key interests as an entertainment geek of sorts, has always been older cartoons. I have a great appreciation for modern cartoons whether they are my childhood ones or recent favorites. However, I always tend to gravitate back towards ones that were made in the early to mid-90s more often than not. Whether it’s Looney Tunes, Tom & Jerry, or Popeye, I usually tend to watch these classic cartoons over and over far more than most other media.
However, being a fan of these cartoons, there’s a truth to recognize about them, and it’s how niche of interest these characters and their cartoons can be. As of late, most of the classic cartoons that defined the medium have either been completely forgotten by the general public or are only used for merchandising. It’s more apparent than ever that the ways to view or access these cartoons have become far more limited and will very likely impact their visibility and their potential audience in the future.
A few decades ago, there were a lot of ways these characters could stay relevant in the public eye. First, most of them were readily available to watch on TV. For a long time, compilation shows presented shorts consistently on Saturday mornings and networks like Cartoon Network and Boomerang were founded on the desire to present and preserve older cartoons. There was also the fact that for a while, many of the classic creators and animators who worked on the original shorts were still alive and acted as ambassadors of sorts for their work. The reason why certain Looney Tunes were more culturally relevant and eventually became the mold for the brand image was because some of the creators like Chuck Jones and Friz Freling were alive long enough to both discuss their work and even make more material in their later years. Finally, the fact that so many of these cartoons were aired on television meant that not only were many kids given accessibility to them, but that when they got older, they would likely show them to their kids. I was introduced to many of these shorts by my parents who grew up with them and I’m pretty sure many others my age or older had the same experience.
However, over the past decade or so, it seems like these shorts and their characters have had a much smaller cultural presence in general and many factors seem to be involved here. While people know characters like Bugs Bunny or Tom & Jerry at some level, it’s also clear that they have never been more irrelevant in the public eye. It’s not that their shorts aren’t available, but it feels like they are only accessible to those who want to purposely seek them out rather than being ever-present anywhere. Networks like Cartoon Network and Boomerang have completely departed from their original mission statements and while they occasionally air older cartoons, it is very infrequent and only a few of the more popular series get attention. There have been DVD sets that bundle dozens of classic shorts together, but those have only been targeted towards collectors as of late since physical media has become far less relevant and more of a secondary or niche thing. Compare how the older Looney Tunes box sets were readily available in retail stores around two decades ago to how recent Blu-Rays have been released under collector labels and are online purchases only. The only real outlet for classic cartoons on TV is the channel ME-TV which has consistently aired plenty of old cartoons in a wide variety. But again, like with DVDs, this not only feels like something that someone seeks out on their own but also seems to be aimed more towards the aficionados rather than towards today’s youth.
Another factor in the lack of visibility towards classic cartoons is a major shift in the motive for how companies want to use them. While this notion has always been present in animation, the aspect of marketing has become much more prevalent regarding classic cartoon characters as of late. Many of the classic characters were once viewed as important parts of film culture and were treated with reverence at some level. However, once merchandise became a key factor of a studio’s business, the aspect of marketability became the only reason that studios would use these characters. The whole reason a movie like Space Jam existed was not because someone wanted to present a faithful interpretation of the Looney Tunes to a wide audience. Rather, it was because Bugs was in commercials with Michael Jordan and they realized they could squeeze a movie out of the premise. Cheaply and quickly made direct-to-video films and shows that try to change the characters out of a focus on market trends have also been the result of how these characters have been viewed less as cultural figures and more as marketing tools. The show Loonatics Unleashed was developed after the failure of the movie Looney Tunes: Back in Action as an attempt to “modernize” the brand as an action show. It was an immediate failure and is considered one of the worst reboots ever made. Unfortunately, projects like this are the norm because, rather than allowing the timeless cartoons to represent the characters, some believe that following trends is the path to go which honestly never really works for older franchises. They also believe that simply showing the shorts isn’t as viable of a business option or that they don’t appeal to modern audiences. Any brand is kept around by studios and companies, but mostly to reap merchandising and most new projects tend to ignore what made them work in the first place.
While the elements of TV not showing older cartoons and the focus on marketing appeal over anything else have negatively impacted the visibility and presence, a more recent development has arguably made the biggest impact. This, of course, is streaming. With streaming, everything is sort of defined under one label and there is just so much available that so much can also be overlooked. Compare how television networks could present shows the way they wanted to how streaming just lumps them all together. If someone isn’t actively seeking out a classic cartoon like with other avenues of availability, it’s less likely that a large number of people will see them since they just blend with the rest. Moreover, given how less people have had access to these cartoons, it’s less likely that many of them would be able to show them to their kids. Even genuine efforts of revivals like the recent Looney Tunes Cartoons that try to follow the steps of the originals are simply labeled as just another show in a sea of them and can’t become relevant in the crowded market.
It is a problem of accessibility. Rather than allowing characters and shows to be present and available for new generations, they are just thrown around haphazardly. They have enough relevance to be kept around, but don’t get the treatment they deserve and aren’t presented in a way that will maintain their cultural longevity. I feel like it will get to the point where studios will try to reboot something that they haven’t bothered to keep relevant and thus the current generation will have no interest in it.
This mindset can even affect modern cartoons. Nickelodeon has mostly focused on SpongeBob and maybe one or two other shows for their network lineup for the past decade or so. What used to be a network that prided itself on a variety of cartoons that all were treated with respect, is now a hollow brand that is infamous for chewing up and spitting out any new show in a year or so in favor of focusing on their cash cows. The fact they delisted a reboot of Rugrats from their Paramount+ service, a brand once a prominent cultural force in the 90s, is a sign that companies will both rely on relevant brands but refuse to properly maintain them and will throw any new projects in to sink or swim. Not only that but looking at most of their cartoons, how many of them would be recognized by today’s generation? A lot of them haven’t aired on TV for years, so they are mostly a fixture of the past generation’s nostalgia and only available as an interchangeable part of streaming. The fact that the company was dismissive towards Avatar until they saw the huge numbers the show pulled in on Netflix tells me that cartoons just aren’t valued until they see something to tap into.
While I don’t think these classic characters will ever truly go away, I feel like the current state of certain characters shows the likely future that any cartoon can have if they aren’t given accessibility. Take Betty Boop for example. One of the more iconic characters of the 30s has now just become a fixture of a few marketing lines. Not much is being made in terms of new shows or movies featuring her and it’s likely that as the generations who either grew up with her cartoons on television or were introduced to her by parents who did pass on, there will be fewer and fewer who truly care to keep the cartoons featuring her relevant. It seems that many iconic characters will end up as just something else to watch on services or just another character on a print t-shirt. It’s not bad to have merchandise or a presence on streaming services, but I feel that more and more there is less reverence and attention given to them and it may get worse. Fiascos like Coyote vs Acme being stuck in limbo also show that studio management is dismissive towards these characters as well and just sees them as interchangeable brands that can be treated flippantly.
At some level, I feel that I need to keep supporting the older cartoons that I love. Not just in watching them and supporting new projects featuring them that I feel stay true to their spirit, but also in keeping the conversations about why they are still great going. So many of these cartoons and the characters that stared in them were the foundations of not just animation, but many parts of cinematic comedy as well. There’s a reason that these characters have lasted so long and I feel that being dismissive both towards their importance and the quality of the work present both in the animation and humor is detrimental in so many ways. It feels like the industry is so dismissive of any type of creative work and those who put in the effort and passion to make them as of late. Heck, these cartoons have always been dismissed at some level by those who own them aside from the opportunities to use their image for a quick buck. It’s only now that it seems to be more of an issue since these cartoons aren’t being widely presented as much as they used to. But media that is not only influential but high quality deserves all the respect in the world. Yes, these are silly cartoons and not every piece of media is going to remain relevant forever. However, I feel that some of them are culturally important and that we need to keep them visible for future generations rather than letting them just become another piece of filler that people lackadaisically watch on a lazy Sunday.
