# This is where I admit I like kid's shows



## deilaitha (Oct 8, 2013)

So, I am excitedly awaiting the return of Nickelodeon's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles this Saturday.  I have found that the show is cleverly written--containing plots and subplots not common in children's television.  Plus, there's humor on two levels.  I don't have children yet, but when I do I fully intend to let them watch this show. 

I think it is so important for children to have something that allows them to imagine alternate realities.  Not only does it educate them on what is real and what is not, it gives them that temporary escape from the harshness of the real world.  As they grow and read more adult fantasy and sci-fi, it allows them to see the real-world problems and understand them through a different lens.  And, there is still that wonderful feeling of escape. 

In C.S. Lewis's _Voyage of the Dawn Treader_, Eustace is a character deprived of fantasy storytelling and anything other than "the facts."  Both Lewis and Tolkien were so adamant in the advocacy of mythology and fairy tales for children. 

So, anyway, I'm looking forward to that.  Am I the only Nick's TNMT fan here on Mythic Scribes?


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## Feo Takahari (Oct 8, 2013)

I'm not a _TMNT_ fan, but I sidestepped into _My Little Pony_--I cut a deal with a fic writer where she'd edit my porn if I'd edit her ponies. I tried reading a few other fics in the "Adventure" category, and I realized about halfway through one, "this is _Star Trek_." Not literally, of course, but it's exactly the same sort of lighthearted adventure with mild peril and a strong moral code that _Star Trek_ used to be before it was "reenvisioned" for modern audiences. Shows like _Adventure Time_ and _Wander over Yonder_ take different approaches that lead to different fandoms, but in their own way, they all promote a vision that's been forgotten and dismissed in favor of the cynical stuff that today is so often assumed to be "real."


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## GeekDavid (Oct 8, 2013)

I admit it, there are some kid's shows I like... especially cartoons, though I tend to prefer the older Bugs and Daffy cartoons.

I also admit that I play a kid's MMORPG... well, two of them actually... Wizard 101 and Pirate 101. My late disabled friend Dana couldn't play more adult MMO's, because her hand-eye coordination sucked, but she could and did play Wizard 101 and a little bit of Pirate 101 before she passed (on Oct. 28 last year).

Honestly, it's a fun low-stress game where you're not just banging on keys to attack as fast as you can, but are thinking strategically on how to beat your opponent.


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## deilaitha (Oct 8, 2013)

Feo Takahari said:


> I sidestepped into _My Little Pony_--I cut a deal with a fic writer where she'd edit my porn if I'd edit her ponies.



 That's...quite the tradeoff. 



> in their own way, they all promote a vision that's been forgotten and dismissed in favor of the cynical stuff that today is so often assumed to be "real."



That's so true! This is why I love kids' shows.  Not that I don't also like the stuff oriented for adults, but i love the softer world of kids' entertainment.


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## Ireth (Oct 8, 2013)

I like watching kids' shows now and then. Looney Toons and My Little Pony are great. Every so often I'll look up an episode of Rugrats on YouTube if I'm feeling particularly nostalgic. Also, I've heard that Reboot is getting a reboot (no pun intended) as well as TMNT. Anyone excited for that?


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## Writeking (Oct 8, 2013)

deilaitha said:


> That's...quite the tradeoff.
> 
> 
> 
> That's so true! This is why I love kids' shows.  Not that I don't also like the stuff oriented for adults, but i love the softer world of kids' entertainment.



I've always enjoyed kids shows as well. It's engaging to me as a visual medium. As An aspiring writer, i look to these stories to find inspiration, such as character development. The Slayers, Dragonball, Ranma 1/2, and other anime, have always have a source of creativity for me. The mixture of action, comedy, well developed characters, and interesting plots always keep me wanting more. And one more thing. Cowabunga. I prefer the 1980's Turtles, but that's in comparison to the  2000's version. I haven't seen the new version yet


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## Devor (Oct 8, 2013)

I have kids, so my liking kids shows comes with an excuse that everyone will believe without questioning my maturity in any way whatsoever, right?  Right?  

They vary widely in quality, though.  Many of them I can't sit through, so it's important that I find a few shows I can watch with them.  We get TV on Netflix and Hulu, so that means a lot of the old shows I grew up with.  Currently it's Beast Wars.


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## deilaitha (Oct 9, 2013)

Writeking said:


> Cowabunga. I prefer the 1980's Turtles, but that's in comparison to the  2000's version. I haven't seen the new version yet



So, I never watched any TNMT before the new one, actually.  Mom wouldn't let me when I was a kid (when they were really big) and I was way more into the original My Little Pony and Rainbow Brite anyways.  From what I understand, the two biggest pet peeves of 80's TNMT fans is that in the new one a) April is a teenager and b) Michelangelo says "booyakasha" instead of "cowabunga."  However, what really got me into the show is this universe's backstory for Splinter.  Pretty awesome.  Who doesn't love Splinter, anyway? Also, the new version has quite a few little touches that make it seem more anime-ish (like the asterisk on the forehead when they get mad). I am not hugely into anime, but I appreciate it. 

Speaking of anime, Ranma 1/2 is hilarious.  A little more mature material than what I would let kids watch (I think teenagers would be okay with it), but pretty funny stuff.  I love the scene in the pilot when Ranma and his/her dad/panda are having a water fight and screaming at each other.


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## deilaitha (Oct 9, 2013)

Devor said:


> I have kids, so my liking kids shows comes with an excuse that everyone will believe without questioning my maturity in any way whatsoever, right?  Right?



My husband and I always go to the toy section in Walmart and drool over all the legos and hot wheels.  We frequently joke that we need to have kids just so that WE can play with their toys.


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## Guy (Oct 9, 2013)

I like the original Looney Tunes. I always thought Batman the Animated Series was well done.


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## GeekDavid (Oct 9, 2013)

Guy said:


> I like the original Looney Tunes. I always thought Batman the Animated Series was well done.



Agreed. That was one of the best cartoon adaptations of the Dark Knight I've ever seen.


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## Guy (Oct 9, 2013)

GeekDavid said:


> Agreed. That was one of the best cartoon adaptations of the Dark Knight I've ever seen.


And I never really followed the comic, either. When I became a parent in the 1990s and got cartoon network this was on and we watched, and I just thought it was a very well done show. I even got the soundtrack for Mask of the Phantasm!


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## Reaver (Oct 9, 2013)

Spongebob is hilarious.


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## CupofJoe (Oct 10, 2013)

Last Kid show I liked...
Maid Marian and Her Merry Men - witty, funny and just a little bit stupid.


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## Guy (Oct 10, 2013)

Reaver said:


> Spongebob is hilarious.


I love the old ones, but I'm not crazy about the ones they're making now.


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## GeekDavid (Oct 10, 2013)

Bring back Captain Kangaroo!


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## Sparkie (Oct 11, 2013)

I still love this show.  C'mon, sing with me!


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## GeekDavid (Oct 11, 2013)

Sparkie said:


> I still love this show.  C'mon, sing with me!



Helllllllooooooooo, Nurse!


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## wordwalker (Oct 12, 2013)

TMNT's a delight. Decent action (almost as serious as the 2003 series), with amazing coming timing-- for maybe the first time in my life, I found an idiot character I don't consider a waste of space. They never do the same thing twice with Mikey.

Dragons Riders/Defenders Of Berk is a keeper too. It really does keep a lot of the quality of the How To Train Your Dragon movie.

And you are watching Korra (and Avatar), aren't you?

Glad people mentioned Beast Wars (the rest of Transformers has its moments, but none of it was _that_ good) and Reboot.


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## SeverinR (Oct 22, 2013)

My teen daughter got me hooked on kids shows-Disney:
Spongebob, ICarly, Dog with a Blog, Good luck Charley.

Dragonriders of PErn, I miss alot of their shows. They don't have the kick that the full feature had. But it is tough to write a 30 minute cartoon weekly and keep it interesting. HTTYD still rules.


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## Tanihatu (Oct 23, 2013)

Kids shows are brilliant for developing ideas. My daughter and i often watch the toons together. Particular faves include Phineas and Ferb, Galactic Football, Slugterra etc. Even Pokemon throws up the odd idea now and then........sort of.

In looking back to what i watched, the ones that stick out include Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors, He-Man, Battle of the Planets, Centurions....


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## Devor (Oct 23, 2013)

Tanihatu said:


> Kids shows are brilliant for developing ideas.



I'm going to second that.  They get outside the box.

I mentioned Beast Wars, which was a transformers show set in the past.  They did a brilliant thing in the first episode and released a bunch of stasis pods into the atmosphere, which fall one by one throughout the series.  Every time a stasis pod lands, there's a race to decide if the character inside it is a good guy or reprogrammed as a bad guy.  In a setting that starts with only 8 characters, that's an awesome idea that definitely inspired a few ideas for me.


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## wordwalker (Oct 24, 2013)

It _was_ a clever trick. A compromise between the Great Gods Of Toy Marketing and one of the most dramatic ideas I've ever seen TV pull:

Think about how many TV episodes are built around the guest character and two or three witnesses, victims, minor folks and all (and those are usually the more disposable eps). And yet this show had exactly 10 sentient beings on the planet plus a snails-pace plan for increasing them or _very_ rarely letting a guest in. Everything you know about drama gets afterburners.


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