Tell a young child today that there was a time when
streaming their favorite show wasn’t an option and they’ll be surprised.
Explain to them that you had to wait until a show was actually on TV and that
you only had 3-4 channels to choose from and they’ll think you’re making a
joke. Thankfully you can show them examples of this and they will be stunned
that you ever lived to be as old as you are now.
The lure of nostalgia when it comes to items on home media
has been around since those first VHS copies of TV series were made available.
That desire to own or watch those classic items we grew up with as children has
made collecting TV shows easier. Now that same desire to possess the shows that
were seen by our children has made them seek out their favorite shows as well
and in particular cartoon series.
That might be because when growing up children of the 80s
and 90s would rush home to watch the adventures of G.I. JOE, TRANSFORMERS or
HE-MAN. Those were the first major shows to capture their imaginations and to
tie into a slew of toys that helped keep many toy companies alive. But in the
90s it was less about toys and more about games.
Games such as Atari and Nintendo were the rage at the time
and what better platform to launch a cartoon series from? You could sell the
kids the show and in return they would want to play the game. Now two of these
90s shows are available on disc and those who grew up with them will most
likely make a point of picking them up.
The first is based on one of the most popular games of the
time, Sonic the Hedgehog. The SONIC THE HEDGEHOG TV series ran only two seasons
from 1993-1994. Now the entire series has been collected by MVD and is
available to own.
If you missed it while it aired the series told the adventures
of Sonic who obviously was a hedgehog. Sonic could outrun anyone who would try
to catch him, in particular Dr. Robotnik. The Doctor was actually a scientists
hired by the King to build machines to stop war. Instead he took over, sent the
King into another dimension and transformed the people of the Kingdom of Acorn
into robots in his roboticizer. Only a group of freedom fighters led by Sonic
that included other animals were left to put an end to his reign.
Before you think the series was all that serious it truly
wasn’t. The episodes were more often played for laughs with Sonic and crew
outwitting the bad guys all the time. And Sonic himself wasn’t much of a role
model as he was pretty smart mouthed and rude. But the cartoon played not to
adults but to smaller children who would get a laugh out of his antics and
enjoy the cartoon as it was. Face it, small children are not that discerning
when it comes to cartoons. All in all for fans of the show this is a nice way
to collect the entire series without resorting to bootleg versions or watching
grainy items on streaming channels.
The second series was aimed at a slightly older audience.
DOUBLE DRAGON ran the same amount of time, from 93-94. The premise here was two
brothers separated at birth. One was raised by an elderly martial arts master
known as the Oldest Dragon. A dragon emblem is emblazoned on his chest and
moves when he uses his martial arts abilities. The second brother was Jimmy and
he was raised by the Shadow Master, evil incarnate. Unaware of their lineage
the two brothers face off against one another at first until the Shadow Master
betrays Jimmy. After that they join forces against the Shadow Master.
The first two episodes of the series stuck close to the game
it was developed from but afterwards went off in its own direction with new
characters created for the series. This didn’t stop fans of the game from
tuning in or from buying the games after watching.
The animation on both series was not the greatest one can
find but it was enough to appease younger audiences at the time who’d grown
used to it from the G.I.JOE and TRANSFORMERS series. That jerky animation was
inexpensive and perfect for daily television.
Both complete series are now available from MVD for a
reasonable price. Children who grew up in the 90s now have the chance to relive
those series with the options of enjoying them or wondering what they were
thinking at the time. The fact is most nostalgic shows, and I would have to
include the old Adam West BATMAN series in this, are not quite what we remember
when viewed as adults. Still they do bring back fond memories and bring to
light the feelings we had as children. I recommend both of these series to the
kids of the 90s and to their grandchildren. It would make a good conversation
starter about what you did and watched while growing up.
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