Cartoons and Comics
Just a quick one until I have time to add more. I was thinking about the beauty of a child’s mind and maintaining a sense of wonder. I’d guess cartoons and comics played a big role in the expansion of my imagination - the worlds, comedy, exageration, contradiction, and maybe occasional life lesson. To pay homage to my favorite escapades, I thought I would put a small list together.
1. Tom and Jerry
I still struggle to believe these came out in the 1940’s, but they are nothing if not timeless. Its incredible to me that such a simple premise, cat chase mouse, could remain hilarious in every environment and constantly discover new ways to make me laugh myself silly. As a kid, I felt like David could always defeat the Goliath, he just has to outsmart him with endless creativity.
2. Calvin and Hobbes
Just the vivid imagination of a child coming to life… the simplest objects can be incredibly complex, the only limit is how big you want to think.
3. Pink Panther
Comedy in every scenario you could imagine, Pink Panther bends every rule of reality in wild scenarios ranging from chasing inanimate objects to battles against man to exploring psychedelic dream worlds. I love that Pink sometimes wins, sometimes loses, but often just leaves the scene shrugging his shoulders and moving on a little wiser.
4. Dr. Suess
Suess really works wonders on an open canvas to illustrate morals to children: sharing, cleaning up, preserving nature, or my favorite, being kind and inclusive as explained by wacky creatures rhyming their way into the mind.
5. Garfield
The cynical cat that still appreciates the simple things in life, namely lasagna. Garfield seems like one of us, wanting to sleep in, eat, thinking all kinds of sly thoughts without speaking them, and to me, demonstrates that its alright to be a little laid back and enjoy life.
