Nostalgia is such a potent drug these days. Who doesn’t love a good escape from reality? Especially when that reality involves soaring fuel prices.
Honestly, this adulting thing is a scam. Remember when we all wanted to grow up so fast? Speaking of being a kid again, memories of Friday afternoon and Saturday morning Ghana TV always bring the best forms of nostalgia for me.
I am quite sure that I’m not the only one. Sun seeping through the windows, pots and pan noises from the kitchen, kiddy excitement for the weekend and television programs made just for the junior members of the household. Good times.
And those good times included some great cartoons. Cartoons that we can never get out of our heads or off our necks.
For us at Bra Perucci, here are 8 cartoons that had a chokehold on Ghanaian 90s kids.
1. The Flinstones
Whether it was GTV, Metro TV or TV Africa, you could never go a weekend without watching at least one episode of grumpy Fred Flinstone, his wife Velma and their best friends and neighbours Barney and Betty Rabble. What a time it was indeed.
2. Captain Planet
By the powers combined….! Most of us probably got out first outlook of being eco-friendly from our favourite green-haired superhero; Captain Plantet. The intro alone was enough to get us singing along. Plus, Captain Planet was the first American cartoon many Ghanaians felt a some representation in the person of Kwame; the Earth planeteer.
3. S.W.A.T Kats
Cat mechanics become superheroes with their fighter jets in this one. From giant mud monsters to dinosaurs, T-Bone and Razor brought action to our screens.
4. Batman the Animated Series.
Another classic for the ages was Warner Bros’ Batman. Our first look at the caped vigilante before Hollywood made over 5 movies about the Batman. The villains were particularly well thought out and carried the cartoon series so well. Joker, Mr. Freeze, Two Face and Poison Ivy were among some of Batman’s most iconic villains in the animated series.
5. Roadrunner & Coyote
I can almost hear the honking sound the Roadrunner makes as it runs past. The simple premise of this cartoon was this: Coyote always sets traps for Roadrunner but the fast bird always thwarts Coyote. It made for a good watch but sometimes you feel bad for Coyote when all it wants to do is just eat.
6. Two Stupid Dogs
Do we even know their names? All we knew was that these dogs were super dumb. They were always getting themselves into needless tough situations. And while the Big Dog sounded stupid, I always felt Small Dog, who sounded smart, was actually stupider.
7. Tom and Jerry
Would this list even be complete without this legendary cartoon? I think not. Tom and Jerry holds a special place in the hearts of many Ghanaian 90s kids. Maybe even the whole world. The story followes Tom, the cat, who tried to catch Jerry, the mouse, in many traps never succeeded. There’d be episodes, rare ones, where they’d work together towards a common enemy but those were shortlived. The story of the cat and mouse and the small guy always winning is perhaps a story that’s almost clichéd.
