Nickelodeon Petition

[Drtooth]

See I don't think you guys totally understood what DrTooth means by "We're getting old...get over it" and perhaps took that in a bit of a more "hurtful" way than I image DrTooth meant. I mean I don't want to speak for the man, cause he's more than able to speak for himself. But I'm pretty sure what he meant by that statement is that Nick or Disney channel for matter ISN'T trying please us older fans in their 20s and 30s. They're still making money off what their doing now bringing in younger kids. Some of us take that a little harder than we should, cause we want it to be the same as it was when we were teens and preteens, but the fact is Nick probably won't do quite as well.

I'm just saying the REAL outrage is that we don't matter. The only thing we're supposed to watch is lame adult swim fare and stupid reality shows. And the Office... I love the Office. It's gonna suck without Carrel..

But the point I'm making is that we ARE old. They only care about 5-12 year olds, and the rest of them are supposed to watch real crap. Again, Invader Zim was canceled because most of the audience was OVER the intended age group.

Think of what you said up top about being old. Perhaps you never liked David the Gnome or Noozles even as a really small child, but I'm surprised about that. They were really good shows for children. They weren't violent, they were more gentle, but they were not dumbed down by ANY means. And these were great adventures! It was a magical time, honestly. They were a lot more cerebral and thoughtful (with tolerance, caring for the environment, and animals and other lessons) than the stuff they cram down their throats now. However, I agree with you on Pinwheel, Danger Mouse and Duckula being good. LOVE Duckula. Never saw YCDTOTelevision.

Before I get into a whole nother thing, again... I HATED those shows because they were always in the way of seeing Danger Mouse and Count Duckula. You all have to admit, those shows are gateway British comedy shows. It would have been for me if I ever saw them. But I remember either having to go home or something else after sitting through those shows (which were pretty dull for me, and this is the era I watched Care Bears and liked them) and NEVER getting to see Duckula or Danger Mouse.

As for the dubbed anime comment, there's a multi layered rant I have about that. I have and always will HATE how anime is dubbed shown and marketed here. Even when good companies give everything the fans want, there's something wrong. We always miss the best stuff. Whenever I bring up an anime anywhere people say "What the heck you talkin' bout, boy?" I once co-splayed as Suppaman from Dr. Slump and like 5 people actually got the reference. Don't get me wrong, we can get some good stuff over here, Lupin III, One Piece.... but most of their best stuff they keep to themselves. They market lame toy commercials like Dinosaur King (TIME BOKAN KNOCKOFF) to kids, and stupid moe crap to adults. Some of the stuff we get actually bombed in Japan. it's a long rant, but it's all about what sells... and Tensai Bakabon or Kinnikuman original wouldn't sell here. Then there's the whole annoying cultural divide I won't go into.

As for Nick... well, they took a hard line refusing to air any dubbed anime sometime in the 2000 era. Who the crap were they fooling? They aired Noozles and Lil' Bits (long story short, Tatsunoko stuff is very underrated here... sure we have Battle of the Planets and Speed Racer and some stuff Saban got) back when anime was a cheap alternative to everything. And they ran the terrible Italian psuedo-anime Martin Mystery (the worst cartoon adaption of a comic book EVER). This whole high and mighty stance was just annoying. But hey, we didn't get another battling monsters/cards/tops/fishing lures piece of kiddy crap, so I'm thankful for that.

But I keep saying the REAL outrage isn't the fact that the kid's networks don't show good stuff anymore, the TRUE outrage is that the basic normal broadcast shows don't have anything. Dude... I'd kill for even a BAD cartoon Saturday morning. I'd even watch Skunk Fu... and I HATE Skunk Fu. I have to watch the new Batman online (and they were all taken down from Veoh! Yay!) and I don't even know where to watch Chowder... 4Kids gots a couple more weeks of showing TMNT reruns before they all go to Nick... other than that I get qubo, which has like 3 good shows (Sitting Ducks, Jacob Two-Two and the old Babar show... I'm actually getting into that one), and the 3 best shows got pulled off the network quickly due to misleading Canadian ratings. And PBS... Word Girl is AWESOME (and I hate that word... picture old Bostonian women saying it), Curious George is pretty good (I;m sick of reruns) and I have to watch Arthur (came out 10 years too late for me, and I still love it). The things I have to do for a cartoon fix. And my DVD player's on the way out. i do all my cartoon viewing online and live in fear of Youtube accounts going down.

Maybe it's just that I've seen the alternative a bit too long. Crappy reruns from cable networks (Show the end of The Replacements and Emperor's New School already, ABC. They've been canceled for 2 years now), infomercial after infomercial (I HATE you Kevin Trueduea and your get healthy and get rich quick schemes), and those lame nature shows at 5 Am. Like kids want to watch stock footage of lemurs with fart sound effects added. I'd KILL to have Nick, Disney, and CN, even if they DO suck. Cartoons are my anti-drug, and I'm learning to live cold turkey.

Again, we DON'T matter to Nick, CN (except for adult swim) and Disney. Unless we're buying Hot Topic T-shirts and keychains. These networks fail to see that even with current shows, adults make up a large part of the audience. I'm sorry, but I get more jokes at Batman Brave and the Bold making fun of Batman's fanbase that refuses to watch the show (they do) than I get out of a Robot Chicken sketch where he's making out with Robin.

That said, worst cartoon even, hands down.... Clutch Cargo. but at least it's Plan 9 from Outerspace bad... the only thing I agree with being dumbed down is preschool programming. Super Why? EEeeeewww!

 

[Redsonga]

It is true that on weekends there is nearly nothing to watch it seems like, even if you are a big fan of every cartoon made today. The perfect time with a captive viewer and the ads for chop o matics just go on and on .

 

[Drtooth]

The perfect time with a captive viewer and the ads for chop o matics just go on and on .

It's infuriating! Lemme just say that. The one thing I really hate is that no one even reruns old cartoons anymore. You think all they'd need to do is pay a residual and they'd get back what they make on PSA's and ads for tummy buldge hiders and deadly diet pills. I don't want to make this another rant against Commercial Free Childhood, or as I call it, "let's kill childhood and ruin it for everybody cause we're self serving schmoes with too much time and money on our hands." That's the real outrage. I took the red pill (or is it the blue pill), went into the rabit hole and saw the Matrix. I found out horrible stuff I can't unthink. Horrible stuff. Why do you think I come off all angry. Shudder...

Even a bad cartoon is a miracle nowadays. Either you look this stuff up, or (I'm gonna recommend) just ignore it. One way or another, you'll go mad from the truth like me, or just blissfully ignore the real travesty. Again, you'll be happier with the latter. it's terrible stuff.

 

[Redsonga]

Well, I'm happy with Netflix and owning the Doug boxsets so I guess you could call me blissful if a bit annoyed a tv and the 'tween' label .
One good thing I always loved about the 'just to sell toys' series they never talk about: For those of us who couldn't afford them they were like a lifeline that kept us in the loop but also gave us some plotlines you hardly ever see anymore, dark and sometimes detailed ones to...If nothing esle I felt like it not only sold toys but grew imaginative play. How many series actually do that anymore I wonder? I'm not saying none of them do, but I remember when we talked back to the tv no matter if the speaker paused for a reply or not *lol*...

 

[Yorick]

Anyway, I still don't think asking for a little bit of the older shows is a selfish thing that I am suggesting just for my own benefit. I honestly think some shows/shorts are very timeless (not just because I grew up with them, some of them were very old when I was born), and they seem to, from what I've learnt letting friends children watch my DVDs, stand the test of time very well.
It's a sad world if every single episode or short has to have a sponsor to even be shown for a half hour vs. a single episode of Spongebob that, even though it may be the best thing ever (and don't get me wrong I say this loving Spongebob), has been shown over and over again to the point of death where even the little ones have gotten bored of it and are playing outside (true story).
It would be selfish if we said that nothing but old shows should be shown (I don' think any one is really saying that besides maybe the topic starter), but I don't think it is selfish to want to raise children to be exposed to more series/cartoons and pick from a more varied line up. I'm just thinking of those families who can't afford the classic Nick channel or many DVDs...

This post and your previous one are exactly right, in my opinion! And these posts have a "fairness for all" theme going...everyone can see some of their favorites with this theory, and no need for us to verbally duke it out. Though I always try my best to explain my reasonings and not sound snippy, so as to not seem like the fighting type. Because I am not.

I think kids are programmed by advertising to discard anything old and go after the new shiny-surfaced items. That can and should be counteracted in the home. As always, I blame absentee parents...or just the ones with bad taste.

Well said! And to take your post in another direction - if the advertising on the channel would talk up the older shows (unseen for over 16 years) as something spectacular, they might be a smash Because though it will be obvious - visually - that they are old, they will still be new - content wise - to the kids.

The one thing I really hate is that no one even reruns old cartoons anymore.

I'm just saying the REAL outrage is that we don't matter.

I agree on both of those points! And as JJandJanice said, it's about $ - so since styles change, a vibe that was once popular (for example, the era I love) would never fly now. It's a shame that a whole sensibility is lost. Think of the Muppets - I love them equally for their heart AND their zanyness. Most cartoons only have the zanyness now.

And even pre-school shows went downhill years ago. Though it's not a cartoon, "Barney" is to blame for starting the downfall, according to the Sesame Street book "Street Gang" - and as I said in another thread, that was my theory, so it was interesting (though sad) to see it confirmed.

I also realize I'm talking outside of Nickelodeon, but - it's kind of the same all over, so I don't think that's unfitting.

 

[Sgt Floyd]

Theres also a trend with specialty Channels. Disney XD and Nicktoons, when they frist started, showed all those older shows (maybe not so much Disney, but they did show alot of Jetex shows...)

Nicktoons used to show the older Nick cartoons. I flipped through the TV guide. Their lineup now is My Life as a Teenage Robot, El Tigre, The Fairly oddparents, and Spongebob. Sure, they show Ren and Stimpy, Invader Zim (I never liked that show acrtually) and Rocko, but you gotta stay up till 1 am. and once 6 hits, you might catch All Grown up hen its the same cycle as the shows I listed. Oh yeah, they show the Troop too...

Disney XD used to be more focused on "boys" I guess. Lots of jetex shows. Then, suddenly, its nothing but Zack and Cody with some phineas and ferb thrown in (but I like phineas and ferb )

 

[Redsonga]

Theres also a trend with specialty Channels. Disney XD and Nicktoons, when they frist started, showed all those older shows (maybe not so much Disney, but they did show alot of Jetex shows...)

If we are talking about just normal Disney channel they use to show classic shorts at least on holidays like Mother's Day and Halloween, Mickey and Pluto and everyone...
I sometimes wonder if not for Mickey's clubhouse if Mickey would be known to the younger Disney watchers at all

 

[Drtooth]

Nicktoons used to show the older Nick cartoons. I flipped through the TV guide. Their lineup now is My Life as a Teenage Robot, El Tigre, The Fairly oddparents, and Spongebob. Sure, they show Ren and Stimpy, Invader Zim (I never liked that show acrtually) and Rocko, but you gotta stay up till 1 am. and once 6 hits, you might catch All Grown up hen its the same cycle as the shows I listed. Oh yeah, they show the Troop too...

Nicktoons from what I understand became what Boomerange became. Basically the graveyard for all of the recently canceled cartoons.

But I tell you, my real Beef is with Disney. I still think they're moving away from them now... but once they had the inexplicable back to back hits of Hanna Montana, Zach and Cody, and Sugar Coated Lies the Musical... errrr... High School Musical (I'm not a Glee fan, but at least it's a LOT more accurate) that was ALL their network was about. They essentially took the Mouse out of the Mouse House. And this was during that awkward period when Eisner was on the way out and Iger didn't really have a focus on the company yet... or while he was waiting for bigger plans. Used to be anywhere tyou look there was nothing but their tweeny stars on everything. I was at the grocery story yesterday, and I saw the 100% Juice bottles... instead of High School musical and Camp Rock, I saw Toy Story and Cars... and Phineas and Ferb.... the only cartoon show that I've seen that has a toy line, and it isn't even based off a movie or a comic book...

I've said it before, but as much as I love Phineas and Ferb (especially the Doofenshmirtz segments... those are absolutely delightful. best Mad scientist I've seen on TV in years), it shouldn't be their only cartoon series... even if they have to base one off a movie again. I don't see why Lilo and Stitch the series can't be rerun somewhere. He's almost coming back in popularity and Japan LOVES him so much, he has his own Japanese Spin off. And I'd love for someone to dub said anime spinoff. They need the next Ducktales or Darkwing Duck. hey, make a cartoon based off of the Italian Double Duck or Duck Avenger comics. We've had them published under Boom for over a year now, and they're just wonderful to read.

And, well... If you really want to know who to point the finger of eternal hatred against animated kid's programming to... three letters...It's a government agency... it starts with an F and ends with a C. If you've ever watched the Saturday TV Funhouse cartoon "Conspiracy Theory Rock" you'll know why.

 

[Sgt Floyd]

If we are talking about just normal Disney channel they use to show classic shorts at least on holidays like Mother's Day and Halloween, Mickey and Pluto and everyone...
I sometimes wonder if not for Mickey's clubhouse if Mickey would be known to the younger Disney watchers at all

Disney has a second channel called "Disney XD". it replaced toon disney, which was a pretty decend channel.

Nicktoons from what I understand became what Boomerange became. Basically the graveyard for all of the recently canceled cartoons.

I used to watch boomerang and Nicktoons all the time, now I dont watch either of them any more beause of that. Boomerange was showing Gerald McBoing Boing for a while. WHY?

But I tell you, my real Beef is with Disney. I still think they're
I've said it before, but as much as I love Phineas and Ferb (especially the Doofenshmirtz segments... those are absolutely delightful. best Mad scientist I've seen on TV in years), it shouldn't be their only cartoon series... even if they have to base one off a movie again. I don't see why Lilo and Stitch the series can't be rerun somewhere.

Actually, Disney still shows Lilo and Stitch on occasion, usually really early in the morning like at 5 or 6. At least, the last time I wathed it (like 3 weeks ago) they did. could have changed by now

I read somewhere that Disney didnt want Phineas and Ferb at first...do you know if thats true?

 

[Drtooth]

Disney has a second channel called "Disney XD". it replaced toon disney, which was a pretty decend channel.

The sad thing is that was the way the network was going anyway. We had a pathetic attempt at Jetix (a European network once called Fox Kids, as per my understanding that showed GOOD stuff, including the Gadget and the Gadetinis series) that basically showed a bunch of shows they got from Saban for a while (Power Rangers for one). Then they had Batman and Pinky and the Brian for some reason. Changing it to a boy's station as Disney turned into a girl's channel was natural. i still wonder why they don't just make new channels. I though all this Digital jazz was supposed to make it so you could broadcast multiple channels at once or something. So why the practice of taking preexisting channels and changing them? Apparently there's gonna be a third channel on the dead body of Soapnet. But we have only the vaguest idea what's on it. Preschool shows are definitely going to be there.

I read somewhere that Disney didnt want Phineas and Ferb at first...do you know if thats true?

I guess that's why they had to shove one of the High School Musical stars in the show as the voice of Candice.... joke's on them... I'm seeing more PnF stuff coming out (and selling) than HSM or HM or Johnas crap. Proud owner of the Doofenshmirtz uglinator gun figure set.