Scooby Doo, where are you?

Amongst the ‘Fan Boy and Chum-Chum,’ Spongebob and Dora/Diego, some of my favorite cartoons still exist.  The boys are picky in what they like. Looney Tunes doesn’t do it for them (making me question their parentage), but Tom & Jerry and Scooby Doo are still popular with them (restoring my faith).

They are not, however, the same cartoons. Time has marched on and the shows have changed to keep pace. I was recently horrified to watch an entire Tom & Jerry where both characters spoke.

In a recent episode of Scooby, Velma checked her email via her “wireless internet connection.” What’s next, are the kids going to tase old Mr. Wilson in his zombie costume? (No, actually, I just heard a LifeAlert reference…) Ugh, the band of goth vampire girls are secretly eco-warriors.

Does it make me old that these things strike me as odd or out of place? I’m using my wireless internet connection right now, so why did it strike my ears funny to hear it in a cartoon. Why is the apparent sexual tension between Fred and Daphne off-putting?

I just asked the boys why they like Scooby Doo. “It’s funny,” was the answer. I’ve been watching and, besides Shaggy being even more of a stone than I remember, I haven’t laughed yet. I think I understand why my parents didn’t understand them.

On the other hand, though, I have found a secret enjoyment from SpongeBob (though I will deny it in polite company). The boys think it’s funny and so do I, but we don’t laugh at the same time. There is very adult undertheme in many of the episodes. (Fan Boy and Chum-Chum, however, is still off limits in our house…)

Okay, so I guess that makes me a grown-up, huh? I’m sitting here analyzing Scooby Doo. Great.

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