Any time my wife wants peace and quiet, and left undisturbed for a period of time, she makes me a coffee, unlocks the biscuit tin and sits me down in front of the television to watch some cartoons.

I’m an ‘adult’ now and sit on the sofa rather than cross-legged on the floor, but other than that, very little has changed in the past fifty-five years or so … well, of course back then I wasn’t married, and it was my mum providing juice and biscuits.

The very first film I saw at the cinema (‘the pictures,’ as it was called in Glasgow) was the Walt Disney production, ‘The Sword in the Stone.’ I’m sure ‘Fantasia’ was the accompanying movie.

I was five or six years old, and I loved the experience, but for some reason the Disney characters, especially the usual suspects of Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck et al didn’t make a lasting impression.

Instead, around the same time, I was introduced to The Jetsons. That was more like it! The cartoon series had everything a young boy could want … a futuristic, space-age setting; an identifiable family; a robot and a daft dog called Astro.

I would also be an avid watcher of The Flintstones which if I remember correctly aired on a Saturday. I’m still a fan and have all the episodes on DVD.

In fact, I was by now already obsessed with cartoons – principally those of Hanna-Barbera Productions. They produced such a wide and varied selection of characters: Huckleberry Hound; Yogi Bear; Snagglepuss; Quick-Draw McGraw – I loved them all.

As I grew older, I watched more and more of the Looney Tunes cartoons, Daffy Duck being my favourite.

Fast forward some years, and with my two sons then at an age of appreciating the delights of cartoons, they introduced me to my three all-time favourites, each of which I have downloaded many episodes: Johnny Bravo, The Animaniacs and Futurama.

These ones in particular appeal because although principally targeting a young audience, they incorporate humour which draws the interest of adults too.

The Animaniacs show also features several other hilarious characters: Pinky & The Brain; Slappy Squirrel; Buttons & Mindy, and possibly the best of all, The Goodfeathers – three mafia-type pigeons who are forever scrapping amongst themselves. 🙂

Of course, if it’s a more ‘adult’ humour you want, there’s also Family Guy and American Dad – again, there are several series box-sets on the shelves in my ‘man-cave.’ 😉

And right now, as I write this, I await with some excitement, the new episode of The Simpsons which will air on Sunday 10th December, I believe. This will be of particular interest as the family attend a wedding in Scotland, with music provided by the wonderful Glasgow band, Belle and Sebastian.

I don’t spend much time these days watching television / DVDs / streaming, but I could quite happily pass a weekend binge-watching cartoons of all genres and from all eras.

Cartoons are sheer escapism.

Cartoons rule!