Saturday, November 29, 2008

Yep, I Still Watch Nickelodeon



Nickelodeon has always had some of the most random, nearing-inappropriate cartoons on television, at least in terms of programming geared toward children. Though I never too much messed with Ren & Stimpy, as they were a bit too disturbing for my liking, for the most part I loved Nick as a kid. Rocko's Modern Life and Rugrats will always be my favorites, but I was down for Doug and Angry Beavers too, maybe CatDog on a desperate day. As I've grown older, my tastes have matured more toward the teen sophistication of Disney Channel shows (shout out to Kim Possible), but nothing can touch the sometimes unsettling weirdness of Nickelodeon animation.

The Mighty B! is a testament to that weirdness. Though it's not nearly as darkly-comic as some of Nick's earlier creations, it has a mature humor about it that makes it more exciting than most any other cartoon currently on television. Don't get me wrong, thought-provoking pathos it is not, but it does manage to blend a bit of sly social commentary with its hilarious absurdity, to make its brand of animated slapstick a little more substantive than one might expect off-hand. Or perhaps I'm doing too much in trying to analyze it, and the shit is just funny. Whatever the case, the clip above is only a sample of its brilliance.

Oh, and Back at the Barnyard is amazing too.



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