Nickelodeon Classics
As I was surfing on the web the other day, I kept trying to find some old TV episodes for sale on DVD. I remember, back during my childhood, watching some of the most interesting shows ever. I’ve complained a little about the quality of cartoons now, but I can recall some classic shows, especially on networks like Nickelodeon, that you just don’t see anymore.
For example, does anyone remember Doug? How about Hey Dude? Or maybe Salute Your Shorts, or My Brother and Me, or Are You Afraid of the Dark? These were shows that I used to watch all the time when I was a kid, and to compare them to today’s “kid fare” is just unfair. These were classic shows that were entertaining, usually quite clever, very kid-oriented, but not just a mishmosh of flashy animation, some CG wizardry, and cliché dialogue.
The most interesting part was that often times, they even had… (hold your breath) …values! They would actually have a lesson hidden amongst the humor and hijinks. Honesty, integrity, loyalty, and friendship were actually shown to be good things, as opposed to just ways of manipulating people. There were unique characters that had unique personalities, and whose actions actually had consequences that they had to deal with. We watched as these characters dealt with the pressures of life, including acceptance, vanity, family and peers. And we actually cared!
Well, after searching, I stumbled across a site called nickclassics.com. I don’t know where the company is based, or what they do, exactly, but they’ve managed to find and format every episode of the seasons of “The Golden Age of Nickelodeon.” These DVD sets include a good number of classic shows that most any child of the 90’s television age would recognize. As for me, I’ve already ordered the Doug DVD set. (It was always one of my favorites.) I’m pretty excited.
- LATER EDIT – I got the DVDs, and they’re great! Broadcast quality, pulled right off the TV. Fun stuff.
- Kyle
SUBSCRIBE TO RSS FEED
I also enjoyed several of those shows. I have to say, however, that although I can appreciate TV shows teaching valuable life lessons to kids, that job remains the parents’ prerogative and I don’t think anyone should rely on DOUG to communicate human decency to an entire generation. Regardless, that is a great quality and I appreciate it.
What I really loved about kids programming when I was young was that it was really funny and the writing was SO clever.
I don’t know what kids are watching these days, but I can’t imagine it being as smart and genuinely funny as ANIMANIACS. That show parodied pop culture, the film industry, other cartoons, and it was always well-written. Moreover, watching it is a really good time. It ages well, too. I didn’t see that they were satirizing GOODFELLAS until I went back and re-watched years later. Stuff like that takes a grown-up to really understand, but it’s fun for kids, too.
SexyCoolSuperSpy said this on Monday, 22 October, 2007 at 4:52 pm |
Oh, I absolutely agree, on both points. Parents should be the main source of life principles, but I also believe that one of the lasting values of shows like Doug and others of the nickelodeon “golden age” is that they are more than simply flashes of light and one-sided characters.
I also believe that the creativity and writing of cartoon television has waned a lot. Animaniacs was one of the most interesting shows I’ve ever watched. I just wish that you could find more collections of such shows.
Kyle said this on Wednesday, 24 October, 2007 at 5:21 pm |
How long ago was it that you ordered the Doug DVD set from nickclassics.com? I just visted it recently and everything was out of stock. I was super disappointed.
Dave said this on Friday, 21 December, 2007 at 6:48 pm |
Hmm… I think I ordered them around the same time as this post, so late October. I got them about a week later. After taking a look at the site, it seems that they’re revamping everything and so I guess they’re closed until January 5th. I hope that they get more sets in stock for you! – Kyle
Kyle said this on Wednesday, 2 January, 2008 at 10:49 am |
I just visited the site and it was closed for maintenance does anyone know when it will be up and running again? I would love to sang those Doug dvds.
Sparky said this on Saturday, 13 September, 2008 at 2:18 pm |
Where can I find these DVD sets because nickclassics.com is currently down.
John said this on Tuesday, 28 October, 2008 at 10:32 am |