Raised on Saturday Morning Cartoons by Pauline Paré EVERYTHING OLD IS NEW TO THEM On a recent rainy day, my hubby introduced the kids to the Brady Bunch online. Both children took no time to get into the story and characters. Sure it is corny and predictable but when seen from the eyes of the younger generation, the Brady Bunch is funny and cool. The plot lines are not any sillier than the ones seen on the Disney Channel and the nostalgia that it brought to my husband and I was priceless. We both grew up with these characters; they feel like old friends. The Brady Bunch aired from 1970 to 1974 and enjoyed continued popularity in syndication. There were also a few less notable spin-offs; a couple of reunion specials, a short lived animated series and 2 very popular spoof movies in the mid-nineties.
Many of these older shows are available for free online and though they are old, they are new to your children. They are also wholesome and many are quite brilliant. The Cosby Show, Bewitched, Gilligan’s Island and Family Ties are timeless television series that could provide many hours of rainy day amusement to the young or young at heart during the summer months.
Many of these shows have rarely had a moment when they were completely off the air. I loved the exploits of Gilligan as a child and never questioned why he kept getting off easy for leaving the group stranded. I watched this series with the wonder of a child and I enjoy seeing them anew through the eyes of my children. I am still waiting to see if apple comes out with a product as cool as the professor’s coconut phone.