Jigsaw

The best part about having kids is...wait, I am unable to choose among the plethora of best parts about having kids, who am I pulling the leg of?


Ok, one of the best parts of having kids is the world of media previously closed to you the single person. Cartoons, movies, music, websites--oh, the kaleidoscopic and cacophonous joys! Right?


I've done a list on this blog of favorite movies that I wouldn't have known without kids (left out Sky High--Kurt Russell is a hoot, and Kelly Preston manages to look OK). It has grown: Monster v. Aliens was pretty good--"What do they call you when they're scared, you know, 'Oh No, it's....?" "Susan."


Tonight, we cartoon. I can go old school here on cartoons, because you see, Connor was 2 when I met him, in 2003. That's only six years, I know, but that's an eternity for Nick Jr., Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network. Screw Disney and WTTW for Kids, they're for the brown-nosers who want to do science experiments while dancing in their classroom of five kids. (Full disclosure: I can do the Goofy dance from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse).


Connor was all Thomas the Tank Engine and Dexter (top 3 for me) and Billy and Mandy (love Grim--"I'm bleaching ma bones, mun.") and my least favorites, the Bob Dylan of cartoons for me (meaning channel-changer), Kids Next Door and Ed, Edd and Eddy. The former wasn't funny and the latter is mean-spirited and ugly animation and not funny and has annoying voices.


Then Fairly Oddparents came along, and I met crew-cutted and muscle-bound Jordy, the Ahnold sound-alike--accent and busted syntax and malaprops. So many funny lines--I used to tell Connor to let me know when Jordy was on. Teemy Tuhnah! (that's Timmy Turner, in Jordy speak).


PowerPuff Girls? Oh yeah, we loved us some Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup, and I hope that Maggie or Darcy (or both, oh, could it be so?) get to one day take on an evil monkey named Mojo Jo Jo at least once in their lives. Har, har, maybe it's me, you say.


Teen Titans, too; thanks, Connor. Funny faces, interesting twists and topics/lessons, and of course the Japanese girl band theme song. na na na na na na na na na, Teen Titans!! Super nice cool groovy times, yeah!


I made the acquaintance of Jimmy Neutron (hot Mom, along with Dexter's), and Samurai Jack, and Johnny Bravo, too. Not nearly enough appearances by the latter two, but memorable, nonetheless. The former for the animation (Ren & Stimpy guy John Kricfalusi), mainly, and the latter, well, if you haven't seen Johnny Bravo, let me describe: hunky, blond, dumb, Elvis voice and Elvis hair that you never ever touch, always chasing the ladies.


For some reason there was a Johnny Bravo episode that included the Scooby-Doo gang. At one point Velma says "Jinkies!" as she is known to do. Johnny says--remember, in an Elvis voice-- "Jinkies? What is that, some sort of breakfast cereal?"


Even though Dexter and Samurai Jack and PowerPuff Girls are no-shows these days, I'm so glad that Connor and his pals have been and continue to be a part of my life. Disney and WTTW are favorites now (Connor's into Clone Wars now, animation-wise), with the wee ones, and if they're super-serious lab assistants by next year, so be it.


As long as they wear their safety goggles and matching hairclips (Gavin will most likely be their straitjacketed guinea pig, not a whitecoat), I'm good.