Andyland, USA

    The 1990s is considered to be a golden age for TV animation. Spearheaded by the 1992 debut of Nickelodeon’s animation line up, TV cartoons changed. Gone were the shows designed to sell toys, “Transformers,” “GI Joe,” replacing them were a new wave of creator-driven shows that were smart, funny, and all innovative in their own ways. Growing up in this era we had no clue that we were so lucky to have an insane amount of creative shows for us to watch, it just seemed like “these are the shows that are on right now.”      By the ‘90s, Turner Entertainment had bought animation giant Hanna-Barbera. The studio had been struggling for a decade to produce a hit show, under new leadership, TBS would get its first cartoon and the legendary studio would see a new wave of shows start that would give the famed brand a much-needed boost. The first of these shows was “2 Stupid Dogs” that premiered in 1993. Created by Donovan Cook, the series focused on the adventur...

Hello, it’s me. I’ve thought about us for a long, long time. OK, apologies to Todd Rundgren—but hello. How are you? It’s been a while. You look well, you haven’t changed. Is that a new haircut? Looks great on you! Yes, The Loafer was away for a while. It looked like it wasn’t going to come back, but now it’s back! Where have I been in the time since The Loafer was gone? Oh, I’ve been around, but let me fill you in on what’s been going on in the last month or so since we saw each other.   When The Loafer first closed up shop I sat around on my couch for about a week. I had a steady diet of cheese whiz and chips, laying around all day watching old episodes of “Sale of the Century” on YouTube. After this phase of ennui passed, I knew I had to do the humane thing, it was time to let Batteries Not Included roam free. I packed the column up into the back of the car and drove to my aunt’s farm upstate. I opened the hatchback and said “Go on, git! You’re free now!” Te...