DAILY DIRT: Ahhh, the days of Jonny Quest, Rocket J. Squirrel and George Jetson (not to mention his boy Elroy)

February 11, 2025 | By Steve Eighinger MRN Minister of Culture and Doctor of Love

Race Bannon had the best hair in Saturday morning cartoon history.

Daily Dirt for Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025

The most underrated show of the bunch might have been “Roger Ramjet” … Welcome to today’s three thoughts that make up Vol. 1,199 of The Daily Dirt.

1. Those of us who grew up in the 1960s were often defined by the cartoons we enjoyed most.

We didn’t have any of the new-fangled game systems that many (most?) of today’s kids waste their time with, but we did have the best generation of cartoons man has ever created. I used to spend way too much time arguing the merits of of The Flintstones vs. The Jetsons, or Rocky and Bullwinkle vs. Jonny Quest.

Looking back, I often think of the many, many hours sitting in front of a black-and-white TV set enjoying those animated masters of mayhem. Here are the cartoons (or, as they preferred be called: animated television series) I enjoyed the most:

1. “Jonny Quest” (1964-65, later resurrected in the 1980s): By far, my all-time favorite. The show was inspired by old radio serials and comics in the action-adventure genre, featuring incredibly realistic art, human characters and stories that defined that period of time. I absolutely loved the realistic details and scripts built around young Jonny and characters like Race Bannon and pet bulldog Bandit.
2. “The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show” (1959-64): What a classic, not only did we have Rocket J. Squirrel, but the serialized adventures of the likes of Boris Badenoff, Natasha Fatale, Snidely Whiplash, Mr. Peabody and Sherman and Dudley Do-Right (of the Mounties!).
3. “The Flintstones” (1960-66): Fred, Barney, Wilma, Betty and the rest of the crew had a prime-time show, too.
4. “Roger Ramjet” (1965-69): One of the featured characters was Dr. Frank N. Schwine, a Boris Karloff sound-alike. I also need to mention Tequila Mockingbird and Jacquelline Hyde, which, of course, were plays on “To Kill A Mockingbird” and “Jekyll and Hyde”.
5. “The Beatles” (1965-67): The plots were lame, but the soundtrack was great.
6. “Underdog” (1964-67): Greatly entertaining, this was a tongue-in-cheek takeoff of Superman.
7. “Yogi Bear” (1961-62): This was actually a spinoff from “The Huckleberry Hound Show”. And a far better product.
8. “Atom Ant” (1965-67): This favorite was initially paired with “Secret Squirrel” before branching off into its own animated galaxy.
9. Bugs Bunny (1960-2000): Bugs had the best attitude of any animated character ever.
10. “The Jetsons” (1962-63, resurrected in the 1980s): A space-age family headed by George, and my personal favorite character on the show, his boy Elroy.

2. Did you know (Part 274)

That there are 20 new flavors of Peeps hitting stores as you read this, including Dr. Pepper, Cinnamon Churro, Fruit Punch, Chocolate Pudding, Rice Krispies and Breyers Cookies and Cream.
That Harry Potter Butter Beer will be the newest Goldfish cracker flavor.
That Lucky Charms cereal has a new Birthday Cake flavor. I may have to skip that one.
That Kettle Brand Potato Chips has a new Chamoy flavor. (Chamoy is a Mexican condiment with a complex flavor profile that’s sweet, sour, salty, and spicy. It’s made from pickled fruit, chili peppers, lime juice, and salt.)
That Dr. Pepper and Coca-Cola recently released new flavors: Dr. Pepper Blackberry and Orange Cream Coke.