(I tried to find a screenshot to describe what I'm talking about, but I couldn't. If you're really interested, get up at 8:00 on Saturday.)
Growing up, we had none of that fancy shmancy stuff. Commercial bumpers weren't big, complicated productions. They were simple, and they served one main purpose: to reassure children that their shows would, indeed, return after a few short commercials. The catchy song was just icing on the cake.
These bumpers were probably the most famous bumpers that ABC ever produced. I'm 28 years old (as of tomorrow), and I find myself humming the music from these bumpers every once in a while. According to my super-extensive research (Google), I found that these bumpers first went to air in 1988. They must have played for a long time, because I have very vivid memories of seeing them every single Saturday morning for years. My personal favourite was the one where the horse falls on the cowboy. "After these messages, we'll be right back" *whistle* *splat*. Pure gold, I tell you.
Today's series of bumpers don't hold a candle to the bumpers of yesteryear. When today's viewers turn 28, are they going to look back on Hannah Montana's computer-generated bumpers with the same sense of nostalgia? Probably not, because they're simply not memorable.
I would love to see ABC air a retro Saturday morning lineup. I'd give anything to watch The Real Ghostbusters, The Bugs Bunny and Tweety Show, and Schoolhouse Rock. Of course, they'd have to include these bumpers as well!
2 comments:
Schoolhouse Rock! "Conjunction junction, what's your function? Hookin' up words and phrases and clauses!" I learned all my grammar from that show and would definitely watch it again. (And I wish my kids would, too.)
I wish they had some sort of Schoolhouse Rock for college students. It would have made things a whole lot easier. But then again, I'd be singing through the exams...
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