A Look And Find Of A Nostalgic Kind

Nostalgia. It's a hard word to define...but we all know what it is. It's that child-like joy you feel in the presense of something from your past, or a yearning for a once upon a time. Nostalgia is far more than a childish state of mind, it's actually a lot more useful than one might think, especially for us artists. For you see, your inner child holds the very key to unlocking your full creative potential!
So you can probably tell that i am what they call a 90's kid. Born in 1993, a lot of this stuff is from my generation. So i decided to share with the lot of you; a tiny portion of my childhood, an inner child dream-world if you will. We all have one, it's just a matter of finding it.
Oh and when i say 'look and find' i don't mean the characters in THIS picture, no that's pointless and far too easy for the most part. What i want you guys to do is this...tell me in the comments; what is your childhood treasure? And that 'treasure' can be just about ANYTHING! it could be a movie, tv show, a song, a food, an object (like a toy etc.), a smell, a sound, a place, a game, a book, a person, a pet! the possibiltes are endless!

Now in case you're interested; or can't indentify some of the characters above, i will list each one and explain their significance in my childhood

- Mufasa (The Lion King 1994)
I thought i'd start with the most important part of my childhood. Anyone who knows me; knows that i'm officially obssessed with this film and have been for most of my life. I first saw this when my family and i went to the United States for a month long holiday, i was about 4 years old at the time. Ironically, i hated it at first, Mufasa's death upset me too much. It was years before i could watch it again, but gradually i fell in love with it. Hans Zimmer's score from this movie, to this day, brings me back to America and induces nostalgic tears whenever i hear it.

- Meeko (Pocahontas 1995)
I should have mentioned before, there were three films that i watched in America: Lion King, Toy Story & Pocahontas. And while i remember Lion King the most, this film still holds true as a great nostalgic treasure. Especially the song 'Colors Of The Wind'...gets me everytime!

- Little Foot (The Land Before Time 1988)
I first watched this when i was about...6? 7? i don't really know, i can't remember. But i do remember crying my fricken' eyes out! Why did Little Foot's mother have to die?? why??! I hate deaths in animal movies, even animated ones! Anyway, this film had many follow ups and even a tv series, so i couldn't help but watch it as a kid.

- Oliver (Oliver & Company 1988)
To be honest with this one, i never really watched the entire movie as a kid. So it's not the movie i grew up with. Just hear me out, one of my favourite films as a kid was Toy Story (the 1st one) and we had a VHS of it. In the previews, i remember there was an ad for Oliver & Company on it, and since i watched the VHS so much, the ad really stuck with me, along with the song 'Why Should I Worry?'

- Furby (1998)
The must have toy of 1998! Everyone wanted one when it came out, god knows why. And just like the rest of the world, i had one too! A black and white one (identical to the one in the picture above) her name was Lu-Lu. Looking at these things now...what are they?? They look like a bird crossed with a Mogwai from the movie 'Gremlins' (1984) and they sound creepy too. When i was younger, I accidentally pushed mine off my bed in the middle of the night, and woke up to a frightening 'waaaaaaaa'! noise that scared the living crap out me! My little Furby has lived in my closet ever since.

- Tom (Tom & Jerry 1940 - 1972)
Come on, who didn't grow up with this show? The most famous cat and mouse team in TV history. Now when i say Tom & Jerry, i mean the classic cartoon, not the movie or the new crappy ones out now! Tom had many different designs as the series aged, i'm not sure how old the one above is, but i do know that it's a very old one. Cartoon Network used to play the series all the time, until they decided to dump the series in order to make room for new, shitty tv shows (you bastards!)

- Cow (Cow & Chicken 1995 - 2004)
Basically, in this picture, this show represents the old Cartoon Network that we all loved and miss dearly. Such great shows such as Dexter's Lab, Johnny Bravo, Ed, Edd & Eddy, The Powerpuff Girls plus many others! But on to this particular show, i loved it as a kid, and i still do! i actually have the series on DVD. But watching it now as an adult, i can't help but notice how messed up this show is, the humor is completely bizzare! They use expressions like 'jumping grandma on a stick!' and have characters like 'Boneless Chicken' in it. There's just so much subtle humor that you miss as a kid. Man i love the utter ridiculousness of this show!

- Bugs Bunny (Looney Tunes 1940's)
Much like Tom & Jerry, Looney Tunes was a show that many generations had the privilege to enjoy! from 'Road Runner' to 'Sylvester & Tweedy' This show was just all 'round a great childhood memory. Unfortunately, present and future generations aren't so lucky. Yes i know there is a very recent Looney Tunes show now, i watched it the other day. But it just doesn't have the same feel as the original. For some reason, Bugs and Daffy live in a house together...a house?? Bugs is supposed to live in a rabbit hole, because you know...he's a rabbit. Not to mention Elmer Fudd is now gone! If you're going to recreate a great show, at least get the fundamentals right!

- Teddy (The Forgotten Toys 1995)
Not many of you would remember this one, because ironically, this film has been pretty much forgotten. Even i forgot about this movie for a LONG time, but as soon as i was reunited with it, all the memories came flooding back. It's a short christmas animated film based on the book 'The Night After Christmas' We used to have it on a recorded VHS, we watched it every Christmas! Until something happened to the tape (i don't know i guess we lost it) Ah! So many good memories this film holds, it's so beautiful.
In case you're interested in seeing it, i'll refer you to a Youtube link to it: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujpUfO…

- Rudolf (Rudolf The Red Nosed Reindeer 1964)
Another great, classic Christmas movie! Not really much to say about it. it's a very old one, but i still loved it to pieces! And thank god for DVDs, i can still watch this treasure every Christmas!

- Spot (Spot's Magical Christmas 1995)
Before you correct me about Spot's 'origins' i am aware that he is originally a character from a children's book. The reason i listed the movie instead is because 'Spot's Magical Christmas' was my favourite Chritmas movie as a kid. Unfortunately we lost that tape too. And i can't find the original version anywhere online, Youtube has a dubbed version, For some reason, the Americans decided to dubb over the original voices. Which completely ruins it for me. The original was British, that's the one i remember.

- Rainbow Fish (The Rainbow Fish 1992)
My favourite picture book as a kid, the story was awesome, the illustrations were beautiful and the message was well told and very important for young children to learn.

- Pongo (101 Dalmatians 1961)
Even though i never really watched this film much as a kid, elements of it are very nostalgic, particularly the voice of Pongo and certain scenes in the movie. What can i say? It's a classic.

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So there you have it. Sorry for such a long description. But I've told you some of my best childhood memories, now it's time to tell me some of yours. I can't wait to read what some of you write.

Mufasa, Oliver, Meeko, Pongo (c) Disney
Tom (c) Hanna Barbera
Bugs Bunny (c) Warner Brothers
Furby (c) Tiger Electronics
Cow (c) Cartoon Network
Rudolf (c) Rankin Bass
Littlefoot (c) Don Bluth
Rainbow Fish (c) Marcus Pfister
Spot (c) Eric Hill
Teddy (c) BBC