I’m not sure how or why it happened, but somehow despite growing up in the 1980s many of the cartoons I watched as a child were from the 1930s-1940s. I knew the likes of Little Lulu and Betty Boop long before I saw Care Bears or My Little Ponies. It seems odd to me now, but at the time I had no idea that the shows I watched on video tape were from a different era. Funny, I suppose how the eyes of a child can overlook poor quality picture without hesitation.

I haven’t thought much of these cartoons in years. My knowledge of their existence was stored away deep in the recesses of my mind alongside other early life-shaping memories like first pets and camping trips. But then a few weeks ago I came across an old favorite Betty Boop cartoon on YouTube and the memories came flooding back. And so, for the past several weeks I’ve been enjoying such videos on a more frequent basis. The picture quality isn’t that great, but as every child knows, that’s not so important anyway.

Here are a few of my favorites: