Brianna Guinn | WHS art teacher
What’s the appeal? Cartoons are nostalgic.
I remember Saturday mornings waking up and turning on the TV to watch the time block dedicated to animated kids shows. This nostalgia is part of the appeal, yet as I begrudgingly became an adult it is the simple ridiculous moments mixed with the infallibility of the cartoons pliable nature. It mutated into a way to accept the crazy in life and instead of crying at life’s inconveniences, I would belt out a roaring laugh at the absurdity of it all.
Here are my Top Five favorite cartoons of all time.
1.Bob’s Burgers
Bob’s Burgers is my favorite. I enjoy the family dynamic and the similarity of the comedic family situation. It’s the regular dysfunction that really appeals to me. — Streaming on Hulu and HBO Max.
2.Archer
Archer is my second favorite. I love that egomaniac narcissist of Archer and how the spy game transitions into dream worlds and the Archer series reinvents itself almost in the middle of the series and still has the same characters you love, but new and different versions are explored. The series has brief moments where you get a glimpse of Archer as a reflective and deep individual before seconds pass and he’s back to being the center of his own universe.— Streaming on Hulu.
3.Futurama
Futurama is my stand by, when I am feeling down and that overwhelming feeling that the future is bleak takes over, I pop on Futurama. I love Futurama’s ability to make me laugh at tragedy. It is one of the best gifts. The nature of cartoons is varied and sometimes violent but the cartoon is an impossible fragment of imagination that can’t simply die. I love the prediction of future events and how bizarre and hilarious the solutions are to the missions the crew of Futurama take. — Streaming on Hulu.
4.Squidbillies
Squidbillies is one of the weirdest cartoons created. It isn’t for everyone. The backwater humor is only funny because you know some undesirable rabble probably actually said it. I love it, mostly because I grew up with people in my family who embodied the characters of the family of squids. I guess family dysfunction is something I find fascinating because many of the cartoons I love play it out in some way. I love the monster trucks and the huge trucker hat that the main character wears and the mullet on a squid is just comedy gold. Raunchy sometimes and not for the faint of heart. — Streaming on Hulu and HBO Max.
5.King of the Hill
King of the Hill was never a favorite when I was a teen but as I got older I realized that I was missing the key component to appreciating this series — its dry humor. It’s the fact that it shouldn’t be funny because it wasn’t a joke but the characters’ roles make the series a comedy winner. It illustrates the generational divides and allows the audience to view the everyday situations of Hank, a type A man who loves his son but doesn’t understand him. He loves his father and respects him but is treated by his father like he regretfully claims him. It was a reality show without live action and much better writing. He now lives in the same suburban Texas neighborhood as his friends from high school.
Hank very much tries to be a man’s man, but life shows him that he has to duck and weave if he wants to have a deep connection to his son. — Streaming on Hulu.
“Top Five” allows students and faculty to share their top five songs, movies, shows, meals or anything else they’re passionate about. Email whscharger@gmail.com to share your Top Five.
Illustration by Brianna Guinn
The Charger 
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