Unlike so many other cartoons of this era, the characters don't constant run around with ditzy Stepford Wife glee or the constantly creepy positive attitude you see in charismatic cults. This was a tremendous relief, as a child. These characters express a reasonable and rationally motivated range of emotions and complexity of interactions commensurate with the real world. This cartoon is rich havarti to all its garbage Kraft singles peers. It's the grey poupon to all their horrendous acid yellow fast food mustard packets. Just a little more substance, reality, thought and class. The characters are well developed, the plots are relevant to kids and basically probably everyone, the art is lavish and lovely. This was your first class upgrade when your family paid for basic cable, I guess. Meanwhile, the trailer park kids got stuck with Franklin and Dragon Tales. Talk about class warfare. Nickelodeon had TinTin, too, and briefly - before it was cancelled for that atrocious Papa Beaver - it had edgy anime Grimm's Fairy Tales. This was part of that shining consortium that once made childhood television great, long ago.
