Saturday Morning Children’s Cartoons

I feel a little sorry for Jim Ryan, the Saturday morning animation writer who feels guilty for writing a story where a “super-insane, super-maniacal, super-genius, super-terrorist blows up cities from his homemade flying saucer” (Commentary, June 9). It sounded kind of funny to me. Then again, I grew up on “Johnny Quest,” where the 12-year-old star fought super-maniacal, super-genius terrorists every week.

Ryan called the current shows “big commercials between the little commercials” as if merchandising TV shows was something new. First of all, I think the merchandising of a show is a separate issue from the entertainment level of the show. I doubt anyone would throw stones at “Sesame Street” just because of its omnipresent merchandise.

Ryan laments the demise of shows like the socially conscious and award-winning “Fat Albert” of the ‘70s. “Entertaining stories with a point,” he called them. Bland stories with a point would be more like it. Of course those shows won awards; message shows like that always win awards, but are they funny or exciting? No sirree, Bob!

Saturday morning cartoons should concentrate less on social engineering and more on entertainment. A good story with believable characters will teach my children more about life than any thinly disguised, half-hour lecture.

CHRIS BAILEY

Valencia

* Bravo, Jim Ryan! All too long have parents sat by as their children were fed a steady diet of mindless, violent cartoons! I grew up watching “Fat Albert,” “Scooby Doo,” “The Flintstones,” all of which had the talents of Ryan. These days, sad to say, “Mutant Freaks” will always upstage quality children’s programming, which has been forced into the dark corners of public television.

I am tired of watching things blow up, throw up, kill, maim and destroy. I am just as much to blame as those who make these cartoons because I am too busy, lazy, preoccupied by my all-encom- passing, self-involved universe to take the time to check what my son is watching, glad that he’s leaving me alone for the duration of the program. From now on I hope I am concerned enough to change the channel.

SAMANTHA L. RUSSELL

Montclair