As the semester toils on, UNA students might find themselves looking for a mental release. This mental release can take many forms, but one of the more common methods is watching cartoons.

But what cartoons do students watch? Do they turn to their favorite football head and watch Doug soar in his Quailman costume, or do they watch Phineas and Ferb battle it out with their sister Candace?

The question can be almost as daunting as studying for that comprehensive calculus exam, especially with the great divide between the cartoons of the ‘90s and the cartoons of today.

UNA junior entertainment industries technology major Luke Hunter said ‘90s cartoons always take the cake.

“They are what we grew up with,” he said. “The quality was just better back then.”

Having finished some big school projects last semester, Hunter remembers turning to old cartoons for a break.

“I was finishing sound design for ‘Charley’s Aunt’ and had rehearsal every night,” he said. “I needed a break. So, I found a YouTube channel that has a bunch of old ‘Freakazoid’ episodes.

“I watched three or four consecutive episodes. I felt refreshed and ready to get back to work.”

Hunter said part of the reason he likes older cartoons is the nostalgia they provide.

“I like to watch (old cartoons) when I’m stressed or miss home,” he said. “It’s nice to just sit back, relax and remember.”

UNA junior computer science major Patrick Lindsay also enjoys older cartoons more than newer ones for the nostalgia.

“They take me back to when times were simpler,” he said. “But, apart from that, they’re just good shows. I get to enjoy them now as a more mature person.”

Hunter said he likes to find the humor in old cartoons that he didn’t understand before.

“It’s fantastic to go back to an old show and hear a joke I didn’t understand when I was little,” he said. “I think ‘I can’t believe they got away with saying that.’”

But Hunter and Lindsay said newer cartoons no longer have that adult humor element.

“Newer shows seem to have more crude humor,” Lindsay said. “They have really pretty animation now, but the humor is lacking.”

Lindsay said ‘90s cartoons had three parts come together to make them great.

“Older cartoons had good art style, good humor and good story,” he said. “Newer cartoons will have one or two of those, but rarely all three.”

Hunter and Lindsay have differing views on the effect the different humor style of newer cartoons will have on the children of today.

“They will still have a sense of nostalgia, but they’ll be surprised at how bad the jokes were,” Hunter said.

But Lindsay believes the humor will shape what the children enjoy.

“The kids will just have lower standards than we did,” he said. “They’ll probably be more attached because T.V. is more of an institution than it used to be. It worries me that standards are going down. They’ll grow up thinking cruder humor is funnier.”

Hunter believes the nostalgia college students have for ‘90s cartoons will probably never fade.

“My dad still has a Yosemite Sam watch, and my mom is still a fan of Mickey Mouse,” he said. “A good, quality cartoon is still a great source of entertainment, no matter how old you are.”

Photos clockwise from bottomleft: Hey Arnold!, Rugrats, Spongebob Squarepant, Adventure Time, Doug and Regular Show. All photos courtesy of Turner News Room or NickPress.