10 Life Lessons from Cartoon Characters

Everything I Really Needed to Know I Learned from Saturday Morning TV

By Paul Asay

Smash! Blam! Kablooie!

For some of us of a certain age, those were the soul-soothing sounds of Saturday mornings. We'd snuggle up in our footie PJs and with our chocolate-frosted sugary cereal, turn on the telly, and watch hours of delicious, nutrient-free television. Was this stuff good for us? Sure – just the same way our sugary cereals were "part of this balanced breakfast." Our cartoons – and the syndicated weekday animated fare that followed – were as tasty as a spoonful of saccharine, and just as nutrition-free.

Or so it seemed. Looking back, it turns out we learned quite a few valuable lessons from some of our favorite cartoon characters while glued to the tube.

Pour yourself another bowl of cereal, press the arrow key, and take a walk down Memory Lane with us.

The first life lesson is…

Paul Asay is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in The Washington Post, Christianity Today, and Beliefnet.