For every “Electric Company” from that era, I give you the collected works of Hanna-Barbera and Sid & Marty Kroft. THAT was the predominant dreck being pumped out in the late-60′s and early 70′s. The things your nostalgic for — Rocky and Bullwinkle, Bugs Bunny, etc., were the product of an earlier era.

All of that Hanna-Barbera wretchedness (Wacky Races, the Hair Bear Bunch, Hong Kong Phooey, etc.) is available now on the Boomerang network. From time to time, my kids will watch it, and it is truly awful stuff. From the scripting to the animation to the voice acting, that stuff is putrid. There’s not one thing that’s produced today (that I know of) that even comes close.

Moving forward to today, you have some really quality stuff. In particular, I’ve come to really appreciate the Backyardigans. Each episode features a certain musical style, and 3 or 4 original songs, and in my opinion the music is top-notch. (Check out the “Boinga” song with Alicia Keys…)

Little Einsteins and Wonder Pets both tread the same territory.

And as for plain old nonsense, both SpongeBob and Fairly Oddparents are, in my opinion, truly funny and like the best Bullwinkle or Warner Brothers productions, they work either for kids or adults.

Even Dora, which takes a lot of heat (some of which is deserved, the animation stinks for one thing) is not without its merits.