TVSquad

(S02E17) I recently had to part with a car; in fact, I just got all my belongings out of it and took off the plates earlier today. There's always a little bit of a pang of sadness that occurs when you leave the vehicle you've depended on for a number of years for the last time. Of course, as you go through your life and the number of cars you own increase, that sense of attachment gets less and less.But it still stinks to give the car over to the salvage yard or its next owner.

But your first car? One you've taken from 78,000 miles to 199,999.2 miles? That's tough. And funny. At least when it's a Fiero. And when the situation is in the hands of the HIMYM writers.

(S18E10)

Homer and Bart are trapped on a sinking boat:

Homer: [to captain, whispering loudly] Should I hit him with a shovel to spare him the pain of drowning?

Captain: [also whispering] Not yet.

Homer: [whispering] What's the code word?

Damn you, football. You almost made me miss this episode. Luckily, I also Tivoed American Dad, so I was able to catch the last half of this episode, which aired during the time American Dad would have normally started. That's one of the dangers of recording everything I watch.

So I was reading this piece about Bonnie Hunt, who says she used to sit with a cup in front of her television to try and catch characters like Fred Flintstone in case they slipped out of her television screen. Her plan as a young girl was to keep Fred and other cartoon characters stowed away in her dresser drawer for safe keeping. I have to admit that's rather adorable, and it also made me think back to when I was younger and cartoons seemed more "real" to me than they really are. I used to wish I could be a character in any of the Peanuts specials. I'd philosophize with Linus, be extra nice to Charlie Brown, and maybe get in a shouting match with Lucy. Although, her psychiatric rates are reasonable, I'll give her that.

So how about the rest of you? Was there a cartoon you loved so much you wished you could somehow have your body altered a la Kid Video and jump in and join all your favorite characters?