By Charmin Foth
I love cartoons and puppets. I always have. Maybe it comes from my love art, drawing and doodling or from growing up on Sesame Street, but cartoons and puppets have always been able make me smile. On a dreary day or when I'm in a bad mood nothing can lift my spirits and bring me out of the dark places like an episode of the Muppets, Pinky and the Brain, Animaniacs or just good ole' Looney Tunes!
I have always been a bit of a toon myself. Over the years many of my friends have said so. Andy, my hubby, agrees with the statement too, he even thinks I'm part Muppet. He says he can tell when I'm really mad, because I get "Muppet lips." Except for Janice on the Muppets, they don't have lips. So I guess that means my lips disappear. He knows I can't stay mad when he tells me I have "Muppet lips." I can't seem to keep myself from laughing when he says it.
I am blessed that I have a husband that loves cartoons as much as I do. There have been many times when Andy and I were the only adults in the theater without children with us. We even had one little boy, barely able to see over the seat, turn around and say, "Where are your kids? What are you doing here?" He just couldn't wrap his little mind around the fact that we were there to see the movie with just as much excitement as he had. When asked what the last movie we saw together was, we received a strange look when Andy and I both said in stereo, "Despicable Me."
It wasn't until we moved with the Army to Germany in the late 90s that I realized I wasn't the only toon in the family. Most people don't see it, but my husband is quite the toon himself. If you have never met my husband, here is the visual... Andy is 6 feet tall and weighs about a buck forty-five soaking wet. He is lean and mean and still wears the same clothes he had in high school. He still wears his hair Army short. He never wears anything but cowboy boots and jeans. His idea of dressing up is a big silver belt buckle and a western shirt to go along with the boots and jeans. He tops it all off with a straw cowboy hat. I fell in love with that cowboy.
Can you see where I'm going with this? One afternoon we made our way across post housing in Bad Kreuznach, Germany were we lived at the time, to barbecue with friends. As we walked closer to playground where the barbecue area was, our friends 4-year-old son yells across the play ground in a crystal clear voice, "Woody!" At that time "Toy Story" was the latest Disney movie and 4-year-old Shane, thought Andy was the cartoon character come to life. Well, from that moment on every kid in the neighborhood and most of the adults called him "Woody." Sometimes, I still do. I even have a little Woody figurine that sits on my computer desk at home to remind me of the toon that I love the most.
Shane is all grown now, and probably doesn't even remember "Woody" but we will never forget that adorable little 4-year-old and the cartoon legacy he left with Andy.
Are you a toon, maybe you just need to let your inner toon free. Trust me, it will make you smile, even if you don't want to.
:)
Thanks for reading.
