Most of us have grown up watching Cartoon Network. It's the channel, along with Nickelodeon, that featured cartoons on days other than Saturdays, back when Saturday mornings were known for cartoons.
But as we grew up, the sheen of the network started to fade. Maybe it was because the quality of cartoons started to decline, or maybe we were just growing up. Either way, cartoons lost their hold in our lives.
That is, until Adult Swim came along. I was only 11 years old in 2001, but I could still understand how important adult cartoons were. I grew up watching "MADtv," and occasionally they had goofy, yet violent, claymation skits or "Spy Vs. Spy" cartoons.
Now that I can fully appreciate the programming block on Cartoon Network, I'll admit that I don't find it very funny. Most of the cartoons are made purely for shock value, and you can just smell the weed through the television during others.
But there's no doubt that Adult Swim is important. When "Family Guy," a comedic staple of our generation, was canceled by Fox in 2002, it was Adult Swim that showed reruns and brought the show to cult classic status. Eventually, the cult status brought the show back to Fox.
And the shows now aren't all bad. They have some immature and annoying shows like "Robot Chicken," but there are a few gems. "Metalocalypse" absolutely cracks me up. The premise of the show is ridiculous, but I can't help but laugh.
But whether I like Adult Swim or not, it doesn't matter. The group of shows and the goofy advertisements have earned quite a following, including a handful of my friends.
And luckily for them, Adult Swim is coming here.
This Sunday, the Adult Swim Block Party will be in Muncie behind Doc's Music Hall, the Heorot and the Silo. And nothing could be better for our city or our university.
Muncie is often overlooked as a destination for events such as this. Growing up, I heard about the concerts at Indiana University's Little 500 or Purdue's Grand Prix, never the McKinley Mile. And it always seems like these events just breeze on past Muncie.
So an event run by an internationally known group just deciding to stop into our town, only one of 10, is a very important event for Muncie.
I don't know why they chose Muncie, and neither does the group who is coordinating the visit, American Advertising Federation.
But I'm happy for the honor, and so are they. AAF is receiving $1,600 for their help, and have a chance to win Bonnaroo tickets. Plus they get to be involved in the experience of bringing a large event to Muncie.
It's a big event for everyone: students, organizers and any other attendee. I plan to at least check it out. Dam-Funk, the musical guest, sounds interesting and it's always nice to have a national act in town. Plus, it's all free.
I just wish they had brought it closer to campus.
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