Cartoons – Page 13 – My Geek Wisdom

“Keep moving forward!”

From: Meet The Robinsons

Genre: Movies, Cartoons

Who said it?: The Robinsons Family

The story behind the quote: The quote comes from Disney/Pixar’s Meet The Robinsons. The film is about a boy named Lewis, an aspiring child inventor that hasn’t had that much success. During a science fair, he meet Wilbur Robinson, a boy who claims to come from the future. Wilbur enlists the help of Lewis as he’s the only one that can help him repair his time machine and assist him in the capture of the mysterious “bowler hat” guy who has stolen a more advance prototype time machine and will use it to destroy the current timeline.

The quote, actually The Robinson’s family motto, is said several times. However, the motto is most remembered in one scene where Lewis attempts to repair a gadget. Unfortunately, the gadget malfunctions and creates a colossal mess. Lewis tries to apologies as he expects The Robinsons to get angry. However, the family reacts in the opposite way…

Geek wisdom: It’s very easy to give up when you fail. After all, you’ve didn’t succeed in your task, so why bother even trying? But the thing is we shouldn’t get discouraged from our mistakes and we shouldn’t give up. Rather, we should learn from our mistakes! It’s actually okay to commit mistakes. What’s not okay is we keep repeating the same mistakes and not learn from them.

“‘Maybe, Christmas,” he thought, “doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas, in fact, means a little bit more.”

From: How The Grinch Stole Christmas

Genre: Cartoons, Television

Who said it?: The Narrator

The story behind the quote: The quote comes from the Dr. Seuss’ classic How The Grinch Stole Christmas. Dr. Seuss’ book was already very popular but what catapulted it into the public consciousness was the 1966 animated version. It’s been repeated on television ever since.

The quote comes from the very end of the story. The Grinch after stealing all of the Christmas gifts down in Whoville, waits upon a mountaintop, hoping to hear the villagers wait out in sadness as all their gifts have been stolen. However, instead of crying, The Grinch sees the citizens of Whoville singing for joy. After pondering as to why they’re celebrating, The Grinch comes to a realization about the holiday.

Geek wisdom: Every Christmas, we all get wrapped up with all of the gift buying and all of the gifts we’re going to receive. But, like the Grinch realized at the end of the story, Christmas is much more than that. Christmas is about spreading good cheer to your fellow man, regardless of race, religion and gender. It’s a time to get together with others.

Merry Christmas!

“I don’t like to smile unless I have a reason.”

From: Daria

Genre: Cartoons, Television

Who said it?: Daria Morgendorffer

The story behind the quote: Daria was one of my favorite cartoon on MTV, back when the channel would actually show some pretty cool and creative programming. Instead of having a perky teenager headline the show, Daria was a pessimistic, intelligent and sarcastic girl who saw the world for what it was. The show was a huge hit for MTV and garnered a loyal following during its run on the network.

The quote comes from the episode entitled Misery Chick. Daria’s parents got their hands on her yearbook photos and comment on why she doesn’t even try to smile in any one of them. Daria replies to them in the only way she can: intelligently and objectively.

Geek wisdom: People have the tendency to tell you how you should react to a certain topic. They’ll tell you that you shouldn’t be upset when something goes wrong. Or they’ll tell you that they just don’t understand why you feel a certain way since they wouldn’t feel that way if the same thing happened to them.No one should tell you how to feel on a certain topic. They have no idea of how it actually feels. How you choose to feel on a certain topic is entirely your own.

When this happens to others, try to understand why they feel that way. Don’t deny them the freedom to act a certain way.

“This one’s for you, Morph!”

From: X-Men (cartoon)

Genre: Cartoons, Television

Who said it?: Wolverine

The story behind the quote: This week’s quote comes from the excellent animated X-Men animated series which ran from 1992 to 1997. The show is based on Marvel comics popular team of mutants. The show did a great job of translating some of the story lines from the comics it was based on, even if it did introduce some new elements…

One such element was the introduction of a character named Morph, who has the mutant ability to shapeshift. It was implied that he was a close friend of Wolverine. Unfortunately, Morph is killed in Episode 2. Wolverine does manage to get some manner of revenge by wrecking a couple of Sentinels. In fact, the quote comes from Wolverine while destroying one of the mutant hunting machines.

Geek wisdom: Just because someone dies, it doesn’t mean that they are gone from our lives. We still have the memories of our times with them. In fact, we can actually gain strength by the severe loss of a loved one. We can honor their memory by going through life and recalling happy memories with our dear departed ones once in a while.

“Worst. Episode. Ever.”

From: The Simpsons

Genre: Cartoons, Television

Who said it?: Comic Book Guy

The story behind the quote: The quote comes from The Simpsons’ very own Jay Albertson. You may not know him by his birth name but you probably know him better as Comic Book Guy, the overweight proprietor of the Android’s Dungeon comic book store.

The quote originally came from the episode “The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show.” As the Itchy & Scratchy showed the episode introducing a new character, Poochie, Comic Book Guy was the first to immediately bash the new character on message boards.

Unfortunately, I can’t find the exact clip on YouTube. However, since the phrase has become Comic Book Guy’s catchphrase, I was able to get this clip…

And, just in case the clip gets yanked off YouTube, here’s a pic of the quote:

Geek wisdom: People have opinions. Some of these opinions will be in direct contrast from your own. You may like a particular television show or episode while the entire world may see things differently and hate it with a passion. These variations can be due to a huge number of reasons.

But it’s not really important to know the reason for these differences. What is important is to know that there are going to be different points of view on the same topic and you’re opinion is as valid as the rest of the world.

“I Knew I Should’ve Taken That Left Turn At Albuquerque!”

From: Looney Tunes

Genre: Cartoons, Television

Who said it?: Bugs Bunny

The story behind the quote: The quote comes from Bugs Bunny, probably one of the most popular animated characters in the world. His popularity and the longevity of the character has made him the default mascot for Warner Bros animated project.

He may be clever enough to outwit red-haired cowboys, bald hunters with a speech impediment and even alien conquerors from the planet Mars. But Bugs Bunny sure has a bad sense of direction! Whenever he travels to far away locations, he burrows through the earth in a attempt to get to his destination. Unfortunately, he keeps on making the same wrong turn in New Mexico…

Geek wisdom: Have you ever gotten lost or gotten so turned around that you have no idea where you are? Or have you ever gone on a trip and then lost your way? The best thing to do in these situations is to just ask for directions. A lot of times, though, we don’t. We try to figure where we are by backtracking. While this may help out sometimes, we do waste a lot of time doing this.

There’s no shame in asking for help when you get lost. If you’re unsure, stop and ask for directions.

“And I for one welcome our new insect overlords…”

From: The Simpsons

Genre: Cartoons, Television

Who said it?: Kent Brockman

The story behind the quote: It’s actually hard to write Geek Wisdom using the Simpsons. Not because there aren’t a lot of quotable lines from the show. Rather, it’s because 20th Century Fox will usually take down a lot of video clips from the show! This is a quote that has been in the making since I started writing this blog but I’ve never really been able to find a good clip or even a picture of the quote… until now!

The quote became popularized in the Simpsons episode “Deep Space Homer” wherein Homer Simpson becomes an astronaut because of NASA’s attempt to bring an “ordinary” man into space for publicity. Unfortunately, Homer accidentally breaks the ant terrarium, causing the ants to float all around the shuttle.

During an interview with news anchorman Kent Brockman, one of the ants float very close to the camera. Kent then concludes that the ants have taken of the shuttle and will be conquering the planet Earth next… so he delivers the quote.

Since I’m pretty sure the clip will be taken out soon (even with the edit), I’ve decided to post a picture of the quote below.

Geek wisdom: A person’s character can only be tested during hard times. And it may actually be surprising how fast your friends and even your family members can turn on you when things start to go south. Your mettle will also be tested during those trying times and you yourself may be shocked how quickly you can betray your family and friends.

A true test of a person’s character is what he’ll do when the odds aren’t in his favor. Like Kent Brockman, he caved when he thought the human race was about to be enslaved. How will you react against those odds?

“Autobots! Transform and roll out!”

From: The Transformers

Genre: Cartoons, Television

Who said it?: Optimus Prime (most of the time)

The story behind the quote: Most people nowadays have, at the least, a passing familiarity of the Transformers series. The cartoon has gone through various revisions and reiterations. But there are two things that have always remained fairly constant: The Autobots are led by the heroic Optimus Prime and Optimus Prime usually delivers the quote as a sort of battlecry before heading towards battle.

It doesn’t matter if the show has them transforming into vehicles, animals or other creatures/things, Optimus Prime will give this order when it’s time for the Autobots to charge into the battle to take on the evil Decepticons led by Megatron.

Geek wisdom: Change is always scary. Whether it’s trying something new or even getting feedback that you need to adjust something about yourself, the idea of change can be hard to swallow. However, sometimes, in order to move on, you have to be willing to transform yourself.

Change is not necessarily a bad thing; it’s just something you’re not used to. You never know if it’s good or bad until you at least try it out.

“Don’t blame me. I voted for Kodos.”

From: The Simpsons

Genre: Cartoons, Television

Who said it?: Homer Simpson

The story behind the quote: The quote comes from The Simpsons’ 7th Treehouse of Horror special. The Treehouse of Horror is the show’s annual Halloween television special where the show spoofs various films and television shows. As such, they don’t fall into the regular “continuity” of the show’s illustrious 25 years of being on the air. One of the mainstays of the Treehouse of Horror specials is the appearance of the aliens Kang and Kodos. While they do appear in the episodes, they mostly are relegated to the background.

However, the segment Citizen Kang, they’re actually the ones that push the story forward. The aliens replace Bill Clinton and Bob Dole and run for the presidency in their place. Even after Homer exposes the aliens’ plot, Kang gets elected as “it’s a two-party system.” While the human race is building a weapon for the aliens, Homer reveals who he voted for.

Geek wisdom: It’s easy to focus blame on someone else. It’s almost instinctive for a lot of people and it’s understandable. No one wants to be the cause or the one at fault for anything bad. But someone has “to take the blame” and most of us are fine as long as it’s not them!

However, this is the wrong way of thinking. We have to own up to our mistakes when we commit them. That’s the only way we’ll learn from them. If we steer blame away from ourselves, the only thing we learn is how to avoid taking responsibility.

“The power is yours!”

From: Captain Planet and the Planeteers

Genre: Television and Cartoons

Who said it?: Captain Planet

The story behind the quote: The quote comes from the animated series, Captain Planet and the Planeteers. It was one of, if not, the first cartoon to feature an environmental superhero. Captain Planet himself is not a person in the traditional sense. He is actually the personification of the four natural elements, Earth, Wind, Fire, Water, as well as the power of caring, which is Heart.

These elements are carried by the Planeteers, four teenagers from different parts of the world. Kwame, from Africa, controls Earth. Linka, from the Soviet Union/Eastern Europe, controls the element of Wind. Wheeler, from the United States, is in charge of the Fire element. Gi, from Asia, manipulates Water. And Ma-Ti, from Brazil, controls Heart. In order to summon Earth’s greatest champion, Kwame, Linka, Wheeler, Gi and Ma-Ti have to combine all of the elements. These elements then form Captain Planet.

Captain Planet usually dispatches the villain for the week and, before splitting up into the elements, he usually tells the Planeteers the quote.

Geek wisdom: The power is indeed yours! We all have the power to make good and bad decisions. Claiming that we weren’t given any options is simply a cop out and shrugging off our our responsibilities of our actions. It is us who decides our fate and how much effort we put into a task and no one else.