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Forgotten Childhood: The Fairly OddParents

Forgotten Childhood: The Fairly OddParents

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I don’t know about you guys, but for me my childhood could pretty much be summed up as me sitting in front of the TV, watching and re-watching the same damn cartoons over and over until I drove my mother mad. Every day, I’d wake up, watch Nickelodeon during breakfast, go to school and come home to watch more Nickelodeon, and while a lot of shows tended to get repetitive and I eventually lost interest, I always enjoyed watching The Fairly OddParents. I could re-watch Timmy, Cosmo and Wanda for days on end without getting bored, and that’s exactly what I’ve been doing for the past few days.

For those who missed it, here’s what you should expect. The Fairly OddParents is a show about a sad little ten year old boy named Timmy Turner. Due to the fact his parents are always working and he’s always left alone with an evil babysitter named Vicky, Timmy is granted 2 Fairy Godparents named Wanda and Cosmo, who grant his every wish, often with hilarious consequences. Originally, Nickelodeon had the show cancelled after only 5 seasons, even despite its huge popularity which at one point even rivaled Spongebob Squarepants in ratings. However, after much demand, the show was renewed and is still running to this day. However, it’s not the recent episodes we’ll be focusing on today. Everything you read below is strictly pre-Fairly OddBaby. So without much further ado, let’s hop on our time scooters and take a trip back to the early 2000’s!

Then

So, we already know that little Laura had square eyes and a brain made out of mush by how much TV I watched, however it wasn’t all bad! I, like most kids who watched this show, constantly wished that I could have fairy godparents just like Timmy. However, despite how emo I turned in the teen years to follow, the fact I never got any was a clear indicator that my life was not terrible enough to deserve them. Even as a stupid 10 year old girl I could appreciate that, and love the show for what it was; a wacky, off the walls comedy with a heart of gold.

What’s more I never stopped to think just how many life lessons I had learned from this show. Everything from microbiology to dental hygiene was covered by the antics of a ten year old boy and his fairies and quite frankly, I think I have them to thank for the fact I even still have teeth. Upon my rewatch of the show I heard the song ‘My Shiny Teeth and Me’ for the first time in years and instantly felt compelled to grab my toothbrush, as if the upbeat tune had somehow trained me into doing something my mother never could; actually giving a damn about my teeth rather than seeing them as an easy tooth fairy pay day.

Now

It’s probably been about 7 years since I last watched Fairly OddParents, but despite the hiatus I can’t help smile when I watch it. Not only am I having a huge rush of nostalgia, the jokes feel like they haven’t aged a day. What’s more, I can appreciate so much more of the show now that I’m older. For example I never appreciated as a kid that The Crimson Chin, played by Jay Leno, actually had the backstory of being a talk show host, or that everyone’s favourite teen singing sensation Chip Skylark was actually played by Chris Kirkpatrick, a former member of N*SYNC. The most I was able to clock when I was 13 was that Cosmo was played by the janitor in Ned’s Declassified.

FOP always held something that shows of the time like Spongebob or Danny Phantom couldn’t compete with in my eyes. It kept its sense of childlike wonder. Even watching it now, it feels like you’re viewing the show through the eyes of a 10 year old boy. Everything feels exciting and whimsical and even though I’m older and I know exactly what could go wrong if you wish that it were Christmas every day or that everyone’s Halloween costumes became real, I’m still of the mindset “What could possibly go wrong!?” and happy to see the immediate results before everything begins to crash and burn.

Say what you will, Fairly OddParents was more or less the Adventure Time of my generation. Everyone needs that perky, off-beat show filled with wonder and whimsy that just takes sense and throws it out the window for a punchline and this was mine. Furthermore, while FOP doesn’t hold my top spot for greatest cartoon of all time (A spot which will forever be held by The Animaniacs) it was a huge part of my childhood and god willing, it will never be truly forgotten.

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