WASHINGTON HEIGHTS — An Uptown bookstore is bringing back a classic combination: Saturday morning cartoons and sugar cereal.
The volunteer-run Word Up Books at 2113 Amsterdam Ave. is holding a free CEREAsly Sunday event this weekend, offering viewers the chance to catch up on old favorites including "The Flintstones," "The Smurfs" and "Schoolhouse Rock." The event will run from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. this Sunday.
Co-organizers Jen Monsen Leach and Sandy Jimenez came up with the idea after talking during one of their volunteer shifts at the shop about all of the cartoons they missed from their childhood.
“I think what it is, with all TV, is that it was a reference point,” Monsen Leach said. “Everybody watched their shows and kept up from week to week. It was something to talk about at school on Monday morning. It was a bonding thing.”
She explained that with the advent of iPads and Netflix, that common experience has been lost.
“That doesn’t really exist anymore because kids can watch cartoons anytime, anywhere now,” Monsen Leach said.
The event will also highlight classic ads from the 1960s through the '90s, including those for Lite Bright and Hungry Hungry Hippos, as well as Smokey the Bear’s public service announcements.
Word Up will sell individual boxes of cereal, but cartoon watchers are also encouraged to bring their own favorite brands. Participants are also welcome to show up in their pajamas.
While the event is free, organizers are suggesting a $5 donation to Word Up, which is nearing the end of a $25,000 fundraising campaign.
Monsen Leach hopes the event will attract nostalgic adults and kids alike.
“We’re hoping that adults who were kids back in the '70s will bring their kids and get them interested,” she said.
