Show / Cartoon Openings & Intros
 

As we're all aware intros and openings have been dead for quite a few years at least in western shows. The trend seemed to have started in the mid-00s when most intros/openings were shortened to 30 seconds to make room for more commercials but because of rise of binge watching and people skipping intros they've become irrelevant. If we get a short theme with the title that lasts 5 seconds is the most we seem to get nowadays. Even the simpsons the intro got shortened and then now it seems they only show the logo and skip everything else.

I miss them, but were they actually any good, did they really serve any real purpose? Or do we feel nostalgic for them in a stockholm syndrome kind of way since we had no choice as kids but to watch them and force to like them?

This isn't a "post your favorite openings/intros" thread. As a kid I loved intros that had all original animation and hated the lazy ones that reycled footage from the show. I have nostalgia for many though I don't even know if most of them really are really that great Western intros never have the love/care that anime openings have for example.

I think that the cartoon intros, especially in older cartoons before times of the Internet, were meant to give an overview of the show so new viewers will understand. Nowadays with people have Internet having all the information, theme songs aren't as necessary.

Like the 87 tmnt cartoon pretty much sums up the basics which would've helped kids who were inteterested in the show but didn't know much:

1. Four mutated turtles are heroes and ninjas
2. A woman is their ally
3. Shredder is their enemy
4. Splinter is their teacher
5. All 4 turtles defining characteristics.

Three of the best cartoon show intros of all-time -

FW TMNT
G.I. Joe ARAH
Heathcliff

We feel nostalgic for them because they were nostalgic, catchy themes and animations (original and/or ep clips), pictures of the past, so, yes, would say they definitely served a purpose.