“Holy crap, listen to that sound!” That was my first reaction to the revving up of the theme song to “Tiny Toon Adventures,” the series from my childhood finally reaching DVD after so many years out of syndication. Throw out those old VHS tapes, this thirty two episode treatment is wonderful. Now putting aside any and all nostalgia, “Tiny Toons” is still an entertaining, if flawed, series. I can still recall watching the series premiere on CBS after the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” fall preview one Friday night. Even at that age, I just didn’t respond to it. It was a series for children that didn’t have enough faith in Looney Tunes, so they made younger wilder versions of the flagship characters, it was obvious. And I also remember watching the pilot without a single smile, thinking “That’s pretty good, but I can’t wait for Ninja Turtles!” But years later, the reaction is still the same except “Tiny Toons” is a series that kind of takes you off guard.

It comes off like a lame rehash, but it is often creative, over the top, and utterly hilarious when it wants to be. With often excellent animation, “Tiny Toons” sports the incredible voice work from the likes of Tress MacNeille and Charles Adler who play Babs and Buster Bunny, two unofficial children of Bugs Bunny who try to survive Acme Looniversity in a world that sort of co-exists with continuity from Looney Tunes. I can imagine the Parents Association and FCC bitching about the inherent violence in Looney Tunes, so Warner were basically forced in to this (that’s just a theory, folks), a show reliant on sharp and clever gags, movie references, and comedy that went over the target audiences heads regardless of how watered down it was, in the end.

If you’re a nineties kid, you’re definitely going to be near tears with fond memories, but watching it years later it’s still a fun show, but not as edgy as I remember it. The grabs for catch-phrases like “How Conv-een-ient” and “No Relation” were too hokey and forced to rival the likes of “That’s All Folks!” and “What’s Up, Doc?” Not to mention I never found people like Sweety, Dodo, Furrball, and Hamton to be any fun to watch, which is where the fast forward button comes in to play. But then there’s the hilarity that follows. Plucky was always a source for laughter, Buster and Babs had great duality, and Montana Max was rip-roaring funny. And who can forget Elmyra, a brief animated sensation who managed to outlive all of her “Tiny Toons” contemporaries and almost spawned a spin off? In spite of the repeated nods to the classic Warner characters, “Looney Tunes” loyalists will hate what this series is, but for fans swayed by nostalgia who love to have their funny bones tickled, “Tiny Toons” is a damn good time with the kids.

As for the DVD, “Tiny Toons” gets a great treatment with the usual dazzling packaging, and thirty two episodes with all the original content. I didn’t like the fourth disc being a flipper, though. That made no sense. Among the extras there’s only one: A twenty three minute special called “From Looney Toons to Tiny Toons—A Wacky Evolution!” a self important special that puts too much weight on “Tiny Toons” but thankfully places the spotlight on Termite Terrace and classic Looney Tunes characters.

Most of the consumers for this snazzy DVD set will likely be swayed by nostalgia, but years later it’s still a fun series even if the grabs for merchandising and pop culture immortality are blatant. It’s definitely worthy of a buy, from one nineties kid to another. Now when can we see a DVD release of “Taz-mania”?