This is funny. Sounds like you are high on this track :D Actually, I don't remember the banana splits, but I have a different theory about Saturday morning cartoons: they died during the first Gulf War, when all of the networks went to a more news centric format, and when the ratings came in they never turned back. And the wars haven't stopped since. TL;DR: Yes, it probably got bad in the '80's bad between misery and nothing, I'll take misery...