24 Shows to Save Your Summer

Lap time for Grandma

If you've got Grandma and Grandpa visiting for any length of time this summer ‑- or if you're going to them ‑- you'll want surefire hits like these to keep your little one quiet so Grandma can cuddle.

Popeye
Boomerang, 8:30am, weekdays
Bet you didn't know that Popeye first came to life in a comic strip in 1919. Or that he made his first animated appearance in Betty Boop Meets Popeye the Sailor in 1933. Me neither, but I bet grandparents from New York to California do, and so will their grandkids, thanks to this revival of the spinach-eatin' sailor. Each episode contains three cartoons restored to their original theatrical state, along with facts and trivia about the mumbling mariner and his friends. What a great way to connect grandparents and kids!

Postcards from Buster
PBS, 3:30pm, weekdays
People are pretty much the same all over, and this little bunny reminds us of that as he travels with his dad. Buster sends video postcards home to his friends, from places no doubt visited by many grandparents who can regale youngsters with their own travel tales.

next : Flash back with the folks