Amid the many events held at the Gatton Student Center, there is one that draws more from students’ childhoods than most other gatherings.

This event, held from 7 to 10 a.m. in the CATS DEN every Tuesday, is humorously titled “Toons Day Mornings,” and it allows attendees to enjoy a free cereal breakfast and to watch the cartoons that made their Saturday mornings complete as a kid. Everyone is welcome to start his or her Tuesday with an experience that sends the mind back a few years (or more) to much simpler times.

Health, society and populations senior and CATS DEN desk worker Wonjin Kim said Toons Day Mornings is an event that fosters a close connection to home for newer students.

“I feel this event is important because it gives people a sense of being at home more than being at a university,” Kim said, adding that everything that occurs at the student center is geared toward helping students feel closer to home on campus.

In addition to providing a sense of connection to home, this event provides students with an always appreciated opportunity to take their minds off of the burdens of schoolwork. There is something about walking into a room with classic cartoons playing that causes one to smile and forget about everything for a bit. With midterms looming over students, this escape may be just what some students need to relax when dealing with all the stress and sleep deprivation that accompanies those infamous exams.

The coordinator of Toons Day Mornings, Dustin Adams, shared his own favorite childhood cartoons.

“Seeing as I’m a little older, I’m an ’80s and early ’90s kid. A few of my favorites that I recall were He-Man, G. I. Joe, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and the X-Men cartoons,” Adams said. “I did get into Batman: The Animated Series later, and it’s as amazing today as it was then.”

While these classics are not very likely to be shown, there are definitely opportunities to see other well-known cartoons, including Spongebob Squarepants, The Amazing World of Gumball and Teen Titans Go! Currently, the three shows are cycled fairly regularly, and there is work being done behind-the-scenes to gain the ability to show other cartoons, possibly including the formation of themed weeks.

Adams serves as the Assistant Director of Activities and Marketing for the Gatton Student Center. Additionally, he oversees and advises a group of student programmers who draft a set of events weekly for the CATS DEN. They plan a wide variety of events, including concerts, food tastings, improv comedy classes, and more.

A complete schedule for events held at the CATS DEN can be viewed on this webpage: https://www.uky.edu/gattonstudentcenter/cats-den.