Yes, the old cartoons are often very good.
However, I have also more recently found that some of the ones I used to love (like Popeye) I cannot stand to watch now - the violence and possession of Olive Oyl doesn't sit well with a former sufferer of domestic abuse. Even the Three Stooges (my mom's favorite) no longer appeals to me. Or Pepe le Peu, who is a horrible stalker. We have to be careful what we show our children to be funny. Our humor is very important for shaping the next generation.
You are right on that part. But growing up, when I was watching POPEYE, all I can really remember vividly is that, I need to eat vegetables (SPINACH) in order to be healthy. What made it more wrong -if there is such a thing is for me to assume that spinach do not grow on the ground but instead were packed in cans. LOLZ!
I think that aside from the creators being responsible- there is such a thing as hentai or manga(with pornographic and very adult content really)- the parents themselves should watch- even scroll down the movie before showing them to their kids in case this happens.
This days, I often watch totally spies in youtube.