Most of you reading this article are most like in your late teens to early twenties. We are the Millennials. We have grown up in a time of rapid technological and cultural advancement. Once of the biggest advances we have made was through media. I'm not talking about social media. I'm talking about television. Starting in the late 80s, animation became a popular form of weekly entertainment instead of just for movies. Instead of getting up early or staying up late to catch our favorite sitcom, we were glued to our TVs for our Saturday morning cartoons. Eventually it spread from just Saturdays to the whole week. Cartoons offered us a new world to escape to and learn from. They taught us lessons we still remember today.
1. Rugrats
Probably one of the first animated shows you remember watching. It followed Tommy and his toddlers as they explored the big world around them. Oftentimes, their imaginations got ahead of them as common activities and items became the next adventure they had to tackle. Rugrats taught us to stand up and face the unknown, to go out and explore what we don't know about. After all, isn't that one of the reasons we go to college? We go to experience new things.
2. The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy
Possibly your first venture into dark humor, this show follow the joyful and idiotic Billy, sarcastic and manipulative Mandy, and their best friend (because of a bet he lost) Grim. Often having dark themes, such as beheading and monster takeovers, we often found ourselves laughing at the situation. This series showed us how to find the humor no matter the situation. No matter how dark the times are, there will always be a little light to make us smile.
3. Codename: Kids Next Door
Another show that made caricatures of everyday troubles for kids was the KND. As Numbuhs One through Five fought against adult tyranny, like homework and spinach, we saw them fight for their childhood. From this show, we saw how we should not be so quick to want to grow up and become adults, but rather we should enjoy our childhood. Which we most certainly did.
4. Chalkzone
Though it ran for six years, it seems a lot shorter than that since it only had 40 episodes. 40 episodes of Rudy, Penny, and Snap and their adventures in the colorful Chalkzone. Armed with only chalk Rudy drew his way into and out of many dilemmas. We saw how every problem has a solution. The solution may not be the most conventional, so it will not show itself to us immediately.
5. Hey Arnold!
Definitely one of the more realistic cartoons on the list, that didn't make it any less appealing to us. Following Arnold and his diverse group of friends in the inner city, we took a break from outlandish slapstick comedy and looked into the marriage of sitcoms and animation. Focusing on the situations common to elementary school students. Whether it be money, bullying, crushes, popularity, or acceptance, Hey Arnold covered it in a way any person still in the single digits could understand.
6. Recess
Named after our favorite time of the school day, this cartoon was a staple of our afternoon toons. Like the previously mentioned cartoon, Recess boasted a diverse cast and some realism. We followed TJ and his posse through the complex microcosm of the playground. Besides the core message of friendship, it taught us how important the relationships we make with others are, whether it be friends, co-workers, or leaders.
7. House of Mouse
What could be better than all of our favorite Disney characters coming together to meet up and talk with one another? This original Disney cartoon took Mickey and put him in a more mature role as the manager of the titular club. Much of the returning movie characters often served to rehash the morals of their origins. The main lessons we gathered from Mickey's managerial duties was to keep our promises and finish what we start.
8. The Wild Thornberrys
If you love going out and learning about animals, ecosystems, and the wild, then you probably watched this show often. Inspired by Steve Irwin, The Crocodile Hunter, this showed followed Eliza Thornberry and her family as they travelled and made their televised wildlife documentaries. We longed to have a relationship with animals like Eliza did, so we learned to respect nature and enjoy what it gives us.
9. Avatar: the Last Airbender
Okay, so maybe this is not as deeply embedded in our childhood as other shows, but it definitely was extremely popular for kids of all ages to watch. Following themes of nonviolence, kindness, division and acceptance, we saw Aang grow from the airheaded monk to the strong leader we all know and love. The biggest lesson we learned through the show can be seen when Aang tries to learn a new type of bending, which is that it takes time to improve on something, you will never be good at everything immediately. Ba Sing Se was not built in a day.
10. SpongeBob SquarePants
No matter how bad it has gotten today, none of us can deny seeing this sea creature in cubicle trousers and his underwater antics on a daily basis. As I could list so many morals and lessons, I'm going to stick to the big one: Do what makes you happy. No matter how silly or impractical, do what what you smile and have fun with it.
11. Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends
When did you outgrow having an imaginary friend? Ever wonder what happens to them once you leave them? Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends showed us the (sur)reality of where they can go. While the show often focuses on comedy and simple morals, it often showed off how important individuality and creativity are to our lives. I think Madam Foster exemplifies the moral of the whole show: You are never too old to have an imagination.
12. Fairly Odd Parents
Wouldn't life just be easier if we could wish away our problems? Watching Timmy Turner try and do that with Cosmo and Wanda sure made us think otherwise. If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself, not with some magic wand.
13. Courage the Cowardly Dog
Much like The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, this show tackled many darker subjects, including domestic violence, in a way kids could learn from it. As the name implies, Courage, the titular canine, often gets dragged into insane and terrifying circumstances in which he must rescue his owners. If this show taught us anything at all, it was that we should be courageous (duh) and fight for our friends and family. Ah, the things we do for love.
14. Ed Edd n Eddie
Remember this trio of troublemakers from the Cul-de-sac? It still holds the title of one of the longest running animated TV series in America (obviously nowhere close to The Simpsons). Eddie taught us the importance of money and the consequences of Greed. Double D showed us how we need a moral compas in our lives. Ed really illustrated how much we need to have fun. Perhaps all three of them showed that you stick with your friends, no matter what anyone else thinks.
15. Pokémon
It is still one of the most popular video game, trading card, and animated series today. Ash is probably the most illustrative protagonist of our childhood, in the fact that no matter how long the show has run, he has perpetually remained ten years old. As it has been running so long, the list of morals is innumerable. So I will borrow the lyrics from the best theme song ever: "You teach me, I'll teach you." In order to get along with everyone and everything, we have to learn from one another. No wonder Herman Cain quoted the Pokémon Movie 2000 in his concession speech.
