Long, long ago, in a world of imagination and free of the pressures of academic excellence and adulthood, we could spend our gracious Saturdays watching cartoons.
My childhood took place from the late 90s to the early 2000s, engulfed in a series of animated adventures across channels like Cartoon Network, Disney and Nickelodeon. All three had something to offer; typically you were forced to pick a side, but no matter what you would always have your favorites. These favorites made you carefree and joyful with not a worry in the world, diving into a world of the unbelievable and exciting.
Now, let's press rewind and take a look back at some of our favorite cartoons from our childhood, before it all took a turn for the worst.
1. Ed, Edd n Eddy
This show was like the cartoon version of a reality TV show for kids in suburban areas. We all could easily look at those kids and see ourselves, our school dynamic, and even our neighborhood dynamic through them: the jock in Kevin, the foreign kid in Rolf, the assumed "dumb blonde" in Nazz, that one black guy in class in Jimmy, and many of the other characters. You also couldn't help but laugh at the fact that the plot of every episode was based off an elaborate plan to scam the neighborhood into giving away their money so that Ed, Edd and Eddy could buy jawbreakers. Scams for candy smh, don't be a follower, kids.
2. Teen Titans
Including this on my list was an hallelujah moment for me, because it got me to go back and watch the REAL Teen Titans. Not this "Teen Titans Go" mess Cartoon Network now (shoutout to Lil Yatchty though for making the cast of the movie). "Teen Titans" was a show filled with actions, plot and those occasional flirtatious moments that had us gossiping in school about how Robin and Starfire needed to tie the knot already. Man, those were good times. Somebody tell Cartoon Network that it's called a reboot not a remake. Remakes and spin-offs are watered-downed versions of the shows we know and love, so just throw a little HD on the original five seasons and play it back for us.
3. Kim Possible
To this very day I still go into stores and hear girls' phones ring with that "Kim Possible" beeping. That show was so good, the ringtone made it to 2018. That's when you know a show was good. A teenager that's a cheerleader and student by day and beatdown-giving spy by night, what's better than that? And the movie was absolutely beyond its time. It had everything: romance, gadgets, and you can't forget the robots. As far as I'm concerned, this was Disney Channel.
4. Johnny Test
This show was like if "Dexter's Laboratory" and "The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron" had a baby. Literally every episode was just something straight out of a child's imagination. You name, they made it. A video game that puts you in the game? Did it. A robot that does the cleaning? Did it. They even brought comic book characters to life. This show had to be made by a bunch of children consulting at a round table with a storyboarder and an animator in the room next door.
5. What's New, Scooby-Doo?
This show is timeless. No matter if it's the 80s, 90s or the 2000s, this show will always be good. The mysteries were never too difficult, the episodes never dragged out and the movies were absolutely fire. If you've never seen a Scooby-Doo movie, I suggest you visit your local library, since they all have at least a couple that you can indulge yourself in. This show was an absolute classic with a theme song that will forever live as my ringtone.
6. Chowder
This show is the only reason I used to want to help my mom out with dinner. The idea of being able to make the food and then eat it too was just too much to pass up. Chowder made cooking fun and hilarious. It was like the animated version of the Food Network. Even the food had a crazy name or required ingredients from the wildest places. You couldn't help but wonder if the food they were making was actually good.
7. Codename: Kids Next Door
The show that made us want to be kids forever. A global club where as long as you're 12 or younger, you get to be a secret agent in a big tree house and taking down adult tyranny? Sounds like the life if you ask me. This show reflected some of the greatest kid philosophies like recess all day, no Brussels sprouts, and eating ice cream: all sacred cornerstones of being a child. "Kids Next Door" made me want to stay a kid and cherish my childhood. Because just like when the kids turned 13, they no longer could be in the club, when we turn 13, that's when things start to get real and we start to face the typical drama of being a teen. This show was the ultimate representation of being a kid in my book, even if we didn't fight villains or have a base on the moon.
8. The Proud Family
A Destiny's Child theme song. That's all you have to say. One of the first, if not the only, African American-based cartoon and it had a theme song made by one of the most prominent African American singing groups at the time. This show was like "Ed, Edd, n Eddy" in the way that it depicted real life situations, where neighborhood friends link up and face normal problems like school, boys and anything else. It was also interesting in the ways they added African American values like cherishing and having a big family. "The Proud Family" will be missed, but if they make this remake like I've been seeing lately, I just hope they get it right.
9. Foster's Home of Imaginary
It's a show about children's imaginations and their imaginary friends. Growing up, I know a lot of us (especially the only child) had an imaginary friend, but this show made it cool to have one. This show took the imagination of all different kinds of kids and manifested them into real characters of all shapes and sizes in ways that to this day, still blows my mind. Wilt personally was my favorite imaginary friend because that boy could hoop. He was just so nice, you couldn't help but to love him.
