It’s hard to wrap my head around the sheer fact that the new Millennial’s entering college never experienced some of the great culture treasures of the 90s. Television shows that shaped 90's and 2000’s kids will never be redone the same way for future generations. These shows taught us life lessons that may not of been taught to us by our parents and also promoted the use of our imaginations more than ever. We grew up thinking outside the box and applying moral standards to our everyday life, something that is missing in today’s children’s shows.
Here is a list of A FEW of the shows that made a difference.
1. Rugrats
Tommy and the gang intrigued us to the nth degree when a pack of toddlers would release themselves from that playpen prison with a plastic screwdriver and conquer a new adventure everyday, all while trying to deal with the pig tailed bully Angelica.
2. Boy Meets World
The only show that grew up with us and described the same struggles that we were going through up until we were in college. From everyday struggles that occur with best friends, troubled home lives, young romance, and thinking about the future, Boy Meets World always demonstrated that there was a way out of anything.
3. Rocket Power
The show that made quite a few of us find a new hobby in extreme sports, taught us that nothing comes in-between the next big wave or that there wasn’t a problem Uncle Tito couldn’t fix.
4. Even Stevens
Yes boys and girls, Shia Lebeouf was famous before the he joined forces fighting aliens with the Autobots. He played our generations’ dorky, youngest sibling that was more focused on avoiding the school bully and not feeling the wrath of his older 8th grade sister that was in the same school as him.
5. Magic School Bus
Learning at the microscopic level was never cooler than with Ms. Frizzle and her magic school bus. They would provide an entertaining and goofy outlook to science. Even if Ms. Frizzle seemed like she was a little off her rocker, she was one the best science teachers we had growing up.
6. All That![]()
All That was the Saturday Night Live for kids. Skits like Good Burger provided us with quick, corny punch lines created a baseline for jokes growing up. It gave actors such as Amanda Bynes, Nick Cannon, and Kenan Thompson the start of their careers.
7. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
The one theme song everyone from our generation can belt out at the drop of a hat. Will and his crazy big city antics were always a thrill to watch growing up. It also taught us that dancing like Carlton was something never to do in public.
8. Hey Arnold
Everyone's favorite football shaped head kid gave us some hidden gems that still live on today. Whether it was the gang playing backyard baseball, stoop kid mustering up the confidence to leave his stoop, or Arnold having to deal with stalkers at 10, Hey Arnold was a diamond in the rough.
9. Are you afraid of the dark?
Nothing beats watching a show that will give you nightmares for a week. That’s exactly what Are You Afraid of The Dark? did to us after each show, but for some reason the ghost stories kept bringing us back for more each week.
10. Scooby Doo
The Mystery Gang always brought thrill to the TV screen with their tie-dye colored van and their talking dog. There wasn’t a mystery the gang couldn’t solve and No matter how many times we watched it we would always be surprised when Velma found that critical clue that gave the monsters true identity away. Does anyone else look back at this show and think those Scooby snacks were laced with something?
All these shows filled our weekend mornings or afternoons with everything we needed as a kid. It gave us multiple life lessons to learn from without actually having to live them. There wasn’t a show out there that didn’t allow us to connect in some sort of way and make us better as a whole. Thanks for the memories.
