I'm in that awkward age between '90's kids and Millenial Babies. I was born in the '90's and was just old enough to remember a little bit of them, but my childhood is mostly rooted in those interesting years that opened the 21st Century; those ambiguous years that do not really feel like they belong in the 2000's but are disjointed from the 90's.
Yes, it was the time of terrible fashion choices and early cellphones, and the Golden Age of Disney Channel. It can absolutely be argued that the shows from these years, not just Disney shows, are the best. Not only were they hilarious and unafraid to test the limits, but most of the shows had undertones we did not initially notice, that influenced ad defined out generation. Since there were so many shows I wanted to add to this list, I'm going to keep it to animated shows and cartoons.
5. "Spongebob Squarepants"
No list of great cartoons would be complete without the mention of out favorite "absorbent and yellow and porous" spongy fry cook. I can hardly get through a day without some Spongebob reference, and I know this is a staple of my generation.
Though anyone will tell you that the older episodes are best, the show is actually still on and runs all episodes in syndication for the enjoyment of yet another group of youngsters. We can feel connected by "Krusty Krab Pizza," jelly fishing and the immortal "The Lid, Patrick."
4. "The Powerpuff Girls"
In a time of shifting views on women, "The Powerpuff Girls" allowed developing feminine minds to see that they can be "girly," powerful and have diverse personalities all at the same time.
As a kid, I just liked that they fought monsters and bad guys for justice and the protection of the city of Townsville, but looking back I see that a lot of the characteristic of the Powerpuff Girls stayed with me. They were not particularly afraid of being themselves, and doing whatever was needed to save their city, whether that was punching a monster or throwing a bad guy in prison.
3. "Lilo and Stitch: The Series"
Lilo and Stitch is my favorite movie of all time, and the show is one of the far and few that they translated into a successful TV show. The dynamic characters of the movies, like four year old Lilo, were able to be explored more fully in the series and we got to see Lilo and Stitch work together as a team and learn about Jumba's other experiments. I especially love the relationship and team dynamic of experiment 625 and Captain Gantu. Back in the day, I honestly thought it was the funniest thing ever, and who can resist the famous blue fluffy alien we know as Stitch?
2. "Teen Titans"
Even as a kid I could understand the various layers contained in this show. I was slightly older when I started watching it, so all the messages about otherness, isolation, teamwork and loyalty were not completely lost on me. The intricate constitution of the show brought together humor, action and real life issues to sew them together to create a show that entertained as well as educated.
Each episode offers something new to learn about a character or issue that the Titans face, and with the inclusion of two incredibly strong female leads, diversity of skin color and the meshing of very different personalities, it showed that everyone on the team was important. The jokes, action and story line pulled me in as a child so it could teach me valuable lessons.
1. "Kim Possible"
Anyone who says they do not like Kim Possible is a liar. The show was hilarious, action packed, and toyed like crazy with stereotypes of the 20th century. Re-watching it this year has opened my eyes to the satire that is jam packed into this show. It comments on everything from the assumption that cheerleaders can not fight crime to the idea that anyone is without insecurities or faults.
As a kid, I would get caught up in the world of a teenager who could save the world, make the grade and lead the cheer squad all in the same day, and I have to say, she became one of my role models. And besides, who can resist the high-key sass that Rufus always brought to the party?
