“Fresh out the box
Stop, look, and watch
Ready yet, get set
It's All That!
Oh, oh, oh, this is All That
This is All That”
Yea, I am a 90’s baby, and the nostalgia is real. Don’t mean to brag, but our generation had the best TV shows. Do you ever daydream about traveling back in time just to relive the glory days of watching your favorite TV shows? Wake up early in the morning to get ready for school and watch a few cartoons before it’s time to go to school. You go through many hours of learning and few minutes of playing. As soon as you get home, you watch your evening shows, do some homework, and watch your regular nightly shows. Do you remember the Saturday morning cartoons? Watching television during our childhood era was a great experience. We were spoiled with many good laughs and had many good options to choose from. Let’s remember those times.
1. All That
"All That" was the Nickelodeon version of "In Living Color." A variety of comedians joined forces to gives us a reason to love life. The all-star cast paved the way for future TV shows and future stars. Do you remember the sketches of “Baggin’ Saggin’ Barry,” “Good Burger,” and “Detective Dan?” Nickelodeon was definitely all that and a bag of chips.
2. Boy Meets World
The show is about the life of a troublemaking guy named Corey Matthews. We learned valuable life lessons as Corey learned his lessons. Beside life lessons, Boy Meets World showcased love stories. Corey and Topanga are one the best TV couples in history. A few years ago, the Disney Channel awarded the fans with a special treat by letting us see the romantic couple live their life while trying to raise a troublemaking daughter. "Girl Meets World" may not be as awesome as "Boy Meets World," but Disney is attempting to provide prescriptions to our nostalgia.
3. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
“Now this is a story all about how my life got flipped-turned upside down.” Will Smith is not Will Smith to us; he will always be known as the Fresh Prince. The show featured its family drama, Will’s love interest stories, plenty of jokes, and Jeffrey constantly throwing shade. Let’s not forget about Will’s hilarious, corny pickup lines. “Girl, you look so good. I wish I could plant a whole field of y’all,” said the Fresh Prince. There were a sad moments, as well. The episode when Will's dad came to town, but left again, was a touchy moment, and Uncle Phil was seen hugging a crying Will to end the episode. "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" is one of the shows that continued to get better and better as the stars grew up. Carlton was no longer the same preppy goody-two-shoes kid in season one by the time the show ended.
4. The Simpsons
The show debuted in 1989. The fact that "The Simpsons" is still carrying on makes a statement about it. The Simpsons have released over 600 episodes, and the movie was one of the best animations ever. It’s not over for the Simpsons family. It has been renewed for three more seasons, so more people will be able to witness its legendary status. I mean, it is the longest running sitcom and the longest running animated TV show in America.
5. Out of the Box
Nickelodeon may have been all that, but Disney was out of the box. There were too many good shows on both stations that made it a struggle to figure out which channel to look at. "Out of the box" shows us how to value our imagination and create excitement with the items we’ve been given. The show ended the episodes with “So long, farewell to you, my friend. Goodbye, for now, until we meet again.” When we heard that song, it was a bittersweet moment because we craved for more.
6. Rugrats
Babies got to do what babies got to do. Watching "Rugrats" helps us realize how smart babies really are. The show had talking babies that go on adventures without parents noticing anything. It made us think that babies have their own language. The evil Angelique, with her cookie cravings and Cynthia doll, did everything she can to sabotage the babies’ day. But, babies got to do what babies got to do. There was nothing stopping Tom Pickles and the gang from living the life.
7. Are You Afraid of the Dark?
You thought Goosebumps was scary? “Are You Afraid of the Dark?” was better. The show had epic scary stories. There were no doubts that either one of your friends or you wouldn’t get much sleep during a sleepover. Because of this show, many 90’s babies still sleep with a nightlight on.
8. Pokémon
The goal is to catch 'em all and become the very best. To catch the catch them is the test, but to train them is the cause. Everyone loved Ash Ketchum and Pikachu. We adored watching Jigglypuff sing, put people to sleep, and draw all over their faces. There was even a love-hate relationship with Team Rocket. This year, we celebrate its 20th anniversary. Releasing Pokémon Go increased Pokémon’s fandom over the summer. It helped bring generation one lovers back to the franchise and stirred up new interests within people. Now, Pokémon has new games. Will you be playing Sun, Moon, or both?
9. Reading Rainbow
Watching educational shows were a part of our culture. PBS made sure that we learned what we needed to learn when we were in school. LeVar Burton and "Reading Rainbow" did an incredible job with it. So many of us would have delayed reading skills if it wasn’t for the show. We supported their passion for the importance of literacy, and we are thankful for the reading lessons.
10. Powerpuff Girls
It was all about sugar, spice, and everything nice. A scientific experiment had gone bad. On the bright side, the Professor create super tough little girls that can kick butt like the Hulk. Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup did their "thang" when paired against Mojo Jojo, Him, and other enemies. When Rowdyruff Boys entered the scene, we knew dynamic fight scenes were coming soon.
11. Dragon Ball Z
When mentioning the best amines ever, "Dragon Ball Z" has to be in the category. Goku and Z Fighters entertained us with many fight scenes. Do you remember Goku vs Frieza, Teen Gohan vs Cell, and the Goku vs Vegeta rivalry? We learned the true meaning of having Saiyan pride. Playing the games made the "Dragon Ball Z" experience more to die for. The Dragon Ball franchise kind of died when "Dragon Ball GT" was created, but it resurrected when "Dragon Ball Super" came into our lives. If you are not caught up on Dragon Ball Super, what are you waiting on? There is too much excitement you are sleeping on.
12. Hey Arnold!
"Hey, Arnold, why don’t you move it football head?" We can never for Helga Geraldine Pataki;s deeply obsession with Arnold. We can never forget the bromance between Arnold and Gerald and their super cool handshake. We can never forget all the other characters and the life lessons from the show. In every episode, we witnessed Arnold being the hero to someone's problem or Arnold learning a lesson of his own.
13. Ed, Edd, n Eddy
I appreciate the creative minds that thought of the show and made it the success that it is today. We enjoyed all the money schemes, scientific experiments, and competitiveness. Their love of money and jawbreakers could not be ignored while watching the show.
14. Dexter’s Laboratory
Seeing a little boy, our age, as the smartest person in the world gave all of us hope and inspiration to do well in science and math. Dexter and his laboratory convinced us to dream about a successful future. Now, most of us are college students, and some of us are living the scientific life.
15. Power Rangers
Who else enjoyed seeing teenagers power up and morph into butt-kicking heroes? When the Megazords entered the fighting scene, we knew it was about to go down, and the rangers were destined for a win. Thanks to Netflix, we can relive our youthful days as we watch every single "Power Rangers" episode. Next year, the "Power Rangers" movie is coming out. Don’t be surprised if you see more male adults and college students than children in the theaters. I will definitely be watching it.
16. Doug
Doug Funny was actually funny. I will always remember it for its diversity. It had white people, black people, green people, blue people, and orange people. The love connection with Doug and Patti was, too, adorable, but did they ever become more than just friends? Skeeter Valentine, Doug's bestfriend, was unashamed of who he is and kept the viewers in a laughing mood.
17. Dragon Tales
There are many shows about dragons. There aren’t many shows about two kids becoming best friends with dragons. One dragon taught the golden rule of treating other dragons in a way you would want to be treated. Emily and Max made us all jealous as they were able to wish themselves to Dragon Land whenever they wanted. “I wish, I wish with all my heart to fly with dragons in a land apart” Some of us attempted saying the chant while holding our lucky stone. If only we can meet Ord, Cassie, Zak and Wheezie, we would loooooove it.
18. Zoom
"Come one and zoom." Sing the "Zoom" theme song as you read this. When you came home from school, the show to watch was Zoom. If you didn't grow up with cable, you survived by watching "Zoom." We love to dislike the science lessons in school but fell in love with all the "Zoom" experiments. What if our science teachers would have based their lesson plans off of "Zoom?" Then, maybe, school would have been a lot more exciting, and students would try to skip school. "Zoom" taught us how to make some simple but good snacks. It exemplified how to be creative with arts and craft. Which "Zoom" ideas did you try to recreate?
19. CatDog
"CatDog" was iconic in it's on unique way. Most TV shows and movies love to put cats and dogs up against each other. Nickelodeon decided to take that concept but have the two live as conjoined siblings. It was brilliant. Cat and Dog, who are polar opposites, had many differences. Adding salt to their wounds, Winslow (the house mouse) lived with them, and the Greasers made a hobby out of bullying them. Who was your favorite, Cat or Dog?
20. Spongebob
"Spongebob" took all of us by surprise with its success. We got to see a jelly fishing, kara-tay chopping, krabby patty flipping character become a sensation to all. Rather you found Spongebob annoying (like Squidward) or hilarious (like Patrick) you couldn’t keep your eye him. Please, hang on to the memories of Spongebob ripping his pants and performing "Sweet Victory" at the Bubble Bowl. The show teaches us to never give up; despite all the times we fail. Spongebob struggles with boating school, and Plankton can never securely capture the krabby patty’s secret formula. Hopefully, Spongebob can pass boarding school in the future, and we can find out what is the krabby patty's secret formula.