I grew up on 90s cartoons, waking up on Saturday mornings to watch Rugrats, Rocko, and Doug, sitting on the floor with my Oreos and singing along with the opening theme songs. Cartoons today are not like how they were in the 90s. There were so much induendos that went over my head as a child, but rewatching shows like Rocko, I caught a lot of things that today make me laugh as an adult.
Shows on Nickelodeon or Cartoon Network now are just not as good. As much as I love a good show about puppies, Paw Patrol doesn’t cut it; it’s no Blue’s Clues, at least. Teen Titans Go! Is nothing like the original Teen Titans, where TTG is very funny, it doesn’t have the serious or dark tone, and enough humor that the original Teen Titans has.
Shows in the 90s just hit harder. It handled hard subjects, it taught kids how to be patient, and it made sure to resolve conflicts before the episode was over. Some of the most memorable moments were when Raven from Teen Titans talks about her past with her father and the conflicts that she had working for the bad guy. The show Franklin, it shows in earlier episodes that he is afraid of thunderstorms, which shows kids that it’s okay to have fears.
Hey arnold showed difficult situations that young children can experience, like having a crush, but instead of confessing, they are a bully. Or when one child finds a cat and loves it, but has to realize that the owner is missing it and has to let it go. Tough life situations are hard to talk about with children, but when shown on a TV show, as if it’s normal and can happen to anyone, it helps the child accept it.
I loved all these shows while I was growing up, and I still can enjoy them to this day. Just reliving nostalgia can make a really bad day turn into much better because of the memories that the show has for you. I will forever be a 90s Nick and CN fan.
