Great Cartoons of the 1990s

If you were a child of the nineties like myself, you know that you grew up during a golden age of television animation. We were the Pokémon generation, the Nicktoons generation, and the Cartoon Cartoon generation. Looking back on the fantastic animated shows we all wasted our weekends away on, it really is disappointing to me now that there are no longer cartoons on the air that can hold a candle to the ones we were influenced by.

Sure, in the early 2000s there was a short surge of great new ideas (Courage the Cowardly Dog, Home Movies, Futurama, Invader Zim, Samurai Jack, etc.) but as of 2007 our once favorite youthful cartoon channels have become barren and hollow wastelands. Kids are growing up on garbage: shows animated without care, originality, or wonder. What I'm trying to say is that we '90s kids had it good and golden, and to celebrate that fact I've concocted a list of some of the best cartoons that shaped our collective childhood. Most of these shows are still fun to watch today (if you can find them online or on DVD), a true testament to their quality and impact. Prepare yourself for nostalgic memories of after-school afternoons and Saturday TV binges.

The Angry Beavers (1997 - 2001)

One of the comedic gems of Nickelodeon's nineties repertoire, The Angry Beavers was one creative and wacky program. The episodes revolved around Norbert and Dagget Beaver, two slacker brothers who lived in an ultra-modern dam. They faced-off against each other to no end; Norbert was the cool, laid back antithesis to Dagget's constant tomfoolery. Some of their most memorable lines were to call each other "spoots" and Norbert giving Dagget a "BIIIIGGGG HUUUGGG!" They really didn't have enemies save for crazed loggers, extreme weather, and most often themselves. They also ventured into large cities or to other strange locales during several episodes. The look of the show was colorful but soft, usually very calm compared to what the beavers were actually doing.