For those who grew up during the 90s, evenings were filled with regular doses of brilliant cartoons. Here, we’ve picked out 29 of those amazing shows to take you back to your childhood.
1. Jungle Book
Almost every child of the 90s grew up watching this show. Kids tuned in every Sunday to watch Mowgli’s adventures through the jungle, and of course, singing along to ‘Jungle jungle pata chala hai‘.
2. The Centurions
No matter how devious Doc Terror and Hacker’s plans were, they were always thwarted by the three mech-warriors. Just hearing their phrase is enough to send us back to our childhood on the nostalgia express. Power Extreme!
3. Top Cat
Possibly not as popular as many of the cartoons on this list, Top Cat was nonetheless a cult classic. There’s never been a cartoon quite like the hustler feline and his faithful rag-tag bunch in Benny the Ball, Choo Choo, Brain, Fancy-Fany and Spook. And of course, will there ever be anyone like good ol’ Officer Dribble?
4. Aladdin
Aladdin’s entourage was one lovable bunch. The naughty monkey Abu, the mimicking parrot Lago, and the adorable Genie, the princess Jasmine and Aladdin himself, kept us engrossed for hours on end.
5. Scooby-Doo
Scooby-Doo was the first proper cartoon detective show we watched. It was brilliant spending afternoons solving mysteries with the talking Great Dane along with Fred, Daphne, Velma and Shaggy AKA “those meddling kids”, thwarting the plans of criminal masterminds all while scarfing down some Scooby Snacks. Them, not us. We only wished we could gobble a Scooby Snack or two.
6. Tom and Jerry
One the most popular cartoons of all time, this show is synonymous with our childhood. The most iconic rivals ever caused a lot of mayhem and destruction as Tom tried to catch the mouse Jerry, who somehow always managed to escape, helped by his cunning, skills, or just luck.
7. The Yogi Bear Show
We have no idea why, but bears always made for very likeable cartoon characters (Baloo, anyone?) and Yogi Bear was the pick of the lot (more fun than the average bear!). We had a ball of a time watching the forever hungry Yogi steal picnic baskets in Jellystone Park, assisted by his sidekick Boo-Boo bear, as Ranger Smith tried to foil their attempts.
8. The Jetsons
This one gave us a glimpse of what the future would look like. The Jetsons was a family from the far future. Flying vehicles, robotic maids, video phones and flat-screen TVs, this was a show way ahead of its time.
9. The Flintstones
While the Jetsons gave us a glimpse into the future, the Flintstones was all about prehistoric life. From foot powered cars, to dinosaur operated cameras, TVs remotes and dishwashers, this show pushed our collective imagination to its limits. Yabbaa Dabba Doo!
10. Looney Tunes
The Looney Tunes had something for everyone. It had so many characters you simply couldn’t not have a good time watching them. Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Sylvester, Tweety, Granny, Marvin the Martian, and many many more. Each of them was epic in their own way.
11. Duck Tales
Ah, the old classic. Which one of us hadn’t dreamt of swimming in a room full of gold coins like Scrooge McDuck? Although most of us are still far away (read: never) from realising that dream, it was fun to watch the Beagle Boys try to rob Uncle Scrooge but being denied by Louie, Huey and Dewey.
12. SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron
Quite simply put, this cartoon had everything. It was like the creators thought of everything that was awesome and shoved it all into this cartoon. Amazing weapons, fast bikes, super cars and Turbokat, the most advanced plane ever. Plus, the two kats, T-Bone and Razor formed the most kickass duo of the 90s.
13. The Mask
Whenever Stanley Ipkiss put on his cursed mask, he turned into a green-faced, yellow-suit wearing crazy person with lots of cool superpowers. Most of us saw this show before we saw the Jim Carrey movie this was based on, and we always had a laugh riot.
14. The Addams Family
A show about a family that consisted of gargoyles, Frankenstein like butlers, crazy scientists. As crazy as the premise sounds, the show made for some extremely fun times and taught us kids one brilliant truth: being different ain’t so bad.
15. The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest
While the show was mainly about Jonny, Hadji and Jessie helping Dr. Quest and Race solves mysterious phenomena and the like, we all know why we tuned into this show. That’s right, nothing but nothing could beat the experience of wawtching the trio’s adventures in Quest World.
16. Captain Planet
Earth, Fire, Wind, Water, Heart. Admit it, you were all chaning the the 5 elements every time the planeteers had to call on Cap. And that song. No, you’re not going convince us there’s a better, catchier and more environmentally friendly cartoon theme song than Captain Planet’s.
17. Dexter’s Laboratory
Ah, the boy genius. As far as we were concerned, there was no one smarter than this kid. And yes, there was no one more annoying than DeeDee. Arrgh, no DeeDee stay away from the damn button!
18. I Am Weasel
Whie this show was probably not everyone’s cup of tea, in time many of us learnt to appreciate its humour. I Am Weasel’s brilliance was only matched by I.R. Baboon’s ineptitude. Ah, good times.
19. G. I. Joe
Every morning. Without fail. The only reason you missed G. I. Joe was if… well, no. You just didn’t miss G.I. Joe. You just couldn’t. What if Cobra Comander finally managed to get the better of the Joes?
20. Ed, Edd n’ Eddy
The simplest one of all. Just three silly boys goofing around their neighbourhood. This show also had the most popular non-living character, the wooden plank, who was Jonny’s best friend.
21. Johnny Bravo
Beefed up body, a pompadour hairdo, and an Elvis-like voice, Johnny Bravo was a self-proclaimed womaniser, and there was nothing better than watching him humiliate himself as he tried time and again to woo anyone on two legs.
22. The Powerpuff Girls
The result of a chemical accident of Professor Utonium, the Powerpuff Girls saved Townsville from a host of troubles, mostly caused by the villain Mojo Jojo. We loved to hear, “Aur ek baar fir, bala tali powerpuff girls ki badaulat“, at the end of each episode.
23. Courage the Cowardly Dog
Okay, this was a dark show. There’s a pink cowardly dog, ironically called Courage, and it has to protect its abusive and cynical owner Eustace and his wife Muriel, from some of the most scary villains ever. In other words, this was a brilliant effing show!
24. TaleSpin
Who can forget Baloo and his cute little sidekick as they went around protecting their city of Cape Zuzette from air pirates in their mustard sea-duck plane?
25. Timon and Pumba
The Lion King was easily one of the most iconic movies of the 90s. So it makes sense that a show based on the underrated duo would be as great. And of course, they gave us one of life’s most perfect lessons. Hakuna Matata.
26. Recess
This was a cartoon we could all relate to. It had this crazy bunch of six friends and their interactions with their classmates and teachers during their recess period left us all in splits.
27. Popeye
This cartoon was the sole reason kids would finish the spinach on their plates. There wasn’t too much super strength happening along the way, but that didn’t stop us believing. Watching him defend Olive Oyl and keep big bad Bluto at bay was a favourite pastime.
28. He-Man
As nostalgia-inducing cartoons go, He-Man is right up there, if not the first, on that list. The original superhero, He-Man was every kid’s ideal. And who could forget Cringer, his cowardly lion (?) who would transform into Battle Cat?
29. Chip ‘n’ Dale
Chip was the logical schemer, while Dale was the goofy, dim-witted one. Both the chipmunks were regularly seen logging heads with other cartoon characters like Pluto and Donald Drake.
Well, that settles it. Where’s my time machine?