If you’re of a certain age like I am, Saturday mornings as a kid were spent with three things: Early wake-ups, sugary cereals, and the absolute best cartoons. Lots and lots of cartoons. Given that weekly ritual of watching hours of animated greatness, it’s no surprise that in my adult life I found myself creating and developing cartoons for a living.
Now that I’m a Dad and on-demand cartoons have replaced Saturday morning cartoons, I was intrigued to see which of my favourites would hold up with my children’s viewing choices. There were some bummers (sorry, Transformers), but a surprising number are still relevant and entertaining to today’s younger cartoon consumers.
Here are some of the best of the best ’90s cartoons that we rediscovered while watching with my children
Batman: The Animated Series
For me, this is the gold standard of kids’ animation. The stories were well thought out and had a maturity to them that engaged kids’ minds instead of spelling it all out for them. The depth of Batman’s lore that was explored in this show was incredible. It’s also where Harley Quinn first appeared, Mark Hamill defined the Joker, and for my money, Kevin Conroy will always be the one true Batman.
Batman: The Animated Series had a darker tone than most children’s shows at the time. I wasn’t sure if my kids would enjoy it as a result, but it manages to humanize the Dark Knight and his rogues gallery in ways that appealed to my kids. They were caught up in the mysteries and stories, as well as the moral compass that Batman holds to. Batman: The Animated Series created a whole new generation of Batman fans and continues to do so to this day. It deserves its place on any list of the best 90s kids cartoons.
X-Men
As a comic book reader growing up, I had a real love/hate relationship with X-Men. It was a very deep dive into the X-Men comics I read, but it was also very, very melodramatic and the animation was downright crude compared to today’s standards. That said, I was still there every Saturday morning and felt that twinge of disappointment when the episode was over.
Marvel and Disney recently put out a new season of X-Men (called X-Men ’97), and it was very good, so we went back and rewatched the original. My kids love the diversity of the X-Men and how they fight to defend a world that fears and hates them. My 7-year-old was very intrigued by the “bruiser” characters like Juggernaut and Colossus, while my 10-year-old loved the serialized nature of the show. It’s worth a watch, but be prepared as it takes a while to get through.
Powerpuff Girls
The 1990s were great for many things, but they weren’t the best when it came to representation. So seeing three adorable Powerpuff Girls (Bubbles, Blossom, and Buttercup) taking on monsters and villains was a welcome sight and set the show apart. The Powerpuff Girls also dealt with typical kid issues, such as bedwetting, loose teeth, and sibling rivalry.
Not only are the characters unique, but the artistic style and animation of the show were like nothing seen before. Now, there’s much more artistic freedom in animation, so my kids weren’t surprised by the style, but as a kid myself, I was fascinated. The show even managed to win two primetime Emmy awards for its unique contribution to animation.
Sailor Moon
In terms of lasting effect, few ’90s cartoon offerings live up to Sailor Moon. Upon re-watching, the animation is a little rough, and some of the themes are a little dated, but the excitement of Serena transforming into Sailor Moon to stop a Negaverse baddie still wakes people up. My kids loved that Serena was a bumbling character until she put on the Sailor Scout uniform and channeled the power of the moon. Then she was confident and ready to kick butt.
There are some dated references in Sailor Moon, and some of the stories address older perspectives on crushes and body image. This can be off-putting to a parent of today, but we used them as teaching moments. We pointed out to our kids how those views were potentially harmful, and now they call them out in older media when they see them. The adventure of Sailor Moon is very fun, and if used properly, those cringeworthy moments can be useful in illustrating how much things have changed for our kids.
Rugrats
Rugrats is an essential show about kids, for kids, that’s full of subtle nuances for adults. It’s great at visualizing everyday happenings through the eyes of one- and two-year-olds. The way Tommy, Chucky, Phil, Lil, and Dil work their way through problems and mispronounce words is adorable and easy for everyone to crack a smile at. The series portrays grown-ups as enigmatic figures, which remains relatable to this day.
My children love Reptar. The Reptar-centric episodes of Rugrats are definitely their favourite because they have characters and media that they’ve become obsessed with in that child-like way too. The only hurdle was the way Angelica treated her doll. My 7-year-old, whose dolls are all in immaculate condition, couldn’t grasp that.
Ren & Stimpy
I’ll be honest, My Mom didn’t want me to watch Ren & Stimpy. She thought it gross and dumb. Unfortunately for her, my brother and I were home from school before she was home from work, and that led to many hours of watching the titular psychotic dog and cat take Looney Tunes-style hijinks to a new, extreme level.
Compared to some of the stuff kids watch today, Ren & Stimpy comes across as relatively tame to today’s kids. Yeah, there’s lots of booger and fart jokes, but where aren’t there these days? The over-the-top absurdity of Ren & Stimpy still appeals to kids, though, and we spend a lot of time on hikes singing about various logs we’d like to take home. Ren & Stimpy isn’t just one of the best ’90s kids’ cartoons; it’s also one of the most inventive and strangest options.
Reboot
Reboot began as a cutesy experiment in computer animation. Set inside a computer where sprites and Guardians had to do battle inside games with a mysterious “User,” Reboot was fun, if not a little corny. In the third season, however, the show took a much more action-oriented and serialized tone after aging up the characters and introducing a radical new concept called “the Internet.”
Since it was so early in the 90s, CGI technology, Reboot suffers somewhat from looking dated. However, the characters were cute and the stories fun and imaginative, so it was more than enough to hold my children’s attention. When the big shift occurred at the beginning of season three, my 10-year-old was captivated. It was the first time my kids had seen a show change like that, and it was enough to keep them from waning until the end of the series.
Animaniacs
Animaniacs is probably the perfect variety show for kids. With songs, skits, crazy characters, and impeccable wit, the Warner Brothers (Yakko and Wakko) and their sister (Dot) reinvent vaudeville and slapstick for a modern generation. It also gave us the ever-popular “Hello Nurse!” catchphrase and the absolute gift that is Pinky & The Brain.
Animaniacs has such a huge cast of characters that range from the mob-influenced Goodfeathers to the absurdly wonderful Chicken Boo, that there’s always something new to look at. My kids loved that every episode was different, sometimes consisting of a series of shorts or sometimes a full-length story. It’s so comforting, it’s like a bowl of animated mac & cheese.
Darkwing Duck
My children love superheroes, and while Darkwing Duck might skew more towards a Batman parody than real superheroics, my kids loved it. Drake Mallard is the demure alter-ego of Darkwing, and he and his sidekick, Launchpad McQuack, take on a variety of evildoers.
The real heart of the show, though, is Gosalyn, Darkwing’s adopted daughter. She’s the brains behind it all, and while Darkwing is out feeding his ego or getting into easily avoidable traps, it’s Gosalyn who often saves the day.
Like I say, it’s not a traditional superhero show, but Darkwing Duck’s sense of wholesome adventure made it must-see Saturday TV for me and great laughs for my kids.
Hey Arnold!
In the 1990s, the sitcom was no more beloved a format than it had ever been. Many classics were born or carried over from the 1980s. But there were very few for kids. Hey Arnold! Changed all that by being not just a cartoon, but a sitcom that was set in the world of kids and taught them lessons on their level. It was also set not in the suburbs, like many kids’ shows, but in a city with brownstones, broken-down cars, and sometimes rundown buildings.
The real reason I loved watching Hey Arnold! was that it dealt with kid problems that I was going through. Bullying, fitting in, crushes, schoolyard politics. It was very, very relatable. I wasn’t sure if my kids would feel the same way, but as it turns out, many of those issues are ever-present in kids’ lives, so it’s no surprise that Hey Arnold! became a great experience for them because even though it was set 30 years before they were born, they could still relate to it.
The Magic School Bus
I remember being a kid and rolling my eyes loudly at any show deemed educational. The Magic School Bus was the very clear exception to that. Whenever Miss Frizzle gathered her class into the bus, I knew it was going to be for a fun adventure and not a dry lecture. The kids in the class, from tomboyish Wanda to nervous Arnold, were a diverse group of kids in both nationality and personality, so it was easy to find someone to relate to.
My kids first got into the Kat eMcKinnon starring reboot of The Magic School Bus, which was impeccably done. The same whimsy, the same adventure, but a little more modern and firmly connected to the original. After running through those episodes, my kids were quickly asking for more, and we went back and watched the original run. It still holds up today and makes me wish my car had many more standard transformative functions. The Magic School Bus deserves its place on any list of the best ’90s kids’ cartoons because of its inventive nature and unabashed focus on teaching children valuable lessons about science and life in general.
Doug
Another in the series of kids’ cartoons for and about kids, Doug is practically a how-to book of wholesomeness. Skewing a little older than Hey Arnold! Doug featured the titular character using his imagination and journal to process and work through life’s challenges. It’s another show that proves certain life milestones are always present for kids and that they aren’t alone in dealing with them.
Doug isn’t super action-heavy, but my kids were happy to enjoy its calmer tone. With the characters being young, yet a little older, they were able to look up to them somewhat and perhaps glean some ideas about the challenges that would come their way as they transitioned into middle school. Characters named Patty Mayonnaise and Chalky Studebaker show that Doug doesn’t take himself too seriously, though, and is thoroughly entertaining.
SpongeBob SquarePants
SpongeBob SquarePants is one of the few shows on this list that children love to watch today, as it has been running to this day. SpongeBob SquarePants is so wonderfully absurd that kids go nuts for its still storylines and slapstick humor. There’s a lot in there for the grown-ups, too, as there are a lot of subtle jokes and innuendos that adults will pick up on.
We entered the SpongeBob world through some excellent movies, but my kids really enjoyed watching the early episodes. The great part is that the show has 16 seasons with over 300 episodes, so it’s a never-ending series of new things to watch. It’s also fun to re-watch because most of us can’t remember what happens in that many episodes, so you are often seeing them again for the first time!
Captain Planet & The Planeteers
Nowadays, it’s not strange for a kids’ show or cartoon to have a message to it. In the 1990s, cartoons were more about selling toys and merchandise than addressing social issues. Captain Planet & The Planeteers was different in that it carried an overt and spoken environmental message. The cast of characters consisted of kids from diverse backgrounds and parts of the world, who joined their magic rings together to summon Captain Planet.
While the show itself wasn’t great in terms of writing or animation, it was cool to see a superhero composed of the best parts of a diverse group of kids. It really sold the idea that working together is the key to solving problems, in this case, pollution. My kids liked the show, but the biggest problem they had with it was Captain Planet’s mullet. I assured them that we all had the same problem with the mullet, even then.
Dexter’s Laboratory
If you have more than one kid, Dexter’s Laboratory is great. Not just because of its silly premise and gorgeous art style, but because kid-genius Dexter is constantly being interrupted by his annoying sister DeeDee. The two could not be more different, and as such, they work as foils for each other in a loving sibling rivalry.
Dexter was a unique character at the time because he struggled with his intelligence as much as he benefited from it. At times, he wishes he could be as free and blissfully unaware as DeeDee. Smart kids have a hard time fitting in, and Dexter finds himself annoyed at others who aren’t as smart as he is, but it’s because he struggles to relate to them. That may seem deep for a kids’ show, but my children picked up on it, and when mashed together with some slapstick silliness, it makes for a really fun show to watch. It’s safe to say there are many millennial parents walking around right now with Dexter’s Laboratory on their own lists of the best 90s kids cartoons.
Aaah! Real Monsters!
For a long time, I honestly thought this show was a fever dream or mandala thing that I dreamed up. I vividly remember watching Aaah! Real Monsters! But after it’s run, it seemed to completely disappear. Fortunately, in 2025, nothing is really gone, and I was able to find it and watch it with my kids.
Aaaah! Real Monsters! follows three young monsters named Ickis, Oblina, and Krumm, as they navigate Monster School in a world that lies just under New York City. The monster community includes a working economic system using toenails as currency, and most folks reside near, or in, the dump.
While not as in-your-face as Ren & Stimpy, the show includes a healthy dose of stink and fart jokes, but usually with a simple lesson attached to them. The kids liked it because it was silly, but also because it showed that kids who don’t look like them can have similar issues and work through them.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
This one’s a bit of a cheat as it premiered in 1987. However, it’s hard to put together any list of the best ’90s cartoons that doesn’t include an era-defining one like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (you’re humming the theme song right now, aren’t you?).
My first introduction to the Turtles came via the very different and much darker comic book, but the animated TMNT is what defined them for a generation and beyond. The Turtles were fun, cool, and a family. At the core, the show is about a family defeating evil and being totally radical while doing it.
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have undergone several reboots and upgrades over the decades since their debut, but the Turtles’ animated adventures have endured long enough to be considered both retro and quite hip. My kids look at the 90s the same way I did the 60s as a kid (which is painful to write), and they see Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as a window into another time. With totally tubular pizza.
Tiny Toon Adventures
Tiny Toon Adventures was an anthology show from Warner Bros. that repackaged the classic Looney Tunes characters in a more modern context. It was never really addressed if Buster and Babs Bunny or Plucky Duck were related to Bugs and Daffy in any way, but they carried with them the same satirical slapstick humor and biting wit. The show explored numerous stories while maintaining a healthy dose of Looney Tunes humor.
My kids are big Looney Tunes fans, so I was worried they might be confused about who everyone was in the classics, but it was no bother at all. They howled a young Plucky trying to flush things “down the hole” and enjoyed the new characters like Elmyra Duff and Montana Max. Not all of the 280+ segments are winners, but there are more than enough laughs to keep any age group interested.
Pokemon
What can be said about Pokémon that hasn’t been said? The tales of Ash and Pikachu traveling the world to become the best Pokémon Trainer have become more than just a cartoon; they’ve become a subculture unto themselves, one that kids still gobble up to this day.
I was surprised how much my kids enjoyed the TV show. They had played some Pokémon games, collected the cards, and seen a few of the more modern movies, but I figured the original cartoon would be too dated for them. Not so, as it turns out, as they have run through the full series multiple times. I guess that fun characters, adorable monsters, and attempting to catch ‘em all is eternal!
The Tick
Finally, no list of Best ’90s Kids Cartoons in any context would be complete without the best superhero send-up ever committed to television, The Tick. Following the huge-hearted, but dim-witted superhero The Tick and his sidekick, Arthur, this show was full of superbly silly villains and heroes, fun stories and hilarious jokes, both subtle and in-your-face.
The humor and absurdity of The Tick fascinated my children, and they were roaring at such foes as Chairface Chippendale and The Mad Bomber, What Bombs At Midnight. The incredible voice acting remains among today’s best, taking the show just seriously enough to be fun, while also leaning into the wackiness to create a truly unique world and experience.
We’re big fans of cartoons at Parenting Patch, so be sure to check out our lists for the best Animated Children’s Movies That Teach Empathy And Other Important Lessons, and for parents with younger kids at home, the 20 Best Bluey Episodes And The Lessons They Teach Children.
