- 16 hours ago
Saturday mornings will never be the same... Join us as we count down our picks for the greatest '90s animated series whose quality and content remain unmatched even today! Our countdown includes "The Ren & Stimpy Show", "Rugrats", "X-Men: The Animated Series", "Animaniacs", "The Simpsons", and more! Which '90s cartoon do YOU think still reigns supreme? Let us know in the comments!
Transcript
00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the 90s animated series whose quality and or content
00:06remains unmatched even today.
00:17Number 10. The Ren and Stimpy Show
00:19You know, Stimpy, with your invention and my savvy, we'll corner the rubber nipple market.
00:26Juvenile humor is common in cartoons, but few of them have ever made it an art form quite like Ren
00:32and Stimpy.
00:32The utterly unhinged series about a dumb, happy-go-lucky red cat and a chihuahua constantly on the edge of
00:38a breakdown remains one of the gold standards of off-the-wall comedy, animated or otherwise.
00:43You have an overactive imagination. I don't want to hear any more about your stinky fantasies.
00:54Stinky is not a fantasy.
00:56The show pushed the boundaries of standards and practices with its frequent use of adult insinuations, pitch-black humor, and
01:03general naughtiness that kids' cartoons simply couldn't get away with then, or now for that matter.
01:08The Ren and Stimpy Show was so off-the-wall that even the many imitators that followed in its wake
01:13can't match the amount of happy-happy-joy-joy it brought.
01:16Happy-happy-joy-joy-joy Happy-happy-joy-joy Happy-happy-joy-joy Happy-happy-joy-joy
01:23Number 9. Arthur
01:25Every day when you're walking down the street
01:28Everybody that you meet
01:31As an original point of view
01:34Okay, granted, the vast majority of this long-running children's series wasn't during the 90s.
01:39However, we feel like enough of it was that we still consider it more a part of the decade than
01:43some other longer cartoons.
01:44Those first seasons are long.
01:46Arthur took the titular Aardvark's adventures in elementary school and made them entertaining for both kids and adults alike.
01:53Where's the snow? Christmas is tomorrow and there's still no snow.
01:57Well, you know, Arthur, no one actually knows what day Jesus was born on.
02:02The holidays in December are probably because that's when the Romans celebrated the winter solstice,
02:07and most likely they adopted that tradition from the Babylonians.
02:11I don't care! I still want snow!
02:14Unlike some other cartoons aimed at kids, Arthur incorporated its lessons about books, history, and how to treat one another
02:20naturally into each episode.
02:22Even now, it's rare to find a cartoon that delivers these kinds of lessons and manages to also be funny,
02:28heartwarming, and have a broad appeal.
02:41Number 8. Rugrats
02:56One of Nickelodeon's early success stories, Rugrats detailed the lives of babies and toddlers in a way that everyone found
03:03fascinating.
03:04Tommy Pickles and his friends had imaginations that would make adults jealous, and their escapades turned everyday activities into grand
03:11adventures.
03:12Wow! That was a lot better than the real circus!
03:16You know what, Tommy? I think I like the circus!
03:20Ha ha ha ha! Hey, I'm a human candy ball! Hey!
03:26The show managed to deliver relatable humor not only for children, but also their parents.
03:32Rugrats somehow managed to make kids watching feel grown up, and help adults feel young again at the same time.
03:37It's a strange alchemy that no one has managed to replicate since, even if the Rugrats reboot makes a good
03:42attempt.
03:42You won't be alone. If you turn into a worm boy, we'll still be your friends, because you'll still be
03:49Chucky on the inside.
03:53Really, Tommy? Of course! Nothing can keep us apart!
03:58Number 7. The Magic School Bus
04:10When it comes to educational cartoons, the reigning champion is easily the Magic School Bus.
04:15Miss Frizzle's trips with her class aboard the eponymous school vehicle took them, and kids watching, to everywhere from outer
04:21space to inside the human body.
04:23For decades after it aired, the Magic School Bus was still being shown in science classrooms, simply because nobody had
04:29come up with a better visual introduction to these concepts for children.
04:32Phoebe, that's it! Those red blood cells are bringing air to the muscles!
04:37Hey guys, I got it! Air has oxygen! That must be what the white stuff is!
04:44It's arguably still the gold standard, but now classrooms are showing the Revival series too.
04:49Almost no one else has made learning fun quite like the Frizz.
04:53Sound wave, swingin' through the stars, take a laugh at your intestine, take your second right past Mars on the
05:00Magic School Bus, navigate her nostril!
05:04Number 6. Dexter's Laboratory
05:06A toast to my sweet sister Didi for reuniting me with my one true love.
05:13It's good to be back, Dexter.
05:17Cartoon Network's early years featured many breakout hits, but none had the kind of impact as Dexter's Lab.
05:22Primarily following the titular boy genius scientist, and his frequent conflicts with his excitable sister Didi, the show also ventured
05:29outside the lab with Dexter's difficulties with the outside world, offering opportunities for parodies.
05:34With my genius, I can learn while I sleep!
05:38Computer, which genius invention of mine shall I use to achieve the desired effect?
05:43Well, I don't know, Dexter. You're the genius.
05:48This is true! So, now bring me the subconscious discographic hypnotator, and don't give me no lip!
05:53The tight, funny scripts, paired with simple, yet distinctive animation, gave the series an evergreen appeal, that still hasn't faded.
06:01That animation style not only became creator Genndy Tartakovsky's signature look, it also went on to influence countless other Cartoon
06:08Network series that followed.
06:09Not till you're older, not till you're older, not till you're older.
06:21Number 5. X-Men The Animated Series
06:32There are many exceptional superhero cartoons, some still to come on this list, yet none have quite captured the feel
06:38of their comic book origins, as well as X-Men The Animated Series.
06:42The show ripped storylines directly from the comics, and executed them better than most comic book movies before or since.
06:48Time is motion, and motion and thought are a unity. Two aspects of a single power that is beyond comprehension
06:58to all but myself.
07:01The animated series perfectly balanced ongoing storylines, along with individual character studies of the mutant superhero team members.
07:07It says a lot that Marvel brought it back with a revival rather than create a new X-Men cartoon,
07:12because you can't improve on perfection.
07:13Also, let's be honest, there has never been a cartoon with a theme song this catchy with no lyrics.
07:32Number 4. Beavis and Butthead
07:35Whoa, that looks cool.
07:38Yeah, we could go if we had some money.
07:43During the height of MTV, one of the network's most popular fixtures, besides actual music videos, was Beavis and Butthead.
07:50The title characters are a pair of moronic slackers, whose misadventures generally involve getting into trouble, or sitting around making
07:56juvenile commentary on music videos.
07:58Ooh, baby.
08:01That dude's pitching a tad.
08:07Change it.
08:08Despite many claims of negatively influencing kids' behavior, Beavis and Butthead is often more about mocking it.
08:14Given that it was also brought back, it's hard to think of another cartoon that so effectively skewers the teenage
08:19experience, during the 90s or afterwards, although its spin-off Daria is also right up there.
08:24You've got these government types at school telling us to watch out for weird behavior.
08:28Then the alien nut on TV says the same thing.
08:31Meanwhile, your parents are weird, your sister's weird, and all the kids at school look at us funny.
08:35That's not new.
08:36Yeah, but now there's respect.
08:38Number 3. Animaniacs
08:40Come join the Warner Brothers and the Warner Sister Dot
08:43Just for fun we run around the Warner Movie Lot
08:46Sketch comedy and variety shows are typically a live-action phenomenon, but out of the cartoons that have attempted to
08:52replicate the format, Animaniacs remains the most successful.
08:55The show featured an unforgettable cast of recurring toon characters, from the trio of chaotic Warner siblings, to the iconic
09:01duo of Pinky and the Brain.
09:03Jeez, Brain, what do you want to do tonight?
09:05The same thing we do every night, Pinky. Try to take over the world.
09:09They're Pinky and the Brain. Yes, Pinky and the Brain. One is a genius, the other's insane.
09:17Animaniacs featured an unparalleled mixture of hilarious gags and satire that could be enjoyed by kids and adults, while also
09:24mixing in musical numbers that we still can't get out of our heads.
09:27You'd have to be totally insane-y to believe you could make a cartoon aimed at kids this funny.
09:32To spell Santa's name is easy to do
09:37You write S-A-N-T and another A too
09:42But Noel, Noel, Santa's name has Noel
09:47And he won't be too pleased if you don't learn to spell
09:52Number 2
09:54The Simpsons
10:01Yes, technically The Simpsons premiered a couple of weeks before the 80s ended, but let's be real, it's a 90s
10:07cartoon.
10:16The animated sitcom about the eponymous family and the rest of Springfield has been a cultural institution for decades, but
10:23it's golden age in the 90s is what helped make it such a juggernaut.
10:26Every single character, joke, and gag from this period is iconic. The writing was so witty, that it redefined what
10:32satire was.
10:36Who is that firebrand, Smithers?
10:38That's Homer Simpson, sir.
10:40Simpson, eh? New man?
10:42Actually, sir, he thwarted your campaign for governor. You ran over his son, he saved the plant from meltdown, his
10:48wife painted you in the nude.
10:50Eh, doesn't ring a bell.
10:52The Simpsons stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the live-action sitcoms of the decade, and arguably beat them all.
10:58The series is in contention for not just the greatest animated sitcom, but maybe the best sitcom, period.
11:04Homer, organized labor has been called a lumbering dinosaur.
11:08Ah!
11:09Uh, my director is telling me not to talk to you anymore.
11:13Woohoo!
11:13Uh, Mr. Burns, you mentioned you wanted an opening tirade?
11:16Yes, thank you, Kent.
11:17Whether you're a Simpsons superfan or just, you know, a human living on this earth,
11:22you could probably name three things you associate with Homer Simpson.
11:25But could you name all of the jobs he's held over the series' decades-long run?
11:29Let's throw it to the team and see if WatchMojo's resident Simpsons historian can.
11:33Lesser-known Mr. Jazzy Jazz Jazzman.
11:36Pablo, welcome to Random Cats.
11:38Three rounds, one prompt per round, 15 seconds per prompt.
11:42Let's play meow.
11:44Let's go.
11:44I'm gonna need five jobs Homer Simpson has held.
11:50Your 15 seconds starts now.
11:52Uh, nuclear safety inspector, astronaut, private security.
11:59Oh god, too many.
12:01Uh, carny.
12:03Circuit folks.
12:04Your 15 seconds are over.
12:07Three influential jazz musicians.
12:11Your 15 seconds starts now.
12:14Uh, I'm gonna go with, uh, Amal Davis, Oscar Peterson, and, uh, lesser-known Mr. Jazzy Jazz Jazzman.
12:24Okay, awesome.
12:26That was, uh, before the 15 seconds.
12:29I'm gonna need five cartoon animals who wear a shirt but no pants.
12:3515 seconds starts now.
12:38Uh, Donald Duck, uh, Witty the Pooh, you know, say Scrooge McDuck and his nephews.
12:44I'm pretty sure they don't wear pants.
12:46Huey, Louie, and Dewey.
12:48That's all I got.
12:50All right, cool.
12:51That was before the 15 seconds.
12:53Pablo, thank you for playing Random Cats, and we'll see you on the next one.
12:57Bye.
12:57Before we get to our top pick, who may or may not be wearing pants, here are a few honorable
13:02mentions.
13:03Gargoyles, Disney's darkest, most mature cartoon ever?
13:07Doesn't Xanatos prove that there are good humans as well as bad?
13:10Can you forgive the humans for what they did to our kind?
13:13The ones responsible for that have been dead for a thousand years.
13:17Then their descendants shall pay.
13:19Tiny Toon Adventures, recaptured the feel of classic Looney Tunes like nothing else.
13:23We are, puppy, your new foe.
13:29And these are your new playmates.
13:33Ah, smallness board.
13:38Darkwing Duck.
13:39Superhero parodies have never been this dangerously funny.
13:42I have you right where I want you, alone with me.
13:46Darkwing Duck.
13:49Jesus, this hurts.
13:51Doug.
13:51No kid show has captured the relatable highs and lows of early adolescence as well.
13:55Hey, Doug?
13:57Oh, hey, Patty.
13:58Can I ask you something?
14:00Um, sure.
14:01What?
14:04Are you doing anything on Friday night?
14:07No.
14:08Well, not yet, I mean.
14:09Well, would you like to go see a movie?
14:12Sure.
14:12Who else is going?
14:14Rocco's modern life.
14:15The mundane and the bizarre collide unlike anything we've ever seen here.
14:19Have?
14:20Hey, Rocco.
14:20Why was everyone singing?
14:22We've just got a song in our hearts.
14:24How is it you all know the words?
14:26Did you rehearse?
14:27Yeah, every Thursday.
14:29Didn't you see the flyers?
14:30Number 1.
14:31Batman The Animated Series
14:46The 90s saw many animated shows willing to go darker.
14:49While Tom McFarlane's spawn arguably went the darkest, it was probably running to catch up
14:54to Batman The Animated Series.
14:56It remains the peak of superhero cartoons even decades later.
14:59The animation is timelessly gothic and exceptionally executed.
15:16The stories give depth and nuance to objectively silly heroes and villains, while the voice acting is immaculately performed.
15:24The atmosphere is so dark, they drew it on black paper.
15:26For many, this is the definitive Batman adaptation, and we're hard pressed to argue.
15:31You of all people should have realized there'd be a Joker in the deck.
15:41Why can't he ever stay dead?
15:53Is there an unparalleled 90s cartoon we forgot?
15:56Share your invincible pics in the comments.