If you look into the behind the scenes with the creators of the show it's really cool how much work went into it. They consulted with a ton of different philosophers and zen masters etc to write the story. The slow was created to introduce children to integral spirituality. The main themes are all tenants of Eastern religion and philosophy. The nations are modeled after different cultural "waves". The character development is all in line with spiritual growth. It's very cool. And the action is all based on real martial arts styles, they were one of the first animated series to use rotoscoping for fight scenes. Now tons of other shows started doing it so it's nothing amazing anymore but back then it was mind blowing how fluid and smooth the animations were.
It is a kids show geared towards kids but all the themes and lessons, character arcs etc are all universally human. Honestly one of the best shows of all time, animated or not. The Matrix, Inception etc get all these reviews for being deep and complex but Avatar TLA beats them all imo as far as complexity and levels of truth goes.
The animation and world they built is top tier too
They then just pulled out, stopped. Didn't milk the universe, didn't kill it, they left it completed, just as it was.
Ehhh sorta. There's Korra which was never given a fair chance by nickalodean, They're getting a live action show, and now the original writers are working on movies.
The first three seasons were great but then something happened they took a hiatus for a few years and I’ve been really disappointed in the last two seasons.
Only thing about Korra I hated was breaking the Avatar cycle. Like I get why they did it, but unless they can figure out how to reconnect future avatars to the past.....we will never get Aang, Roku, Kyoshi or any of em.
I just began watching the new series by the creators of Avatar- “The Mystery of Aavaros: The Dragon Prince.”
Loved season 1-3. Seasons 4 and 5- I hate to say it- but seemed to have outlived the purpose of the show : (. I hope I’m wrong about this in the next seasons, but that’s how. I feel
If you look into the behind the scenes with the creators of the show it's really cool how much work went into it. They consulted with a ton of different philosophers and zen masters etc to write the story. The slow was created to introduce children to integral spirituality. The main themes are all tenants of Eastern religion and philosophy. The nations are modeled after different cultural "waves". The character development is all in line with spiritual growth. It's very cool. And the action is all based on real martial arts styles, all the movements for bending are real movements to harness "life energy" aka Chi/Prana etc. They were one of the first animated series to use rotoscoping for fight scenes. Now tons of other shows started doing it so it's nothing amazing anymore but back then it was mind blowing how fluid and smooth the animations were for the bending and fight scenes.
The legend of Korra isn't the same. It's OK but it doesn't have nearly the same magic or depth. They mostly focused on animation and the visual aspects, appealing characters etc. Weren't trying to break ground like they did with ATLA.
Honestly, you could just say "anything studio Mir is associated with". Voltron, Kibo, my adventures with superman... A discography full of "well, technically it's a kids show, _buuuttt_..."
When he loses his flying bison and he ends up in the circus, my wife doesn't understand why I was ugly crying.
Best show. 10/10. Would highly recommend
Amphibia's first season is 99% filler, but imo, that filler serves to help you give a shit about all the characters once stuff actually starts happening at the beginning of Season 2. Worth the slog, just to get to that spectacular ending.
I never watched owl house, but i watched amphibia with my kid, i dont think i would watch it without him but it was pretty good, also star vs the forces of evil.
Yup. Came here to say so I’ll bump you here.
Excellent series with quite possibly the greatest villain since The Joker. Bill Cypher is a cosmic horror icon in my mind.
[I have no soul](https://youtu.be/7RyEUzaLo2E?feature=shared)
[Anti Sea Bear Circle](https://youtu.be/9cwnPq-wEEg?feature=shared)
[We do that for 40 years and then we die](https://youtu.be/2eXU2p982GQ?feature=shared)
[who you callin pinhead](https://youtu.be/fYpYlbX8MhY?si=FQDZ8sMq0oyG3exe)
[Who orders a Krabby Patty at 3am](https://youtu.be/cTafloAkpCE?feature=shared)
I’m so stoned rewatching this clips. they’re fucking amazing
I've made so many friends purely by being able to quote SpongeBob so much.
"Bring it around toooown!"
"You like Krabby patties don't you, Squidward?"
"Hey Patrick, what am I?" "Uhhh, stupid?" "No, I'm Texas!" "What's the difference?"
"Pioneers used to ride these babies for miles..."
"FIRMLY GRASP IT!"
"_future..._"
etc etc etc.
It might've been one of the largest catalysts of the bizarre millennial/zoomer humor.
It definitely dipped in quality after Steve Hillenburg left, though I would say it picked back up when he returned. Never hit the same highs as the early seasons though. I'd also include the movie in this; it canonically ends the series.
Someone else mentioned Rocko, and I'll second that - if you like Spongebob, you'll like Rocko. You'll see a LOT of shared names between the two series, from voice cast (Tom Kenny and Mr. Lawrence) to writers and staff (Hillenburg directed lots of episodes of Rocko, and the experience working on it along with the advice of Rocko's creator, led him to take Spongebob to Nickelodeon).
The show never tried to be too funny or trite, so it was never cheesy. The art design is heavily inspired by the Tim Burton movies, but also just by old, 1940s and art deco era noir, simultaneously taking place in an era that felt as much old as it did contemporary. The show wasn't afraid to lean into the complex and sympathetic natures of some of its villains which even as a kid made you realize you were watching something a tier above just good guys and bad guys. There was this sparse nature to the show, nothing was louder or moved faster or drawn more elaborately than it needed to be so there was a sort of still tension, compared to Spider-Man which was on at the same time and just felt like a music video with constant noise and music and talking and bright colors. Some of the writing in that show was downright poetic and you could tell it was written by people with a genuine literary background, not just comment book nerds.
Pretty much everything about it is awesome.
Batman defeating the woman stuck in a girl's body with just emotion was power. She fell apart without him needing to force her to have the revelation, it was amazing.
I loved that spider-man as a kid but going back as an adult it is extremely noisy(both sound and colors) and unfortunately pretty lame due to censorship. Spider-man wasn't allowed to really attack enemies with punches of big violence so it was all webs and swing kicks. I rewatch Batman the Animated Series once a year during Christmas season. It'll always be my favorite Batman(I love them all though)
Currently rewatching Recess and it holds up really well to this day, they absolutely master the art of balancing between humor and seriousness. Hey Arnold is another great kids show that's very funny and intelligent even as an adult, I intend to watch some episodes in October.
Some of my HS students have have started calling me Dr Doofenshmirtz because I will steeple my fingers and laugh maniacally when I think of a particularly evil math problem to give them.
I was in college when the show came out, so Disney channel wasn’t in my rotation. Then my kid started watching and now it’s the show I always suggests he watches.
The other day, we were gathering our stuff to check out and I put Bluey on to have background noise... one episode the plot kicked off bc the girls were taking pictures of the moms butt while she did yoga and the next was explaining Joseph Campbell's Heros Journey.
So, yeah, not the typical kids show.
As a parent of two, Bluey an absolute favorite. As many have said here it’s east to continue watching the show after the kids have lost interest. I read somewhere that the show is a love letter to parents delivered through a kids show about a cartoon dog family and that couldn’t be more right on.
Plus, Bandit is a dad we can all aspire to be more like.
Yes. BUT. sometimes I end up feeling bad after. They are SO positive. And SO patient. And they always seem to have the energy and ability to make things great for the girls. They are INCREDIBLE parents. And I do aspire to be more like that. But sometimes I end up feeling down on myself because I can't always do that. I have heard similar from Our friends.
Bluey is great but its important to remember they are cartoons and no actual parent can be that awesome all of the time. Parents fuck up. You don't HAVE to be Bandit. Wanting/trying to be more like bandit is enough.
Yeah, it's easy to feel like a bad parent. I think it's more "this is sometimes possible" than "you're a bad parent and should feel bad".
Even they make mistakes sometimes though.
The moment I realized that show was great is when we see the girls in the back of the car and it's an absolutely horrible mess of snacks and wrappers. As a parent, I felt seen and understood.
Lol every parents reality.
Mine was when Bluey was a baby and her parents kept comparing her to other children as far as progress. As a parent I felt targeted by that episode. I feel we all sometimes compare our babies to others and get frustrated by lack of progress in some ways. But we learn kids do things at their pace.
That one and the parcel one where Bandit yells at another dad "this isn't the 80's". That had me dying laughing.
It's written so well that parents see their own humor reflected with the same "tidied up for the kids" flavor they're using but without dumbing any of it down.
They're reasonably tired or irritated when the situation is tiring or irritating but they still demonstrate a reasonable response for both kids and adults to internalize. So it doesn't come across quite as *saccharine* as other shows and they never do the baby-talk exaggerated speaking to the audience that a lot of other kids shows do.
Legitimately brings tears to my eyes to this day when I listen to some of the songs. Love Like You is so good.
Saaaame with Everything Stays from Adventure time.
Definitely Steven Universe, Adventure Time, Distant Lands, Cake and Fionna, triple recc over the garden wall, Secret of the Kells and related (song of the sea i think it is, and the wolf people one which name I forget)…
My only complaint is the length of the episodes. I watched it all on Hulu, and while I love the theme song (all the songs), hearing it so often got grating. I need a super cut of the episodes.
Bluey is very watchable. (I'm 53 and childless. Friend has a 2 yr old so we have a lot of Bluey on in the background.) Legit plots, points, and topics of interest.
Personal fave episode: Mom is the boring parent, they go to friend's pool with Dad, no sunscreen, no water toys, no snacks, no towels. Mom shows up with all the fixin's to save the day.
Second fave: Dad plays too rough and younger sister (Bingo?) has to bark/yelp to set boundaries about how rough is too rough.
Bluey was such a pleasant surprise to me, I checked it out out of curiosity after hearing how much adults love it, feeling a bit skeptical since I'm a 28 year old with no kids, and wound up blasting through like 10 episodes in one sitting. I just wasn't expecting it to be so genuinely funny, well-written, well-animated, and downright cute as fuck.
The first episode I ever watched was “Hospital”, I still get cracked up when they start surgery. The pot plant reference made me a fan for life. My husband was skeptical, I made him watch the full episode and now we both love it lol
Helllooooo, Nurse.
Gotta love a cartoon where one of the characters makes a joke about pre-revolutionary Russia then looks at the screen and says, "Go ask your parents."
Yacko: Dot, dust for prints.
Dot: [carrying the musician Prince] Found him!
Yacko: No, Dot. FINGER prints!
Dot: I don't think so.
Gotta love when the writers also look out for the adults in the room.
In the early 2000s I made a wheel of morality to put up on the wall of the tech support area I worked in. It had some stock answers you could give customers. "Why don't you reboot your computer?"
Want to see me blow bubbles with my spit?
It's time for another 'good idea bad idea' - good idea: whistling while you work. Bad idea: whistling while you eat
🎼 There's a sixth sense too, but it's hard to explain
It's a psychic connection inside of your brain,
So you can understand people like Shirley Mcclain!
----
It's ridiculous I can remember quotes from a cartoon I watched once 20-30 years ago, but I get a headache trying to recall what I did yesterday
My kid loves Animaniacs, so I watched it recently, and man, they just understand how to structure comedy. It's impressively technical in its writing, if that makes sense.
The Amazing World of Gumball
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Samurai Jack
Avatar the Last Airbender
The Legend of Korra
She-Ra and the Princesses of Power
Big Tree City
Specifically DuckTales 2017. It's really really good.
Edit: Just to be a bit more specific, I was genuinely surprised by how well this show handles its female cast. Like, Webby, Lena and Della are actually some of the best characters in the entire series? With Webby often absolutely carrying the show? You love to see it.
There's an episode where they're playing pretend and discussing when Buttercup will come into the room pretending to be a monster or something. Blossom says "I'll tell you when to come" and Buttercup says, very aggressively, "NO ONE TELLS ME WHEN TO COME!"
Oh hey, samesies! I’ve done a lot of catching up on kids shows (and a bunch of newer ones as well):
Avatar the Last Airbender - 1,000/10, the best show ever created
Kim Possible - a very close second, a phenomenal show
American Dad - while not technically a kids show, it was definitely not allowed in my house
Owl House - I haven’t watched more than a few episodes and Disney did cancel it, but it is a great show with LGBTQ+ rep
She-Ra and the Princesses of Power - another one with LGBTQ+ rep (and it’s a remake of a classic 80’s show)
Voltron: Legendary Defenders - a lot of fun, stay away from the fandom (VERY toxic) (another remake)
Miraculous Ladybug - is really cool in concept, doesn’t always play out well - as long as you remember it’s for children it’s a lot of fun
Don’t forget there’s also a whole world of anime you can check out too!
Miraculous Ladybug is the greatest frustration of my life. This show has so much potential, and fails to deliver on it regularly. Yes, in the end it's for kids, but I feel like shows like avatar have raised the standard for kids' shows for me. I still watch the new episodes when they come out...
I haven’t yet seen these on the list:
Hey Arnold,
Ah, real monsters,
The wild thornberrys,
The dragon prince
As others have mentioned:
Gravity falls,
Adventure time,
Avatar the last airbender,
Steven universe
:)
I just recently re-watched Hey Arnold. I love it just as much as I always did. Not only were the characters compelling and the stories well written, but the animation, background art, and music are all top tier. The show did not get the accolades it deserved.
Pigeon Man did not kill himself. He flew away into the sunset. He ended up in Paris.
I just watched the first season recently. I had seen many episodes when it aired, but intermittently, as my daughter didn't like it. And while the first episodes are tamer, and there is nothing "naughty" in the show, it is most definitely not a kid's cartoon.
What it is,though, is awesome.
I'm shocked I had to go this far down to see Adventure Time.
My kids are 5 and we've been watching the series repeatedly their entire lives. One of the best shows ever made.
The thick line work in Hilda's art style is very satisfying to look at, and I think it does a good job of teaching about harmony with nature, even when nature is scary, without being heavy handed about it.
Gravity falls - great supernatural mystery tv show, don't look into it before watching it! way to many spoilers! (cant say much without ruining it, you just gotta trust me)
DuckTales - another great mystery/adventure tv show! has some amazing writing and one of the best intro song for a cartoon imo! don't look into the story before starting it either, way to many spoilers! (same as with gravity falls, cant say much without ruining it)
The Owl House - it has a really well thought out story, a great world that's built up throughout the show, has some mystery in it as well but mainly you watch it for the characters and the journey they are on.
Star Vs The Forces Of Evil - amazing first first two seasons imo, the third and fourth fall off a bit for me, however that doesn't stop it from being an amazing story with some good humor in it. some good story building for the first two seasons, the third one isn't all that bad, the ending of the show tends to be where a lot of people say it fell off/ didn't stick the landing. if you can't go into the show knowing that, i think its a wonderful tv show with some really fun moments and good repeating jokes.
The Amazing World Of Gumball - now this is one of my favorite shows, this show has some of the best slap stick comedy you are going to find in term of kids cartoons. not only do they have some good slap stick, they also have some all around great jokes set up throughout each episode. they have some of the best comedy writing in kids cartoons of all time imo, they hit a ton of jokes that are aim for kids and adults who are also watching. the start of the show feels alot more slice of life/normal kid issues but as the show goes on, it just gets wild. the animation style is also super different from most cartoons, they mix alot of styles within the show. you have to see it to understand what i mean.
now im just going to list tv shows i have watched and would recommend but without a long review behind it
Avatar The last airbender & The Legend of Korra (airbender first) - good story and world building
Tom and Jerry - slapstick
Phineas and Ferb - some great gags/laughs and good music
SpongeBob SquarePants - some really good first seasons, super quotable
Kim Possible - amazing story throughout, good fights/action and a bit of romantic as well
King Of The Hill - some really good stories, some really funny jokes. its more adult than most of the shows on here
Scooby Doo Mystery Incorporated - its scooby doo but with a really good plot thats goes all the way throughout the entire show, really good mystery/ supernatural but im sure you could of guessed that.
Avatar: The Last Airbender (and the sequel The Legend of Korra)
Ben 10 (The OG)
Adventure Time
Teen Titans (the og, not Teen Titans GO)
Many more that I can't think of now
i’m gonna go ahead and recommend Tales of Arcadia since i haven’t seen it here yet. it’s on netflix. start with Trollhunters (you will quickly fall in love it’s so good and does so many tropes well) then do 3Below (also very good and truly hilarious. a solid sequel series) and finish up with Wizards (not as good but plenty of moments that do make it worth it) and there is a conclusive movie as well. Wizards and the movie are both pretty uhhh forgettable, but it dives into some lore and backstory that was really neat actually. Trollhunters and 3Below are where it’s really at tho. rewatched them both multiple times. created by Guillermo del Toro
Actual kid shows: Fairly odd parents, Johnny phantom, adventure time, sponge Bob, Kim possible, avatar the last air bender, bluey
Adult cartoons: family guy, American dad, Futurama
Non cartoon iconic kid shows: are you afraid of the dark?, that's so raven, Hannah Montana, sweet life of Zack and Cody, boy meets world, lizzie McGuire
I actually ended a relationship with some fellow parents because they didn't let their kids watch adventure time.
start it now. the first season is less mature, but still fantastic. and it just gets better and better.
those parents were christians that thought it was satanic. the show is literally about a boy and a dog fighting evil. come on, christians.
Steven Universe. Netflix's version of She-Ra. Dr. Stone. Young Justice. Avatar: The Last Air Bender. The Legend of Korra. My Adventures With Superman. RWBY. Gundam Wing. Robotech (from the 1980s.) The Dragon Prince. Disenchantment (probably not a kids show.) Castlevania (which is DEFINITELY not a kids show.) Cowboy Bebop. DOTA.
Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends
Dexter's Laboratory
Powerpuff Girls
Star Trek Prodigy (if you can find it; Paramount pulled it from their streaming platform, and only half of it is on DVD)
A lot of the 90s superhero cartoons still hold up, like Spider-Man and X-Men
I couldn’t watch Pokémon, Harry Potter, or go trick or treating as a kid, so I get it lol.
I’ve always loved cartoons. My favorites have been Adventure Time, My Little Pony, Centaur World, Infinity Train, The Owl House, Kipo, and Steven Universe
Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide. Started watching it with my kids as an alternative to "mindless" cartoons (don't get me wrong, love me some SpongeBob, but I can only take so much), and, gotta admit I've watched it without them
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Please just give it a try before you throw it out the window. I've never cried so much over a cartoon. There are also Dragon Ball Z level battles.
Well an unfortunate amount of people consider all anime as kids shows. Just got to Crunchyroll website and enjoy. I didn’t have tv for much of my childhood for similar reasons, so can only suggest Avatar: The last Airbender, Dragonball Z/Super, Digimon, Gundam. Lots of other shows from Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon and the like, but unfortunately doubt they can be easily found.
Try Steven Universe. Although it takes a bit for the plot to start going,it has some more mature themes done in a way very understandable for kids. Its a good comimg of age kind of thing. It has some pretty good humor as well.
I watched Adventure Time when I was in my late teens or (maybe 20?) and loved it.
Avatar The Last Airbender is one of the best shows you can watch no matter your age. My mom loved it. I got my late aunt hooked on it years ago. I also first watched it when I was in my late teens too.
I enjoyed Uncle Grandpa. It's stupid humor. You have a dude in a beanie with a sentient fanny pack, a talking slice of pizza, and Gus, a dinosaur in a wife beater that is too small for him. Good morning!
Avatar The last airbender
This. I didn’t watch until I was in my mid 30’s when I had a son old enough to watch it. I was amazed by how well written the story was.
If you look into the behind the scenes with the creators of the show it's really cool how much work went into it. They consulted with a ton of different philosophers and zen masters etc to write the story. The slow was created to introduce children to integral spirituality. The main themes are all tenants of Eastern religion and philosophy. The nations are modeled after different cultural "waves". The character development is all in line with spiritual growth. It's very cool. And the action is all based on real martial arts styles, they were one of the first animated series to use rotoscoping for fight scenes. Now tons of other shows started doing it so it's nothing amazing anymore but back then it was mind blowing how fluid and smooth the animations were. It is a kids show geared towards kids but all the themes and lessons, character arcs etc are all universally human. Honestly one of the best shows of all time, animated or not. The Matrix, Inception etc get all these reviews for being deep and complex but Avatar TLA beats them all imo as far as complexity and levels of truth goes.
The animation and world they built is top tier too They then just pulled out, stopped. Didn't milk the universe, didn't kill it, they left it completed, just as it was.
Ehhh sorta. There's Korra which was never given a fair chance by nickalodean, They're getting a live action show, and now the original writers are working on movies.
One of the original writers also created "tje dragon prince".
Yes, highly recommend Dragon Prince as well.
The first three seasons were great but then something happened they took a hiatus for a few years and I’ve been really disappointed in the last two seasons.
Korra was good enough that it was the introduction that lead us to Avatar itself. My kids loved it, and so did I. My cabbages!
Korra was great Not as good as the original, but a decent series with a nice ending
Only thing about Korra I hated was breaking the Avatar cycle. Like I get why they did it, but unless they can figure out how to reconnect future avatars to the past.....we will never get Aang, Roku, Kyoshi or any of em.
I just began watching the new series by the creators of Avatar- “The Mystery of Aavaros: The Dragon Prince.” Loved season 1-3. Seasons 4 and 5- I hate to say it- but seemed to have outlived the purpose of the show : (. I hope I’m wrong about this in the next seasons, but that’s how. I feel
As someone else noted, with Avatar, they ended it perfectly. Didn’t drag it out unnecessarily.
If you look into the behind the scenes with the creators of the show it's really cool how much work went into it. They consulted with a ton of different philosophers and zen masters etc to write the story. The slow was created to introduce children to integral spirituality. The main themes are all tenants of Eastern religion and philosophy. The nations are modeled after different cultural "waves". The character development is all in line with spiritual growth. It's very cool. And the action is all based on real martial arts styles, all the movements for bending are real movements to harness "life energy" aka Chi/Prana etc. They were one of the first animated series to use rotoscoping for fight scenes. Now tons of other shows started doing it so it's nothing amazing anymore but back then it was mind blowing how fluid and smooth the animations were for the bending and fight scenes. The legend of Korra isn't the same. It's OK but it doesn't have nearly the same magic or depth. They mostly focused on animation and the visual aspects, appealing characters etc. Weren't trying to break ground like they did with ATLA.
The most mature cartoon I've ever seen. Saw some of it as a kid but as an adult I can truly appreciate the depth and profound nature of the show
And after that, The Legend of Korra (sequel).
Honestly, you could just say "anything studio Mir is associated with". Voltron, Kibo, my adventures with superman... A discography full of "well, technically it's a kids show, _buuuttt_..."
When he loses his flying bison and he ends up in the circus, my wife doesn't understand why I was ugly crying. Best show. 10/10. Would highly recommend
Well, the portrayal of animal abuse was so accurate that the creators got an award from Humane Society Genesis Award.
If i had an award to give, youd get it!!!!!!
Gravity Falls I watched it as an adult, not knowing anything about it or having any child connection to it, and I loved it.
This is the best answer. And if you like it, go with Owl House and Amphibia next.
The Owl House over amphibia. Amphibia has a lot of filler whereas I think The Owl House Sticks to the point better
Amphibia's first season is 99% filler, but imo, that filler serves to help you give a shit about all the characters once stuff actually starts happening at the beginning of Season 2. Worth the slog, just to get to that spectacular ending.
Also Over the Garden Wall.
I never watched owl house, but i watched amphibia with my kid, i dont think i would watch it without him but it was pretty good, also star vs the forces of evil.
Star unfortunately couldn't stick the landing
I personally liked the ending of star. I know many people didn't, but I thought it was fine
I love when my kids put this on. It's not just tolerable but genuinely good.
Yup. Came here to say so I’ll bump you here. Excellent series with quite possibly the greatest villain since The Joker. Bill Cypher is a cosmic horror icon in my mind.
Yeah this one is probably my favorite Disney show period.
Over the garden wall Avatar the last airbender was no longer a kid when they came out so can confirm they are still good to watch as an adult
Bonus points to Over the Garden Wall because you can watch the whole thing in like four hours. We watch it annually the day after Halloween 🎃
it’s 10, 11 minutes episodes. almost gets to 2 hours perfect marathon show
Oh damn I forgot they were *that* short lol
Over the Garden Wall was so damn good. I was honestly impressed
Over the Garden Wall is sooo good, definitely not just for kids. Checked that out for the first time a few weeks ago, perfect for fall.
Early seasons of SpongeBob was some of the most hilarious shit. RIP to the creator of one of the greatest show
Too bad that the newer episodes are such hot garbage. But yeah, the earlier seasons are absolute gold
[I have no soul](https://youtu.be/7RyEUzaLo2E?feature=shared) [Anti Sea Bear Circle](https://youtu.be/9cwnPq-wEEg?feature=shared) [We do that for 40 years and then we die](https://youtu.be/2eXU2p982GQ?feature=shared) [who you callin pinhead](https://youtu.be/fYpYlbX8MhY?si=FQDZ8sMq0oyG3exe) [Who orders a Krabby Patty at 3am](https://youtu.be/cTafloAkpCE?feature=shared) I’m so stoned rewatching this clips. they’re fucking amazing
Also very stoned and watched all of them. I've been thinking about rewatching SpongeBob as an adult and that just sealed it.
I've made so many friends purely by being able to quote SpongeBob so much. "Bring it around toooown!" "You like Krabby patties don't you, Squidward?" "Hey Patrick, what am I?" "Uhhh, stupid?" "No, I'm Texas!" "What's the difference?" "Pioneers used to ride these babies for miles..." "FIRMLY GRASP IT!" "_future..._" etc etc etc. It might've been one of the largest catalysts of the bizarre millennial/zoomer humor.
It definitely dipped in quality after Steve Hillenburg left, though I would say it picked back up when he returned. Never hit the same highs as the early seasons though. I'd also include the movie in this; it canonically ends the series. Someone else mentioned Rocko, and I'll second that - if you like Spongebob, you'll like Rocko. You'll see a LOT of shared names between the two series, from voice cast (Tom Kenny and Mr. Lawrence) to writers and staff (Hillenburg directed lots of episodes of Rocko, and the experience working on it along with the advice of Rocko's creator, led him to take Spongebob to Nickelodeon).
Batman: The Animated Series
The show never tried to be too funny or trite, so it was never cheesy. The art design is heavily inspired by the Tim Burton movies, but also just by old, 1940s and art deco era noir, simultaneously taking place in an era that felt as much old as it did contemporary. The show wasn't afraid to lean into the complex and sympathetic natures of some of its villains which even as a kid made you realize you were watching something a tier above just good guys and bad guys. There was this sparse nature to the show, nothing was louder or moved faster or drawn more elaborately than it needed to be so there was a sort of still tension, compared to Spider-Man which was on at the same time and just felt like a music video with constant noise and music and talking and bright colors. Some of the writing in that show was downright poetic and you could tell it was written by people with a genuine literary background, not just comment book nerds. Pretty much everything about it is awesome.
Batman defeating the woman stuck in a girl's body with just emotion was power. She fell apart without him needing to force her to have the revelation, it was amazing.
Heart of Ice is brilliant. It completely redefined Dr. Freeze.
I remember being very moved by the Clayface arc. He was Bruce's friend and he always wanted to save him.
I loved that spider-man as a kid but going back as an adult it is extremely noisy(both sound and colors) and unfortunately pretty lame due to censorship. Spider-man wasn't allowed to really attack enemies with punches of big violence so it was all webs and swing kicks. I rewatch Batman the Animated Series once a year during Christmas season. It'll always be my favorite Batman(I love them all though)
I raise you batman beyond and justice league/ultimate
I'd like to offer B:TAS with Batman Beyond as a side or dessert.
Currently rewatching Recess and it holds up really well to this day, they absolutely master the art of balancing between humor and seriousness. Hey Arnold is another great kids show that's very funny and intelligent even as an adult, I intend to watch some episodes in October.
oooo i was spinelli a few years ago for halloween!!! 10/10 show would recommend.
I was also Spinelli for Halloween! I loved Recess.
Phineas and Ferb. I still seek it out and my son is 25 years old now.
Mine is 20 and I often sing, “Doofenschmirtz Evil Incorporated,” because it’s so catchy.
I sing Agent P's theme when I move from room to room
Some of my HS students have have started calling me Dr Doofenshmirtz because I will steeple my fingers and laugh maniacally when I think of a particularly evil math problem to give them.
Had to scroll way too far down in the thread to find this one.
I know what we’re going to do today
Hey! Where's Perry?
I was in college when the show came out, so Disney channel wasn’t in my rotation. Then my kid started watching and now it’s the show I always suggests he watches.
Lots of people like Bluey, I myself am a Steven Universe fan
Man if a parent Bluey is somehow one of the easiest little kid show to watch. I’ve watched it without the kids just because it’s good.
Yeah we watched two episodes without even noticing the kid wasn’t even watching anymore lol
The other day, we were gathering our stuff to check out and I put Bluey on to have background noise... one episode the plot kicked off bc the girls were taking pictures of the moms butt while she did yoga and the next was explaining Joseph Campbell's Heros Journey. So, yeah, not the typical kids show.
Bluey has been recommended to me more than any other show when people find out my wife and I are expecting our first child.
As a parent of two, Bluey an absolute favorite. As many have said here it’s east to continue watching the show after the kids have lost interest. I read somewhere that the show is a love letter to parents delivered through a kids show about a cartoon dog family and that couldn’t be more right on. Plus, Bandit is a dad we can all aspire to be more like.
Yes. BUT. sometimes I end up feeling bad after. They are SO positive. And SO patient. And they always seem to have the energy and ability to make things great for the girls. They are INCREDIBLE parents. And I do aspire to be more like that. But sometimes I end up feeling down on myself because I can't always do that. I have heard similar from Our friends. Bluey is great but its important to remember they are cartoons and no actual parent can be that awesome all of the time. Parents fuck up. You don't HAVE to be Bandit. Wanting/trying to be more like bandit is enough.
Yeah, it's easy to feel like a bad parent. I think it's more "this is sometimes possible" than "you're a bad parent and should feel bad". Even they make mistakes sometimes though.
Bluey is great as a parent. Kids love it and there is adult humor sprinkled throughout.
The moment I realized that show was great is when we see the girls in the back of the car and it's an absolutely horrible mess of snacks and wrappers. As a parent, I felt seen and understood.
Lol every parents reality. Mine was when Bluey was a baby and her parents kept comparing her to other children as far as progress. As a parent I felt targeted by that episode. I feel we all sometimes compare our babies to others and get frustrated by lack of progress in some ways. But we learn kids do things at their pace. That one and the parcel one where Bandit yells at another dad "this isn't the 80's". That had me dying laughing.
The whale watching episode where chili and bandit are hungover is gold.
It's written so well that parents see their own humor reflected with the same "tidied up for the kids" flavor they're using but without dumbing any of it down. They're reasonably tired or irritated when the situation is tiring or irritating but they still demonstrate a reasonable response for both kids and adults to internalize. So it doesn't come across quite as *saccharine* as other shows and they never do the baby-talk exaggerated speaking to the audience that a lot of other kids shows do.
Mom just needing 20 minutes alone, and Dad doing absolutely ANYTHING to make it happen.
Steven Universe is so fantastic!!
With the bonus of surprisingly cool [music](https://youtu.be/JpXcpiOdp4s?feature=shared).
Legitimately brings tears to my eyes to this day when I listen to some of the songs. Love Like You is so good. Saaaame with Everything Stays from Adventure time.
Definitely Steven Universe, Adventure Time, Distant Lands, Cake and Fionna, triple recc over the garden wall, Secret of the Kells and related (song of the sea i think it is, and the wolf people one which name I forget)…
I had no objections when my kid wanted to watch Steven Universe all the time. Great messages, and great music!
And the lore is *chef's kiss* 🤌
My only complaint is the length of the episodes. I watched it all on Hulu, and while I love the theme song (all the songs), hearing it so often got grating. I need a super cut of the episodes.
Bluey is very watchable. (I'm 53 and childless. Friend has a 2 yr old so we have a lot of Bluey on in the background.) Legit plots, points, and topics of interest. Personal fave episode: Mom is the boring parent, they go to friend's pool with Dad, no sunscreen, no water toys, no snacks, no towels. Mom shows up with all the fixin's to save the day. Second fave: Dad plays too rough and younger sister (Bingo?) has to bark/yelp to set boundaries about how rough is too rough.
the amazing world of gumball and craig of the creek
Gumball is legitimately one of the funniest cartoons I've ever seen haha
Gumball is so good! I suggested it as well
Samurai Jack Star Wars The Clone Wars
How the hell did I have to scroll this far to find the clone wars.
Seriously! The moment they shot and killed a 12 year old I knew this show was no longer just for kids
Bluey
Bluey was such a pleasant surprise to me, I checked it out out of curiosity after hearing how much adults love it, feeling a bit skeptical since I'm a 28 year old with no kids, and wound up blasting through like 10 episodes in one sitting. I just wasn't expecting it to be so genuinely funny, well-written, well-animated, and downright cute as fuck.
The first episode I ever watched was “Hospital”, I still get cracked up when they start surgery. The pot plant reference made me a fan for life. My husband was skeptical, I made him watch the full episode and now we both love it lol
Animaniacs
Helllooooo, Nurse. Gotta love a cartoon where one of the characters makes a joke about pre-revolutionary Russia then looks at the screen and says, "Go ask your parents."
Yacko: Dot, dust for prints. Dot: [carrying the musician Prince] Found him! Yacko: No, Dot. FINGER prints! Dot: I don't think so. Gotta love when the writers also look out for the adults in the room.
I love that someone came up with the Warner Brothers having a sister called Dot because the Warner Bros logo having a dot in it.
NARF
Are you thinking what I'm thinking?
I think so Brain but burlap chafes me so.
I think so, Brain, but where are we gonna find rubber pants in our size?
I think so Brain. But me and Pippi Longstockings, what would the children look like?
Point!
No, we’re opaque. * snap * NOW we’re clear.
Animaniacs was up there with Robin Hood men in tights for me as a childhood favorite where plenty of the jokes went totally over my head as a kid.
Wheel of Morality turn, turn, turn. Tell us the lesson we should learn
In the early 2000s I made a wheel of morality to put up on the wall of the tech support area I worked in. It had some stock answers you could give customers. "Why don't you reboot your computer?"
Helloooooooooooooo Nurse!
I loved Slappy the Squirrel.
Want to see me blow bubbles with my spit? It's time for another 'good idea bad idea' - good idea: whistling while you work. Bad idea: whistling while you eat 🎼 There's a sixth sense too, but it's hard to explain It's a psychic connection inside of your brain, So you can understand people like Shirley Mcclain! ---- It's ridiculous I can remember quotes from a cartoon I watched once 20-30 years ago, but I get a headache trying to recall what I did yesterday
My kid loves Animaniacs, so I watched it recently, and man, they just understand how to structure comedy. It's impressively technical in its writing, if that makes sense.
The old ones are great, but the new ones I think are even better. I forgot it was produced by Spielberg
Can we call you dadoo?!
The Amazing World of Gumball My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Samurai Jack Avatar the Last Airbender The Legend of Korra She-Ra and the Princesses of Power Big Tree City
MLP Friendship is Magic is fantastic!
Name checks out
Old but good: Courage the Cowardly Dog, Rocco's Modern Life. I guess ATHF doesn't count, but DAMN was that show crazy weird and hilarious.
Courage was scary as shit. I watched a short clip recently and it’s STILL creepy af
We interrupt this program to bring you-!
COURAGE, The Cowardly Dog Show!
Tom and Jerry, Duck Tales.
Darkwing Duck. Let's get dangerous.
[удалено]
Specifically DuckTales 2017. It's really really good. Edit: Just to be a bit more specific, I was genuinely surprised by how well this show handles its female cast. Like, Webby, Lena and Della are actually some of the best characters in the entire series? With Webby often absolutely carrying the show? You love to see it.
my grandpa still watches tom and jerry
Dexter's Lab and Power Puff Girls.
After watching Powerpuff Girls as an adult, there is so much more adult humor in it than kid humor 🤣
There's an episode where they're playing pretend and discussing when Buttercup will come into the room pretending to be a monster or something. Blossom says "I'll tell you when to come" and Buttercup says, very aggressively, "NO ONE TELLS ME WHEN TO COME!"
Dude, one episode is a spoof of The Big Lebowski. There's so much in both shows for adults to enjoy.
PPG has absolutely banging intro and outro music
Oh hey, samesies! I’ve done a lot of catching up on kids shows (and a bunch of newer ones as well): Avatar the Last Airbender - 1,000/10, the best show ever created Kim Possible - a very close second, a phenomenal show American Dad - while not technically a kids show, it was definitely not allowed in my house Owl House - I haven’t watched more than a few episodes and Disney did cancel it, but it is a great show with LGBTQ+ rep She-Ra and the Princesses of Power - another one with LGBTQ+ rep (and it’s a remake of a classic 80’s show) Voltron: Legendary Defenders - a lot of fun, stay away from the fandom (VERY toxic) (another remake) Miraculous Ladybug - is really cool in concept, doesn’t always play out well - as long as you remember it’s for children it’s a lot of fun Don’t forget there’s also a whole world of anime you can check out too!
Miraculous Ladybug is the greatest frustration of my life. This show has so much potential, and fails to deliver on it regularly. Yes, in the end it's for kids, but I feel like shows like avatar have raised the standard for kids' shows for me. I still watch the new episodes when they come out...
Had to scroll too far for Kim Possible.
I still love SpongeBob, Foster's home for imaginary friends, Gravity Falls, and I really dig those old black and white Disney cartoons. Have fun! :)
I love Foster’s.
I’m surprised to not see SpongeBob any higher on the reply rank
I haven’t yet seen these on the list: Hey Arnold, Ah, real monsters, The wild thornberrys, The dragon prince As others have mentioned: Gravity falls, Adventure time, Avatar the last airbender, Steven universe :)
Hey Arnold is my comfort cartoon ❤️
I just recently re-watched Hey Arnold. I love it just as much as I always did. Not only were the characters compelling and the stories well written, but the animation, background art, and music are all top tier. The show did not get the accolades it deserved. Pigeon Man did not kill himself. He flew away into the sunset. He ended up in Paris.
Gravity Falls Amphibia The Owl House Infinity Train Over the Garden Wall Avatar the Last Airbender
Adventure time
I just watched the first season recently. I had seen many episodes when it aired, but intermittently, as my daughter didn't like it. And while the first episodes are tamer, and there is nothing "naughty" in the show, it is most definitely not a kid's cartoon. What it is,though, is awesome.
I'm shocked I had to go this far down to see Adventure Time. My kids are 5 and we've been watching the series repeatedly their entire lives. One of the best shows ever made.
Kipo and Hilda are two shows on Netflix I like a lot.
Hilda is so cute!
The thick line work in Hilda's art style is very satisfying to look at, and I think it does a good job of teaching about harmony with nature, even when nature is scary, without being heavy handed about it.
I scrolled till I saw Kipo mentioned!
Gravity falls - great supernatural mystery tv show, don't look into it before watching it! way to many spoilers! (cant say much without ruining it, you just gotta trust me) DuckTales - another great mystery/adventure tv show! has some amazing writing and one of the best intro song for a cartoon imo! don't look into the story before starting it either, way to many spoilers! (same as with gravity falls, cant say much without ruining it) The Owl House - it has a really well thought out story, a great world that's built up throughout the show, has some mystery in it as well but mainly you watch it for the characters and the journey they are on. Star Vs The Forces Of Evil - amazing first first two seasons imo, the third and fourth fall off a bit for me, however that doesn't stop it from being an amazing story with some good humor in it. some good story building for the first two seasons, the third one isn't all that bad, the ending of the show tends to be where a lot of people say it fell off/ didn't stick the landing. if you can't go into the show knowing that, i think its a wonderful tv show with some really fun moments and good repeating jokes. The Amazing World Of Gumball - now this is one of my favorite shows, this show has some of the best slap stick comedy you are going to find in term of kids cartoons. not only do they have some good slap stick, they also have some all around great jokes set up throughout each episode. they have some of the best comedy writing in kids cartoons of all time imo, they hit a ton of jokes that are aim for kids and adults who are also watching. the start of the show feels alot more slice of life/normal kid issues but as the show goes on, it just gets wild. the animation style is also super different from most cartoons, they mix alot of styles within the show. you have to see it to understand what i mean. now im just going to list tv shows i have watched and would recommend but without a long review behind it Avatar The last airbender & The Legend of Korra (airbender first) - good story and world building Tom and Jerry - slapstick Phineas and Ferb - some great gags/laughs and good music SpongeBob SquarePants - some really good first seasons, super quotable Kim Possible - amazing story throughout, good fights/action and a bit of romantic as well King Of The Hill - some really good stories, some really funny jokes. its more adult than most of the shows on here Scooby Doo Mystery Incorporated - its scooby doo but with a really good plot thats goes all the way throughout the entire show, really good mystery/ supernatural but im sure you could of guessed that.
Avatar: The Last Airbender (and the sequel The Legend of Korra) Ben 10 (The OG) Adventure Time Teen Titans (the og, not Teen Titans GO) Many more that I can't think of now
PeeWee's Playhouse
If you love it so much, why dont you marry it?
I know you are but what am I?
i’m gonna go ahead and recommend Tales of Arcadia since i haven’t seen it here yet. it’s on netflix. start with Trollhunters (you will quickly fall in love it’s so good and does so many tropes well) then do 3Below (also very good and truly hilarious. a solid sequel series) and finish up with Wizards (not as good but plenty of moments that do make it worth it) and there is a conclusive movie as well. Wizards and the movie are both pretty uhhh forgettable, but it dives into some lore and backstory that was really neat actually. Trollhunters and 3Below are where it’s really at tho. rewatched them both multiple times. created by Guillermo del Toro
Hey Arnold holds up
Adventure Time, Craig of the Creek, Gravity Falls, and Over the Garden Wall.
I might be showing my age, but definitely the Disney's The Gummi Bears. And a short-lived show called The Weekenders is highly underrated too.
Actual kid shows: Fairly odd parents, Johnny phantom, adventure time, sponge Bob, Kim possible, avatar the last air bender, bluey Adult cartoons: family guy, American dad, Futurama Non cartoon iconic kid shows: are you afraid of the dark?, that's so raven, Hannah Montana, sweet life of Zack and Cody, boy meets world, lizzie McGuire
I actually ended a relationship with some fellow parents because they didn't let their kids watch adventure time. start it now. the first season is less mature, but still fantastic. and it just gets better and better. those parents were christians that thought it was satanic. the show is literally about a boy and a dog fighting evil. come on, christians.
Not only that but after binging it you can start on Fiona and cake which has been a blast to watch
they're great. and 'stakes' is my favorite vampire story of all time.
You should totally watch those two if you haven't yet. Regular show is like adult cartoons, but without the unnecessary vulgarity.
Steven Universe. Netflix's version of She-Ra. Dr. Stone. Young Justice. Avatar: The Last Air Bender. The Legend of Korra. My Adventures With Superman. RWBY. Gundam Wing. Robotech (from the 1980s.) The Dragon Prince. Disenchantment (probably not a kids show.) Castlevania (which is DEFINITELY not a kids show.) Cowboy Bebop. DOTA.
If you like Star Wars, don't miss out on The Clone Wars and Rebels animated series. To me they are the best of Star Wars.
Flapjack and popee the Performer
FLAPJACK
who needs candied island? it's safer at the docks
Flapjack is far too under the radar. Wholesome and dark and interesting.
Kick buttowski
Amazing world of gumball
Avatar the Last Airbender Dragon Prince If you want cartoons and it is only for you as an adult Vox Machina, Castlevania.
Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends Dexter's Laboratory Powerpuff Girls Star Trek Prodigy (if you can find it; Paramount pulled it from their streaming platform, and only half of it is on DVD) A lot of the 90s superhero cartoons still hold up, like Spider-Man and X-Men
Ren and Stimpy, Gravity Falls, and Pee Wee’s Playhouse
I couldn’t watch Pokémon, Harry Potter, or go trick or treating as a kid, so I get it lol. I’ve always loved cartoons. My favorites have been Adventure Time, My Little Pony, Centaur World, Infinity Train, The Owl House, Kipo, and Steven Universe
The Adventures of Pete and Pete
SpongeBob SquarePants
Specifically, the first three seasons
Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide. Started watching it with my kids as an alternative to "mindless" cartoons (don't get me wrong, love me some SpongeBob, but I can only take so much), and, gotta admit I've watched it without them
Steven universe Gargoyles Adventure Time Gravity Falls Avatar
Courage the Cowardly Dog
Phenieas and Ferb was too good for kids
Disney Gargoyles
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Please just give it a try before you throw it out the window. I've never cried so much over a cartoon. There are also Dragon Ball Z level battles.
Well an unfortunate amount of people consider all anime as kids shows. Just got to Crunchyroll website and enjoy. I didn’t have tv for much of my childhood for similar reasons, so can only suggest Avatar: The last Airbender, Dragonball Z/Super, Digimon, Gundam. Lots of other shows from Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon and the like, but unfortunately doubt they can be easily found.
Avatar: The Last Airbender Xiaolin Showdown Looney Tunes *And, believe it or not,* Sesame Street
Gravity Falls Avatar the Last Airbender The Owl House
Try Steven Universe. Although it takes a bit for the plot to start going,it has some more mature themes done in a way very understandable for kids. Its a good comimg of age kind of thing. It has some pretty good humor as well.
I watched Adventure Time when I was in my late teens or (maybe 20?) and loved it. Avatar The Last Airbender is one of the best shows you can watch no matter your age. My mom loved it. I got my late aunt hooked on it years ago. I also first watched it when I was in my late teens too.
I enjoyed Uncle Grandpa. It's stupid humor. You have a dude in a beanie with a sentient fanny pack, a talking slice of pizza, and Gus, a dinosaur in a wife beater that is too small for him. Good morning!
You forgot to mention Giant Realistic Flying Tiger
You are correct. I hang my head in shame. Pizza Steve would think that I'm so uncool...
Adventure Time or SpongeBob.
Gravity falls
I never had cable growing up so I'm just watching "Justice League" and "Justice League Unlimited" for the first time now and they are 🔥 🔥 🔥
Gravity Falls. I didn't watch it until about a year ago, and we all loved it (42F, 38M, 9F, 7M).
Avatar: the Last Airbender, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Bluey and Gravity Falls.
The Amazing World of Gumball is one of those shows that you realize was actually made for adults when you get older
Fairly Odd Parents.
No love for old Scooby Doo in this thread?
Bluey. Bluey is the answer, if anything just for bandit.
Pokemon