Without question, the 1990s were full of some fantastic cartoons. The expansion of original programming on cable channels like Nickelodeon, the Disney Channel, and Cartoon Network (and the subsequent competition among all kids-oriented programming blocs) led to a new era of creativity, and animation that started evolving away from the previously ubiquitous Hanna-Barbera style. But what were some of the very best of the best? We at Collider dug into our mind palaces of TV nostalgia to come up with the following list of beloved 90s series, and divided up the results. But first, here’s a look at our methodology:

  • TV shows had to premiere between 1990-1999, and be aimed at a kid-friendly audience (which precludes Beavis and Butt-Head, SouthPark, The PJ’s, etc — look for them to be included in future lists).
  • The shows chosen are ones we both liked and found to be significant in some way to the 90s canon of kids animated TV.
  • But, because of our general ages, there is some bias towards the early 90s (sorry, SpongeBob!)
  • The following list is not ranked in any particular order.

Check out our choices below, and enjoy singing (or humming or reciting) along to the theme tunes for each -- we know you know them! (some of which are hilariously bad versions thanks to apparently super vigilant copyright police). Also, don’t forget to add your additional picks, favorites, and memories in the comments.

Note: This article was originally published at a prior date, but has been bumped in order to further highlight Collider's wide swath of original content.

Batman: The Animated Series

Batman: The Animated Series is the best adaptation of Batman. It’s better than the movies, and it’s better than the other shows (the 1960s show is a close runner-up). Created by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm, TAS is a perfect balancing act between the darkness of the character without veering into unrelenting darkness. The noirish tint to the series captured all aspects of what made the Dark Knight and his world unique. Dini (who also wrote the superb video game Batman: Arkham Asylum) and Timm didn’t just make Batman a guy who could beat up thugs. They remembered he was a detective, an escape artist, and had an emotional range that went beyond sad and angry.

The voice acting was also top-notch. Kevin Conroy seized on giving Bruce Wayne/Batman distinctly different voices, with the latter having a perfect cadence and tone that on-screen actors failed to capture. Mark Hamill’s take on the Joker was so good that I associate that role with him more than I do Luke Skywalker. All of the villains were distinctly rendered, and had elements of real tragedy. Plus, this is the show that gave us Harley Quinn, who has become one of the most beloved characters in the Bat-world. Batman: The Animated Series didn’t just provide a different take on the Dark Knight’s world. It redefined and expanded it. – Matt Goldberg

The Ren & Stimpy Show

I feel especially lucky to have grown up in the 90s because there is absolutely no way a cartoon like The Ren & Stimpy Show would ever be permitted to air on Nickelodeon today. Rather than convey important life lessons or dabble in wholesome, family-friendly humor, Ren & Stimpy featured one insanely bizarre antic after the next. Remember when Ren’s alarm went off, he freaked out and chopped up his bed with an ax? Or how about the countless grotesque shots of cartoon carnage like when that jester hacked up his own arm with a cheese grater? And then of course there’s the "Ren's Toothache” episode. Could that be why I grew up with a severe fear of the dentist? Maybe, but I’ve still got the song “Cat Hairballs” stuck in my head and I’m proud of it. – Perri Nemiroff

Rocko’s Modern Life

Created by Joe Murray and SpongeBob SquarePants originator Mr. Lawrence, Rocko’s Modern Life fit in immediately with the inventiveness and borderline surrealist tinge of Ren & Stimpy and other 90s Nickelodeon staples when it premiered in 1993. That’s not all that surprising considering the series focused on the daily hardships of the titular talking wallaby, flanked by Spunky, his overexcited pooch, and Heffer, an upright cow with a cowlick. Rocko, however, was seemingly the only character, outside of the parents from Rugrats, who regularly took on more adult material, if not exactly dark. The frenzied pace and regular debasements of the workaday world; the frustrations and awkwardness of socializing and dating in the real world; and the unspoken compromises that are needed to maintain and grow friendships, especially ones with bovines, are considered throughout the series’ three-year, four-season run. This mixed well with the same combination of absurdity and dry wit, often depicting Rocko as lost and alienated by the modern world, whether shopping for groceries or trying to find a parking space at the mall. Even when tackling vaguely serious subject matter, the memory I have of Rocko’s Modern Life is summed up in Heffer’s pronouncement over the end of the opening credits: that was a hoot! - Chris Cabin

The Powerpuff Girls

The Powerpuff Girls was a watershed cartoon that helped bring Cartoon Network to prominence with its original programming, and also introduced creator Craig McCracken (who also created Dexter’s Laboratory) to the world. It featured not one but three kick-ass female leads, and proved there are many definitions of what it means to be a girl. And yet it appealed to both sexes, and to both adults as well as the show’s target kid audience. Stylistically, the pint-sized superheroes were something new and distinct, and all of these things together are what have made the series so beloved and enduring. The Powerpuff Girls was (and the reboot will surely be) truly sugar, spice, and everything nice (and badass). Girl power at its best. — Allison Keene

Pirates of Dark Water

Before there was Pirates of the Caribbean, there was Pirates of Dark Water. The 1991 series from creator David Kirschner takes place on the alien world of Mer, a water-world completely devoid of Kevin Costner, but chock full of a nasty substance dubbed Dark Water. The only thing preventing this menace from completely devouring the world is a young prince named Ren who searches for the lost Thirteen Treasures of Rule that are rumored to keep the Dark Water at bay. Aiding him in his quest are the pirate Ioz, the ecomancer Tula, and the monkey-bird Niddler; harrying him at every turn is the evil Pirate Lord, Bloth.

I wouldn’t be surprised if you didn’t remember this one, especially since it only ran for 21 episodes and never reached a satisfactory conclusion to its narrative. That’s such a shame. Pirates of Dark Water has everything you’re looking for in a high-seas adventure: royalty, piracy, anti-heroes, larger-than-life villains, magic, mayhem, and the quest; always the quest. Then again, the four Pirates of the Caribbean films have averaged almost $320 million (domestic) apiece, with another one a couple years away. Perhaps there’s a chance for Pirates of Dark Water to quest again. – Dave Trumbore

Doug

In stark contrast to my other pick, Ren & Stimpy, I hold Doug near and dear because it marked the very first time I can remember relating to a TV character. Doug Funny is the ultimate Everyman. He’s a good guy who found himself in one sticky situation after the next. You always wanted him to come out on top and when he did, not only were you genuinely happy for him, but you also got to keep a little bit of his triumph for yourself. There are loads of unforgettable episodes throughout the original show’s four-season run, but one that stuck with me more than most was “Doug Pumps Up.” As a kid who played a lot of sports and took them all very seriously, every now and then I’d get a little boost from the thought of Doug overcoming a slew of injuries to win big during the sit-up portion of the school fitness test. – Perri Nemiroff

X-Men

Fox’s animated X-Men series was the gateway drug that made me into a geek, and I suspect I wasn’t the only one. Before I saw X-Men, I was familiar with superheroes, but didn’t realize they could be assembled into a diverse, dysfunctional team. I also didn’t know that they could go so many places and face foes that were human, mutant, and extraterrestrial.

While I rewatched it recently, and admit it can be unbelievably campy, it also had a huge influence and created a new generation of fans by adaptating beloved storylines like Dark Pheonix and Weapon X. Although previous generations had an advantage when it came to the comics (the 90s were an unbelievably shitty time for superhero books), the animated X-Men invited burgeoning geeks into the fandom.

Also, this. - Matt Goldberg

Aaahh!!! Real Monsters

Once upon a time, Nickelodeon (and even Disney Channel, sometimes) used to have genuinely interesting kids programming that was maybe a little more “grown up.” Aaahh!!! Real Monsters didn’t sugar coat its premise or characters, offering up a seriously odd and gross addition to the 90s animated TV show lineup—and it was positively delightful. You can’t say the name “Oblina” without using Ickis’ particular pronunciation, and throughout its four-season run, Aaahhh!!! Real Monsters showcased a new and wonderfully macabre take on the monsters under your bed. – Adam Chitwood

Animaniacs

A joint venture between Warner Bros. and Steven Spielberg, Animaniacs follows the zany exploits of Yakko, Wakko and Dot, three … well, nobody knows what they really are. They’re Animaniacs! Dot is cute and Yakko yaks. Wakko packs away the snacks, while Bill Clinton plays the sax. They’re Animaniacs! So yeah, the show had a damn catchy title song, as well as a number of earworm educational tunes that helped kids learn the presidents, state capitals, and nations of the world. And while being educational is a great trait in a children’s cartoon, best of all, Animaniacs was just damn funny, completely bonkers, and unlike anything anything else on TV.

Envisioned as a throw-back style anthology series, each episode had a cast of rotating characters who would pop up in between Yakko, Wakko and Dot’s routine havoc on the Warner Brothers Studio lot, including Chicken Boo, master of disguise, Goodfeathers, a Goodfellas inspired gang of pigeons trying to rule their turf on Statue Scorsese, and of course, Pinky and the Brain, two mice and would-be rulers of the world who spun-off to their own successful series. The collection of characters that made up the Animaniacs was bolstered by incredibly clever writing, a massive tracklist of original songs, and sharp pop-culture references. Helloooooo, Nurse!  -- Haleigh Foutch

The Angry Beavers

I was probably way too old to still be watching Nickelodeon by the time The Angry Beavers rolled around, but the show’s irreverence, heart, and appreciation for film and TV was enough to keep me tuned in. The Odd Couple-esque story of two beaver brothers regularly delved into homages to classic film, most notably horror and monster movies, which was finely tuned to my young cinephilic interests. And who didn’t want to live in Norbert and Daggett’s spacious, intricate beaver dam? – Adam Chitwood

Captain Planet and the Planeteers

Captain Planet may not have been one of the most innovative cartoons of the era style-wise, but its content certainly was unique. Created in part by media mogul Ted Turner in 1990, the original Captain Planet and the Planeteers series ran for 2 years on TBS, before being rebooted and syndicated elsewhere later on. The show was memorable not only for having a global and inclusive cast of characters, but also for the fact that they fought off environmental ills like pollution, deforestation, poaching, and more. It was entertainment and education in a form that actually succeeded in being both. Sure it may look incredibly cheesy now, but there aren’t many (any?) current animated kids shows with even half that ambition or dedication to any real-world cause like this. Also, what 90s kid can’t still recite the Captain Planet call to arms, or enjoy arguing over whether “heart” is a viable addition to the other elements? Its influence endures. Go Planet! — Allison Keene

Rugrats

Rugrats is an all-time great. The Csupo-Klakpy Nicktoon followed an adventurous group of toddlers, led by Tommy Pickles, a dauntless one-year-old with a screwdriver in his diaper and a knack for getting into trouble. With his friends Chuckie, Phil, and Lil ever by his side (and his spoiled brat cousin Angelica always there to antagonize them), the babies spent more than a decade traversing their neighborhood and getting into all kinds of crazy shenanigans. There’s a lot to love about Rugrats, from its bizarre, borderline creepy animation style, to its floor-level baby perspective cinematography, to the adorably silly ways the kids occasionally mispronounced words in the middle of touching scenes. Rugrats also knew how and when to hit hard with these emotional moments. Remember Chuckie’s devastatingly sad face when he was all alone at the Mother’s Day dance? Excuse me, I’ll be in the corner sobbing if you need me.

These are the moments that made Rugrats so special. In between the delightful antics of Tommy and the gang there was always a through line of heart and reality. It was also a pretty damn progressive and inclusive show. The families were racially diverse, females were often shown as the household breadwinners, and it taught me, a sheltered Christian kid, about Chanukah. Ultimately Rugrats was a perfect kid’s show - funny, educational, inspirational, and easy for your parents to handle when you watched it ad nauseam (and you know you did). -- Haleigh Foutch

Gargoyles

The year was 1994. Superstition and the sword ruled. It was the age of Disney’s Gargoyles.

This surprisingly dark series from the Mouse House centered on the title characters, a clan of creatures who resembled nothing more than terrifying stone gargoyles by day, but came alive at night in order to ferociously defend their territory. This clever ability/Achilles’ heel was revealed in a week-long, five-part origin story titled “Awakening,” providing just the first glimpse of what would be a two-season run (plus a controversial third season that many fans disavow).

Despite complex character arcs, Shakespearean themes, and stories every bit as mature as Batman: The Animated Series  and  X-Men, Gargoyles never quite developed the massive fan base those properties enjoyed. Without the comic book background, Gargoyles managed only a cult following who still carry a torch for the series after its 78-episode run.  I consider myself part of that cult. And now that Disney has released the second half of Gargoyles Season 2 on DVD (after 10 years since the first half), perhaps they’ll remember that this is a property primed for a reboot. Though we may all be better off if they leave well enough alone. – Dave Trumbore

Darkwing Duck

Darkwing Duck was the end result of one of the most crucial questions the 1990s ever posed: What if DuckTales had a Batman? That was essentially the thrust of this creative, mock-pulpy program that pit the titular avenger, complete with violet garb that suggested a debt to The Shadow and other early action-adventure stalwarts, against a cadre of preposterous villains. This included the rat-like Megavolt, nemesis Negaduck, and Taurus Bulba, a riff off of Daredevil’s major villain, The Kingpin. In terms of humor, the series unfortunately had more than its fair share of duds, not unlike DuckTales, but the world creator Tad Stones envisioned was immediately immersive, playing off of action and noir genre tropes in stories that were equal parts imaginative and downright goofy. It’s not surprising that, decades later, Stones would end up working on the irrepressibly hilarious and weirdly insightful Bob’s Burgers, another series that draws its strength from the potent sense of a vast fictional world being built and consistently expanded. – Chris Cabin