If you grew up in the late 90s/early 2000s, you too had a seemingly endless supply of top-tier cartoons that made you laugh and offered characters that defined your upbringing. Whether you were a Cartoon Network kid watching Ed, Edd, & Eddy and Powerpuff Girls or a Nickelodeon fan catching new episodes of Spongebob Squarepants and Fairly OddParents, there were plenty of great cartoons that fans continue to rave about to this day.

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Still though, while some cartoons became legendary in pop culture, there others that lived in the shadows of other cartoons but have slowly gained a strong cult following. Given the massive library of cartoons featured on Disney Channel, Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, and other channels, it’s not surprising that some simply didn’t get the attention they deserve, but luckily these cult cartoons have enough unique charm and style to make worthy of a wider audience.

Freakazoid

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Back in the mid-90s, director Steven Spielberg and Batman: The Animated Series creators Paul Dini and Bruce Timm created an original superhero show starring a wildly zany hero known as Freakazoid.

Freakazoid’s energetic charm and meta humor made the series as beloved as Spielberg’s other iconic animated series Animaniacs but, unlike that series, Freakazoid hasn’t shown any signs of returning, which is a grave shame. Freakazoid is a pure blast of energetic fun and would easily find a wider appeal in this era of beloved superhero adaptations.

My Life as a Teenage Robot

My Life as a Teenage Robot

Nickelodeon’s My Life as a Teenage Robot, which followed the adventures and antics of a crime-fighting robot named Jenny while she dealt with a vast array of enemies as well as high school, was way ahead of its time.

Its art style and premise created a great blend of anime and superhero comics, and it featured incredibly fun characters and stories that were awesome to watch every week. With how both anime and comics are currently thriving, My Life as a Teenage Robot is perfectly fitting for modern audiences to check out.

Camp Lazlo

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Cartoon Network has put out plenty of great cartoons throughout its existence, but most might not remember a delightful little cartoon taking place at a chaotic camp called Camp Lazlo.

The series followed chipper camper Lazlo as he tries to make his time at Camp Kidney nonstop fun, much to the dismay of the pessimistic Scoutmaster Lumpus, and his misadventure with fellow campers delivered endless hilarity. It featured some strong humor vibes reminiscent of Rocko’s Modern Life, largely in part to creator Joe Murray being behind Camp Lazlo, and is an underrated gem in Cartoon Network’s vast catalog of cartoons.

Gargoyles

Gargoyles

Disney rarely delves into darker territory with its animated series but did so with a lesser-known series from the mid-90s, Gargoyles.

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If you managed to catch this series during its three-season run, you too probably wish more people knew about Gargoyles’ uniquely dark tone, complex characters, and strong storylines centered on a group of gargoyles who turn into defenders of the night. Gargoyles received incredibly favorable comparisons to Batman: The Animated Series and the X-Men animated series and even preceded the kind of narrative-driven animated series we see a lot today.

Totally Spies

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Although it traded out superheroes for spies and featured an older trio of female crime-fighters, Totally Spies is a strong spiritual successor to Powerpuff Girls that dishes out some solid comedy and action.

The series follows Sam, Alex, and Clover, three teen girls brought into a secret spy organization to stop crimes happening across the globe. With its delightful characters and storylines mixing with its anime-inspired animation and action, Totally Spies is pretty much the animated Charlie’s Angel series most would want with some modern flair.

The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack

The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack poster
Image via Cartoon Network

The late 2000s were kind of a generational shift for cartoons as the early 2000s kids started to grow up meaning that many missed out on The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack.

The series followed Flapjack, an adventurous marine explorer who dreams of finding candy treasure alongside his grizzled pirate companion Captain K’nuckles and his talking whale caretaker Bubbie. Its stylistic strangeness and weird humor would easily find some love in modern audiences and Flapjack’s sheer sense of joy and adventurous spirit is so easy to love.

Xiaolin Showdown

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Xiaolin Showdown gave off immense American anime vibes that blended nicely with its animated martial arts action and mystical artifacts.

The series saw a group of young monks become protectors of Shen Gong Wu, magical artifacts that could change the fate of the world if they feel into the wrong hands. Xiaolin Showdown features a strong central dynamic between its main four characters and sees them take on some hilariously fun villains in some awesome action sequences.

Invader Zim

Invader Zim celebrating while shadowy figures stand behind him in the show Invader Zim.
Image via Nickelodeon

Nickelodeon’s Invader Zim introduced fans to animation’s most maniacal and eccentric alien invader and provided gut-busting hilarity everyone should experience.

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The series sees its titular alien attempting and hilariously failing to take over Earth through a variety of misadventures. Invader Zim showcases some of the funniest animation you’ll find with it constantly elevating Zim’s over the top antics and features some great writing. If you’re still a little hesitant to binge the whole series, Netflix has an amazing animated special, Enter the Florpus, that’ll surely entice you to see more.

Mucha Lucha

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If you somehow haven’t seen Mucha Lucha, you’re missing out on an amazingly comical and imaginatively animated wrestling show you didn’t know you needed.

Mucha Lucha follows Rikochet, Buena Girl, and The Flea, three young students who study lucha libre to become the best masked wrestlers. From the wild transformations they go through to pull off their signature moves to the colorful animation and characters, there’s so much to instantly love about Mucha Lucha.

Static Shock

Static-Shock

When talking about some of DC’s best animated series, some might say Batman: The Animated Series or Teen Titans, but Static Shock deserves to be a front-runner in that conversation as well.

While Static Shock may have a stronger following that makes it rank a little higher than cult status given its based on a fan-favorite DC character, it serves as a great introduction to one of DC’s best heroes. Virgil Hawkin’s journey as his alter ego Static Shock is an absolute blast with the great storylines and animated action he ensues in to save Dakota City. He’s really a one-of-a-kind hero and one that the DCEU desperately needs, especially given how bad fans want to see him.

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