I’ve talked about my favourite theme songs but I haven’t actually talked about the content and what I liked about the content. So in this blog I shall talk about my favourite cartoons and why I liked them and still like them.

I’m keeping the list short this time as I don’t want to go on too long.

So first of all we have,

Teen Titans

“When there’s trouble you know who to call, Teen Titans! From their tower they can see it alllll!” Okay I’ll stop but it genuinely is in my head now.

I liked this show because it wasn’t afraid to get serious. There was comedy and Beast Boy and Cyborg were hilarious but at the end of the day they had to fight some real villains. Slade was one of the worst ones because he divided and conquered. It’s hard to get between a team but he managed to do that. Also Terra.

Raven had a lot on her shoulders too. She had to maintain control lest her powers escaped and did damage. She had a terrible Dad who didn’t so much care about her as a person but as a weapon.

Cyborg and Beast Boy were comical but they had depth too. Especially Cyborg, and later on BB showed his leadership skills.

Robin was a plagued leader, moody but compassionate and hard working. Starfire was so optimistic and a beast in battle. It’s so amusing seeing her in the cartoons vs in the comics.

Each character had their chance to shine and to be developed. That is what I liked most about the show, it was more than just a show about super heroes, it had depth and character.

Proud Family

I liked this show because it was nice to have a cartoon that showed a black family. That was rare when I was growing up. When I first saw this show I was like, “Hey, there can be cartoons about black families too?”

They showed a realistic portrayal of teen life, although some things were heightened for comedy but that was okay, it worked. It was such a funny show. I bonded with each character in different ways. They had different kinds of black people and they didn’t exclude other races.

I, for one, would like more cartoons like this.

Kim Possible

I liked this one because she was a badass female who got good grades and kicked some ass!

It was a fun show with humourous villains and Ron and a realistic take on high school life with the spy element added. Although everyone knew her job so was she really a spy?

They didn’t force the strong female narrative, she just was. Shego too.

My male friends have also told me they had a crush on Kim Possible when they were younger. It’s interesting isn’t it? How a cartoon can generate such a response.

I like the play on their names with the Possible and Stoppable. I liked that Kim was confident and never doubted herself, it showed good self esteem which is a good role model for young girls. I liked most how Ron overcame his name and showed that he too could succeed despite what others thought. That was a good message.

Mona The Vampire

This one is about imagination. For most of the show you wonder if all that supernatural stuff is really happening or if they’re imagining it. As a kid I went along with her and her friends and believed that it was true, what was happening, and it was fun. It was like I was fighting the supernatural enemies with them whilst the adults remained clueless to the danger that surrounded them.

It’s fun to be lost to the world of imagination sometimes and this show highlighted that.

Arthur

Whoever wrote Arthur is a good story teller. The stories developed so well and even though Arthur was the main character, him and his family, we got to know all the characters pretty well. For such a large cast that’s impressive.

I also liked that this show taught me a lot of lessons that have stuck with me into adult life. For example: how it’s not good to hold things in, like anger, because one day those feelings will come out and they’ll come out all at once. Instead it’s good to express your anger in healthy ways by saying why you’re frustrated or angry and finding good ways to release it.

The stories could be silly at times but the moral was always good. And because of the way they did it the lessons stuck.

Hey Arnold! 

As a child this was my all time favourite. I was dismayed when none of my friends knew the show. I wondered if I had imagined it or if it was really that unpopular. But then with the internet I have discovered that there are plenty of other fans.

It’s a little darker than most cartoons, it tackles heavier subject matters but it’s a good show. I like Arnold and his detective mind. This may have been where my love for solving mysteries came from.

I also liked that Arnold was mostly quiet and reserved and optimistic in a way. It made him attractive as a main character.

 

So those are my favourite cartoons. What are your favourites or what were your favourites growing up?