Looking for a way to bond with your kids, without leaving the house and actually doing something? If there’s anything that unites children and parents, it’s cartoons. Not their cartoons, of course – those are loud and garish and obnoxious. But the ones you watched when you were a wee one? Now that’s the good stuff!
Jokes aside, the best cartoon shows really do cross generations, and can connect the smallest tots with the biggest, crankiest adults. We’re confident that if you throw on any of these classics – all of which are easily accessible on various streaming platforms – you’ll both end up LOL’ing together.
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Old-school cartoons
1. Hey Arnold
Where to watch: Hulu
Perfect for city kids of all generations, Hey Arnold follows a football-headed old soul of a 9-year-old and his group of friends. He and the gang from PS 118 are always up to some shenanigans, and you can’t miss ’em!
2. The Magic School Bus
Where to watch: Netflix
The Magic School Bus makes science fun! This four-season series has been watched by millions of kids since it was first broadcast on PBS in the mid-1990s. Your kids will love the playful learning and trippy animation; you’ll love hearing Lily Tomlin voice Miss Valerie Felicity Frizzle.
3. Rugrats
Where to watch: Hulu
As Tommy Pickles would say, “A baby’s gotta do, what a baby’s gotta do.” Any ’90s kid will admit to following Tommy, Chucky, Phil and Lil around their playpen and backyard for whatever adventure awaits.
4. Animaniacs
Where to watch: Hulu
The Simpsons gets most of the credit for shaping the humour of ’90s kids, but don’t discount Animaniacs. Sure, its manic, slapstick energy was aimed directly at its core demo’s underdeveloped brains, but its sly wordplay and Hollywood in-jokes seemed trained at a much older audience. You’ll probably appreciate it – and its brief 2010s reboot – even more now.
5. The Powerpuff Girls
Where to watch: Netflix
Expect a bit of sugar, spice and everything nice…and Chemical X. When Professor Utonium accidentally spills this ingredient into his scientific concoction, the PowerPuff Girls are born: A crime-fighting trio who keeps the city of Townsville safe from villains.
6. Curious George
Where to watch: Hulu
The monkey can’t help it: Good-natured Curious George is always getting into trouble because of, well, his curiosity. Remind you of any little creatures bouncing around your home? The goofball monkey and the Man in the Yellow Hat come to life in this series from the mid-aughts.
7. Doug
Where to watch: Disney+
Tween Doug Funnie moves to a new town (Bluffington) and meets a whole new cast of characters in the process: His BFF Skeeter Valentine, the awful bully Roger Klotz and the perfect Miss Pattie Mayonnaise, the apple of Doug’s eye. Plus, his pup Porkchop is always sticking around, serving major canine cuteness, and viewers are treated to Funnie’s alter-ego, Quail Man, the superhero he envisions himself to be. (A vigilante whose underwear is showing…)
8. Scooby Doo
Where to watch: Max
The original Scooby Doo is a trip, man. Since making its groovy debut in 1996, the talking Great Dane and his human sidekicks have been wandering the world in their flower-power ban, getting into trouble and solving crimes. As always, those criminals might have gotten away with it if it wasn’t for those meddling kids!
9. Invader Zim
Where to watch: Paramount+
A darkly funny sci-fi series that premiered on Nickelodeon in the early aughts, Invader Zim chronicles the escapades of Zim, an alien from the planet Irk fixated on conquering Earth with the help of an inept robot servant named GIR. Invader Zim lasted just two seasons, but it has had a lasting impact on pop culture—an Invader Zim feature film is set to be released on Netflix later this year.
10. Wallace & Gromit
Where to watch: Apple TV
Wallace is a hapless but pleasant Englishman with a taste for Wensleydale cheese; Gromit is his dog, and the real star of the show. Gromit is the more industrious and creative of the two, and his delusional ambitions often land him in trouble—to the shrieking delight of your kids. The stop-motion clay animation of this series is so distinctive that it’s become a visual trademark.
11. Popeye
Where to watch: Tubi
What do you remember about this classic series? This cartoon about a sailor who spends a lot of time ashore flirting and getting into fights is an American icon, and makes a strong argument for eating your greens!
12. Courage the Cowardly Dog
Where to watch: Max
Courage is easily frightened. You can’t blame him: His parents were sent into outer space by a mad veterinarian. Still, Courage finds courage when protecting the homestead against the aliens, spirits, zombies, vampires, evil madmen, monsters and dark forces that always seem to drop by.
13. The Pink Panther Show
Where to watch: Roku Channel
Da-dum, da-dum… Who doesn’t love Henry Mancini’s theme for the Pink Panther, the 1963 film starring Peter Sellars? The opening credits featured a cartoon panther that audiences adored so much he was spun off into the star of his own cartoon series. The Pink Panther is always stumbling into adventures, and always keeps its cool.
14. Looney Tunes
Where to watch: Max
Kids change, cartoons change and humour changes, but the Looney Tunes gang is forever. Seriously: when the aliens arrive to pick over the remains of our decimated planet, even they’ll even get a kick out of Bugs Bunny outsmarting Elmer Fudd, Daffy Duck spitting and stammering and Wile E Coyote’s eternal, futile pursuit of the Road Runner. They don’t call it the Golden Age of Animation for nothing.
15. The Jetsons
Where to watch: Max
Meet George Jetson, an executive at Spacely Sprockets, husband to Jane, father to Judy and Elroy, friend to dog Astro. This look into life in 2062 has the same fabulousness of Disney’s Tomorrowland, a mid-60s vision of utopia. Not that your kids will notice—they’ll be too busy chortling when George’s boss Cosmo loses it and starts shouting like an angry pug.
16. DuckTales
Where to watch: Disney+
Welcome to the Ducky-verse: This spinoff featuring Scrooge McDuck and nephews Huey, Dewy and Louie is silly fun. The stories in DuckTales span the globe, with the three young ducklings finding adventures in some far-out places.
17. Recess
Where to watch: Disney+
Think of it as the tales of some fourth-grade somethings: Recess follows a group of fourth-graders as they navigate the wild habitat known of the schoolyard, dodging bullies and finding friendship. Their challenge? How to be individuals who can express themselves while fitting in. Talk about good lessons to learn.
18. The Proud Family
Where to watch: Disney+
Penny Proud isn’t always proud of her father. The 14-year old is easily embarrassed by her parents—sound familiar? Penny’s best friend Dijonay Jones is always there for her as they grow up and figure out how the world works.
19. Kim Possible
Where to watch: Disney+
Kim Possible is just like every other all-American teenage girl in Middleton, USA—only she’s a secret crimefighter on the side. Helped by her hapless sidekick Ron Stoppable, she is determined to stop the evil Dr. Drakken from taking over the world.
More fun for kids
1. ‘Circle of Life’ (The Lion King)
The Disney song of all Disney songs, I hear the ‘Circle of Life’ in my head every time I draw the curtains, every time I open the door and it’s sunny outside, every time I see a lion, meerkat or baboon (which isn’t often, I’ll admit). As the song builds to its climax, it feels as if you are at one with the animals of this earth, ready to take on the world and all its challenges. In fact, this might even be the best song ever written.
2. ‘You’ve Got a Friend in Me’ (Toy Story)
No matter when or where we hear this favourite from Randy Newman, we can’t help but picture ourselves in Andy’s bedroom as Buzz, Woody and pals come to life while the toys’ owners are out and about. This song is practically synonymous with the Toy Story franchise!
