Top 10 1990s Cartoons You Forgot Were Awesome

This quasi-spinoff of “DuckTales” takes the IP in an action-packed direction, chronicling the heroic adventures of Drake Mallard, who fights crime as the titular Darkwing. He’s like a cross between Batman, the Shadow, Donald, and Daffy Duck. The show was one of the first to toy around with the standard conventions of the superhero genre. It parodied famous heroes and concepts without ever tearing down those ideas. The writers weren’t afraid to dip their beak into the wacky world of comic book media. If you look at everything in the “DuckTales” and “Looney Tunes” pantheon, this show might get lost in the shuffle. Regardless, “Darkwing Duck” was the first cartoon to make putting capes on anthropomorphic ducks cool!

If there’s one thing this cartoon does best, it’s showcase the awesome power of imagination. A four-year-old named Bobby Generic dreams up all kinds of unique situations and ends up learning a thing or two along the way. It’s definitely a show that’s geared towards a very young audience, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t tackle some serious things. They managed to address something as heavy as death and do it in a kid-friendly and entertaining way. Considering that the show ran for seven seasons, you know it did something right. This wasn’t a cartoon that was trying to radically redesign what children’s animation could be, but it didn’t have to be. It was a fun cartoon about a boy and his wonderful mind.

Cyberspace adventures are all the rage in this sci-fi spectacle. “ReBoot” centers around Bob, a protector of a special technological city called Mainframe who battles sentient tech viruses. This isn’t just a cartoon about fighting monstrous malware though. It’s a look at the rapid rise of technology and its impact on our larger society. It’s surprisingly deep when you think about it. You could argue that this show’s 3D style of animation can look odd, but the story more than makes up for it. That distinct art choice they went with is kind of a big deal too. It was one of the first shows to be completely animated by computers. Simply put, its impact on animation shouldn’t be ignored.

Another superhero satire, “The Tick” is about a larger-than-life superhero who defends his city from danger with the aid of his accountant sidekick Arthur and other equally eccentric heroes. It’s a laugh-out-loud premise that takes the concept of costumed do-gooders and drastically over-exaggerates it. There are supervillains in here that are literally called Breadmaster and Chairface Chippendale. How can you not be entertained? “The Tick” isn’t the only 90s cartoon to parody superheroes, but it’s definitely one of the most iconic. It won multiple awards and even spawned a few live-action shows later on. If you’ve got an itch for some unconventional, self-aware superheroes, this is the show for you!

The glory days of “Siskel & Ebert” might be long gone, but film discourse lives on in Jay Sherman, this cartoon’s titular movie critic. The show riffs on cinema and also gives us glimpses of Jay’s personal life. It enjoyed success in its two-season run, but it could arguably resonate even more with today’s generation. Nowadays people host their own review columns and write ten-page movie dissertations on their Letterboxd. Point is, we live in a world run by social media where everyone is hyper-aware of the media they consume. So, a show that playfully mocks the Hollywood machine sounds like a welcome addition. “The Critic” is a cartoon you simply have to watch in an age where everyone wants to be one.

There’s something seriously fishy with scientists Robert Bolton and Luther Paradigm. The duo attempts to turn sea life into human-like creatures through a special device called a gene-slammer. When they clash over how to use it, Paradigm turns Bolton’s four sons into the aforementioned Street Sharks as revenge. The series shares similar DNA with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, with both franchises featuring genetically modified crime-fighting humanoids. In fact, the sharks are constantly battling other miscreations to save their city. They even team up with an awesome group of alien dinosaur heroes called the Dino Vengers. While “Street Sharks” never rose to the level of fame of its heroic half-shell counterpart, there’s clearly still lots to love.

Middle school can be a challenging time in people’s lives. Pepper Ann knew that pretty well. Her cartoon followed her various experiences while trying to navigate being a teenager. While it may sound like your standard coming-of-age story, “Pepper Ann” was a trailblazer. Characters didn’t necessarily act the way audiences were used to, and the show covered serious topics too. It wasn’t afraid to be bold. It was also Disney’s first animated series made by a woman. As such, it provided an extra level of representation for young girls and redefined how female characters could be portrayed in animation. Because of that, you could argue that “Pepper Ann” paved the way for many other successful cartoons.

Lots of spooky times are had in this world where monsters run rampant. “Real Monsters” follows various oddballs who attend a special school dedicated to the art of scaring humans. They’re training to be masters of fear, which is pretty terrifying when you think about it. Despite the unsettling premise, this is a quirky comedy. It was a weirdly entertaining show where monsters not only had schools, but also their own functioning society. The cartoon was basically “Monsters, Inc.” before “Monsters, Inc.” We’re not calling Mike and Sulley copycats or anything, but they might have a few similarities to this crew of creatures. Either way, “Real Monsters” was scary good!

This maniac became a slapstick superhero like no other. He was another parody of superpowered costumed crimefighters, yes, but that’s hardly a bad thing. His over-the-top humor and ability to peel back the curtain by talking to the audience meant you couldn’t look away. Deadpool might’ve made fourth wall breaks famous, but Freakazoid was pretty good at it too. The show has more than just a lovable oddball going for it too. It stemmed from Bruce Timm and Paul Dini with developer Tom Ruegger and voice actor Paul Rugg bringing their signature humor. “Freakazoid!” was also executive produced by Steven Spielberg. With a wealth of talent behind the screen and a litany of cool characters on it, this cartoon is more than worth a watch.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

A Worm Who Also Doubles as a Hero? Sounds Like a Fun Watch

If You Want Fearless Felines Doing All Kinds of Cool Action, Then This Show Is for You

They Might Not Be the Sharpest Tools in the Shed, But They’re Super Entertaining

An Extraterrestrial Swashbuckling Prince Sails the High Seas for Treasure, What’s Not to Love?!

With a Name Like That, You’ve Got to Check This Show Out

This animated series is about an ancient clan of sentient gargoyles who are reawakened in modern times. The gargoyles then decide to protect New York City from evil threats, including dastardly business tycoon David Xanatos. “Gargoyles” was rich with compelling storylines that tackled serious issues and never talked down to its audience. Kids could enjoy watching this without a problem. The great thing is that their parents could get a real kick out of it too. A common misconception people have with cartoons is that they can only ever be about silly stories where nothing really happens. With that being said, “Gargoyles” basically made it their mission to put respect on the name of animation.


Are there any underrated 90s cartoons we forgot? Let us know in the comments!