Reliving the 90s: An Extensive List of Old Saturday Morning Cartoons

Having previously surveyed some of the more insane Saturday morning cartoon shows from the 1990s, focusing on twelve 90’s cartoons adapted from movies, let’s delve deeper into the vast landscape of animated treasures the decade offered and examine 37(!) Saturday morning cartoon shows from that era. If you’re looking for a comprehensive List Of Old Saturday Morning Cartoons, particularly focusing on the vibrant and often bizarre offerings of the 90s, you’ve come to the right place.

The anticipation at the beginning of every new TV season was palpable. It was the only time my family would spring for a TV Guide. These special editions previewed all the upcoming shows, including brand new cartoon series, and I would pore over them, absorbing every synopsis and scrutinizing every still image. Then, without fail, I’d make sure to wake up extra early on the first Saturday these shows premiered to catch the very first episodes. Yes, the signs of my future as a dedicated (perhaps overly dedicated) fan were there even in childhood.

Believe it or not, this extensive list doesn’t even encompass every single show that graced the Saturday morning airwaves. For instance, the previous list of 12 1990s cartoons adapted from movies featured several titles, and this list includes another six shows that originated from films. It’s quite remarkable to consider that four major networks could churn out such a volume of animated content derived from so many diverse sources.

I even intentionally omitted a few shows from this compilation – primarily those adapted from video games – simply because this article already stretched to nearly 4000 words. So, let’s embark on a lengthy, though by no means exhaustive yet certainly thorough, journey through 37 Saturday Morning Cartoons From The 90’s! Many of these are now considered classic saturday morning cartoons, shaping the childhoods of a generation.

Original Shows: Concepts That Started Fresh

How did these entirely original concepts even manage to get off the ground? With cartoons based on movies, there was at least established source material to build upon. The same logic applied to shows derived from comic books or comic strips. Even series adapted from video games offered existing characters, general settings, and concepts audiences could recognize and connect with.

Yet, it’s genuinely commendable that there was an effort to create original content specifically for kids to watch. Building an entire world from scratch for the audience to grasp and understand requires significant effort, and conceiving original characters is even more demanding. Regardless, some of these original shows turned out to be quite… eccentric. Perhaps the hope was to generate substantial merchandise sales if any of these concepts struck a chord with the young audience.

Wish Kid

Macaulay Culkin's animated show Wish Kid from the 1990s

While not explicitly based on a celebrity, it’s highly unlikely that Wish Kid would have ever materialized without Macaulay Culkin lending his voice and serving as the inspiration for the main character. The core premise centered around a boy named Nick McClary who possessed a baseball glove. This glove, somehow struck by a shooting star, was endowed with the incredibly specific and arguably unfathomable ability to grant him one wish per week after he punched it exactly three times. Conveniently for a weekly cartoon structure, the wish didn’t last for long.

The show thus followed a predictable formula: Nick faced a problem, attempted to solve it by making a wish with his magical glove, the wish would work initially but inevitably wear off at the most inconvenient moment, leaving him to spend the remainder of the episode frantically trying to extricate himself from the mess his wish had created.

With a live-action introduction featuring Culkin in every episode and a premise that wore thin rather quickly, Wish Kid managed to last for only one season, totaling 13 episodes. While one might offer a small nod for not explicitly making the protagonist exactly the celebrity voicing him, Wish Kid remains a relatively forgettable cartoon show that appeared primarily aimed at capitalizing on a fleeting fad – in this specific instance, the popular human boy known as Macaulay Culkin.

Wild West C.O.W.-Boys of Moo Mesa

Anthropomorphic cows as Wild West heroes in the 90s cartoon Wild West C.O.W.-Boys of Moo Mesa

Alright, prepare yourself for a truly convoluted premise: the story begins in the 19th-century Wild West where a comet somehow crashes into a high-altitude mesa, causing everything within the impact zone to become cow-like. From this bizarre event, a society develops in this isolated area, drawing inspiration from the stories of the Old West and naming their community Moo Mesa.

So, in this… cow-mmunity (Yes, that pun was relentless throughout the show), you find sheriffs and outlaws, including our bovine protagonists, the C.O.W.-boys: Marshal Moo Montana, The Dakota Dude, and the Cowlorado Kid. And despite being anthropomorphic cows, they somehow still ride horses. They wear clothes, live in houses, and generally behave like people. It’s… a lot to process. As a child, my brain seemed much better equipped to absorb this kind of concept than it is now as an adult, where it frankly clashes with any semblance of logic or coherence my mind currently requires from its entertainment. The show ran for just 2 seasons and 26 episodes but has surprisingly garnered a strange cult following, particularly online. Seriously though, why the clothes?

ReBoot

The first CGI TV show characters, Bob, Frisket, Enzo, and Dot Matrix from ReBoot

Ah, ReBoot. Set within the digital world of Mainframe, the series follows the adventures of Bob, a Guardian tasked with protecting the system from viruses attempting to take it over. Alongside his friends Enzo and Dot Matrix, Bob also constantly battles the schemes of the villainous Megabyte, a malevolent resident of Mainframe with ambitions of conquest.

Remarkably, ReBoot was the first entirely CGI television show, and it was surprisingly well-executed and visually impressive for its time. As a kid with a keen interest in computers, it was fascinating to watch an entire TV show that took place inside a computer system. The animation was fluid (for early CGI), the villains were memorable (ranging from nightmarish entities like Hexidecimal to goofy comedic relief like Hack & Slash), and the premise was quite clever. A recurring element involved Bob having to face off against “games” loaded by the user in isolated “gamespaces” cut off from the rest of the system. If the user won the game, the portion of Mainframe encompassed by the gamespace would turn gray and become “nullified.” I always found that concept cool, and the show did an excellent job of visualizing this inner computer world.

I was actually quite surprised to learn the show ran all the way until 2001. It premiered in 1994, so when I first watched it at 12, I was completely hooked. As the 90s progressed, I eventually stopped watching Saturday morning cartoons (only to find myself writing lengthy articles about them over 20 years later – life truly is funny, though maybe not in a humorous way) and just assumed it had gone off the air. But no! It was still running when I was 19. It was still on the air after 9/11! They even produced two TV movies! It’s quite wild. This is definitely one of those shows I’m hesitant to re-watch as an adult, preferring it to remain awesome in my 90s memory rather than potentially seeming kind of lame in 21st-century reality.

Freakazoid!

Animated superhero Freakazoid in a promotional image for the 90s cartoon

Speaking of completely awesome shows from the 90s, here’s Freakazoid! Now, this show, I can confidently say, does hold up. I still revisit episodes from time to time as an adult. Whoever the brilliant, smartass minds were behind this series, I owe them a heartfelt letter of thanks. Upon looking it up, I wasn’t surprised to discover it was created by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm, both of whom were instrumental in creating or working on numerous notable cartoon shows throughout the 80s and 90s.

Freakazoid! followed a fairly standard superhero origin setup: geeky teenager Dexter Douglas gains his powers through a computer bug he discovers after his cat accidentally types a secret code into his computer. He is then transformed into Freakazoid, who acquires all the knowledge of the internet, along with super speed and endurance. However, he also transforms into a hyperactive lunatic who seems to inhabit his own unique reality. Able to transform into Freakazoid by uttering “Freak out!” and revert by saying “Freak in!”, Dexter remains his regular average self in human form, but becomes the utterly loony Freakazoid in superhero mode.

What truly set Freakazoid! apart, perhaps besides The Tick, was that it was one of the first shows I ever saw that was a direct parody of superheroes. Freakazoid functioned as a “hero” but seemed to primarily fight crime as an amusing diversion. The character’s awareness that he was merely an animated superhero drove a significant amount of the wacky, meta-humor the show frequently employed. Much like the main character, many of the side characters were transparent parodies or simply vehicles for comedic fodder.

I could easily write a much longer, far more detailed article solely about this show, but given the sheer number of cartoon shows to cover in this list, I must reluctantly move on. Nevertheless, Freakazoid! stands as one of the best cartoon shows produced in the 1990s and honestly, it remains a genuinely hilarious show even today. It’s definitely a standout on any List Of Old Saturday Morning Cartoons.

Eek! The Cat

The purple cat protagonist from the 90s cartoon Eek! The Cat

Well, here’s a cartoon show I frankly never warmed up to. Perhaps it was intended as some sort of warped parody of Garfield, or maybe the humor was meant to come from the main character getting relentlessly pulverized on a regular basis simply because he was too good-natured not to try and help people. What this was supposed to teach kids, or why children would find a protagonist who constantly suffers appealing, has always been a mystery to me.

Did I watch it? Of course. I watched practically everything. But you know how you watched a lot of shows on TV as a kid that you didn’t particularly enjoy? Eek! The Cat fit squarely into that category for me. In fact, I often found the characters surrounding Eek far funnier than Eek himself. Elmo the Elk and The Squishy Bearz were certainly more amusing to me than the passive, ever-suffering cat who inevitably found himself embroiled in some terrible misfortune. Meh. Hard pass.

Taz-Mania

The Looney Tunes character Taz and his family in the 90s cartoon Taz-Mania

Similar to Eek! The Cat, you know what was genuinely good about Taz-Mania? Everything around Taz. His family, in particular, were far more interesting and comedic characters than the somewhat one-dimensional Tasmanian Devil himself. Consider his Bing Crosby-esque father, Hugh, whose calm demeanor provided a genuinely funny contrast to the incomprehensible, manic Taz.

Much of the rest of the show outside of his parents is fairly hazy in my memory. It was one of those shows I only truly paid attention to when things I liked were happening on screen, otherwise it served as background noise. But I can state one thing with absolute certainty: it was indeed a cartoon show that aired on television in the 1990s. Speaking of Looney Tunes, you can often find looney tunes old cartoons full episodes online today.

Pirates of Dark Water

Pirates of Dark Water was one of those intriguing, original cartoon shows that genuinely felt like something fresh and interesting that hadn’t been seen on television before. Set on a planet called Mer, which is gradually being consumed by a mysterious, sentient substance known as Dark Water, the story follows Ren, a young prince who must embark on a quest to find the lost Thirteen Treasures of Rule to stop the encroaching darkness. Accompanied by a crew of eclectic misfits, he takes to the dangerous, monster-filled seas to locate the treasures. However, the evil pirate lord Bloth is also seeking the treasure and relentlessly attempts to thwart the prince at every turn.

This unique, exciting show, despite its promise, ran for a mere 2 seasons and 21 episodes before being shuffled off, likely to wildly confused syndicated audiences. This is a genuine shame, as it offered something truly different in a Saturday morning landscape that was often filled with carbon-copy cute children’s shows and predictable, familiar superhero fare.

Bobby’s World

Bobby’s World is one of those shows that gives the distinct impression of having been on forever – primarily because it enjoyed a lengthy run of 8 seasons, spanning a significant portion of the 1990s. It lasted so long, in fact, that its initial audience outgrew it, and then a secondary audience subsequently outgrew it as well. I was 8 years old when this show first aired and 16 when it concluded, while Bobby himself only aged from 4 to 8 throughout those years. And the show was… decent?

It was undeniably a good show for young children – and pretty much only for young children. Unlike a fair number of the cartoons featured on this extensive list that were either enjoyable at the time or at least gained an ironic appeal years later due to their relatively outlandish concepts, Bobby’s World remained strictly aimed at the 8-and-under crowd. As an adult revisiting it, the show tends to come across as tedious. It certainly fulfills its intended purpose, and honestly, it’s at least better than Caillou.

Cartoons Based on Comic Strips

Comic strips: it just made perfect sense that they would be adapted into Saturday morning cartoons. Featuring characters whose visual style and design were already well-established and familiar to audiences, and often possessing defined storylines and character traits that could easily transition to a 22-minute animated format, it’s perhaps surprising that more comic strips weren’t adapted. Of course, the one cartoon series I desperately wished for as a kid, Calvin & Hobbes, never materialized due to creator Bill Watterson’s staunch refusal to engage with the commercial machine. But the ones that were adapted in the 90s generally did a reasonably good job.

Garfield and Friends

The animated characters from the 90s cartoon Garfield and Friends

One of the more memorable and successful cartoons of the 1990s was Garfield and Friends. It was a considerable hit with audiences; even kids who didn’t read the comic strip enjoyed the animated series. The “and Friends” portion of the title introduced viewers to Jim Davis’s other comic strip, U.S. Acres, which had actually ceased production by 1989.

Honestly, I found myself enjoying the “and Friends” segments of the show more than the “Garfield” parts. While Lorenzo Music undeniably provided the perfect voice for Garfield, much like in the comic strip, I always found the character of Garfield to be relatively negative and cynical. In contrast, the U.S. Acres gang presented a small farm community with characters whose interactions and dynamics led to genuinely interesting and often humorous stories, as opposed to Garfield simply being difficult or grumpy about something for a quarter of an hour.

Mother Goose and Grimm

Characters from the 90s cartoon based on the comic strip Mother Goose and Grimm

Out of all the comic strips to choose from for adaptation, one has to wonder: why Mother Goose and Grimm? The comic strip itself was decent enough, but it certainly wasn’t shouting “This absolutely must be made into a children’s cartoon show!” Furthermore, the character of Grimm essentially felt like a dog version of Garfield – perhaps slightly more high-strung, but the comparison was hard to ignore.

In fact, I recall very little about this show beyond its theme song, largely because it only aired for a mere 16 episodes spread across two seasons. However, this show holds a notable place for featuring early animation work by Stephen Hillenburg, who would later go on to work on the stellar Rocko’s Modern Life and, famously, create SpongeBob Squarepants. So, despite being a show I barely remember, thanks for giving that guy a gig!

Addams Family

The creepy and kooky characters from the 90s animated series The Addams Family

Now, the Addams Family cartoon is one I distinctly remember, and that’s because it was actually pretty decent. While it didn’t quite capture the same level of darkness and sheer nuttiness as the original comic strips or the successful movies (the first movie’s success in 1991 is generally credited with pushing this cartoon into production), it was still an effective adaptation that managed to capture the distinctive look and spirit of Charles Addams’ original creation. Adding to its authenticity, John Astin – the television’s original Gomez Addams – reprised his role in this series! Uncle Fester continued his penchant for blowing himself up, and the show in general served as a toned-down, slightly less insane version of its source material. Alas, it only ran for 2 seasons and 21 episodes, but it stands as a solid adaptation of already rich and fertile material.

New Dennis the Menace

The mischievous kid from the 90s animated series New Dennis the Menace

And here we have Dennis the Menace, arguably the quintessential little troublemaker in comic strip history. I’ve personally never been a fan of the “ain’t I a stinker?” archetype of mischievous young boys who seem to enjoy messing things up for everyone around them simply because they’re bored. Even characters who possess some traits of this type often have other redeeming qualities. Bart Simpson, for instance, is a hellraiser but also has moments of genuine soul and truly feels remorse when things go too far. Calvin from Calvin & Hobbes is often largely unaware of the havoc his vivid imagination and antics are causing.

However, Dennis the Menace seems acutely aware of exactly what he’s doing and typically sports a rather smug grin while doing it. Whoever was chosen to voice Dennis didn’t do the character any favors either; that kid must have been quite a brat in real life, as his voice carried a particularly needling, sharp edge to it, an insouciance that lent a mocking tone to nearly every utterance. Ugh. Frankly, this show could have been tossed in the garbage along with that blonde, freckled terror. There was little to redeem here.

Cartoons Based on Comic Books

Naturally, it made perfect sense to adapt cartoon shows from comic books. Animated adaptations of comic book properties had been produced for decades prior to the 90s, but the animation industry truly began to get things right during this era.

X-Men

The iconic team of mutants from the 90s X-Men animated series

It feels almost strange in retrospect, but the animated adaptation of X-Men arguably did a better job of capturing the essence and spirit of the comic book source material than the numerous major motion picture films that followed. Want to see a great adaptation of The Phoenix Saga? Look no further than how they handled it on this show.

Beyond that, this series served as my personal introduction to the world of the X-Men. I didn’t read comic books as a kid (I saved that particular joy for my late teens, twenties, and, indeed, today!), so when I first saw this show, I was absolutely blown away. The opening theme music is undeniably radical, the animation was significantly more sophisticated than many other kids’ shows airing at the time, and it wasn’t afraid to be surprisingly dark and edgy. While some might quibble about potentially cheesy moments or characters appearing “off-model,” it remains a pretty darn righteous adaptation of a seminal comic book series. Honestly, I’d happily watch three episodes of this show over X-Men: Apocalypse any day of the week. Thinking about old mutant cartoons might even remind you of teenage mutant ninja turtles original cartoons.

The Tick

The muscular blue superhero The Tick with his moth-costumed sidekick Arthur from the 90s cartoon

Much like Freakazoid!, I could easily write a lengthy, rather insanely in-depth article dedicated solely to The Tick. Adapted from Ben Edlund’s equally comedic comic book about an 8-foot tall, muscle-bound, nigh-invincible knucklehead superhero named The Tick, who protects The City alongside his nebbish sidekick Arthur from ridiculous nemeses and villains, The Tick is quite literally one of my favorite shows of all time. I own the DVDs and still watch episodes regularly to this day.

Why? Again, similar to Freakazoid!, it was a sharp, genuinely silly parody of superheroes. The Fantastic Four were parodied as The Civic-Minded Five, Batman was transformed into a sleazy coward called Die Fledermous, and Wonder Woman became Miss Liberty. The villains were all eccentric wackos who concocted unbelievably stupid, primarily egocentric plans, such as Chairface Chippendale (a character who literally had a chair for a head) who planned to use a laser to engrave his name onto the moon. As a hilarious running gag, every time the moon was shown in the series from that point forward, it still clearly had “CHA” engraved upon it.

But that’s merely scratching the surface of a wonderfully well-drawn universe populated by eccentrics living out their bizarre superhero and villain dreams, no matter how ridiculous they might be. And The Tick himself stands as one of the best superheroes ever created: he’s dense and silly, yes, but also possesses an incredibly positive attitude and a genuinely good heart. His frequently loopy speeches are delivered with earnest conviction and passion, even when they are completely off the rails bonkers. It’s a fun, exceptionally well-made cartoon show that managed to be funny without talking down to its audience and action-packed without being overly graphic or violent. It truly is the best. SPOON!

Spider-Man

Spider-Man swinging through the city in an image from the 90s cartoon show

At one point in the convoluted history of our pop culture, people were almost collectively saying, “Please stop trying to make Spider-Man happen! It’s simply not going to happen.” And for good reason: there had been so many false starts over the decades in attempting to bring this property to life as both a live-action TV series and a cartoon series that people were understandably highly skeptical when the live-action movie finally premiered in 2002 and actually succeeded.

Since Fox held the rights to the property, they were determined to extract their money’s worth well before any film adaptation was made and produced an animated series in the 1990s. The results were quite decent. The show often featured lengthy story arcs spanning multiple episodes, which young boy nerds (like myself) could truly appreciate. Tons of characters from the original comic books were present, and in general, it felt like an earnest attempt to faithfully reproduce the essence of the comic books for the small screen.

It’s actually rather impressive how closely it adhered to the source material, particularly concerning the many signature villains who appeared: Kingpin, Green Goblin, Rhino, Doctor Octopus, and Venom all made appearances. Additionally, a number of other well-known Marvel characters popped up in various episodes, including Daredevil, Blade, Doctor Strange, and even The Punisher. Yes, The Punisher was featured in a children’s cartoon.

So, credit where credit is due to this show: it ran for 4 seasons and 65 episodes and successfully accomplished what it set out to do, which was to be a Spider-Man cartoon that wasn’t simply garbage. Thank you, friendly neighborhood Spider-Man! For those interested in other cartoon classics, a compilation like cartoon classics vol 3 25 favorite cartoons 3 hours might feature some of these.

Batman: The Animated Series

Batman overlooking Gotham City in a still from the acclaimed 90s animated series

While Spider-Man: The Animated Series certainly did a fine job with its adaptation, Batman: The Animated Series absolutely blew the doors off. It adapted the source material with a distinctive noirish look and feel reminiscent of the original comic book from the 1940s, and importantly, set the series firmly in that era’s aesthetic. This choice provided the show with a significant amount of gravitas and made it far more compelling than if it had been awkwardly forced into the “Radical 90s™” setting.

The dark, atmospheric tone, sophisticated dramatic writing, stylized art deco visuals, and mature themes that this show dared to tackle were radically different from most other children’s superhero shows airing at the time. This made it truly stand out and earned it genuine appreciation from both new young fans and older, longtime comic book enthusiasts alike. Naturally, all the classic villains were present, including The Penguin, Mr. Freeze (whose tragic backstory was brilliantly explored here), and, of course, The Joker. The voiceover work throughout the series was consistently A-plus. Never shying away from plunging into pathos or giving even the most villainous characters truly sympathetic backstories, Batman: The Animated Series also treated the core character with far more seriousness and respect than many of the films of the era, particularly the widely panned Batman & Robin, which was ironically far more cartoonish than the actual acclaimed cartoon that was airing concurrently. Running for 4 seasons and producing an impressive 85 episodes, Batman: The Animated Series is a prime example of how a comic book property can be adapted to an animated format the right way, becoming a staple on any list of old saturday morning cartoons.

Superman: The Animated Series

The iconic Superman soaring through the sky in the 90s animated series

Similar to the approach taken with Batman: The Animated Series, Superman: The Animated Series succeeded by being a straightforward and sincere adaptation of its source material rather than attempting to make it overly “modern” or trendy. In fact, many of the key creative personnel who worked on the acclaimed Batman animated series transitioned to produce this show, bringing with them their reverence and deep understanding of the original material.

Naturally, given that it’s Superman, the series has a brighter, more optimistic tone, and Metropolis is generally depicted as a much less grim setting than Gotham City. However, the same well-defined, stylized animation style is present, and the action sequences featuring Superman are expertly rendered and exciting.

Superman’s extensive rogues gallery makes appearances to cause trouble, and the character designs for his villains are as faithful to the comics and as fluidly animated as Superman himself. Widely hailed as one of the very best adaptations of the character in any medium (an assessment I personally agree with to the extent that I believe it might be the only truly good adaptation of Superman in any format – apologies to Superman film fans, but I’ve consistently found them severely lacking, both past and present), Superman: The Animated Series ran for 3 seasons and produced 54 highly watchable episodes.

The Fantastic Four: The Animated Series

The superhero team The Fantastic Four in a promotional image for their 90s animated series

Now, let’s shift gears to an adaptation that frankly didn’t work, of a property that seems to perpetually struggle to exist successfully outside the realm of comic books: The Fantastic Four: The Animated Series. Bear in mind, this was already the third animated adaptation of the series up to this point, and even this iteration didn’t manage to last for more than 2 seasons and a mere 26 episodes.

One has to wonder what it is about these specific characters and their world that just doesn’t seem to translate effectively to cartoons or live-action films. Are they perhaps too two-dimensional on the page, causing them to come across as paper-thin when brought to life? Do their unique powers appear inherently silly when they aren’t simply static drawings?

Whatever the underlying reason, this particular adaptation of the comic book was simply not good. It looked cheap, felt cheesy, and its attempt at faithfully retelling early Fantastic Four storylines, while perhaps well-intentioned, ended up being rather boring for anyone already familiar with the comics – which would presumably be the target audience for such a show. Perhaps one day they will finally produce a genuinely decent Fantastic Four adaptation, but they certainly didn’t manage it in the 1990s.

Cadillacs and Dinosaurs

The utterly insane, delightfully nonsensical nature of Cadillacs and Dinosaurs still holds a certain appeal for me, even today. I had no idea this series was actually adapted from a comic book until I began researching for this article. The premise is wild: set in some bonkers 26th-century world where dinosaurs once again roam the planet, ecological warriors find themselves fighting against encroaching forces attempting to reclaim the land. Oh, and, as the title promises, there are indeed Cadillacs and dinosaurs coexisting.

Honestly, this show was everything my 11-year-old brain could possibly have desired: people and dinosaurs living together, cool protagonists driving awesome cars and getting into fights, mass hysteria!

Somehow, this show only lasted a single season of 13 episodes, yet it ended up being so remarkably memorable that I genuinely thought it had aired for years. Perhaps it was played frequently in syndication, or maybe the feeling of “more adventures” was simply something I concocted in my dreams. Regardless, Cadillacs and Dinosaurs was a fantastically cool, surprisingly original action cartoon that thrilled at least one little boy in the early 90s, making it a curious but beloved entry on any list of old saturday morning cartoons. Thinking of adventure and fantasy cartoons might also bring to mind shows like dungeons and dragons original cartoon.

Cartoons Based on Celebrities

Hoo boy, where does one even begin with this category? Frankly, I managed to compile a list of seven titles for this section, and every single one of them is, without exaggeration, outright terrible television. What kind of crass, awful network executives genuinely believed little kids would be interested in a cartoon show centered around Roseanne Barr as a child? Or, for that matter, Kid ‘n’ Play in general? I mean, what the actual… I apologize, I’m trying my best to keep the profanity to a minimum in this article. But let’s see if I can successfully temper the crudeness when writing about these, arguably the most crass and utterly hollow cartoons on this entire list.

Little Rosie

Animated character Little Rosie, based on comedian Roseanne Barr as a child, from her 90s cartoon

Ugh. Little Rosie. Just… why? Why did this exist? Revolving around an 8-year-old version of Roseanne Barr, her sister, and her best friend, the show detailed how these children used their imaginations to work through their problems with pluck and imagination. And frankly, who could possibly care?

It aired on ABC Saturday mornings in 1990, the same network that broadcast her massively successful sitcom Roseanne. This likely means the cartoon was simply part of a larger overall development deal she had with the network. However, unlike her sitcom – where her established adult persona made a certain kind of sense – the concept of having to watch a kid version of Roseanne was unbelievably unappealing to children. And the rest of the US audience clearly agreed, as it only lasted for one single 13-episode season. But dear sweet merciful God, why was it greenlit in the first place?

Kid ‘n’ Play

Animated hip-hop duo Kid 'n' Play from their short-lived 90s cartoon series

Speaking of “Oh God, Why?”, here we have Kid ‘n’ Play. What makes this even more bizarre is the fact that the actual Kid ‘n’ Play didn’t even voice the animated characters based on them (one can only speculate what they could possibly have been doing that prevented this). This completely unnecessary show also aired in 1990 for a single 13-episode season. Following the animated versions of the rap group as they attempted to teach watching kids that doing the right thing and staying out of trouble was undeniably cool, this was yet another example of a concept that left most people asking, “Who cares?” For a cartoon show aimed at the 5-to-10-year-olds of the country – who, as I recall, weren’t exactly listening to a lot of hip-hop in 1990 – the real-life Kid ‘n’ Play would show up at the beginning and end in live-action interstitials to hammer home the message that drinking your milk, doing your homework, and generally being nice was cooler than ten Super Bowls combined! Truly wretched television.

Hammerman

MC Hammer's animated superhero alter-ego Hammerman from the 90s cartoon

One might assume I strategically ordered this section to escalate my level of disgust with each subsequent show, but this was honestly just the arbitrary order in which I happened to list them. Hammerman was a cartoon show ostensibly based on the eternally popular and undeniably successful MC Hammer. Only in this iteration, he was a youth center worker who owned a pair of magical talking shoes. Wait, what? That premise is arguably the stupidest thing ever conceived. Anyway, when he put on the shoes, he transformed into the superhero Hammerman.

This may very well be the single worst show on this entire list. Not only is the entire setup hollow and an unbelievably cheap cash-in attempt, but the animation quality is sub-basement level. I have accidentally animated things that look better than this show, which supposedly hired professional animators. Every single moment of every episode is chaotically edited, nonsensical, and generally just unadulterated trash. Thankfully, it only aired for 13 episodes until the network executive responsible for greenlighting it was, one assumes, summarily dismissed or worse once their boss discovered the abomination they had unleashed. Insipid garbage.

New Kids on the Block

The animated version of the boy band New Kids on the Block from their 90s cartoon

(Sighs dramatically) Yes, New Kids on the Block – the prefab pop group that enjoyed peak popularity for approximately 18 fleeting months in the late 80s and early 90s – were inexplicably given their own Saturday morning cartoon show. They appeared in live-action segments but, curiously, did not voice their own animated characters. Their Wikipedia page thankfully provided the explanation, and potentially explains why Kid ‘n’ Play also didn’t voice their characters: licensing reasons. Apparently, their voices couldn’t be used on outlets not owned by or licensed through their record company. So, hey! At least I managed to learn something from this show. Though I remain confused as their music was played throughout the series. Regardless, watching about three minutes of it made me feel as though my brains were slowly leaking out of my ears.

The show itself was wildly banal, typically consisting of animated segments intercut with live-action “off-the-cuff” interjections from the actual New Kids. They were usually depicted on tour, something vaguely wacky would happen, very mild hijinks would ensue, and realistically, only a 7 to 10-year-old girl in 1990 could have endured more than a few minutes of this. It was truly, truly bad. Fortunately, it also only lasted for 13 episodes. Maybe someday someone will do something genuinely funny with the animation, like making the characters utter unbelievably profane things. I don’t know, I’m just spitballing here, and this show feels like it stole a small piece of my soul.

ProStars

Animated athletes Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky, and Bo Jackson in the 90s cartoon ProStars

Hey! Do you happen to love incredibly famous athletes? With their boundless energy, extraordinary abilities, and stunning success, sports stars in the 90s were indeed charismatic and popular figures. So, a cartoon series featuring Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky, and Bo Jackson sounds like it would be incredibly exciting, especially back in 1991! Only… it turned out to be one of the most low-energy things I have ever witnessed. The real athletes appeared for brief, perfunctory wrap-around live-action segments, but the actual show itself was an odd and confusing mixture of formulaic action-adventure and unbelievable setups.

For example: these three athletes (who, naturally, didn’t voice their own animated characters on the show; seriously, why did they even agree to do this show? Was it some kind of elaborate tax dodge?) were also a group called the ProStars, a sort of super-team that went on adventures to defeat villains and confront other things that are absolutely the furthest thing from what comes to mind when you think of Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky, or Bo Jackson. It was just bizarre.

Fortunately, much like most of the other regrettable shows in this section, it only ran for one 13-episode season and was subsequently forever banished to sarcastic lists like this one, where people decades into the future gleefully mock them on the internet.

Life With Louie

Was Louie Anderson genuinely so popular that he warranted his very own children’s cartoon show? Even his stand-up comedy wasn’t particularly kid-friendly, primarily consisting of observations about the frustrations and disappointments in his own life. But I suppose he must have possessed remarkable pitching skills in the executive boardroom because somehow we ended up with Life With Louie, a show where Louie Anderson voiced both a young version of himself and his father, sharing supposedly humorous stories from his childhood – a childhood that often came across as rather twisted and sad.

His father in the show is, to put it as delicately as possible, a complete and utter mental case who seems perpetually on the verge of a heart attack in the midst of his constant raging outbursts, while the young Louie character offers sarcastic commentary on his father’s apparent madness. It was, frankly, pretty damn depressing for a show ostensibly aimed at children.

So, naturally, you must be thinking, this was another one of those one-season oddities that quickly faded into obscurity, right? Nope! This show ran for an astonishing three seasons, totaling 39 episodes. Why? Who on earth was watching this? Every time I stumbled upon an episode, I felt like contemplating the meaninglessness of existence by the end of it, and I was generally a pretty happy kid overall.

Super Dave: Daredevil for Hire

Animated stuntman character Super Dave from the 90s cartoon

I’m still not entirely sure what exactly a “Super Dave” is supposed to be. I understand it was intended as some sort of parody of Evel Knievel, the famous stuntman from the 1970s, only this animated version consistently and spectacularly failed to successfully complete his stunts. Get it? Neither did I, but apparently, this character was somehow relevant for Gen X nostalgia or something along those lines. I remain thoroughly unclear on the concept.

It’s not as if the show managed to stick around for very long anyway. It lasted for a single season, comprising 13 episodes, airing between 1992 and 1993. Hey, incidentally, did you know that the guy who voices and portrays Super Dave in live-action segments is actually the brother of acclaimed director and comedian Albert Brooks? It’s a shame they never gave Albert Brooks his own cartoon show; I’d genuinely still be watching that if it existed.

(Yet More) Cartoons Adapted From Movies

As mentioned earlier, I had previously written an article specifically about twelve 90’s cartoon shows adapted from movies. Can you believe that despite compiling that list, I actually managed to miss some? Unbelievably, here are six additional titles that fit this category. How is this possible? And more importantly, why?

The Little Mermaid

Ariel the mermaid and her friends from the 90s animated series The Little Mermaid

In an adaptation that, for once, makes a degree of logical sense, The Little Mermaid was developed into a Saturday morning cartoon show that aired on CBS, before Disney effectively took over the 90s television cartoon landscape with the wildly successful syndicated Disney Afternoon block. This series is notable for being the very first TV adaptation of an animated Disney movie. The show’s storyline is set before the events of the feature film, depicting Ariel flipping her fins but generally not venturing too far from her underwater home. The key side characters from the movie are all present, including Sebastian and Flounder, and the series expanded upon Ariel’s world and her relationships with her friends, sisters, and father. Naturally, evil villains were constantly scheming to take over the undersea kingdom, providing Ariel and her companions with weekly challenges they needed to overcome.

It falls into the category of pretty standard Disney animated TV show material, but it was undeniably a decent adaptation of an existing, popular property. Disney executives likely observed how well this performed, how easy and profitable it was to produce a series based on their existing characters and worlds, and subsequently decided to lean heavily into animated television, eventually purchasing ABC to dominate their Saturday morning block before their gargantuan entertainment machine ultimately decided to bypass the networks entirely and take their shows directly to syndication. The series ran for 3 seasons and 31 episodes, and credit is due to Disney for creating something genuinely worthwhile for the Saturday morning audience. If you’re looking for old cartoons on disney plus, this one might be available!

Jumanji

Characters standing near a mysterious board game from the 90s Jumanji animated series

Hey, remember Jumanji? I personally don’t, primarily because I’ve never actually watched that movie. But apparently, kids at the time did remember and enjoyed it enough that some presumably greedy network executives tallied the potential cost of pumping out a few seasons of an animated show against the amount of money they could rake in from advertising revenue. Upon completing this calculation, they presumably sent a rush order to the twelfth circle of Hell (a place where, one imagines, wicked animators are condemned to churn out cheap, subpar animation for all eternity) to get this series produced.

Thus, we got Jumanji: The Animated Series. I honestly don’t know much about it, but I assume the premise involved the main characters repeatedly getting sucked into the titular game, constantly trying to rescue the poor unfortunate soul who had been trapped inside for decades. Who cares, really? It somehow managed to run for 3 seasons and an unbelievable 40 episodes, likely at a production cost that exceeded the potential value of my entire life. It’s shows like this that make one consider taking up drinking.

Free Willy

A boy standing beside a killer whale from the 90s animated series Free Willy

There was also an animated show based on the heartwarming movie Free Willy. This premise doesn’t make a great deal of sense as a long-running series because – much like Jumanji – once the core problem (freeing Willy) is resolved, there doesn’t seem to be anywhere else for the story to logically go. Did that large, albeit stupid, whale just keep getting captured repeatedly?

Well, the solution they devised for this plot wall was even more outlandish: the kid from the movie, Jesse, somehow discovers he possesses the ability to talk to animals. And as a result, Willy – and every other animal Jesse encounters – also gains the power of speech. Furthermore, the main villain is a Captain Ahab-esque madman who lost several limbs to Willy, conveniently forgetting that Willy is, after all, a killer whale that is biologically predisposed to, you know, eventually trying to kill things.

I honestly have no idea. If I saw this show when it aired, I certainly don’t remember it, and given the premise, I wouldn’t have chosen to watch it anyway. It ran for one season and 21 episodes, and I genuinely can’t bring myself to watch any clips because the concept of magical talking animals in cartoons tends to grate on my nerves.

Attack of the Killer Tomatoes

I genuinely couldn’t believe I had forgotten to include this show in my original list of movie adaptations. I absolutely loved this show when I was a kid. Unsurprisingly, it shared the same kind of snarky, meta-parody vein as shows like The Tick and Freakazoid! But the story behind how a weird late-70s parody film of monster movies somehow transformed into a Saturday morning cartoon in the 1990s is, in itself, even better. And it all starts with Muppet Babies.

So, in a particular episode of Muppet Babies in 1987, a segment titled “The Weirdo Zone” (a parody of The Twilight Zone) featured a story called “Attack of the Silly Tomatoes,” which cleverly used clips from the original Attack of the Killer Tomatoes movie. The producers of Muppet Babies noticed that this particular episode garnered very high ratings and approached the production company responsible for the original movie about making a sequel. Initially, they declined, but then, according to legend, the Jim Henson Company drove a dump truck filled with money to their house, and thus Return of the Killer Tomatoes was produced. It was a significant hit, leading the same production company to be approached a few years later about developing a cartoon show based on the property. After presumably bathing in gold doubloons, they agreed.

The resulting animated series was as snarky and meta as possible, replete with clever pop culture and genre references, along with frequent self-referential jokes and jabs at the ridiculous nature of both the show itself and its characters. It was smart, silly, and unlike very little else on Saturday morning television at the time. It’s one of those shows I’m slightly afraid to re-watch as an adult for fear of tarnishing my fond memories, but I might just have to take the plunge eventually. It ran for 2 seasons and 21 episodes, so hopefully, it remains as funny as I remember, promising hours of nostalgic entertainment ahead. It’s a unique addition to any list of old saturday morning cartoons.

Fievel’s American Tails

The animated mouse character Fievel Mousekewitz from the 90s cartoon Fievel's American Tails

This is another one of those adaptations where I can intellectually understand the logical reasons why someone might decide to create a cartoon series based on the property, but on an emotional level, I’m left genuinely wondering why anyone would bother. If Life With Louie didn’t deliver quite enough pervasive, soul-crushing nihilistic darkness, was Fievel’s American Tails and its relentless, blubbering sentimentality intended to finish the job?

Anyway, the series was set after the events of the movie Fievel Goes West, and it was, quite simply, insipid. Then again, I found the character and the movies rather insipid even as a child, so there was never any chance I was going to dedicate a half-hour of my week to watching that whiny little mouse get into scrapes, get sad, and whatever else transpired in this series. It mercifully lasted only one season and 13 episodes. I can only hope it brought some degree of happiness to somebody, somewhere out there.

101 Dalmatians: The Series

Animated puppies and characters from the 90s cartoon 101 Dalmatians The Series

Like many of the shows featured on this lengthy list, I sometimes find myself questioning why certain properties were deemed suitable for Saturday morning cartoon adaptations. Take 101 Dalmatians, for example. After all, the original animated movie is an undisputed classic, the later animated sequel had its moments, and the live-action movie was… kind of terrible. But isn’t there a point where we can collectively agree to move on from certain ideas? Apparently not. Kids at the time still enjoyed the 101 Dalmatians movies enough that Disney presumably had an epiphany and exclaimed, “Wait a minute! We just purchased ABC! WE CAN DO WHATEVER WE WANT!” At that point, one can imagine Michael Eisner and Mickey Mouse sharing a long, villainous laugh that echoed late into the night.

You can probably easily envision what this show entailed: it followed the ongoing adventures of various puppies from the sprawling brood as they inevitably got into all sorts of scrapes, predicaments, and general shenanigans. This series aired in 1998, well after I had stopped watching Saturday morning cartoons altogether, so I’m perhaps being overly critical about something that wasn’t even aimed at my demographic in the first place. However, I possess a neurotic need for completeness, and therefore, I simply had to include it in this section dedicated to “Cartoon Shows Adapted From Movies” so that my soul may potentially find peace in the afterlife.

Weird Outliers Of Cartoons

Perhaps the cartoon shows that fascinate me the most on this entire list of old saturday morning cartoons are the ones that fall into this final category. I genuinely cannot fathom why they were ever made in the first place or who the intended audience possibly could have been. They truly existed outside the norm.

Gravedale High

A human teacher surrounded by monster students in the 90s cartoon Gravedale High

Easily one of the most bizarre and inexplicable shows I have ever encountered, Gravedale High starred Rick Moranis as a middle-aged human school teacher who worked at a high school attended exclusively by monsters and ghouls. Why? What was the motivation for this show’s existence? Who was this show for, and why did anyone ever invest money into making it?

Then, I looked up the show’s creator: David Kirschner. His film credits as a producer are actually quite impressive and diverse, including work on the American Tail movies, the Child’s Play franchise, Hocus Pocus, and Frailty. Okay, so he clearly had an affinity for animation and somewhat ghoulish or dark-leaning material. I then examined his television producer credits, and suddenly, it all made a strange, albeit not entirely reassuring, kind of sense. His television work included the cartoon adaptation of Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventures, The Pirates of Dark Water, Fievel’s American Tails, Capitol Critters, and Fish Police. In other words, he seemed to have a particular inclination towards making… questionable animated content for television.

Well, I will grant this show one thing: it is undeniably a contender for the WTF Files. It makes absolutely no sense on any logical level, and its inherent appeal seems entirely non-existent. Again, who was this show for? Apparently, nobody significant, as it only managed to survive for a single 13-episode season.

Tales from the Cryptkeeper

The cackling skeleton host, The Cryptkeeper, from the 90s animated series

Hey kids! Do you enjoy rotting skeletons who tell scary stories and make terrible puns involving death and murder? No? Too bad! Here’s Tales from the Cryptkeeper. With the episodes supposedly taking place in the fictional town of Gravenhurst, California, the series followed the format of the live-action HBO series, presenting three separate scary stories within each episode. While it did tone down the gore and truly terrifying elements significantly to make it suitable for children, it was still a rather grim concept for a kids’ show. Amazingly, it managed to run for 3 seasons and produced 39 episodes. Come to think of it, perhaps I really should check this one out again. It’s certainly a morbidly fascinating entry on this list of old saturday morning cartoons.

Baby Huey

A giant, diapered duck character, Baby Huey, from his 90s cartoon

What. The actual hell. Was this show even about? Baby Huey is, and I quote DIRECTLY from the incredibly brief Wikipedia page dedicated to the show, described as being about “A large, dimwitted baby duck wreaks havoc on those who he comes in contact with as his attempts to help and or play result in hilarious consequences.” I actually remember this show quite well, and I distinctly recall it driving me absolutely up the goddamn wall. It must have aired immediately before something I actually wanted to watch, forcing me to endure it.

Why? Did adults genuinely believe that kids found annoying, stupid, and generally unlikable characters inherently funny? Well, speaking for myself and many others, we absolutely did not. And this show was particularly awful because the main character came across not just as annoying, but like a genuinely disturbed giant baby. I mean, I could almost tolerate that kind of behavior from Dennis the Menace because he was at least human, but a giant, idiotic duck? Absolutely no way.

Unfathomably, this show somehow managed to run for 2 seasons and a total of 26 episodes. Oh, but of course, something objectively awesome and original like Cadillacs and Dinosaurs could only last for a single season and 13 episodes, yet they made sure the cartoon about the mentally challenged duck ran for twice as long. There is no justice in the world of 90s Saturday morning cartoons.

Cro

Animated characters including a woolly mammoth and cave people from the 90s educational cartoon Cro

This particular show was notable for being funded by the prestigious Children’s Television Workshop (the creators of Sesame Street) and explicitly aimed to include educational content related to physics and mechanical engineering. How did it attempt to do this? By featuring a talking woolly mammoth named Phil who is thawed out of the ice by a scientist working in Antarctica. When the scientist encounters a physics problem he can’t solve, the woolly mammoth conveniently recalls a situation from the distant Ice Age that reminds him of a potential solution. These stories from the past featured his human friend Cro, presented as the only fully evolved individual in his prehistoric town, who was depicted as smarter than everyone else and consequently disliked for it. Cro would typically devise the clever solution to the problem they were facing, which would then coincidentally help the scientist in the present figure out his own problem.

And all of that educational content and clever framing device is well and good. But… what about Cro himself? The character, and indeed everyone in his past timeline, has been dead for hundreds of thousands of years by the time the scientist discovers Phil. That’s a rather significant downer. If a child was smart enough to grasp the lessons on physics the show was trying to impart, they were almost certainly smart enough to do the basic math and realize that Cro had been dead since the Ice Age. In fact, every single character in the past segments was long, long dead, and that’s a genuinely heavy concept to lay on a kid trying to enjoy their Saturday morning cartoons.