While Spongebob Squarepants is one of the best cartoons on Nickelodeon and any other television channel right now, it owes credit to a line of cartoons before it, known as Nicktoons. Several cartoons paved the way for Spongebob and other shows and entertained children for years. Here is a look at some of the best Nicktoons from the 1990s.
Doug: Doug is one of the most original and entertaining shows in Nickelodeon history. It was a simple story, following the life of the pre-teen Doug and his imaginations that were brought to life with it. There were plots about birthday parties, detention, and many other things that kept children entertained. Doug also had many catchy songs like “Bangin’ On the Trashcan”, “I need more allowance”, and several from the fictitious band known as “The Beets”. Doug was eventually bought by Disney and turned into a full -length movie, but new episodes are no more. Hopefully Doug is released on DVD so new generations can enjoy this show.
Rocko’s Modern Life: If anything were to be compared to SpongeBob Squarepants, than it could be Rocko’s Modern Life. One of the main comparisons is between SpongeBob’s best friend Patrick and Rocko’s best friend Heffer. Most of Rocko’s episodes were random with crazy plots and crazy characters and sometimes even focused on a ringworm that lived in Rocko’s dog’s fur. This was highly entertaining with a cast of great characters and just like Doug, hopefully is released on DVD one day.
Hey Arnold: The city life was brought to the cartoon world when the football head Arnold was created for the cartoon “Hey Arnold”. This show followed a large cast of characters that included Arnold, Jarold, Helga, and many others. From Perch Boy to ice skating in the street, Arnold covered a lot of ground during it’s time on Nickelodeon and just like Doug, he had his own feature length movie.
Rugrats: Tommy, Chucky, Phil and Lil, may have only been toddlers but many of their fans were much older that watched the very popular Nicktoon “Rugrats”. America fell in love with these babies and the way they talked. They cheered the brave Chucky and booed the mean Angelica in many adventures. Much like Doug, the babies had active imaginations and visualized things like the backyard as their own beach or ocean. This show was so successful that it spawned three movies and a spin off show titled “All Grown Up.
Angry Beavers: Not as popular as the rest, Angry Beavers followed the lives of two beavers who lived in a dam that was better than most homes. This was a hyper-active show that got a little crazy at some times but it had great comedy at its core. This show started the transition from classics like Doug and the Rugrats to newer shows like Jimmy Neutron and SpongeBob.
As technology and storytelling changes, so will the Nicktoons, but these five shows will remain in television history forever.
