EWB Lists: Favourite Children's Shows

[Berober]

I'm bored, so yeah. You know the drill, pick 10 and rank 'em.

Now, what defines a children's show? The main rule of thumb is it is not the same as a family show. this means, as an example, no Simpsons. That is unquestionably a family show, rather than a kids show.

Any disputes and I'll have the final say.

Go.

[probablyoliver]

1. Sesame Street

2. Adventure Time

3. Wonder Showzen

The rest matters not.

[OctoberRaven]

1. Pinky And The Brain

-Do I really have to explain this one?

2. Animaniacs

-For being the genesis of PATB, also United States Canada Mexico Panama

3. Batman: The Animated Series

-Again, do I have to explain this?

4. The first Pokemon series

-Not the first anime I ever saw, but the first for-kids anime that I actually enjoyed (though the only other one I saw was Dragon Ball Z which was incredibly boring to me and still is)

5. WMAC Masters

-They had a fight on the goddamn Earthquake ride. Plus: Ninjas. Also plus: BAM!

6. Rocko's Modern Life

-Turn the page, wash your hands. Turn the page, wash your hands.

7. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 90s

-Because it was awesome.

8. Legends of the Hidden Temple

-I had nightmares about the Haunted Forest.

9. Biker Mice From Mars

-Yeah, it was just basically TMNT with motorcycles, so what. Still fun as shit.

10. King Arthur and the Knights of Justice

-Entirely for the completely bitchin' theme music.

Honorable Mentions: X-Men 90s (Mostly for motherfuckin Gambit), Spider-Man 90s, Weinerville, and Nick Arcade (though in retrospect, those kids were terrrrrrrrible at video games).

[gunnar hendershow]

1. Pokemon

I would make sure to watch the show every morning before going into school. Great fun, as were the games and obsession that came with it.

2. Thundercats

One of the first shows I was really captivated by. Gets extra points because I still really like to watch it.

3. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers

I was the perfect age group for this show. It was so awesome, everything up to the movies. The series is still going on in a new incarnation, and I hope it excites kids today close to as much as it excited me.

4. Legends of the Hidden Temple

I thought this whole show as fascinating, in retrospect the kids weren't very bright when it came down to it, but it was just a great environment for a kids' game show.

5. Voltron

More or less the same deal as Thundercats.

6. Batman: TAS

I was a pretty big fan of this show as a kid, but it wasn't really on my radar unless I happened to turn the channel to it. However, going back years later, this show was incredibly well done.

7. Rocko's Modern Life

My favorite of the Nicktoons, it was a show my brother

8. X-Men (90's)

Awesome opening theme had me hooked right away. It really got better from that though, like Batman: TAS it's a show I've gained appreciation for as I've gotten older.

9. Dragon Ball Z

CHA-LA-HEAD-CHA-LA! Yeah so I didn't know what that was when I was young, and I've gained an appreciation for the franchise as I got more into anime. However, when I was younger and the edited Englsh-language edition of the show was on Toonami I had to tune in. I feel like I got a bit shafted in retrospect, but one day I'll go back and watch the original Japanese version in full.

10. Animaniacs

I had a lot of shows I wanted to put in at 10, but I think this was truly the best comedy of all of them.

[Sousa]

Now, what defines a children's show? The main rule of thumb is it is not the same as a family show. this means, as an example, no Simpsons. That is unquestionably a family show, rather than a kids show.

This is an extremely flimsy criterion and I don't understand it at all, basically.

[Ron]

1. Ducktales

2. Hey Dude

3. Salute Your Shorts

4. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

5. Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers

6. Muppet Babies

7. Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego

8. Doug (Original Nickelodeon Doug)

9. Tiny Toon Adventures

10. Wild and Crazy Kids

Honorable Mention - Nick Arcade, KaBlam!, GUTS, Garfield and Friends, Captain Planet, Darkwing Duck, Legends of the Hidden Temple, Double Dare, Rugrats and tons more.

[Redefine Sick]

1) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1980s-1990s version)

2) Nick Arcade.

3) POKEMON!

4) Super Mario Bros. Super Show.

5) Batman: The Animated Series.

6) Men In Black: The Animated Series.

7) Legends Of The Hidden Temple.

8) Double Dare.

9) Wild And Crazy Kids.

10) Muppet Babies.

I hate you for making me pick favorites. There's so many other things that could be on this list.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Sesame Street, Spongebob, Phineas & Ferb (I don't care that I didn't watch it as a kid, it's great), X-Men, The Amazing Spiderman, Street Sharks, Time Squad, Courage The Cowardly Dog, Hey Arnold, Ed Edd & Eddy.

[Colly]

Now, what defines a children's show? The main rule of thumb is it is not the same as a family show. this means, as an example, no Simpsons. That is unquestionably a family show, rather than a kids show.

This is an extremely flimsy criterion and I don't understand it at all, basically.

Agreed. Where does Spongebob fall on the kids/family ethical wall?

Also, mine is the same as Hammys when it appears.

[I Don't Mind]

1) Spider-Man The 90's Animated Series

2) The Muppets

3) Rocko's Modern Life

4) Pokemon

5) Mighty Morphin Power Rangers

6) Dragon Ball Z

7) Tiny Toon Adventures

8) Captain Planet

9) Spongebob

10)Nick Arcade

[Meacon Keaton]

1. The Real Ghostbusters

2. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (original show)

3. The Muppets

4. Hey Arnold

5. Salute Your Shorts

6. Recess

7. Doug

8. Are You Afraid of the Dark?

9. Ducktales

10. Double Dare

I have so many more, and numbering them was a lot harder than I imagined.

[fr34k]

Uhm, yeah no idea what shows you're going to allow but here it goes:

1. Batman: The Animated Series

2. Avatar: The Last Airbender

3. Rocko's Modern Life

4. Recess

5. Doug

6. Hey Arnold

7. X-Men: The Animated Series

8. Tiny Toon Adventures

9. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

10. Pinky and the Brain

[supergrass]

I don't know what all of the official versions are, so I've made them links to the wikipedia pages. And if any of these are family and not children's shows, then I'm not sure I follow...

1. ThunderCats

I remember having the Exodus video - amongst many others - which was on daily repeat. It had a black case, did the origin story and felt really long to me as a kid, much longer than other cartoons. It's what the 5 or 6 year old me thought an epic was. It probably still is.

2. Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles

The other longstanding favourite of mine in my youth, I'm told my parents were the type who would queue outside toyshops to get me the set of all 4 turtles for Christmas - or I was annoying enough to force them.

3. Kenan & Kel

As much as I liked this one, it goes higher because during a family holiday to Florida I saw an episode being filmed in which Kenan teaches Kel to drive. Or the other way around, I forget. We weren't in the audience, but there was a walk-way above them where we could see it for a while. Kel dropped the screw in the tuna etc.

4. M.A.S.K.

Same with the Turtles, I loved the show but this was as much about the toys. I had some of the cars and Matt Trakker's truck, but mostly I just made the cast of MASK wrestle or play football. Another with a good theme song, which was clearly very important to me.

5. Doug

While sat indoors all weekend watching Nickelodeon I would be hoping for Kenan & Kel or Doug to be up next.

6. Ghostbusters

I don't recall ever seeing this on TV, but I had a couple of VHSs that I watched over and over.

7. Clarissa Explains It All

Introspective, self-obsessed young person, a bit like Doug really - seemed to draw me in. I watched as much Sabrina, but didn't want to include both. This was slightly more favoured.

8. Inspector Gadget

I used to watch a lot of this with my brother. I just found out from my French wife they had it in France too, we were comparing what the go-go gadgets things were called in our respective languages.

9. Hey Arnold

Another kind of do-good mopey introvert, the template for good TV, even for kids.

10. The Hurricanes

It was rubbish, I knew that. But it was a cartoon about football. Football!

Others worth a mention: Finders Keepers and Art Attack for Neil Buchanan goodness. Fun House for the mullet. I had a Top Cat video that I absolutely wore out, but I just don't like it now and don't see what I ever saw in that. I liked the Spiderman, X-Men and Batman series, but I rarely got to see them and they weren't as idolised as those above.

I should've found a place for Art Attack. And I hated Sister Sister to begin with but sat through so many double bills on Nickelodeon and think I secretly liked it.

[Azazel]

1. Ducktales

2. GI Joe

3. The Bug's Bunny and Tweety Show

4. Chip and Dale Rescue Rangers

5. Gummy Bears

6. Wacky Races

7. The Flintstones

8. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

9. Pokemon

10. The Muppets

[ruderrocket]

1. Dragon Ball (keep in mind, not Dragonball Z)

2. Rugrats

3. Adventures of Pete and Pete

4. Hey Arnold!

5. Johnny Bravo

6. Teen Titans

7. Powerpuff Girls

8. Samurai Jack

9. Justice League

10. Boy Meets World

[I_Like_EWR]

1. Sesame Street

2. Spongebob

3. Suite Life of Zack and Cody

4. Fairly Odd Parents

5. Justice League

6. Phineas and Ferb

7. Recess

8. The Weekenders

9. That's So Raven

10. Wizards of Waverly Place

Edited August 7, 2012 by I_Like_EWR

[Berober]

Now, what defines a children's show? The main rule of thumb is it is not the same as a family show. this means, as an example, no Simpsons. That is unquestionably a family show, rather than a kids show.

This is an extremely flimsy criterion and I don't understand it at all, basically.

This is me just being a bit dumb explaining it last night. I was trying to make the point that it's more to do with shows whose primary demographic is the sort of 5-11 range that a kids show fits into.

[Josh]

Hell, why not.

1. Sesame Street

2. Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood

3. Yo Gabba Gabba

4. The Tick

5. Reading Rainbow

6. Muppet Babies

7. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

8. He-Man and the Masters of the Universe

9. Chip n' Dale's Rescue Rangers

10. TaleSpin

[Ruki]

1. My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic

2. Avatar: The Last Airbender

3. Weekenders

4. Recess

5. Animaniacs

6. X-Men

7. Batman: The Animated Series

8. Fairly Odd Parents

9. Rocko's Modern Life

10. Tiny Toons

[HC]

1. Batman: TAS

2. Dragonball Z

3. Pokemon

4. Darkwing Duck

5. Scooby Doo Where Are You?

6. Ed, Ed, n' Eddy

7. Dexter's Laboratory

8. Courage the Cowardly Dog

9. Yu-Gi-Oh

10. Johnny Bravo

[Skummy]

1. The Clangers

2. Fairly Odd Parents

3. Animals Of Farthing Wood

4. Animaniacs

5. Noah's Island

6. Art Attack

7. Duck Tales

8. Transformers (1984 - 1987 series)

9. Mysterious Cities Of Gold

10. Deadly 60

I've thrown Deadly 60 on there because it's on CBBC. It's one of my favourite TV shows at the moment. But in terms of actual fantastic kids' shows, all the rest are definitely up there, and I could probably find room for plenty more.