Any 90s kid can go on a never-ending rant on how the cartoons they got to watch were the GOAT! From the quirky characters to even quirkier storylines, let’s relive all the amazing shows we used to watch as kids.
So here are the top 15 Cartoon network shows from the 2000s that we all loved!
1. Teen Titans (2003-2006)
Created by Glen Murakami, this fantastic animated show follows the adventures of the pre-justice league, a teenage, crime-fighting team in Jump City. The Titans all live in a big T-shaped building outside of Jump city, which is where most of the action takes place. The team consists of Robin, their leader, and Batman’s sidekick; Cyborg, a half-human, half-robot, technical whiz; Starfire, a quirky alien princess from the planet Tamaran, who is still learning the ways of this planet; Raven, the daughter of an ancient, all-powerful demon God, Trigon, from the parallel world of Azarath, and finally, Beast Boy, a goofy adolescent boy with the ability to shape-shift into any animal.
2. Samurai Jack (2001-2004)
Created by Russian-American animator, Genndy Tartakovsky, this one-of-a-kind cartoon show followed ‘Jack’, a trained Samurai, and his fight against the universally evil being known as Aku. Jack, who is transported to the future with nothing but his essential belongings, has to travel back in time and beat Aku before he can take over the world and create the horror that exists in the future.
For many of us, Samurai Jack was our first interaction with real-world concepts of a dystopian future and ideas of loss and redemption. Samurai Jack went on to become a critically acclaimed series and even won 8 Emmy awards. It also particularly struck a chord with our generation, and was hence, revived for a final season of Adult Swim’s Toonami Block in March 2017.
3. The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy (2003-2008)
Created by Maxwell Atoms, for Cartoon Network, the show follows the adventures of two best friends, Billy and Mandy, who gain the eternal friendship and servitude of the Grim Reaper himself. This show taught us to love the highly cynical Mandy who, no matter what, always had her silly, happy-go-lucky friend, Billy’s best interests at heart; and above all, the supernatural Grim, with his Jamaican accent, dishing out advice and help at all times was the fire that kept this show going.
4. Adventure Time (2007-2018)
The show followed the adventures of Finn the Human and his best friend and adoptive brother, Jake the Dog, who is also a shapeshifter! Magical powers and strange lands encounter them as they traverse through the post-apocalyptic and wondrous Land of Ooo. Making magical friends along the way, such as Marceline the Vampire Queen, the Lumpy Space Princess, BMO (a gaming console-shaped robot), and Jake’s love interest, Princess Bubblegum. This show challenged the limits of our imagination as growing children and will forever continue to do so!
5. Steven Universe (2013-present)
Created by Rebecca Sugar, it is the first animated show on Cartoon Network to be created solely by a woman. The storyline is one of the great intergalactic adventures and discovering new civilizations and customs that exist throughout the galaxy. The young Steven, who is half of an ancient, dangerous alien race, helps his friends protect their world from their kind. More than anything, this space-age comic is highly evocative of the spirit of imagination and exploration of the current generation.
6. Ed, Edd n Eddy (1999-2009)
Created by Danny Antonucci, the show follows the lives of three preteen boys, all named different variations of ”Ed,” and their extreme misadventures. Goofy and hilarious are words we associated with this show back in the day. The trio is an outcast and their schemes to pull pranks and have fun usually result in failure and humiliation. But the show never failed to bring a smile to the viewers’ faces!
7. Dexter’s Laboratory (1996-2003)
This cartoon was created by Genndy Tartakovsky (yes, you’re seeing a pattern here; yes, he was AWESOME). The genre to which this cartoon belongs is comic science fiction. It revolves around a boy named Dexter who was too intelligent in comparison to children of his age. Dexter creates a laboratory in his room and he keeps it a secret from his parents. The fun element is added to this show by his elder sister Dee Dee, who somehow or the other enters his lab and thwarts his experiments.
8. Johnny Bravo (1997-2004)
It was created by Van Partible for Cartoon network. The show features the voices of Jeff Bennett, Tom Kenny, Larry Drake, Mae Whitman, and Brenda Vaccaro. It was one of the biggest hits that cartoon network ever recorded. The protagonist of this cartoon character is a well-built young man called Johnny Bravo who is always shown wearing sunglasses.
He lives with his mother and fails in all the attempts that he makes to date women. This urge of dating and constantly failing also lands him in bizarre situations which add elements of adult humor to the show. This show was also nominated for Annie Awards and Golden Reel Awards.
9. Codename: Kids Next Door (2001-2008)
Created by Mr. Warburton, this series is full of fun, action, and adventure as the main characters here are a group of five-ten year old children who do things in a very mysterious way. They live in a high-tech treehouse and use their high-tech technology to fight villains and criminals. All of them are part of an organization called kids Next Door and have different code names such as Numbuhs 1,2,3,4 and 5.
10. Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends (2004-2009)
Created by Craig McCracken, this show is an animated series full of comedy and fantasy. It was aired on Cartoon Network on August 13, 2004. The spotlight is on a boy called Mac who is asked by his mother to leave his imaginary friend Bloo. Then they find an orphanage dedicated to imaginary friends that are abandoned. The show is based on Mac and bloo and their interactions with other imaginary friends. This is often accompanied by different adventures and it adds fun to this show.
11. Camp Lazlo (2005-2008)
Created by John Murray and was one of the first-ever Cartoon network series produced in a screen ratio of 16:9. It falls into the genre of comedy. The show revolves around an anthropomorphic spider monkey that visits a camp named Camp Kidney. Lazlo lives in the cabin called Jelly Bean with his fellow mates who are an Indian elephant called Raj and a rhinoceros called Clam. The character Lazlo is the main source of comedy and his stay in the camp results in various humorous incidents.
12. Peppa Pig (2004-present)
Directed and produced by Astley Baker Davies which is airing even now and it is kids’ most-watched show. This show follows an anthropomorphic female piglet named Peppa and her family as the prime characters. George Pig, Mumma Pig, Daddy Pig, Suzy Sheep, Candy Cat, and Miss Rabbit are some of the characters other than Peppa. Her other friends are portrayed as different animals. It has a total of seven series. The broadcasting of this show has taken place in more than 180 countries and this itself speaks for the success of this show.
13. Powerpuff Girls (1998-2005)
Created by Craig McCracken and produced by Hanna-Barbera. It was centered around three main characters called Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup. All three of them possess some superpowers though they were just kindergarten-aged girls. These girls live with their father who is a scientist himself called Professor Utonium in Townsville and they are often seen in the cartoon fighting criminals and protecting their fictional town.
14. The Adventures of Tenali Raman (2003)
Produced by Toonz Animation Studios, this animation was released specifically for Indian audiences and follows the anecdotes of the famous courtier, Tenali Raman, in the grand court of the then South Indian Maharaja – King Krishnadevaraiah. What followed were witty tales full of important life lessons and an ode to the Indian story-telling heritage.
15. Finally, an age old classic that is still popular till today – Scooby Doo
Produced by Hanna-Barbera, writers Joe Ruby and Ken Spears created the original that was aired throughout the 2000s on Cartoon Network. The ever-iconic storyline follows the ghost hunting (read: ghostbusting) adventures of a crime-solving gang of teens and their talking dog, Scooby, as they go through countless boxes of Scooby Snacks and expose criminals and sometimes even real paranormal folks through their adventures! Zoinks!
Read also – Top 15 Things To Never Say To Someone With Trauma
