Best animated television program

The series is an interesting take on free will and the old adage, "Be careful what you wish for because you might just get it. This was one of the best cartoons ever made.

Yes, it still stings one's psyche to know that none of the poor kids ever wound up making it home, but it was sure a lot of fun while it lasted. The final episode of this show was written, but never produced. It's out there. The show where they all make it back to their loving families.

But we'll never see it. Each of them is given a "class" and from there on in it was like watching The Breakfast Club fend for their lives in what the National Coalition on Television Violence claimed was the most violent show on network television. In one episode we saw Hank the Ranger's face melt off. We saw people get whipped. We saw people die. The show had jealousy and betrayal. The decisions that the kids made held certain consequences.

The villains were malicious and cruel. It dealt with the notion of being stranded in a different space-time continuum; plus years before Lost , mind you. It was truly a mature soap opera with swords and monsters.

The Huckleberry Hound Show is notable for several reasons. First is the fact that it introduced more than one animated character who would stand the test of time -- not only the distinctively voiced title character, but also the even more popular Yogi Bear and Boo Boo, who starred in their own animated segments of this series before getting a spin-off of their own. The Huckleberry Hound Show would go on to make television history as the first animated series to win an Emmy. Not to be confused with Mighty Mouse, or the music producer of the save for a single space same name, DangerMouse was a British-produced series that featured the title character, a rodent who served as a secret agent.

A play on the James Bond scenario, the show was one of the first cartoons from the U. In fact, DangerMouse continues to have a fan following in the U. Sporting an eye patch and a "DM" logo on his chest, our hero is a great man Fluent in dozens of languages, physically perfect, mentally superior, DangerMouse is accompanied by his Watson-esque hamster sidekick Ernest Penfold voiced by Terry Scott in his never-ending battle against archenemy Baron Silas Greenback and other foes.

The show was popular enough, in fact, to lead to a spin-off which is perhaps better know here in the U. A spin-off of the British cartoon DangerMouse , Count Duckula 's title character began life as a villain on that comedic spy series. The program has got the kind of premise you simply must love in a kids' show: Essentially based on the legend of the vampiric Count Dracula, Count Duckula is a fowl who was once an actual bloodsucker.

But after an ancient resurrection ritual went awry involving ketchup rather than blood , the good Count arose once again as a vegetarian vampire. So no tearing out of throats for this vamp, but rather a pursuit of fame and fortune was the purview of Count Duckula Other familiar archetypes show up throughout, such as Duckula's nemesis Doctor Von Goosewing, a Vincent Price-like narrator, and a variety of supernatural creatures, leading to much humor for fans of classic horror We're not saying that a catchy theme song guarantees admission on the list, but it sure helps.

Rescue Rangers ' opening music is catchy in that stuck-in-your-head-for-days, foot-tapping sorta way, so much so that 15 years since it went off the air, we still hear it.

Its inclusion on our Best Ever list is in some small part our way to address the special guilty pleasure we have for this show. Pals Gadget, Monterey Jack and Zipper were on hand for back-up, and then there's that damn song again.

Actually, don't. We're too busy having fun watching C and D take care of Fat Cat. Let's put aside the s cartoon hotness that was Firestar for a moment and no, we're not referring to her powers with that remark , for there was something else about this show that has kept it alive in our memories for all these years. Perhaps it was the "team-up" aspect -- the old Marvel idea of giving Spidey some superpowered pals to play with the X-Men's Iceman rounded out this team of "Spider-Friends," serving as counterpoint to Firestar's hotness abilities [we are referring to her powers this time].

The animation was predictably budget for the time, particularly when viewed in this post- Spectacular Spider-Man world of ours, but it was fun nonetheless.

The animation in He-Man and the Masters of the Universe was limited at best, but the show lives on in our childhood memories as something we had to watch every day. Just two seasons were produced, during to , but consisted of a whopping episodes suggesting the production's emphasis was on quantity, not quality. Perhaps the most notable aspect of the show was that it became the launching point for several budding TV screenwriters, including J.

The Emmy Award winning Invader Zim came from Nickelodeon with its tale of a very short alien named one guess Zim, from the planet Irk, who escapes from his exile on Foodcourtia and lands here, doing his best to wipe out, conquer, and otherwise rid the universe of planet Earth.

Thing is, Zim isn't exactly the best and brightest and certainly not the tallest of his kind, so his plans are usually undone either by Dib, an expert in the otherworldly who is one of the only people who recognizes Zim for what he is, or by Zim's own ineptitude.

The show, which has developed a cult following since its debut in , never fared well in the ratings and was cancelled after its first season. A partial second season was finally aired five years later. Some 10 more second-season episodes were never completed, however, including a two-part finale, though some bits and pieces of these segments have been leaked to fans over the years.

The brothers of the title are the dimwitted Hank and Dean Venture, who thanks to their sketchy hyper-intelligent scientist dad find themselves in all manner of adventures. Along to protect the boys from Dr. Full of pop-culture references and off-color humor, the show operates as a sort of postmodern take on the Jonny Quest s of yesteryear: The Venture Bros.

But looking at the misadventures of Hank and Dean and the rest, this take on things sort of fits, doesn't it? They, are the world's most fearsome fighting team. They, are heroes in a half-shell and they're green. And you know what? When the evil Shredder attacks, these turtle boys don't cut him no slack. Welcome to the world of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Following the adventures of four mutated turtles that were taught by a martial-arts trained rat the radical Splinter , Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, and Michelangelo keep the streets of New York safe from Shredder's Foot Clan.

As amazingly preposterous as the idea is, Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird's comic book was adapted into this fun series that hypnotized a generation into buying toys and taking kung fu lessons.

While it may not be as faithful to the source material as other TMNT cartoons, and the animation may not be to the same quality as some of the more recent adaptations, hell if any of the other series made as large of a dent on pop culture and many of the lives of us editors here at IGN as the animated program.

Plus, how could we not give the nod to the series that created Krang, the talking brain housed in a giant man suit? Forgive us if we reference yet another theme song, but it seems that the title music for so many of these shows has done much to make them permanent residents of our collective psyches.

Inspector Gadget were certainly made all the more exciting by the unforgettable "Go, Gadget, go! Throw in the far superior intellectual abilities of Gadget's "niece" Penny, the master of disguise canine Brain, and the villainous and barely glimpsed Dr.

Claw and his M. Cat, and untold hours of afternoon TV addiction were to be had. That Maxwell Smart himself, Don Adams, lent his voice to the title character -- a fact we as kids were probably not even aware of on a conscious level -- well, that was just icing on the bumbling cyborg detective cake, wasn't it?

The show's title character is a manic, out of control superhero who's the secret alter ego of geeky teenager Dexter Douglas. Freakazoid -- who would appear when Dexter would say "Freak out! He was, however, very easily distracted, and often not interested in being a superhero. Each episode Freakazoid would meet up with a ridiculous villain, such as a giant-brain-headed man called The Lobe, a blue caveman named Cave Guy with a voice like Gilligan's Island 's Thurston Howell III, a former model stuck in a jaunty pose named Arms Akimbo, and an eye-patched villain named Armando Guitierrez, voiced by the inimitable Ricardo Montalban.

This show definitely falls under the cult heading -- it actually didn't run very long, and many don't remember it all, but those who do have fond memories. The story of two human teenagers brought to an intergalactic high school, Galaxy High was developed by Chris Columbus, the Goonies and Gremlins writer who would go on to direct films like Home Alone and the first two Harry Potter s. While certainly a show of its time in terms of its low-animation quality, there was a lot of appealing aspects to this series -- it's got an engaging wish fulfillment concept going to school in outer space, with flying cars and crazy aliens everywhere!

There were also some amusingly dark moments snuck in, such as a scene in which lead character Doyle smashes a fly between his hands, only to be told that the fly was a fellow student. While there are plenty of anime programs on our list, Death Note is the most recent. Just finishing up its animated run in the U. Gaining momentum immediately, this show was an instant hit with the anime audience, due to a smart story, interesting characters, and a premise that is just odd enough to separate itself from other shows in its genre.

Propelled by its two main characters, Death Note moves from episode to episode keeping us at the edge of our seat wondering whether the ultimate detective L can in fact take down the murderous Kira the series' main character Light Yagami. With plenty of surprises, including one massive bombshell halfway through the series, we are left wondering what it will take to stop the brilliant and evil Light Yagami. A note to those who haven't seen or read the series The amazing Hanna-Barbera cheese-fest that made up most of the Super Friends run was nevertheless a wonderful thing back in the mid- to late-'70s.

So, yeah, like we said -- there was cheese. But this was not just one of the earliest filmed incarnations of the Justice League, serving to entice us with the possibility of what these characters could be like together on the screen, but as the series progressed through its many permutations over the next 13 years, more and more characters from the DC universe were introduced, not the least of which was the villainous Legion of Doom, making their first appearance here but featuring a baker's dozen of familiar comic-book baddies.

Eventually the series took on various secondary titles, as in its last two seasons with the monikers The Legendary Super Powers Show and finally The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians , where the cosmic evil dude called Darkseid showed up and things actually got kind of, well, dark story-wise even Batman's origin story was told here, which is certainly lightyears away from the content of the old Wendy and Marvin stories.

But perhaps the best part of the Super Friends cartoon was that it introduced the world to the Wonder Twins, which in turn has given us the never-ending joke about "form of a bucket of water" and "shape of a gopher"! Adult Swim had a lot of fun with the pair too with a series of shorts in Lion-O was about to use his magic sword to spy on the action-packed goings on that were happening There was no time to lose. Never had so much different source material been mashed into one show. There were aliens, mummies, beastmen, android teddy bears, demon priests, reptile phantoms, and cyborg pirates.

There were pyramids and castles mixed with spaceships and laser beams. It tackled issues of destiny, extinction, furry fetishes, and elongating phallic power swords. Plus, Lion-O gave us some of the best distressed inner monologues ever. He thought all of his pain.

Plus, Snarf was part of a race called The Snarfs. And his name was Snarf. And all the Snarfs said "snarf" over and over again. That's amazing. Plus, you know who was hot? Based on the Dark Horse comic by Everett Peck, Duckman is a hilarious and completely bizarre show about a foul-mouthed duck who's a terrible private detective and an even worse person to be around.

The only reason Duckman gets any detective work is due to his genius partner, Cornfed Pig, who talks like Joe Friday and has a plethora of hidden skills.

Voiced by Seinfeld 's George Costanza, Jason Alexander, Duckman was a lazy, self-serving sex addict -- and we wouldn't have it any other way. Belting out catch phrases like "Hommina hommina how wah," "D'wah! The Brain's elaborate schemes would never work out, but it didn't stop him from trying again and again.

The best comedic moments in the series belonged to Pinky, the master of the non sequitur. His unique responses to the Brain's weekly question, "Are you pondering what I'm pondering?

Usually starting with "I think so, Brain I mean, it's mostly girls, isn't it? There was little continuity on the show, instead focusing on gags and parodies of movies and novels. Have you met George Jetson? His boy, Elroy? Daughter Judy? Jane, his wife?! Of course you have, thanks to good old Hanna-Barbera, who first gave us the adventures of this futuristic nuclear family all the way back in -- on primetime no less.

Animation during evening viewing times just didn't happen back in the day, until fellow HB series The Flintstones arrived in and started a mini revolution. Several other cartoons followed, but The Jetsons , along with its Stone Age brother, proved to be the most enduring of these primetime shows The future-world depicted in the show was all gee-whiz airships and robots and, uh, treadmills, and the overall feel of The Jetsons ' setting proved to be incredibly persuasive considering that the show originally ran for just one season of 24 episodes.

Another 50 or so episodes would follow in the far-off future of the mid s, as did TV movies and theatrical films. A live-action film is rumored to be in the works. However, the iconic studio went outside their usual style in a big way with Gargoyles.

Far darker, stylized and serialized than the other Disney series, not to mention almost any other animated series of the era, Gargoyles featured mature characters, and references to Scottish history and Shakespeare, while telling an engaging story about the title characters -- centuries old Gargoyles secretly living amongst humans in modern day Manhattan, who turn to stone during the day.

The creator of the series, Greg Weisman now the man behind The Spectacular Spider-Man , told a layered and intriguing story, refusing to write down to his audience. A decent success at the time, Gargoyles has maintained a strong cult following since it ended more than a decade ago, and the story has continued in comic book form. Known as Gatchaman amongst anime aficionados, Battle of the Planets holds a special nostalgic place in the hearts and minds of the and-older club.

The original Japanese show had tons of violence and somewhat-mature themes, but the version that appeared on U. Despite that, the show still had real plot, interesting characters, and grand space battles. Five young people collectively known as G-Force comprised the main cast of the show. Their job: protect our galaxy from the evil planet Spectra.

To do this, they used their special technologically enhanced and absolutely fabulous outfits and a host of impressive vehicles. Their main ship was the Phoenix , which as its name implies, could transform into a fiery bird that would proceed to totally demolish anything its path, thus inspiring many childhood pyrotechnic accidents. Thirty years later, this anime still has a huge following and a flood of merchandisers seeking to cash in on the nostalgia.

This year, Imagi Animation Studios will release a new CG animation feature length movie based on the original Gatchaman series. Created by Genndy Tartakovsky Dexter's Laboratory , Samurai Jack is a fun, action-heavy animated series that appeals to kids and adults alike. The show's simple and colorful art style lends itself well to the cinematic scope and frenetic action sequences that fill each episode.

Influenced by spaghetti westerns, Star Wars , Conan , and Seven Samurai , Samurai Jack tells the story of a boy who was sent to train with the best fighters in the world in an attempt to defeat the evil Aku. When Jack finally faces Aku, he's thrown far into a bizarre future, and must fight his way back to take on Aku, battling others and having adventures along the way.

The show's unique style and humor make the most out of the animation format, producing elaborate action sequences and bizarre situations that would be impossible to do in a live action film. Over its four-season run, Samurai Jack won four Emmys and was nominated for two more.

How many of the shows on this list can boast an Emmy nomination, let alone five nominations? The Powerpuff Girls is an Emmy winning animated program about three little kindergarten girls with superpowers who were created by Professor Utonium using sugar, spice and everything nice. Like all great children's shows, Powerpuff Girls was geared towards a younger audience, but it excelled at its animation, humor and storytelling style so well that despite the target audience, adults were able to get in on the fun as well.

While the Powerpuff Girls themselves were the main characters, it was the supporting characters which made this show classic. Parodying properties like Batman, Spider-Man, Power Rangers and many more, the rogues gallery for the girls was always worth a laugh as they poked fun at the superhero genre. Our personal favorite baddy is the brilliant and maniacal monkey Mojo Jojo, whose creation is enough reason alone for this fun series to show up on this list.

The Looney Tunes characters hadn't been used for much original content in quite some time, but this series not only brought them back, it also kicked off a slew of successful new Warner Bros.

Tiny Toon Adventures took a clever, post-modern approach to the Looney Tunes characters, re-introducing Bugs, Daffy, Porky and the gang as instructors at Acme Looniversity, where they teach the next generation of Looney Tunes things like how to take an anvil to the head like a pro. Pig -- though perhaps the most inspired creations were the antagonists, Montana Max and the blissfully dense and dangerous Elmyra Duff, who was known to squeeze pets to death While nothing could recapture the perfection of the original Looney Tunes shorts, Tiny Toon Adventures was a worthy homage to those shorts, made up of funny and creative episodes that included moments of subtle and smart humor for older viewers.

After all, the idea of re-imagining Batman as a teenager living in a techno-filled future sounded like some kind of test-marketed nightmare, and not a proper continuation of the legacy of the Dark Knight.

As it turned out though, Batman Beyond -- which included many alumni of Batman: The Animated Series among its producers -- was a worthy follow-up, and another cool piece of the evolution of the DC animated universe. Lead character Terry McGinnis was no Bruce Wayne, but he wasn't meant to be, and he still made for a brave and heroic Batman. And an integral part of the show was the inclusion of an elderly Bruce Wayne still voiced by The Animated Series ' Kevin Conroy , who gave Terry guidance while trying to move beyond what were clearly some bitter tragedies -- tragedies that would eventually be illuminated in the great direct-to-DVD movie Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker.

We could watch Aqua Teen Hunger Force forever. It wasn't as much of a completely out-and-out crazy woo-woo show as Sealab since Aqua Teen made attempts to have plots every so often and had more discernable characters, but what it lacked in randomness it made up for in joyful gore and engrossing cruelty. Master Shake, with his lovably shrill voice provided by Dana Snyder, has to be one of the funniest, dimwitted a-holes ever created. Just watching him float about in a frenzy of selfish madness almost made life worth living.

And let's not forget the neighbor Carl, gruffly voiced by co-director Matt Willis. The poor Foreigner-loving slob lived next door to three giant pieces of fast food and routinely found himself getting mutilated.

There was an attempt, right at the beginning of the series, to have Meatwad, Frylock and Master Shake act as crime-solving private detectives, but that got scrapped pretty quickly. In fact, you can almost physically feel the moment when the last strand of sanity snapped and they decided to just let the whole show fly into beautiful oblivion.

It's the Japanese version of Harry Potter, based on an old favorite: ninjas. You can't go wrong with ninjas. Make a good story with ninjas, and you can practically reserve your plot in mansion land. Manga creator Masashi Kishimoto cashed in big with Naruto , which has become a full-fledged, worldwide phenomenon. The vast numbers of hardcore fans of the show know its ever-increasing mythology and terminology better than they know some of their school subjects, and any anime convention these days is sure to be dominated by Naruto cosplayers.

Hosted by everybody's favorite undead superhero Space Ghost, Coast to Coast was a spoof talk show that borrowed characters and animation directly from Hanna-Barbera's campy '60s cartoon Space Ghost and Dino Boy.

But that was the real comedy of the series: creating situations that were so absurd that when you finally understood the joke you couldn't stop laughing. Continuing the amazing run of Warner Bros.

Sorry, Smallville fans, but there's no competition here! Featuring the voice of Tim Daly as the title character, the show mixed elements of both the post-Crisis version of Superman with older, more classic aspects. As with all of the series that spun-off from Batman: TAS , the focus was on presenting a more "realistic" version of the DC universe. As such, this led to some rather serious storylines for the Kryptonian at times, as with the fantastic series finale Legacy which saw Supes getting brainwashed by galactic boogeyman Darkseid into attacking Earth!

This is a storyline that would eventually play into the follow-up series, Justice League , which we'll be getting to a bit later on this list Though short-lived, Avatar: The Last Airbender garnered a lot of attention with its crisp animation and carefully crafted fantasy world based on Eastern culture.

It was different in many ways who would've guessed a year-old bald kid could be popular? Fans of true Japanese anime think Avatar is a cheap American knockoff, and there's no denying that the show borrowed heavily from anime. In an industry often dominated by Asian imports, Avatar found a way to emulate the best features of Japanese animation while keeping some unique elements of western cartoons, and that formula made it the top rated animated show in its demographic. It's so popular with the kids that the King's Island theme parks cashed in on the fun with an Avatar -themed thrill ride.

The Avatar phenomenon is sure to grow even more with the upcoming release of three live-action movies directed and written by M. Night Shyamalan. Talk about a vast and expansive sci-fi franchise. Three different, and unrelated, anime series were combined to create the world of Robotech. The technology aboard an alien ship that crashed to Earth is used to help the human race develop robots that are used to fight off alien invaders.

That was the basic premise. But due to the fact that the three cartoons were separated in their characters and themes, three different generational "wars" were created to explain the new heroes and adversaries.

There is way too much to get into here regarding the entire saga of Robotech and the movies and such, but just know that it was one of the first pieces of anime to come over to America with a ton of its violence and sex left intact. It was pretty mature stuff when compared to the hijinx of The Smurfs to say the least. Most of the earlier anime that we got, like Astro Boy and Speed Racer , were softened for American audiences and had a lot of the more mature themes and scenes removed, but Robotech had a bunch of that stuff left in.

Anime purists might like to trash Robotech as a patchwork Franken-show that crapped all over the original separate stories to create one big unintended masterwork, but for us it changed the way we looked at cartoons and raised the bar for storylines and violence.

Plus, we probably wouldn't have been able to follow the original shows anyway. Not a TV show as much as an ongoing series of shorts that made the Saturday morning circuit for almost 30 years, Schoolhouse Rock! While new episodes weren't particularly the norm throughout that long period, the series' lessons about history and English and science and all that other good stuff were more than worthy of the many repeat airings they were given, especially as they were couched in the fun and instantly appealing for kids and adults world of music.

The catchy ditty "Conjunction Junction," the conservationist-minded "The Energy Blues," and of course the how-it-works classic "I'm Just a Bill" are just a few of the classics from this series, though a quick search on YouTube reveals a ton of more Schoolhouse rock-outs that have been laying dormant in our minds for decades now, just waiting to burst out in song and teach us an enjoyable lesson once again.

We certainly agree that MTV is a pale imitation of its former self, and that its glut of television series doesn't reflect the "music" part of their name at all.

But there was a time when the shows MTV offered were actually pretty clever and interesting, and Liquid Television was among the best of the bunch. A combination of material created expressly for the show and older material now getting the chance to be seen by a broad audience, Liquid Television offered offbeat and creative animated shorts that ran the gamut from silly and amusing to truly surreal and trippy.

The show served as the launching pad for some very notable franchises too -- it was here that Mike Judge's short, "Frog Baseball," about two giggling morons playing a rather violent sport, gained the popularity to spin-off the soon to be huge Beavis and Butt-head.

Then there was the ultra-cool Aeon Flux segments, about the silent but deadly though always doomed to die herself assassin, which were actually stronger than the full-length Aeon Flux series that followed it. First introduced via an imaginary sequence in The Muppets Take Manhattan , the cute and fuzzy Muppet Babies proved so popular that an animated spin-off was quickly launched.

Focusing on baby versions of Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy and their friends, episodes revolved around the vivid imaginations of the characters, which allowed them to have globetrotting, otherworldly adventures without ever leaving their nursery.

Obviously aimed at a very young audience, this was a legitimately charming series that involved some clever ideas, such as having every visual be from the perspective of the children, meaning objects above them loomed in the distance -- and of course the face of their beloved nanny was never seen.

For kids growing up in the s, the show was also exciting because it included clips from many popular films of the era, such as Star Wars and Indiana Jones , which would be crudely but effectively incorporated into the Muppet Babies' fantasies, allowing them to take part in an X-Wing flight or run from a giant boulder. It's rumored that some rights issues with these numerous clips may be a factor in releasing Muppet Babies on DVD -- hopefully, if that is the case, the situation can be eventually resolved.

You'll find other Spider-Man series on this list, as the iconic comic book character has been brought to life via animation several times since he was created in the s. But it's the most recent series that we're giving the highest slot to, as it has quickly established itself as the definitive animated version of Spider-Man.

Gargoyles creator Greg Weisman clearly has great affection for Peter Parker, and culls from not only the original comic books but also the recent Ultimate Spider-Man title and the popular Sam Raimi film series for inspiration. But rather than coming off as a rehash, there is energy, humor and pathos in this series that make these stories feel as fresh as ever. Beginning with Peter Parker still in high school, the first season did a wonderful job establishing Spider-Man's world, and his relationships with characters like Gwen Stacy, Norman and Harry Osborn and Mary Jane Watson, while offering pitch perfect incarnations of allies and foes like Black Cat and Doctor Octopus.

Considering how strong Season 1 was, we're very excited to see where this show goes next. This classic show about exotic supercar races was the first taste of anime for many American viewers. It featured the best car in all of anime, the Mach 5. Speed Racer 's mass-market success helped set the stage for the influx of anime we see in today's media, mainly because the American adaptation of the show was surprisingly good for the time.

The new English theme song was a bit reminiscent of old radio jingles, and millions of Americans can recognize the tune in just a few notes. The title change from "Mach GoGoGo" to "Speed Racer" was probably one of the best marketing moves in animation history, and the often-parodied, fast-paced, sometimes-awkward English dub added a strange kind of charm to the show.

In retrospect, the show comes off as campy and low-budget, but back in the '60s and '70s it was the new hotness, and its legend grew even more with syndication. Attempts to remake and modernize the series have pretty much ended in disaster, but the original still remains a nostalgic favorite with fans across the world. Co-created by Loren Bouchard Dr. Puff can attest to, SpongeBob is not the best boat driver.

Ages 6 and up. There are lots of adventures to be had in this Disney Channel series as Phineas conjures up new hijinks to pursue and brainiac Ferb devises gadgets to make their ideas come to life. Meanwhile, undercover Perry the platypus is busy trying to keep Dr. Doofenshmirtz from carrying out his evil plans.

Cowabunga, dudes! Your favorite heroes in a half-shell have taken various forms throughout the years, becoming live-action movies, a CGI-animated series and, most recently, an anime-inspired cartoon with Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

In this kids' cartoon, viewers journey alongside AJ and his bright-red truck, Blaze, as they race cars and help other automobiles with their issues. Of course, fans will have to prepare themselves for the duo to go head-to-head with their rival, Crusher.

Stream on Sling. This interactive show puts kids in charge right alongside Dora. While our beloved protagonist completes her missions and dodges run-ins with Swiper the fox, kiddies are asked to shout and sing along with her and Boots until the job is done. Ready the marmalade: Our favorite bear is starting off the new decade with an animated series on Nickelodeon.

Voiced by Ben Whishaw, who also plays Paddington in the rather brilliant film series, fans can expect to go on adventures alongside a slightly younger Paddington, who begins and ends each episode by writing letters to his beloved Aunt Lucy. Watch on Nick Jr. Ages 5 and up. This adorable show features the Guppies, a group of preschool merpeople, who navigate an underwater universe. Each episode involves the guppies work through various issues with help from their school teacher, Mr.

Channeling inspiration from the popular seek-and-find '90s books, Where's Waldo follows a young boy in a red and white-striped shirt who is always on adventure.

With his pal Wenda by his side, Waldo is always game to take on any challenge the international wizard society sends his way. However, the magical, mystical and wicked Odlulu is out to wreak havoc, which certainly keeps these kids on their toes.

Watch on Peacock. Fitting in is never easy, especially when you're a vampire who's made her way from Transylvania to Pennsylvania with her supernatural family. Talk about a twist on the coming-of-age trope! Will little Vampirina Vee for short be able to fit in with the mortals in her new nabe?

This minute show gives little ones a taste of the world around them. Two brothers and vigilantes, Chris and Martin Kratt, work together to protect animals who are in danger of malicious villains or problems within their habitat. While fun and exciting, the program is also educational—kids get a lesson in zoology and ecology by watching each episode.

Stream on PBS Kids. Classic Disney characters like Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Goofy get an upgrade in this bright, computer-animated series. In each episode, young viewers are presented with a challenge, requiring basic problem-solving and sometimes math skills to complete. The upbeat theme and ending songs performed by They Might Be Giants! Twilight Sparkle and her magical pony BFFs are schooled on what it takes to be the ultimate friend in a series that adds a bit of whimsy and color to your TV time.

Stream on Netflix. Dottie's dream is to follow in her mother's footsteps and become a doctor. The little lady is already bracing herself for the medical field by caring for her stuffed animals. But, with the help of a magical stethoscope, her beloved toys come to life! Expect to pick up a few tips and tricks for healthy living along the way. Introduce youngsters to Mister Rogers, the cardigan-clad grandfather figure we all know and love.

The minute episodes on PBS Kids feature puppets, characters and music, plus take kids on tours of factories, show them experiment demos, offer craft ideas and more—all with Mister Rogers speaking directly to them.

As Arthur faces challenges such as school bullies and piles of homework he learns to overcome his problems with the help of his family and friends. Stream the first season on Netflix. The feisty Disney princess Rapunzel leaps her way onto the television screen with her very own animated series.

The golden-haired heroine sets off with her friends in a quest to learn more about who she is and what she can face before truly becoming Princess of Corona. Rapunzel is such a great role model and shows little girls that they can tackle obstacles just as well as any other prince.

Taking a page from Mister Rogers' book, Daniel Tiger puts on his cute little red sweater and beckons kiddos to embark on his adventures in the Neighbour hood of Make-Believe.

Together, they solve math problems and overcome obstacles. Steve might have left the picture long ago and replaced with his brother Joe, but Blue the adorable pup is just as curious and playful as ever.

Kids will have to chime in with their responses to help Joe figure out what Blue wants to do based on the clues. Blue is definitely a longtime Nick Jr. This show is also one of the most depressing things I've ever seen because you get so invested in these charters and you want to see them succeed, and thats the sign of a brilliant show.

Two brothers search for a Philosopher's Stone after an attempt to revive their deceased mother goes awry and leaves them in damaged physical forms. A team of mutant superheroes fight for justice and human acceptance in the Marvel Comics universe. Votes: 40, Classic 90s comic cartoon.

Much like Justice League and Batman, X-men depicted the popular story arcs from the comics and introduced the characters to a younger audience. In a future where humans are infected by untested, microscopic robots, a young man with the ability to control the bots helps a government agency control the tech's vicious creations. Votes: 4, The most underrated show on Cartoon Network in my opinion and ended way to soon.

Generator Rex had an interesting concept, a mystery that keeps the audience guessing, and a serious edge to the show. This show had wonderful characters each incredibly different, with their own quirks and flaws. And had mature issues such as racism, prejudice, sexual tensions, and the betrayal and loss of loved ones.

We see a world on the brink of extinction and see people fighting to save it in their own way. And it's told in such a way that makes the characters feel more real, more solid. There's a depth to them that's hard to find. To me this is a gem of a show. TV 30 min Animation, Comedy, Drama. A smart and cynical girl goes through teenage life as a proud outsider in a world of mainly idiotic adolescents and condescending adults.

Votes: 24, The show that spoke to a generation of teens, and even todays to an extant, that showed it's alright to be an outcast and anti-social. Daria's view of society and her friendship with Jane made this show great, and still is what High Schools like today.

The epic and over-the-top adventures of Dethklok, the world's most successful death metal band. Pretty much gory, bloody, dark junkfood for the mind. TV 24 min Animation, Crime, Drama. An intelligent high school student goes on a secret crusade to eliminate criminals from the world after discovering a notebook capable of killing anyone whose name is written into it.

Another dark anime that got my attention. This story is about the dangers of ultimate power and that no one person should posses it all. For if it was to fall into the wrong hands, what could we do to stop them? In a war-torn world of elemental magic, a young boy reawakens to undertake a dangerous mystic quest to fulfill his destiny as the Avatar, and bring peace to the world.

The everyday life of Arnold, a fourth-grader in a nameless city that resembles Brooklyn, New York, who lives in a multi-racial boarding house with his grandparents and a motley assortment of friends and neighbors. Votes: 32, TV 22 min Animation, Adventure, Comedy. Philip J. Fry, a pizza delivery boy, is accidentally frozen in and thawed out on New Year's Eve The ill-tempered Grim Reaper gets into a wager that forces him to become the life-long companions of two scheming youngsters after he loses.

Adventures of two boys, Riley and Huey Freeman, who undergo a culture clash when they move from Chicago to the suburbs to live with their grandfather. Votes: 29, Votes: 36, A teenage boy finds himself recruited as a member of an elite team of pilots by his father.

Votes: 61, Pop culture references fly thick and fast as stop-motion animation is featured in sketches lampooning everything from television movies to comic books. Votes: 41, A clan of heroic night creatures pledge to protect modern New York City as they did in Scotland one thousand years earlier.