So I know you’ve heard someone complaining (or been the one complaining) that cartoons just aren’t as good as they used to be, right?! It’s so true! Well, I wanted to see if my kids agreed with this, or if they think our cartoons sucked.
My husband and I compiled a list of our favorite childhood cartoons and decided to watch them with our kids to see if they would enjoy them as much as we did.
There is an 11 year age difference between my husband and I but, surprisingly, we had a few of the same favorites!!
*Disclaimer: None of the cartoon images used in this post are my own. I have linked every picture to the original source and also included the source in the caption area, just to be safe. The graphics are mine, however.*
Cartoons From the Past to Watch With Your Kids
Tom and Jerry
This was my absolute FAVORITE when I was a kid. My brother and I watched it all the time and it never got old. My littles loved it, too. Josie said, “I don’t like the cat, I only like the mouse” and laughed her butt off watching. Sylas said it was a good choice and that, “I liked when the ants carried the mouse Jerry and I also liked the one where the cat Tom was trying to use Jerry to catch a fish like he is a worm”. We found episodes of Tom and Jerry on YouTube.
Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner
When we watched it with Sylas and Josie, Sylas laughed the entire time. Not just a giggle, a big ol’ belly laugh. He said his favorite part was when “the punching bag hits him – it’s the silliest thing”. He was talking about when the boxing glove comes back and hits him. We found this on YouTube, too.
Garfield
This one is a favorite in our house. All the kids think Garfield and Odie are so funny and laugh throughout the whole show, even the big kids.
Bugs Bunny ft. Elmer Fudd
I think my husband may have enjoyed this one more than the kids, but the kids did still enjoy it. There was a part when bugs bunny kissed Elmer Fudd and Sylas shouted out, “he kissed him!!!” and laughed so hard. Josie thought it was hilarious every time Elmer Fudd would look for Bugs Bunny when Bugs Bunny was right behind him the whole time. She kept yelling at Elmer, “there he is!”. It was pretty adorable.
Rocket Power
Okay so I know this one is a newer one, but it’s still old and my kids had never seen it or heard of it. Peyton and Sylas LOVED it and have been doing the little handshake ever since. Rocket Power was THE BEST and in my late elementary years, I tried to watch it whenever it was on.
Scooby Doo
I feel like Scooby Doo is still kind of popular, but definitely not as well-known as when I was a kid. Plus, it’s just different now (what isn’t, right?). My kids are familiar with the “new” Scooby Doo, but I wanted to find an old episode that aired in the early/mid-90’s. We went to YouTube to watch some of the old episodes and my kids really enjoyed them, but I’m not sure if it was any more or any less than the new cartoon. I prefer the old ones best, though, so that’s what we’ll stick with since they didn’t seem to have a preference.
The Tasmanian Devil
Taz was fun right from the beginning. Josie jumped up and started dancing to the theme song, so I knew it was going to be a good one. Sylas was pretty mesmerized… I don’t think he looked away from the screen the entire time. Since we watched it, he has been spinning around the house Taz style. It’s kind of fun, also a little obnoxious.
Arthur
I have Arthur books from when I was little and my kids really like them so they were already familiar with Arthur. They had never watched the TV show before, though. Sylas fell in love with it and keeps asking to watch it, which is completely okay with me.
Rugrats
Who didn’t like Rugrats?! Everyone did!! My kids included, apparently. Josie really liked Angelica and that worries me a little. 😉 LOL
Thundercats
I’ll be honest here… I never watched Thundercats. My husband did, though. It was his favorite. We have an 11 year age difference so I’m not surprised it wasn’t as popular when I was a kid. Sylas and Peyton both really liked this one.
This post was so much fun because I got to sit down with my littles and watch cartoons that I loved as a kid, but haven’t watched in probably 10-15 years. It was so cool to show them some of the things my husband and I enjoyed when we were little. Sylas thinks it’s cool, too, and even told our elderly neighbor about Wile E. Coyote and Roadrunner and then added, “my dad watched it when he was a kid. Did you know my dad used to be a kid!?” It was hilarious.
Have you watched any of your old favorite cartoons with your kids? What did they think? If you haven’t yet, which one would you want to show them first?
If you enjoyed this post, you may also enjoy my post about YouTube songs for Preschoolers and Toddlers.
That’s a great idea to spend time as a family! Can’t wait for when my little girl is old enough to do this. Thundercats and She-Ra were big favourites of mine. And Button Moon.
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I’ve never heard of Button Moon! I’ll add it to my list to watch with them. 🙂 thanks for the comment!
Cartoons are just NOT the same now! I’m a 90’s kid and there were the best cartoons. I watched a lot of these include Tom and Jerry and Rugrats (I absolutely LOVED Rugrats and had all the games on PS1). But I also watched a lot of The Powerpuff Girls and Dexter’s Laboratory which I think was a little bit after these.
I agree, definitely not the same! I’m a 90’s baby as well but my husband is an 80’s baby so our list has some of both. Also, I’m so jealous that you had the Rugrats game. My cousin had it and I played every time I went to play with her but my mom would never buy it for me! LOL! Thanks for the comment 🙂
Tom and Jerry are probably my favourite! Love the coyote too and Taz! I liked Arthur too – did you ever see The Wild Thornberrys? That was up there with Tom and Jerry for me just because I learnt so much about the world from it!
Omg I forgot all about The Wild Thornberrys!! It was one of my favorites!
Tom and Jerry is my favorite and I am planning to get my kid hooked too. Good set of shows you have here. Great post😊
Thank you!
OMG this was right on time! My 18 month old enjoys Rugrats, Doug, and Hey Arnold. I just bought a DVD of old Bugs Bunny, Tom and Jerry and we have watched Garfield. I agree with all of this! Great post!
Oh how did I forget about Doug and Hey Arnold?! Those were some of my faves! Thanks for the comment 🙂
I love the idea of sharing cartoons from our childhoods with our kids. My son has seen all of these except for Rocket Power as I don’t think we have ever seen that one on TV. He has also watched series like He-Man, Transformers, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. There was a time when he would watch almost nothing but the original Transformers series and movies, it drove me crazy, haha. Basically, if it’s an 80s cartoon that hubby or I watched, then he’s likely seen it by now. They just don’t make shows like that anymore, but at least we can access them through streaming, DVDs and the occasional classic rerun marathons on TV.
Yes, I’m so glad we can still watch the old cartoons! Thank you for the comment 🙂
It’s so nice you can enjoy these with the kids! I’m from the 80s and the only complaint I have is most of the toons from those days have really poor definition and watching them is such a strain on our eyes!
My fave cartoons from my childhood were Smurfs, Gummy bears, The Jetsons, Muppet Babies, My Little Pony, Captain Planet, Ducktales, Glo Worms, Once Upon A Time.. Life, The Snorks and Galaxy High School!!
I love Tom & Jerry and Garfield hey you guys can even play trivia like what is Garfield’s favourite food? Think your kids catch on pretty quick!
Connie
http://www.sassy.mom
Oh I love that idea!! Trivia would be so much fun. I’ll have to start writing down questions and answers as we watch. Thanks for the comment. 🙂
What a brilliant idea! I can’t wait till my daughter’s old enough to see how she reacts to my favourites! #bloggerstribe
It is so much fun!! How old is your daughter?
The Rugrats and Rocket Power were my FAVORITES! An it’s true that they really don’t make cartoons like they used too. What a neat idea!
Thank you!
I started reading this post because I was curious if there would be any cartoons that I know and like (I’m turning 23 this year) and the only one I’ve seen is rugrats which I’m probably spelling wrong (I’m on my phone and it’s a pain to scroll back haha)
I wonder if I have kids if I’ll want to show them my childhood favourites too. I think I’d want to show my children Avatar the last airbender, but it feels like that one doesn’t belong in this list that you listed haha! Also on a sidenote different countries show different cartoons and when I came to uni I discovered this and thought it was rather interesting. Not sure how that applies to this though haha. Anyway very enjoyable post to read 🙂
What were your favorite cartoons when you were a kid? I think you’ll want to show your favorites someday. It’s so much fun! Thank you for commenting 🙂