Miranda Prescott, Correspondent
Growing up, we all had our favorite cartoons that we would race home after school or wake up early on Saturday mornings just to watch. For most of us, it was generational classics like Spongebob Squarepants or basically anything with “created by Butch Hartman” at the end of a title screen. Or if you were like me, you watched some older cartoons from the 1970s on Saturday mornings such as The Perils of Penelope Pitstop or anything else by Hannah-Barbera. These aired on Boomerang if I remember correctly. I think that channel no longer exists, which makes the nostalgic side of me sad.
However, some cartoons we absolutely love as kids but completely forget about now. That also makes the nostalgic side of me sad. So, I did some digging and found some shows that I absolutely adored as a kid but completely forgot about when I was older, and, boy, did the throwback train hit me hard.
I hope this article gets to you as a “only late 90s, early 00s kids will remember this” but specifically only that generation. It is not going to be like those Facebook posts you see your parents or grandparents post that say “only people who lived in the 80s remembers this” but everyone does because its a stock photo of someone with a mullet. Maybe some parents will remember these, but only because they cringe and get flashbacks of their kids when they were younger asking to watch it for the 23 millionth time.
1. Sagwa the Chinese Siamese Cat
This one has come up a lot when searching for old shows I used to watch. This one is also one of my favorites that went into obscurity after a couple of years. I loved this show as a kid. I was big on bright colors when I was younger, so Sagwa and her orange and yellow collar thing she wore completely stood out to me.
I also loved the premise of this show. The episodes of the show spent time telling old folk tales in a very visual and simplified way so kids would understand them. It kept the tale of storytelling alive and renewed the energy behind the older shows. It was peaceful, and not a show my mom would get mad at because she liked the messages it was teaching. Overall, I would not be mad if this show got a reboot. I am sure that many people would love to see it come back, too.
2. Timon & Pumbaa
Disney went through a phase when it first created the Disney Channel. In this phase they would take animated movies that did really well and make some less than memorable television shows with them.
While movies like The Little Mermaid and Aladdin had these shows, they only lasted a season or two. However, the show Disney made with one of the most iconic animated duos of all time got a typical full run of three seasons, with episodes spanning out about four years.
What I remember most about this show was the theme song. It was “Hakuna Matata” but the lyrics were changed to fit with the style of the show. While I do not remember the whole premise of the show, I do know after researching that it is on Disney + now, so go check it out if you have time.
3. Samurai Jack
As an adult, I know this show is amazing. It is visually compelling and says so much while actually speaking very little. However, as a child, I knew that when it came on when watching my Powerpuff Girls videotape that it was time for bed. Do not get me wrong, that show is good,too. But it is remembered a whole lot more than this gem.
I will be honest, this is probably one of the only shows from my childhood that I have not fully watched more than three episodes of. However, I still love it. It was not my personal preference as a child, but I have grown to appreciate how it takes storytelling to another level by slowing building to the action from the beginning of the episode. By the time you reach the end, it becomes an organized chaos of action that satisfies any regular television watcher.