My Top 10 Favorite Nicktoons

Here's a list of my favorite Nicktoons. Now before I get started, I'd like you to know that I'm excluding SpongeBob and The Fairly Oddparents off this list because they're the longest running shows as of right now and they're still having their ups and downs as of right now. Original meme belongs to DemitriaMiriam.

10. Danny Phantom (2004-2007)

One of the few good Nicktoons in the Silver Age era of Nickelodeon. The show revolves around 14-year-old Danny who lives in a small town called Amity Park, which is in Indiana, with his parents and his older sister Jazz. He becomes a human/ghost hybrid after messing with a Ghost Portal his parents invented and gains ghost powers to fight off ghosts to save his town. Moreover, he tries to balance out his normal teenage life as he goes to school with his two best friends Samantha "Sam" Manson, a goth girl with a no-nonsense, yet occasional hypocritical attitude who (SPOILERS ALERT!) later becomes Danny's love interest, and Josh "Tucker" Foley, a light-hearted teenager with an obsession with technology and always carries a PDA with him. Other characters include Dash Baxter, a bully who is ironically a fan of Danny Phantom, Pauline, a Latina with a crush on Danny, and Valerie, a popular girl who has turned into a villain after her father lost his job due to a ghost dog.  I must say that this is Hartman's best work so far. The animation was surprisingly good, the jokes were mostly well done, and the action was complex and well-timed. I wouldn't say that this show broke any new grounds, but it was one of the few Nicktoons in the 2000s that were worth watching. Until Hartman starts taking his work seriously, Danny Phantom will remain his best cartoon so far. 7/10

9. As Told By Ginger (2000-2004)

Honestly, I don't know why this show isn't talked about much considering that it's only fifteen years old. This is one of the girl-themed shows that did the drama right and didn't go too overboard with it. It focuses on a preteen named Ginger Foutley who lives in a small town called Sheltered Shrubs, a fictional city in Connecticut. Ginger faces many dramatic dilemmas and social issues during her junior high school year as she and her friends Dodie and Macie try to evolve from the position of "school geeks" for better social lives. Ginger fortuitously gets accepted in popularity by popular girl Courtney Gripling, who by the way acts more like a friend to Ginger than Dodie. But I guess we could infer that Dodie's questionable friendship stems from jealousy of Ginger getting accepted by Courtney, which concurrently probably stems Courtney's best friend Miranda's mutual jealousy of Ginger as well. Moreover, Ginger lives with her mother Lois, who works as a nurse at the hospital, and her younger brother Carl, who has an affinity for grotesque and otherwise repugnant collectibles (such as his petrified eyeball) and hangs out with his best friend and Dodie's brother Hoodsey. There's also Ginger's friend from childhood Darren Patterson, who's metal headgear hindered any prospect of popularity for him as well. I guess we could call this show a female-themed version of "Doug" since Ginger goes through the same morals in her preteen year and writes down her events in her diary. While there was a lot of drama, I like how it balanced it out with occasional lightheartedness in the subplots with Carl and Hoodsey. I felt that this show was balanced and well-written. I'm not sure if I should call this a classic, but it's definitely one of the best slice-of-life shows in animation. 7/10

8. Aaahh!! Real Monsters (1994-1997)

One of the most underrated Nicktoons so far. The show revolves around a trio of Monsters (the rabbit-looking monster named Ickis who's method of scaring is looming in size, Krumm, a humanlike monster with eyes he carries in his hands who's method of scaring is his strong stench, and Oblina, the only female of the trio, a candy cane figured monster who's method of scaring is pulling her guts out) who attend a Monster Academy located in the city dump underground ran by The Gromble, who gives the students assignments of scaring the daylights out of the human beings in different styles. Other characters include The Snorch, a taciturn monster who "snorches" and monster when they're in trouble (which is torturing them with music), Zimbo, a monster bee who accompanies The Snorch, and Simon, the main antagonist who tries to hunt down monsters to prove their existence to the citizens of the city. Funny how this show aired when I was three yet this didn't even scare me the slightest bit when I watched it. I actually found this show surprisingly appealing when I watched it. I really liked how they told this show in a monster's perspective and their overall lifestyle. The toilet humor was done well and the concept was also good. Even during its creepiest moments, I found it more entertaining rather than scary. I like how instead of having a show revolving around humans or animals, they tell the perspective of a nonexistent creature and their lifestyle. The concept was pretty unique to say the least. This Nicktoon should be discussed more often, especially since it's made by the same company that made Rugrats. 7/10

7. The Angry Beavers (1997-2001)

Another underrated Nicktoon from the late 90s. The show focuses on two beaver brothers named Dagget and Norbert who move on their own to become bachelors in the forest in Oregon. Ironically, despite the title of the show, neither one of these beavers were angry. Norbert was the laid-back, indolent brother with a nonchalant attitude while Dagget was the hyperactive, immature brother who would usually get the short end of the stick. The brothers end up in rather bizarre predicaments during their time on their own and encounter many places, such as an amusement park, a swamp, a mind-controlling pond, and so on. And let's not forget Norby's inanimate friend Stump. That's right, folks. Before there was Plank, there was Stump. I feel that this show would've gotten much more credit had it been released much earlier than 1997, because during the time of its release, the Nicktoons during the early 90s were cancelled, and all we had left after that was Kablam, Hey Arnold!, and the revival of Rugrats. This show was pretty underrated and I felt that it should be discussed more often these days. After all, it did come out not too long before the Silver Age of Nickelodeon started. 7.5/10

6. Rugrats (1991-2004)

Told in the perspective of a group of toddlers, this show focuses on their wild misadventures after their parents leave them unsupervised (or at least are oblivious to their successful attempts of escaping the playpen). The main toddlers are Tommy, the leader of the group who is brave and determine, Chuckie, Tommy's best friend who is more timid and diffident, and Phil and Lil, fraternal twins with gross habits. Antagonizing them is Tommy's spoiled 3-year-old cousin Angelica, who often manipulates the babies just to get what she wants. Unlike the babies, Angelica can actually communicate very clearly with the adults since she's a child. Speaking of which, adults include Tommy's father Stu, who has a nack for inventions, and his wife Didi, as well as Grandpa Lou, who often falls asleep during the babies' misadventures. There's also Chuckie's widowed father Chaz and Phil and Lil's parents Betty and Howard. Oh, and there's Angelica's workoholic parents Charlotte and Drew (who is Stu's older brother that often bickers with him). Honestly, it's a wonder how the adults are so oblivious to the babies' antics when they cause who knows how much money worth of damages. If the people who ran wherever the babies and their parents were, imagine the bill the parents would have to pay for those damages. This show viewed such a rather unique perception in the eyes of an infant and how they have a G-rated view of an adult's view (ex: Angelica's cookie addiction is a metaphor for drug addiction). My overall opinion on this show? I've gotta be honest now. This show is pretty overrated. I mean I liked the first three seasons, and the fourth season was okay. But the series started getting pretty weak once Dil was introduced (not saying he was a bad character. Just a Creator's Pet.). Then the show started going downhill after the third movie, which was pretty bad. Overall, while the later seasons had its memorable moments, it still feel flat in comparison to the earlier episodes. It just didn't have that same charm. That's why Rugrats fails to make my top 5 Nicktoons, and I have to lower the score a bit due to how much the quality dropped after its revival. Still, it remains one of the most memorable Nicktoons of all time in spite of its foibles. 7.5/10

5. Doug (1991-1994)

The very first Nicktoon to air in the early 90s. It focuses on an 11-year-old boy named Doug Funnie who moves from his hometown in Bloatsberg to Bluffington after his father, Phil, gets a job promotion there as a photographer. Other members of the Funnie family include Doug's mother Theda, who has a predilection for recycling, his older sister Judy, a beatnik with an affinity for Shakespear, and of course, Doug's canine companion Porkchop. In his new hometown, Doug meets his next-door neighbor Mr. Dink, who lives with his sardonic wife Tippy and has an affinity for inventions, Skeeter, the blue-skinned guy with an eccentric demeanor who is well known for his "Honk honk" sound when greeting Doug, Patti Mayonnaise, Doug's love interest with a tomboyish streak, and Roger Klotz, a green-skinned bully who would humiliate Doug every chance he gets. Moreover, Doug would also jot down his experiences on his personal journal (not a diary), where he would start his entry off with "Dear Journal...". This was such an eccentric show. Almost every character on here were different colors, as if they suffered from skin disease, and the characters personality-wise were pretty quirky to say the least. While this show was well-received from the audience during the time of its release, the reception of it nowadays has dropped, with the newer generation saying that it's bland and boring and whatnot. While I don't fully agree with them, I can kinda see where they're going at with this. In retrospect, it didn't really age that well in terms of animation compared to the rest of the 90s Nicktoons, and there were some episodes that were pretty tedious, not to mention that since many other cartoons copied their style from Doug, the original is seen as banal and uninteresting. But overall, it was a great show with profound life lessons and deep morals. Instead of making the plots too complex for the average viewer, the plots were more simplistic for lucid comprehension and balanced, nothing too fancy, but also nothing too dull either, just to get the viewer to understand the plot and entertain them at the same time. And even though there are people who say this show isn't funny, that's what made it great, because the humor was done in a subtle manner rather than throwing it in the audience's face, which is clever writing in my book. Another point I would like to bring up is that Doug being a "bland" or "dull" character some fans think actually works pretty well, because not only does it show him being just an average boy in a quirky city with vivid imaginations, but it also shows his character development as well. He went from being a timid preteen boy trying to find his place to a mature young man who learns from his mistakes and gradually develops a distinctive personality and overall courage, especially in the Disney series. Doug was probably the most relatable character in animation, and the issues he faced are also relatable as well. Doug isn't exactly the greatest show ever, but you have to give it the respect it deserves for its subtle influence on other slice-of-life cartoons such as Hey Arnold, Daria, As Told By Ginger, and The Proud Family. Without Doug, we wouldn't have these other slice-of-life cartoons. 8/10

4. Hey Arnold! (1996-2004)

I guess we can kinda call this the urban version of Doug. This show is about a 9-year-old kid named Arnold who resides in a boarding house with his eccentric grandparents and a bunch of other wild guests in the fictional city of Hillwood, which is pretty much a combination of New York City and Seattle. Other characters include Arnold's best friend Gerald, who has that jive attitude, Harold, a big, fat oaf who's bark is usually much worse than his bite (although he can be pretty ominous when he's really aggravated if he has to), Sid, the paranoid kid with trust issues, Stinky, a southern kid with a predilection for lemon pudding, Rhonda, the typical rich snob with a superficial perception on the kids in PS 118 elementary, Eugene, the jinx who is a bad luck magnet, and of course, Helga G. Pataki, the blonde, aggressive, tomboyish girl who lives with a negligent family and takes her anger out on the other kids, including Arnold, whom Helga has a secret crush on. Funny how this show began focusing more on Helga than Arnold himself as the show elapsed. As for Arnold as a character, he may not be the greatest character in animation, but he certainly is one of the most memorable characters in Nickelodeon. He never gives up in helping those in need and even gives adults advice as well. Overall, he's a good role model without overdoing it. In conclusion, this show, like Doug, also had profound life lessons and deep morals that can range from being subtle or esoteric, and as much as I still love Doug, I felt that Hey Arnold executed the life lessons much better. While Doug only focused on Doug's perspective through the show, Hey Arnold focused on the perspectives of all the characters and had the viewers see their sides of the stories. I like how it didn't just focus on the main protagonist himself, but also gave everyone else in the show their spotlight, especially Helga. I mean not only a lot of the kids at PS 118 got episodes focusing on them, the adults got to shine as well, especially Arnold's grandparents (primarily Phil). Another thing I like is how they exaggerate things to tell this show in a 9-year-old's perspective. Realistically, the average 5th grader would look no different from anyone two years younger, and the average sixth grader would barely look anything like a pre-pubescent kid. But in the eyes of a kid, other guys older than them are basically high schoolers, which is why the fifth graders of the show look more like they're from high school than the fifth grade. I really like how they exploited the average 9-year-old's mind. My favorite episode was easily the Christmas special where Arnold helps a businessman donate gifts for others to locate Mr. Hyunh's long-lost daughter and reunite her with her biological father. That was definitely one of the most profound Christmas specials in animation. So yeah. Again, I'm not bashing Doug at all. I love that show just as much. But I felt that everything Doug had done, Hey Arnold did it much better. Until someone makes a slice-of-life show better, I don't think there is any other cartoon in that style that can top Arnold. I'm looking forward for that upcoming Jungle Movie. 8.5/10

3. Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005-2008)

Yes, I know people are gonna say this choice was cliche and whatnot. But I really liked this show the day it first came out. Set in a world of humans and animal hybrids, adjacent to the parallel Spirit World. The civilization is also divided into four elements: Water Tribes, Earth Kingdom, Fire Nation, and Air Nomads, each element with a distinctive society, in which the "benders", as we call them, control their elements with motion and martial arts. Among countless other characters are Aang, a 12-year-old who is fun-loving and also protective of his friends, Katara, a 14-year-old orphan and member of the Water Tribe who is kind-hearted and helpful, yet fiercely strict as well, Sokka, Katara's brother who is the source of comedy relief, Toph, a blind girl and member of the Earth Kingdom who never lets her disability hinder her prospects of using her powers, Zuko, member of the Fire Nation who starts off as the main antagonist right before becoming an ally, and his sister Azula, who serves as the antagonist of the whole series. I have to say, Azula played a pretty good antagonist in the show. As a prodigy of the Fire Nation, she was quite sadistic and often used fear and manipulation to control even her friends and was pretty cold-hearted towards her own brother and uncle. I haven't seen such villainy since Scar from The Lion King. Together, Aang and his friends attempt to bring peace to the world by putting a complete end to the Fire Lord's brutal war against the other three nations. The thing that stands out for this cartoon is the fact that even though it was mostly a show of action and adventure, it also had fantasy, a little bit of drama, that slice-of-life vibe to a lesser extent, and comedy, mostly from Sokka since he is the source of comic relief after all. I also like its themes and cultural references, as well as the art of the animation overall. It was pretty intricate and vivid, and while the show may get a tad bit tedious at times, I still found it very engrossing and unpredictable. I especially loved the character development of the other characters, especially from Zuko. He was my favorite of them all in the show. And let's not forget the relationship between (SPOILERS ALERT!) Aang and Katara, which I would mention in another meme. Overall, this show was a breath of fresh air away from most of the horrible live action shows that dominated Nickelodeon during the 2000s. It's a shame the live-action movie didn't live up to the show. It really had potential to be one of the best movies in the theaters had the directors actually took time rewriting the script and executing the film overall. A cartoon this good should have a movie much better than that. 9/10

2. Ren & Stimpy (1991-1995)

This was pretty much the cartoon that started the whole gross-out humor many cartoons that came afterward would later follow suit. This show focuses on the titular duo: Ren, a psychopathic Chihuahua with an unpredictable rage and a dearth of sanity, and Stimpy, a dimwitted Manx cat who is more kind-hearted and benevolent. These two guys play many unpredictable roles in a lot of episodes during their cryptic misadventures and often find themselves in various predicaments. I could be wrong, but this is probably the first gross-out cartoon that innovated that same off-color humor the cartoons that followed it derived from. I mean there were so many inappropriate jokes that went over many kids' heads and, in spite of its innocence, was also responsible for the existence of Beavis & Butthead and South Park, with the only difference being is that unlike Ren & Stimpy, those two shows were more blatant when it came to that type of humor. As I look back on this show in retrospect, I wonder how did a lot of parents let the kids get away with watching something as edgy as this? Nonetheless, it was a pretty enjoyable cartoon with a lot to entertain. I gotta be honest though. I'm not a big fan of toilet humor, and I get this nauseating feeling whenever I watch something gross. But unlike most gross-out shows, this show did it slightly more mildly and skillfully. Plus at least it didn't go too overboard with it, and the writers did it in a way where it wouldn't cause the viewers to cringe or offend them. Not many people are appealed by this show, but this cartoon was unique during its time. Instead of cliche innocence you would see in a typical children's cartoon, this show was willing to push the boundaries and go for that edgy satire. 9.5/10

1. Rocko's Modern Life (1993-1996)

Yep. You all saw this one coming. If you have been in my profile, you would see that I got the full series on DVD, all four seasons. Seriously, what fan of Nicktoons DOESN'T like this show? Funny how I was only two when it came out yet I remember watching the episodes of the first season right before my memory became lucid enough to fully show addiction to it when more episodes aired. This show is about a young wallaby (which is a mini kangaroo for those that don't know) named Rocko who immigrates from his hometown of Australia to live in the American city of O-Town. There, he goes through many surreal antics and turbulence while struggling to affiliate in his new home in America. He lives on his own with his dimwitted dog Spunky right next door to his neighbors: the grouchy, ill-tempered toad named Ed Bighead, and his kind, yet surreptitiously seductive wife Bev. Rocko has two friends: the voracious, not-too-bright yellow steer named Heffer, and the diffident and neurotic turtle named Filburt (who's look is based off of Woody Allen). Furthermore, Rocko works at a comic store called Kind-of-a-Lot-O Comics, which is owned by Rocko's cruel boss Mr. Smitty. This show pretty much has the same off-color humor as Ren & Stimpy. Of course unlike Ren & Stimpy, this show was much tamer and did the adult jokes more subtly. I mean just look at all the shit this show got away with. Chokey Chicken. Please tell me right now what that's a term of. There's also this one episode where Rocko gets a stint as a phone operator, repeating "Oh baby" three consecutive times. Wanna guess what he was doing? The sign behind him should give you a clue. I would say more, but I don't wanna spoil it for the people who haven't watched the show. I must say that this show did a much better job with the adult humor that made Ren & Stimpy look like amateurs. The reason I have this show and Ren & Stimpy on top is because they both represented the definition of a Nicktoon. However, while Ren & Stimpy focused on that slapstick and off-color humor that redefined a Nicktoon, Rocko's Modern Life had more equilibrium. Instead of focusing on just one style, it had a combination of what the three original Nicktoons had: It had the real life struggles of Doug, the innocence and appeal of Rugrats, and of course, the slapstick and subtle adult humor of Ren & Stimpy. This show was pretty much all three of those Nicktoons combined in one great Nicktoon of its own, which is why I was hooked more on this show than all the other Nicktoons I've watched. This will always remain my favorite Nicktoon of all time, and I can't wait for the TV special. 10/10

Other shows that missed being on this list
The Wild Thornberrys (1998-2004) 7/10
Kablam (1996-2000) 6.5/10
CatDog (1998-2004) 6.5/10
Rocket Power (1999-2005) 6/10