Top 5 Nicktoons
By Austin Johnson
Every now and again, I’ll write a list revolving around television. Back when El Camino came out on Netflix, I made a list of my favorite Breaking Bad characters. When HBO Max dropped their incredible app, I made a list of my favorite HBO series. This will be much different because it’s all about Nicktoons. Nickelodeon has been a big part of my TV watching life for quite some time now and I don’t really see how I could stop anytime soon with a one and half year old daughter who will be asking me to watch cartoons in no time. This list will not include live-action shows produced by Nickelodeon because I honestly don’t think many of those have aged too well. It’s all about Nicktoons for me and I gotta say that this list caused some serious fights in my heart and brain.
5.) Rocko's Modern Life (1993-1996)
“Excuse me, sir, but garbage and dogs are not part of a balanced diet.”
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In June of 2019, I was a groomsman in my friend's wedding and the groom gave us all special socks to wear on the day of the wedding. One guy got Family Guy socks, one guy got Spurs socks, and I got Rocko's Modern Life socks because my friend knows that I have always been a massive fan of the wallaby from Australia. I love the idea of someone foreign moving to the States on paper for a TV show or film and Rocko is most certainly someone who struggles to grapple with American life. I love his friends, Heffer and Filbert just as much as him and I find his neighbor, Ed Bighead to be hilariously annoying. My favorite thing about Rocko’s Modern Life is the wacky art and incredible palette of colors in each episode.
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4.) SpongeBob SquarePants (1999-)
“No Patrick. Mayonnaise is not an instrument.
Horse Radish is not an instrument either.” |
Now, I don’t feel too strongly about the most recent seasons of SpongeBob, but there was a time when I thought it was the greatest cartoon ever made. Seasons 1, 2, and 3 are really special in my opinion and there’s some funny moments in the other seasons but there are entire episodes that I find to be genius early on. Episode 7 of season 1, "Hall Monitor/Jellyfish Jam" is fucking incredible stuff and I still go back to it when I need to be cheered up. I adore Patrick and Squidward but I’m well aware that you need the sponge man to make it all work.
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3.) Rocket Power (1999-2004)
“I can tell you a million and a half things I've never heard of.”
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I don’t skate, surf, or rollerblade but I used to try shit like that as a kid and it was always fun to be inspired by the kids on Rocket Power to do tricks that are humanly impossible. The setting of Ocean Shores, California is perfect and the family atmosphere makes it a show worth sticking with as the characters develop in their appreciation for one another. I still want to visit the Shore Shack even though I know damn well that Raymundo and Tito will not be there to serve me fries and a shake, nor will there be a Shore Shack at all. My favorite character has always been Twister because he’s a gifted rider who may not be the brightest but he is so loyal to his squad. He also videos everything they do which is an easy way to get me into a character because filming is not only essential for extreme sports to get shared but it’s great for kids to get creative like that in general.
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2.) Hey Arnold! (1996-2004)
“Some people are meant to be with people,
and others, like me, are just different.” |
Hey Arnold! is the cartoon I watched most as a kid. The consistency and quality is there in every episode with some great lessons being taught along the way. The city is nameless throughout the show but it’s pretty clear that it is a version of Brooklyn, New York and we are usually in a boarding house or a public school with Arnold. I love how real Arnold, Gerald, and the rest of the kids are. It revolves around low middle class characters that live an honest life worth telling stories about. It’s so easy to get immersed into the world, whether it be the very first episode where Arnold and Gerald are dressed up as a banana and a strawberry while walking around the city or the episode where we see Harold’s intense Bar Mitzvah. It’s full of color and culture that can actually teach you shit.
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1.) Invader Zim (2001-2006)
“Don't worry officer, everything is fine!
There's a squid's brain in your head!” |
Ahh, Invader Zim… truly, one of the only shows, cartoon or live action, that takes me directly to a place that I have never wanted to leave. I desire to have conversations about Invader Zim and I feel this way about The Wire, Twin Peaks, Breaking Bad, and Better Call Saul but hanging out with Zim and Gir is right up there with my all time favorite series. The colors are dark and bright at the same time and the plot lines are like something out of a Kurt Vonnegut novel. Planet Irk seems like a really hilarious place and I love how Earth is extremely small to them and they know nothing about it. Zim isn’t supposed to be doing anything of any value to them but from our perspective, he’s an alien trying to conquer our planet while being disguised as a school boy at a school called Skool. It’s fucking perfect.
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