The early 2000s was an era for children’s television. The topics were educational and wildly entertaining. Even now, no other kids’ show can beat what the 2000s had to offer with the diverse characters, plotlines, and jokes.
Cartoons weren’t just about over-the-top slapstick humor or the most outrageous sound effects. They were about teaching kids valuable life lessons and bringing fun into their living rooms through captivating adventures. These nostalgic shows were Gen Z’s childhood and if you ask them, the last time kids’ television was truly good.
Relive one of the best eras with this list; you might even see your favorite!
#1: Avatar: The Last Airbender
The cartoon premiered on Nickelodeon in 2005 and soon became one of the most popular shows for kids. It focuses on a 12-year-old boy named Aang in a world where people live in 4 different groups, or nations as they’re called, that represent elements. They are water, earth, fire, and air.
Each nation has citizens with the ability to bend these elements to their will. Aang is the Avatar, the only person who can bend all 4 elements and protect peace between the nations. Except Aang has been frozen in ice for 100 years and when he is freed, he learns the leader of the fire nation has started to take over the world.
Every adventure with his friends (human and animal) brings him one step closer to defeating the fire nation. The show was praised for its impressive world-building and history. Each episode had lighthearted laughs but also high-pressure situations, chase scenes, and sometimes even love.
#2: The Mighty B!
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This Nickelodeon cartoon aired from 2008 to 2010 and was created in part by actress and comedian Amy Poehler. She was inspired by a time in childhood when you believe you can be anything you want. This idea is expressed through The Mighty B!’s main character Bessie Higgenbottom.
Bessie, voiced by Amy Poehler, is an optimistic little girl who is obsessed with being a honeybee scout and wants to collect every badge. She goes on adventures through San Francisco with her friends, her brother, and her dog as she works for those badges and pretends to be a superhero: The Might B.
It was hilarious, with just the right amount of outrageous scenarios. Bessie was a representative of every girl at some point in their childhood when dreams and curiosity had no bounds.
#3: Back At The Barnyard
This brilliant cartoon is based on the 2006 Nickelodeon movie Barnyard, starring a talking cow Otis, and his barnyard friends Pip the Mouse, Pig the Pig, Abby and Bessy the cows, Freddy the ferret, Peck the rooster, and Duke the dog.
After the movie in which Otis’s father dies and he becomes the new leader, he and his friends go on adventures dressed as humans and hide their abilities from their owner, the Farmer. When they’re not doing that, they’re pranking or getting revenge on Snotty Boy, a cruel boy who likes to taunt them.
One of the best parts of the whole show is the Farmer’s neighbor, Nora Beady, trying to convince her husband that the animals walk and talk like people. Every episode guarantees you laughs, whether it’s from the main cast or one of the amusing recurring characters.
#4: Maggie And The Ferocious Beast
In 2000, Maggie and the Ferocious Beast premiered on Nick Jr. This channel within a channel was for the preschool age Nickelodeon viewers and featured shows like Blue’s Clues and Wow Wow Wubbzy.
They tackled simpler issues and themes that younger viewers could understand. Maggie and her friend, the Ferocious Beast, a big yellow hippo-looking creature with red spots and horns, and Hamilton the pig travel across Nowhere Land to have fun. They learn how to be helpful and kind and how to be better friends.
It was inspirational and creative, a perfect combination for kids and early 2000s cartoons.
#5: Max And Ruby, Cartoon Royalty
Last but not least, Max and Ruby. The cartoon aired from 2002-2020 and was based on books by Rosemary Wells. The titular main characters are 3- and 7-year-old bunnies who are brother and sister. As his older sister, Ruby takes care of Max and teaches him important lessons like trying new things and listening to your elders.
Max, who rarely speaks, sometimes ends up giving Ruby a new outlook on life. The siblings are visited by their friends and their grandmother, but they are mostly unsupervised. Until the second to last season of the cartoon, their parents were never on screen and many viewers believed they didn’t have any.
The creators wanted to show that kids were capable of solving problems by themselves and made for a unique twist for kids’ television.
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