38 Cartoons You Couldn't Get Enough of in Kindergarten and Grade School
The Jetsons and a bowl of cereal in hand on a Saturday morning. What could be better?
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If you always wished you had your very own Pikachu as a kid or could visit SpongeBob in his pineapple under the sea, you’re not alone. Whether it was after-school reruns or a weekend ritual with your siblings, watching cartoons has always been part of the fun of being a kid. With a cereal bowl in hand on a Saturday morning, you probably watched hour after hour until your parents yelled at you to go outside.
While some cartoons, especially from the late 1980s onward, include decidedly adult humor, others are social commentaries on a specific era. But they all take us on a trip into the imagination, where animals talk and characters bounce back, no matter what calamities (or monsters!) they confront. Most of us have a favorite from the old classics like Popeye and Road runner to the new classics such as The Simpsons, which incredibly is in its 31st season. Maybe you’ve even introduced your own kids to the old-school cartoons because so many characters such as Foghorn Leghorn or Yogi Bear transcend the test of time thanks to the animators and legendary voice actors, such as Mel Blanc and Daws Butler, who immortalized these characters.
In case you’re looking for a quick laugh or a bit of nostalgia, here’s a look at the most popular cartoons through the decades:
Mickey Mouse
No list of cartoon characters would be complete without including Mickey Mouse, who made his debut in the 1928 cartoon Steamboat Willie. Having endured for generations, Mickey has starred in numerous shorts, a number of TV series and 11 feature-length films to date.
Popeye the Sailor Man
The tough-guy, wise-cracking sailor, who always had a can of spinach handy, was created by Elzie Crisler Segar, a cartoonist who introduced the character in his 1929 newspaper cartoon strip, Thimble Theatre. Popeye and his pals, Olive Oyl, Bluto, Wimpy and Swee’pea, were the stars of cartoon shorts in the 1930s and early 1940s (he was even a member of the U.S. Navy during World War II), as well as numerous comic books, a TV series from 1960 to 1962, and a 1980 Popeye movie starring Robin Williams.
Porky Pig
First introduced in 1935, the lovable pig starred in hundreds of films in the late 1930s. Often a sidekick, he had his own show from 1964 to 1967. He was voiced by Mel Blanc, who did the voiceovers for hundreds of animated characters from the 1930s until his death in late 1980s.
Bugs Bunny
Created in 1938, Bugs Bunny is part of a whole stable of Looney Tunes characters that dominated the Golden Age of animation in America from the years 1928 to 1960. The wascally wabbit managed to outsmart Elmer Fudd for decades and remains one of the most popular cartoon characters of all time.
Tom and Jerry
Created in 1940, the two rival characters, Tom (a cat) and Jerry (a mouse), first appeared in a series of shorts for MGM. The two rarely speak, although Tom sings in an early episode, and there are various sound effects. The cartoon has continued in many different incarnations to this present day in various TV shows, shorts and movies including Tom and Jerry: The Movie, released in 2021.
Woody Woodpecker and Friends
First appearing in 1940, Woody and his pals were featured in an amazing 286 episodes until 1972. Whether or not you are a fan, you can't forget his goofy laugh!
Foghorn Leghorn
Starring in only 28 cartoons from 1946 to 1963, Foghorn Leghorn had personality plus. His distinctive Southern accent and body language along with his memorable quotes ("Go, I say, go away boy. You bother me."), became part of every day speech. He actually was inspired by a character on The Fred Allen Show, a popular 1930s and 1940s radio show.
Alvin and the Chipmunks
Actor/songwriter Ross Bagdasarian, Sr., who specialized in writing novelty songs, created The Chipmunk Song in 1958. The record shot to the top of the charts, sending its “stars” Simon, Theodore and Alvin to the top too. (It actually won two Grammys!) A string of successful records led to a short-lived TV series in 1962 and another more successful run from 1983 to 1990.
Huckleberry Hound
First appearing in 1958, Huckleberry Hound is a bluetick coonhound with a Southern accent, who works through a series of unsuccessful jobs. Be he always maintains his cool and ends up on top. The show, which aired until 1962, was the first animated show to win an Emmy. Huckleberry has made sporadic appearances through the years in other cartoons ranging from The Simpsons to Animaniacs.
Quick Draw McGraw
This white horse in a red cowboy hat had his own series from 1959 to 1961. He often plays a sheriff in the Old West and is accompanied by his deputy, a burro named Baba Looey.
Rocky and Bullwinkle
From 1959 to 1964, Rocky, the flying squirrel, and Bullwinkle, the moose, had to outsmart two Cold War-era spies, Natasha and Boris. The series was one of the first to appeal to both kids and adults for its wry humor and clever cultural satire. A live action movie in 2000 got lukewarm reviews.
The Flintstones
From 1960 to 1966, America followed the Flintstones as they navigated the ups and downs of Stone Age life. The show was the first animated series to hold a primetime spot on TV. The series also spun off two lackluster movies, The Flintstones (1994) and The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas (2000), that weren’t well-received.
Yogi Bear
Yogi actually made his debut on Huckleberry Hound in 1958 but earned his own animated series in 1961. From then until 1988, Yogi and his sidekick, Boo-Boo, attempted to steal plenty of “pic-a-nic” baskets, generally making Mr. Ranger’s life difficult. Yogi also starred in his own 2010 feature film.
Snagglepuss
Although it only ran for two seasons from 1961 to 1962, Snagglepuss is a memorable character. The pink mountain lion is known for his catchy exclamations such as “Heavens to Murgatroyd” and “Exit, stage left.”
The Jetsons
This futuristic family shot to fame during its 1962 to 1963 run. New episodes were created from 1985 to 1987, and the show ran in syndication on Saturday mornings for decades. And what kid didn’t daydream of a robot maid or a spaceship after watching? There was also a 1990 feature film.
Josie and the Pussycats
Originally a teen-focused comic book series written from 1963 to 1982, the characters got their own animated Saturday morning show from 1970 to 1973. As difficult as it is to believe, there was also a Josie and the Pussycats movie, which was released in 2001 to dismal reviews.
Underdog
From 1964 to 1967, this series aired on Saturday mornings. The cape-wearing, masked superhero dog almost always spoke in rhymes. His most famous saying: “There’s no need to fear. Underdog is here!”
The Road Runner
In this popular show, a determined coyote tries a number of increasingly complex gadgets (often mail-ordered from the Acme Company) in his attempts to capture the smart and speedy road runner. Before airing from1966 to 1973, the show’s characters actually debuted in a 1949 theatrical cartoon.
Aquaman
Aquaman debuted in comic books in the 1940s, but he didn’t get his own animated series until 1967 to 1970. Able to breathe on both sea and land, he fought evil everywhere. Aquaman also appeared in his own feature film in 2018.
The Pink Panther
Presented on Saturday mornings from 1969 to 1978, Pink Panther was a rosey-colored cat with aristocratic manners. The series went through a number of changes, but it often included two shorts featuring the Pink Panther, and one featuring the Inspector, modeled after the Peter Seller’s Inspector Clouseau character from the 1963 movie of the same title.
Arricca Elin SanSone is a writer, editor, and content creator who specializes in lifestyle and gardening. With a background in health reporting, she applies these same research skills when writing about the science of growing things. She trials new plants in her expansive garden, and her houseplant collection consists of 60+ varieties. Arricca has written thousands of articles for publications such as Country Living, House Beautiful, Good Housekeeping, Prevention, VERANDA, Southern Living, and more. She’s happiest when digging in the dirt, baking, or spending time with the people and dogs she loves.
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