The best old-school cartoons and where to stream them

Where to watch: Hulu

Perfect for city kids of all generations, Hey Arnold follows a  football-headed old soul of a 9-year-old and his group of friends. He and the gang from PS 118 are always up to some shenanigans, and you can't miss 'em! 

Where to watch: Netflix

The Magic School Bus makes science fun! This four-season series has been watched by millions of kids since it was first broadcast on PBS in the mid-1990s. Your kids will love the playful learning and trippy animation; you'll love hearing Lily Tomlin voice Miss Valerie Felicity Frizzle.

Where to watch: Hulu

As Tommy Pickles would say, "A baby's gotta do, what a baby's gotta do." Any '90s kid will admit to following Tommy, Chucky, Phil and Lil around their playpen and backyard for whatever adventure awaits. 

Where to watch: Hulu

The Simpsons gets most of the credit for shaping the humour of ’90s kids, but don’t discount Animaniacs. Sure, its manic, slapstick energy was aimed directly at its core demo’s underdeveloped brains, but its sly wordplay and Hollywood in-jokes seemed trained at a much older audience. You’ll probably appreciate it – and its brief 2010s reboot – even more now.

Where to watch: Netflix

Expect a bit of sugar, spice and everything nice...and Chemical X. When Professor Utonium accidentally spills this ingredient into his scientific concoction, the PowerPuff Girls are born: A crime-fighting trio who keeps the city of Townsville safe from villains. 

Where to watch: Hulu

The monkey can't help it: Good-natured Curious George is always getting into trouble because of, well, his curiosity. Remind you of any little creatures bouncing around your home? The goofball monkey and the Man in the Yellow Hat come to life in this series from the mid-aughts.

Where to watch: Disney+

Tween Doug Funnie moves to a new town (Bluffington) and meets a whole new cast of characters in the process: His BFF Skeeter Valentine, the awful bully Roger Klotz and the perfect Miss Pattie Mayonnaise, the apple of Doug's eye. Plus, his pup Porkchop is always sticking around, serving major canine cuteness, and viewers are treated to Funnie's alter-ego, Quail Man, the superhero he envisions himself to be. (A vigilante whose underwear is showing...)  

Where to watch: Max

The original Scooby Doo is a trip, man. Since making its groovy debut in 1996, the talking Great Dane and his human sidekicks have been wandering the world in their flower-power ban, getting into trouble and solving crimes. As always, those criminals might have gotten away with it if it wasn't for those meddling kids!

Where to watch: Paramount+

A darkly funny sci-fi series that premiered on Nickelodeon in the early aughts, Invader Zim chronicles the escapades of Zim, an alien from the planet Irk fixated on conquering Earth with the help of an inept robot servant named GIR. Invader Zim lasted just two seasons, but it has had a lasting impact on pop culture—an Invader Zim feature film is set to be released on Netflix later this year.

Where to watch: Apple TV

Wallace is a hapless but pleasant Englishman with a taste for Wensleydale cheese; Gromit is his dog, and the real star of the show. Gromit is the more industrious and creative of the two, and his delusional ambitions often land him in trouble—to the shrieking delight of your kids. The stop-motion clay animation of this series is so distinctive that it's become a visual trademark.

Where to watch: Tubi

What do you remember about this classic series? This cartoon about a sailor who spends a lot of time ashore flirting and getting into fights is an American icon, and makes a strong argument for eating your greens!

Where to watch: Max

Courage is easily frightened. You can't blame him: His parents were sent into outer space by a mad veterinarian. Still, Courage finds courage when protecting the homestead against the aliens, spirits, zombies, vampires, evil madmen, monsters and dark forces that always seem to drop by. 

Where to watch: Roku Channel

Da-dum, da-dum... Who doesn't love Henry Mancini's theme for the Pink Panther, the 1963 film starring Peter Sellars? The opening credits featured a cartoon panther that audiences adored so much he was spun off into the star of his own cartoon series. The Pink Panther is always stumbling into adventures, and always keeps its cool.

Where to watch: Max

Kids change, cartoons change and humour changes, but the Looney Tunes gang is forever. Seriously: when the aliens arrive to pick over the remains of our decimated planet, even they’ll even get a kick out of Bugs Bunny outsmarting Elmer Fudd, Daffy Duck spitting and stammering and Wile E Coyote’s eternal, futile pursuit of the Road Runner. They don’t call it the Golden Age of Animation for nothing.

Where to watch: Max

Meet George Jetson, an executive at Spacely Sprockets, husband to Jane, father to Judy and Elroy, friend to dog Astro. This look into life in 2062 has the same fabulousness of Disney's Tomorrowland, a mid-60s vision of utopia. Not that your kids will notice—they'll be too busy chortling when George's boss Cosmo loses it and starts shouting like an angry pug.

Where to watch: Disney+

Welcome to the Ducky-verse: This spinoff featuring Scrooge McDuck and nephews Huey, Dewy and Louie is silly fun. The stories in DuckTales span the globe, with the three young ducklings finding adventures in some far-out places.

Where to watch: Disney+

Think of it as the tales of some fourth-grade somethings: Recess follows a group of fourth-graders as they navigate the wild habitat known of the schoolyard, dodging bullies and finding friendship. Their challenge? How to be individuals who can express themselves while fitting in. Talk about good lessons to learn.

Where to watch: Disney+

Penny Proud isn't always proud of her father. The 14-year old is easily embarrassed by her parents—sound familiar? Penny's best friend Dijonay Jones is always there for her as they grow up and figure out how the world works.

Where to watch: Disney+

Kim Possible is just like every other all-American teenage girl in Middleton, USA—only she's a secret crimefighter on the side. Helped by her hapless sidekick Ron Stoppable, she is determined to stop the evil Dr. Drakken from taking over the world.