List Envy | 14: Top 5 90s kids’ cartoons

14: Top 5 90s kids’ cartoons

November 5, 2019 / 01:00:16/E16

Guest Jamie Garner He can count, He can read and he can cook. The original triple threat. Jamie Garner - Birmingham, United Kingdom, keele university | about.me Jamie Garner (@grunt121) | Twitter Mark and his guest Jamie Garner have snuck out of bed, crept downstairs and turned on the telly for a channel-hop through ‘90s nostalgia. Both Mark and Jamie grew up with Saturday morning programming from the BBC, including /Going Live!/, /Live & Kicking/ and What’s Up Doc?, which showed cartoons and showcased some of the UK’s newest pop acts. Mark does not pass up the opportunity to discuss the kids’ presenter Andy Crane, and the fact that he narrated one of his favourite children’s books. Incidentally, you can hear more about that book and MArk’s thoughts on it — and Andy Crane — on a recent episode of /Your Own Words/. Get Extra Envy Get more List Envy in your inbox by signing up to our newsletter. Support the podcast and get more Jamie There’s more from Jamie Garner in our bonus podcast, available for just £2 a month, which helps us get to our goal of transcribing episodes. Sign up now! Jamie’s picks In order of discussion: Dungeons & Dragons Jamie’s first pick is a repeat-viewing for him. It was first released in 1983, but made its way to the UK some years later. Hollywood has tried to adapt it into cinematic form, but it’s never really taken, however there is quite an epic car commercial from Brazil, which is a must-watch for D&D cartoon fans. ThunderCats Every boy of a certain age had at least one ThunderCats toy. It featured a host of memorable characters, and the next piece of action was only a smash-cut away. And in keeping with the tradition of the American Saturday morning cartoon, each episode came with a moral. Remember kids, real winners don’t cry in the bath. Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends This Stan Lee narrated cartoon included Dracula, Frankenstein, the Green Goblin, the Incredible Hulk, and many more. Jamie’s now bringing up his kids to enjoy the series, but he maintains that their favourite character choices are incorrect. X-Men: The Animated Series This show ran for 5 s[image:(null)/(null)]easons, and was[image:(null)/(null)] picked up by Sky in the UK. It brought the comic books to life, transferring the most iconic characters from page to screen Batman: The Animated Series Starring Kevin Conroy as Batman and Mark Hamil as the Joker (roles the pair still portray in video game form), this dark and violent animated series holds up to adult viewing. Mark’s picks In order of discussion: Danger Mouse This ITV show started life in 1981, and was rebooted by the BBC a few years back. The original starred David Jason in a number of voices, and is part of a shared cartoon universe (which may be covered in a future pick). Animaniacs Mark maintains that this Warner Bros show had no business being made for children. It was anarchic, but the jokes were pitched so far over kids’ heads, it’s a wonder they managed even the five seasons they were commissioned for. For proof, here’s Pinky and the Brain making fun of a bad-tempered Orson Wells recording an ad about frozen peas. Ox Tales This Japanese cartoon captured Mark’s heart, even though he’d not seen that many episodes. It’s largely been lost to history, but bits are still available on YouTube. Here’s the opening sequence. Count Duckula As the theme song described, Duckula would bite neither beast nor man, because he was a vegetarian. It was another outing for Cosgrove & Hall, the writer-creators of Danger Mouse and other shows of that ilk. Honourable mentions The Centurions Visionaries: Knights of the Magical Light The Transformers He-Man and the Masters of the Universe She-Ra and the Princesses of Power BraveStar GI Joe: A Real American Hero Heathcliff Taz-Mania Spiff and Hercules Dogtanian and the Three Muskehounds Jimbo and the Jet-Set Muppet Babies The Raggy Dolls The Garfield Show Ovide and the Gang Sharky & George Felix the Cat Henry’s Cat Rocko’s Modern Life Doug Hey Arnold! Aaahh! Real Monsters The Mysterious Cities of Gold Around the Word With Willy Fogg Chip ’n Dale: Rescue Rangers Roobarb Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? More of Jamie Garner Follow Jamie on Twitter, and maybe one day he’ll release a podcast again. Links Support the podcast

Guest

Jamie Garner

He can count, He can read and he can cook. The original triple threat.


    Jamie Garner - Birmingham, United Kingdom, keele university | about.me
    Jamie Garner (@grunt121) | Twitter

Mark and his guest Jamie Garner have snuck out of bed, crept downstairs and turned on the telly for a channel-hop through ‘90s nostalgia.

Both Mark and Jamie grew up with Saturday morning programming from the BBC, including /Going Live!/, /Live & Kicking/ and What’s Up Doc?, which showed cartoons and showcased some of the UK’s newest pop acts.

Mark does not pass up the opportunity to discuss the kids’ presenter Andy Crane, and the fact that he narrated one of his favourite children’s books. Incidentally, you can hear more about that book and MArk’s thoughts on it — and Andy Crane — on a recent episode of /Your Own Words/.

Get Extra Envy

Get more List Envy in your inbox by signing up to our newsletter.

Support the podcast and get more Jamie

There’s more from Jamie Garner in our bonus podcast, available for just £2 a month, which helps us get to our goal of transcribing episodes. Sign up now!

Jamie’s picks

In order of discussion:

Dungeons & Dragons

Jamie’s first pick is a repeat-viewing for him. It was first released in 1983, but made its way to the UK some years later. Hollywood has tried to adapt it into cinematic form, but it’s never really taken, however there is quite an epic car commercial from Brazil, which is a must-watch for D&D cartoon fans.

ThunderCats

Every boy of a certain age had at least one ThunderCats toy. It featured a host of memorable characters, and the next piece of action was only a smash-cut away. And in keeping with the tradition of the American Saturday morning cartoon, each episode came with a moral. Remember kids, real winners don’t cry in the bath.

Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends

This Stan Lee narrated cartoon included Dracula, Frankenstein, the Green Goblin, the Incredible Hulk, and many more. Jamie’s now bringing up his kids to enjoy the series, but he maintains that their favourite character choices are incorrect.

X-Men: The Animated Series

This show ran for 5 s[image:(null)/(null)]easons, and was[image:(null)/(null)] picked up by Sky in the UK. It brought the comic books to life, transferring the most iconic characters from page to screen

Batman: The Animated Series

Starring Kevin Conroy as Batman and Mark Hamil as the Joker (roles the pair still portray in video game form), this dark and violent animated series holds up to adult viewing.

Mark’s picks

In order of discussion:

Danger Mouse

This ITV show started life in 1981, and was rebooted by the BBC a few years back. The original starred David Jason in a number of voices, and is part of a shared cartoon universe (which may be covered in a future pick).

Animaniacs

Mark maintains that this Warner Bros show had no business being made for children. It was anarchic, but the jokes were pitched so far over kids’ heads, it’s a wonder they managed even the five seasons they were commissioned for. For proof, here’s Pinky and the Brain making fun of a bad-tempered Orson Wells recording an ad about frozen peas.

Ox Tales

This Japanese cartoon captured Mark’s heart, even though he’d not seen that many episodes. It’s largely been lost to history, but bits are still available on YouTube. Here’s the opening sequence.

Count Duckula

As the theme song described, Duckula would bite neither beast nor man, because he was a vegetarian. It was another outing for Cosgrove & Hall, the writer-creators of Danger Mouse and other shows of that ilk.

Honourable mentions

More of Jamie Garner

Follow Jamie on Twitter, and maybe one day he’ll release a podcast again.