“Ed, Edd and Eddy. BUURRRAAH”

“Scooby dooby doo, Where are you? We got some work to do now”

“Hey! It’s a wonderful kind of day. You can learn to love and play And get along with each other.”

I bet you sang them all from start to finish with a smile on your face.

Cartoons from the late 80s to the early 2000s were definitely a special bunch. Some of them can even be called iconic with shows like the Looney Tunes and Tom and Jerry going down as unforgettable.

But what about those other favourites that you would curl up on a comfy couch to watch? Those routine episodes that would be the first thing you paid attention to after coming home from school?

Brace yourselves, everyone. Nostalgia is going to hit you like a truck. Here are 10 Cartoon Network show tunes that are branded in your minds [even if you don’t know it yet]:

1. Courage The Cowardly Dog

This little pink dog, with its ironic name, stole our hearts with every monster it battled and boy, were there some terrifying ones! I remember an episode when even that (super-old) computer was against it. Inspite it all, Courage always protected Muriel in episodes that were filled with humor as unusual as the next one. (He even bagged a quote on B-Change, check it out).

2. Dexter’s Laboratory

Dee-Dee was the culmination of all younger siblings into one outrageously annoying sister to Dexter, that’s basically what I took with me from the show.

Of course, there were the incredible innovations of Dexter, his secret lab, the many missions and the loving parents but who could deny the fact that literally all our schemes to trouble our siblings were just imitations of Dee-Dee’s actions? The truth has been told, my friends.

3. Scooby Doo

A family favourite (because kids usually win the remote battle against parents), this show had one of the best squads of the cartoon world.

With Scooby Doo having more adventures in a single day than most people have in their lifetimes, the team (Fred, Daphne, Velma and Shaggy) fought monsters even worse than the ones Courage dealt with, the reason being these monsters were related to evil humans (what’s worse than evil humans, right?).

4. Ed, Edd & Eddy

Who’s Edd? Pfft. “Double D” is what he goes by around here.

Jawbreakers were gold to these three pre-teen boys and they’d do whatever it took to make some money to buy them. Of course, we can understand their obsession for candy; we’re all guilty of the same too. The difference is in the fact that they desperately tried to trick their peers to obtain money from them. On second thought, maybe there isn’t a difference (wink face).

5. Powerpuff Girls

Another trio, coupled with super powers this time. They didn’t care about trivial things like candy at all; they were in to save the world! The city of Townsville was plagued by unforgettable villains, two of which were Mojo JoJo and Him (so evil, that his name couldn’t be spoken). Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup did everything they could to stop them.

The Mayor didn’t really do much (that sounds familiar) except shouting out in distress for the Powerpuff Girls to take action. The end, although awfully predictable, was always a relief because nothing’s better than knowing the world has been saved.

6. Johnny Bravo

Hey mama (multiple wink faces)!

Johnny was the definition of a ladies man, or he tried to be.

An overconfident and muscular man, Johnny approached everything in his life with the same attitude. There’s a movie coming out next year starring Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson as Johnny and I cannot, for the life of me, fathom how great it’s going to be.

Dwayne’s already got that killer bod down, it’s only a matter of time before we all (I mean, ALL) swoon over this unanimated version of Johnny Bravo.

7. Cow and Chicken

If you remember this, you’re a true 90s kid with a childhood defined by Cartoon Network. This slapstick comedy subtly taught us about adoption and again, why messing around with your siblings is so much fun (Dee-Dee’s disciples).

The only thing we’re still in the dark about is what Cow and Chicken’s parents looked. Oh, how it drove us crazy! Maybe they should do a come-back and finally show us their faces.

8. Codename: Kids Next Door

Best. Tree-house. Ever. I would be ready to live my whole life in it.

Those five weren’t messing around. They were in to win the fight against adult tyranny.

And they always did, helped by the best technology to battle those adult villains.

It’s funny how as the cartoons progressed (KND being aired first in 2002), the evil got more and more closer to being humans. That’s something to think about.

9. Samurai Jack

Half our ninja moves were from repeatedly (and unsuccessfully) trying to imitate Samurai Jack as best as we could (the other half were from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but we can’t have everything on this list, right? It would never end!).

Watching Jack taught me the ways of having a super chill face while dealing with trouble. He also taught me the pain of what it’s like to fall on the ground after trying his moves on the couch (as if I ever learnt my lesson).

10. Arthur 

Personally, one of my favourites, this show just radiates happiness and sunshine. There were rarely any villains, just a little middle school drama and lots of friendship. Arthur and Buster were the best of friends, DW was Dee-Dee in all aspects and Arthur’s dog, Pal was the cutest thing ever.

At times now when my younger siblings are watching reruns of Arthur, I sneak peek in the most nonchalant way possible. It can’t be helped.

This list just begins to cover the cartoon goodness that we were privy to in our childhood. The turn of the century was filled to the brim with quality content and everybody knew TV time was precious (another hour of Cartoon Network before bedtime if I finish my homework? I’ll get right to it!).

We lived for every new episode and hated every commercial break. In all, it was time to be remembered dearly for the rest of our lives. A time when our imaginations ran free and barriers were far from sight.

We 90’s kids were a lucky bunch, indeed.