Over 200 Ranker voters have come together to rank this list of '90s Kids' Shows That Were More Transgressive Than We Realized At The Time
Voting Rules
Vote up the kids' shows that pushed the envelope.
Looking back at TV shows from 20-30 years ago, we may find that old favorites seem dated. While nostalgic, ‘90s shows can be in some ways inferior to current programming in topical content, the sophistication of stories, or the quality of effects. However, the 1990s in particular brought a lot of classic kids’ shows that were not only high quality, but ahead of the curve. These classics from Nickelodeon or Cartoon Network are our old favorites because they remind us of a previous era, and also because each brought new innovation in some aspect.
Whether in their humor, animation, or willingness to tackle taboo subjects, the shows listed here are well ahead of the game compared to other shows airing at the time, especially other kids' cartoons. Here are some of the most transgressive and boundary-pushing kids' shows from the '90s.
Animaniacs helped a whole generation of '90s kids level up their humor and became a classic in the process. The main characters, Warner siblings Yakko, Wakko, and Dot, got into many slapstick situations which led to irreverent comedy of a quality rarely found in kids' TV. There was often layered humor that was more sophisticated than other cartoons aimed at kids, teaching young audiences how to appreciate layered adult comedy.
Whether including homages to other classic cartoons such as Looney Tunes, or to high art like Ingmar Bergman films, it expanded the reference pool for young viewers. Additionally, Animaniacs was full of innuendo and adult jokes, and the show introduced concepts that are common to shows aimed at older audiences, refining the taste of a whole cohort.
This Nickelodeon comedy followed Rocko, an Australian wallaby who immigrated to the United States, living with his fellow animal friends Heffer, Filburt, and Spunky. It often had raunchy humor for a kids' cartoon, like masturbation jokes (including the name of their local restaurant, the "Chokey Chicken"), a gag about a vacuum having a "neutering" feature, and even an episode where Rocko gets a job as a "specialty phone operator" which is all but outright said to be a phone sex line.
Several episodes of the show were banned from airing in the US for their inappropriate humor, and other aspects were forcibly toned down as the show continued (like the "Chokey Chicken" being renamed to the "Chewy Chicken"). The creators of the show never gave up and kept pushing the boundaries of subtext and adult gags even in a kids' cartoon, which has made this show an enduring hit, with many fans preserving the censored episodes and jokes for how ahead of the times they were.
While we're familiar with edgy jokes in adult animation nowadays, The Ren & Stimpy Show pushed the limits of what could be shown on a network that was supposedly just for kids like Nickelodeon. Ren, the sociopathic tiny chihuahua, and Stimpy, the dull and gullible big cat, made a hilarious contrasting duo, and the show quickly became known for shocking humor that often included sexual innuendo. The show faced criticism from the network and parents of viewers alike for not being educational.
Even worse in the eyes of adults, many episodes featured violent language or gore that resulted in censorship, from changing single lines, to outright banning episodes that couldn't be redeemed from their violent or sexual plots. Despite this disapproval from moral authorities, the boundary-pushing content of Ren & Stimpy paved the way for wilder and fresher content on TV for kids, teens, and even adults, by showing that there was an audience for this humor.
Daria remains a cult hit to this day for her dry, acerbic wit. The sarcastic, non-laugh-track style of humor that Daria thrives on has become the standard for most comedy shows today, but this teen cartoon did it better than any other show - and did it decades ago.
Daria always cut to the heart of issues, calling out phoniness from her fellow teens or even adults without hesitation. Her matter-of-fact attitude addressing the double standards of high school and modern society was definitely ahead of its time, making cynicism cool when many other shows were still stuck on sunny optimism. With the rise of the Internet, cynical humor that calls out misinformation and misconceptions has grown far more popular, but Daria knew it long before anyone else.
The mere mention of Gargoyles is sure to set off nostalgia for anyone who was alive in the '90s, since it deftly mixed humor about the gargoyles adjusting to modern times with surprisingly intricate ongoing story arcs. On the other hand, the show wasn't afraid to tackle controversial topics, as well.
The episode "Deadly Force" sent a clear message about the dangers of guns by having one of the gargoyles, Broadway, take up an interest in guns and accidentally shoot one of his friends. This episode was unusual for depicting firearms that looked realistic (not like toy guns or sci-fi lasers) and showing a gunshot wound with actual blood, which was rarely allowed in kids' shows. This episode was so controversial that it was edited to remove certain bloody shots from subsequent airings, but the show remains bold for daring to tell such a taboo, but important, story.
There remains stigma around mental health issues like anxiety, though many people are more comfortable discussing them today than we were 30 years ago. That's why it's so incredible that Courage the Cowardly Dog found a way to speak to what anxiety feels like in a way that was accessible for kids - and also entertaining. Courage lived out on a farm in the middle of “Nowhere,” and was frightened of mostly everything around him. Yet, he had good reason to be afraid, as many monsters and other creatures came to attack the farm, making Courage protect the couple he lived with, Muriel and Eustace, who never seemed to take the danger as seriously as Courage did.
The surreal tone and bizarre visuals accurately convey the feeling of living with heavy stress or anxiety; even if we're not fighting off monsters, our problems can feel that way. The use of metaphor in this way, as well as the bizarre tone, made this show very cutting-edge for the '90s.
