69 Fun Facts About 90s Cartoons

Who voiced Tommy Pickles on Rugrats from its 1991 debut?

Only the unaired pilot used a different actor, Tami Holbrook. Daily also played Dottie in Pee-wee's Big Adventure.

Which 2003-2008 spin-off followed the Rugrats babies as preteens?

All Grown Up! ran on Nickelodeon from 2003 to 2008, expanding the 2001 tenth-anniversary special 'All Growed Up', which had jumped the babies forward ten years.

Which three shows premiered together on August 11, 1991 as the first Nicktoons?

Doug, Rugrats and The Ren & Stimpy Show debuted back to back on Sunday 11 August 1991 in a 90-minute block, all chosen by Nickelodeon animation executive Vanessa Coffey.

Doug Funnie's new hometown on Doug is called what?

Doug moves to Bluffington, whose residents come in a rainbow of skin colours — a deliberate choice by creator Jim Jinkins — and attends Bluffington School.

After Disney acquired Doug's studio in 1996, the show moved to which network?

Disney bought Jumbo Pictures in 1996, months after closing its purchase of ABC, and Brand Spanking New! Doug premiered in ABC's Saturday-morning line-up that September.

Who created Hey Arnold!?

Craig Bartlett first built the football-headed Arnold in claymation shorts, one of which aired on Sesame Street, before Nickelodeon launched the series in October 1996.

On Hey Arnold!, Arnold's grandparents run a boarding house with what name?

The Sunset Arms boarding house, run by Grandpa Phil and Grandma Gertie, shelters eccentric boarders such as Oskar Kokoshka and Mr. Hyunh in the city of Hillwood.

Rocko of Rocko's Modern Life is what kind of animal?

Rocko is a wallaby who emigrated from Australia to O-Town; the 2019 Netflix special Static Cling revived the series.

Which future SpongeBob creator got his first animation-directing job on Rocko's Modern Life?

Stephen Hillenburg, a former marine-science teacher, directed and later ran Rocko's Modern Life; crew members including Tom Kenny and Paul Tibbitt followed him to SpongeBob.

Ren Höek of The Ren & Stimpy Show is what kind of animal?

Ren is a scrawny, bad-tempered 'asthma-hound chihuahua'; his partner Stimpy is a dim but good-natured Manx cat.

After Nickelodeon fired John Kricfalusi in 1992, Ren & Stimpy moved from Spümcø to which studio?

Games Animation, Nickelodeon's newly created in-house studio, took over Ren & Stimpy for seasons three to five; it later grew into Nickelodeon Animation Studio.

Which film director served as executive producer of Animaniacs?

Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment co-produced Animaniacs; 'Steven Spielberg Presents' ran above the title and he personally approved the characters pitched by creator Tom Ruegger.

On Animaniacs, where had Yakko, Wakko and Dot been locked away since the 1930s?

The Warners were locked in the Warner Bros. studio water tower, a real landmark on the Burbank lot that the show turned into their home.

In Pinky and the Brain, whose voice did Maurice LaMarche base the Brain on?

LaMarche based the Brain on Orson Welles, with a touch of Vincent Price by his own account, and dubbed Welles's voice for Vincent D'Onofrio's cameo in Ed Wood (1994).

In 1998, Pinky and the Brain was retooled so the mice were owned by which Tiny Toon Adventures character?

The retitled show, Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain, was a network-mandated change the writers openly mocked in its theme.

The first Tiny Toon Adventures episode aired in September 1990 as a prime-time special on which network?

The pilot 'The Looney Beginning' aired on CBS on 14 September 1990 as a prime-time special; the series then ran in first-run syndication before its final season moved to Fox Kids.

Which villain was created for Batman: The Animated Series, debuting in 'Joker's Favor'?

Paul Dini and Bruce Timm created her as a one-off henchwoman; she became so popular DC brought her into the comics.

Who voiced the Joker on Batman: The Animated Series?

Mark Hamill, Luke Skywalker in Star Wars, voiced the Joker opposite Kevin Conroy's Batman and kept the role for decades of DC animation and the Arkham games.

The producers of Batman: The Animated Series called its noir-meets-1940s visual style by what name?

Bruce Timm and Eric Radomski dubbed the look 'Dark Deco'; backgrounds were painted on black paper instead of white, which is why Gotham always seems to be at night.

X-Men: The Animated Series premiered on Halloween 1992 as part of which programming block?

The two-part opener "Night of the Sentinels" ran as a sneak preview, and the show went on to reach more than 23 million households.

Who voiced Peter Parker in the 1994 Spider-Man animated series?

Barnes had already been the voice of Prince Eric in The Little Mermaid, and the show ran 65 episodes on Saturday mornings.

Who voiced Goliath on Gargoyles?

Keith David voiced Goliath, surrounded by Star Trek: The Next Generation alumni — Jonathan Frakes as Xanatos and Marina Sirtis as Demona.

On Gargoyles, when do the gargoyles turn to stone?

Gargoyles turn to stone during the day and wake at sunset; a spell froze the clan in Scotland for a thousand years until their castle was rebuilt atop a Manhattan skyscraper.

What is Darkwing Duck's mild-mannered secret identity?

Drake Mallard — a pun on Kent Allard, the Shadow's alter ego — lives in St. Canard with adopted daughter Gosalyn and pilot Launchpad McQuack.

On TaleSpin, what is the name of Baloo's seaplane?

Baloo flies the Sea Duck, a Conwing L-16 cargo seaplane, for Higher for Hire; the show dropped Jungle Book characters into a 1930s aviation world with Shere Khan as a tycoon.

On Goof Troop, who is Goofy's next-door neighbor and old high-school friend?

Pete, a used-car salesman, lives next door in Spoonerville; his son P.J. becomes Max's best friend, a pairing carried into A Goofy Movie (1995).

On Recess, the Third Street playground is ruled by a sixth grader with what title?

King Bob, a sixth grader, rules the Third Street playground from a throne atop the jungle gym, in a playground monarchy the show played entirely straight.

Who created Pepper Ann, the first Disney animated TV series made by a woman?

Sue Rose created Pepper Ann, which debuted on ABC's One Saturday Morning on 13 September 1997, the same day as Recess.

Who created Dexter's Laboratory?

Genndy Tartakovsky created Dexter's Laboratory (1996) and gave the boy genius an accent because, he said, famous scientists all have accents; he went on to make Samurai Jack.

Craig McCracken's CalArts short that became The Powerpuff Girls was originally titled what?

McCracken's 1992 CalArts short Whoopass Stew! starred the Whoopass Girls; Cartoon Network would not market that word, so they became the Powerpuff Girls.

On The Powerpuff Girls, Professor Utonium accidentally adds what to sugar, spice and everything nice?

Professor Utonium accidentally knocks Chemical X into the mix, creating Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup; the series premiered on Cartoon Network in November 1998.

What is the name of Johnny Bravo's hometown?

Johnny lives in Aron City, named after Elvis Presley's middle name; the pompadoured hero was modelled on Elvis and James Dean, and Seth MacFarlane wrote for the first season.

On Ed, Edd n Eddy, the boys run scams to buy which candy?

The Eds scheme to buy jawbreakers, the giant candy sold at the local candy store; the show ran on Cartoon Network from 1999 to 2009 and was made by a.k.a. Cartoon.

Ed, Edd n Eddy ended in 2009 with a television film subtitled what?

Ed, Edd n Eddy's Big Picture Show (2009) finally took the Eds out of the cul-de-sac and revealed Eddy's never-seen older brother as a bully.

Which Oscar-nominated short grew into Courage the Cowardly Dog?

The Chicken from Outer Space, a 1995 What a Cartoon! short by John R. Dilworth, lost the Oscar to Wallace and Gromit's A Close Shave; Courage the Cowardly Dog followed on Cartoon Network in 1999.

Beavis and Butt-Head began as which Mike Judge short shown on MTV's Liquid Television?

Frog Baseball, Mike Judge's 1992 short, aired on MTV's Liquid Television; the full Beavis and Butt-Head series followed in March 1993.

Hank Hill of King of the Hill makes his living selling what?

Hank sells propane and propane accessories at Strickland Propane in Arlen, Texas; Mike Judge voices both Hank and his mumbling friend Boomhauer.

Trey Parker and Matt Stone developed South Park from two short films sharing what title?

Both shorts are known as The Spirit of Christmas; the 1995 one, Jesus vs. Santa, was commissioned by Fox executive Brian Graden as a video Christmas card and spread on copied VHS tapes.

For roughly how many seasons did South Park kill Kenny in almost every episode?

He was killed off for real in season five, then quietly returned the next season with no explanation.

The English-dubbed Pokémon anime first aired in the United States in which year?

The English dub launched in US first-run syndication in September 1998, about a year and a half after the anime's April 1997 debut on TV Tokyo.

Dragon Ball Z adapts the manga of which artist?

Akira Toriyama's Dragon Ball manga (1984–95) was adapted into the 291-episode Dragon Ball Z, which became a US phenomenon once Cartoon Network's Toonami block ran it from 1998.

In the 1995 English dub of Sailor Moon, Usagi Tsukino was renamed what?

DiC's 1995 dub renamed Usagi 'Serena' and the Sailor Guardians the 'Sailor Scouts'; Viz Media's 2014 redub restored the Japanese names.

Arthur Read, star of the PBS series Arthur, is what kind of animal?

Arthur is an aardvark, as in Marc Brown's picture books; the PBS series ran for 25 seasons from 1996 to 2022.

Which reggae artist performed the Arthur theme song?

Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers recorded the theme 'Believe in Yourself', which opened the show for its 25-season run.

Who voiced Ms. Frizzle on the 1994 The Magic School Bus series?

Lily Tomlin voiced Ms. Frizzle, winning a 1995 Daytime Emmy for the role; Little Richard sang the show's theme.

Who voiced Gaia in the first three seasons of Captain Planet and the Planeteers?

Whoopi Goldberg voiced Gaia for the first three seasons before Margot Kidder took over; villains were played by stars too, including Meg Ryan, Jeff Goldblum, Sting and Martin Sheen.

Which comedian created Bobby's World and voiced both four-year-old Bobby and his father?

Howie Mandel created Bobby's World and voiced both Bobby and his father Howard; each Fox Kids episode was bookended by a live-action segment with Mandel.

Who voiced Nigel Thornberry, the nature-documentary host on The Wild Thornberrys?

Tim Curry gave Nigel his booming 'Smashing!'; the Klasky Csupo show followed daughter Eliza, who could talk to animals, around the world in the family Comvee.

On Aaahh!!! Real Monsters, which monster carries his eyeballs around in his hands?

The three friends attend a monster school under a city dump, where the Gromble teaches them to scare humans.

On Freakazoid!, how does teenager Dexter Douglas gain his powers?

The Bruce Timm and Paul Dini creation ran two seasons on Kids' WB and won a Daytime Emmy.

Beast Wars: Transformers pits which two factions against each other?

The CGI series was made by Mainframe Entertainment in Vancouver, the studio behind ReBoot.

The original working title for SpongeBob SquarePants was what?

The show was pitched as SpongeBoy Ahoy!, but the name SpongeBoy was already trademarked for a mop, so Hillenburg renamed his character SpongeBob before the May 1999 debut.

Family Guy premiered on Fox in January 1999 immediately after what broadcast?

'Death Has a Shadow' aired straight after Super Bowl XXXIII on 31 January 1999; the plum slot did not save it, and Fox cancelled the show in 2002 before DVD sales and Adult Swim reruns revived it.

Before Family Guy, Seth MacFarlane's short films starred a man and his talking dog named what?

The Life of Larry (1995) and Larry & Steve (1997) starred Larry and his dog Steve; MacFarlane redesigned the pair into Peter and Brian Griffin when Fox ordered the series.

Who voiced Philip J. Fry on Futurama, as well as Professor Farnsworth and Zoidberg?

Billy West voiced Fry, Professor Farnsworth, Dr. Zoidberg and Zapp Brannigan; the show was revived twice, by Comedy Central in 2010 and Hulu in 2023.

Who created CatDog, the Nicktoon about a cat and dog conjoined at the waist?

Peter Hannan created CatDog; its first episode sneak-previewed after the April 1998 Kids' Choice Awards, months before the official October premiere.

In which fictional Oregon town's forest do Norbert and Daggett live on The Angry Beavers?

Norbert and Daggett live in a dam in the forest outside Wayouttatown, Oregon, after leaving their parents' lodge to live as bachelors.

Daria (1997-2002) was a spin-off of which other MTV animated series?

Daria Morgendorffer began as Beavis and Butt-Head's deadpan classmate, voiced by Tracy Grandstaff in both shows; Mike Judge, busy with King of the Hill, had no hand in the spin-off.

Disney's Bonkers (1993) was inspired by which live-action/animation film?

Bonkers, a toon cop partnered with a human detective, borrowed the live-action-meets-toons premise of Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988); it spun off from the He's Bonkers shorts on Raw Toonage.

ReBoot, one of the first made-for-TV CGI series, was produced in which city?

Mainframe Entertainment made ReBoot in Vancouver; the show followed Guardian Bob against the viruses Megabyte and Hexadecimal and aired on YTV in Canada and ABC in the US from 1994.

Which former Monkee voiced Arthur, the Tick's sidekick, in season one of The Tick (1994)?

Micky Dolenz voiced Arthur in season one before Rob Paulsen took over; Townsend Coleman voiced the Tick, and the show ran three seasons on Fox Kids.

The Earthworm Jim cartoon (1995-96) aired on which network's children's block?

Earthworm Jim ran on Kids' WB from September 1995 to December 1996; Doug TenNapel created the video-game hero, an earthworm who fights evil in a robotic super suit.

On Biker Mice from Mars, which alien species destroyed the mice's homeland?

The Plutarkians, obese fish-like aliens who strip-mine planets, ravaged Mars; Throttle, Modo and Vinnie crash-landed in Chicago and fought the Plutarkian Lawrence Limburger from 1993 to 1996.

Who voiced New York film critic Jay Sherman on The Critic (1994-95)?

Jon Lovitz voiced Jay Sherman, whose crossover into The Simpsons episode 'A Star Is Burns' (1995) was famously opposed by Matt Groening.

Which Seinfeld actor voiced private detective Eric Tiberius Duckman?

Jason Alexander, Seinfeld's George Costanza, voiced Duckman; Everett Peck's series ran on the USA Network from 1994 to 1997 and grew out of a Dark Horse comic.

In 1996, Street Sharks was retitled to feature which new team of allies?

Season three became Dino Vengers Featuring Street Sharks, pairing the sharks with alien dinosaurs from the planet Reptilon; the Dino Vengers were then spun off as Extreme Dinosaurs in 1997.

Which veteran Ghostbuster leads the college-aged team in Extreme Ghostbusters (1997)?

Egon Spengler, now a university professor, recruits a new college-aged team, with Janine and Slimer returning; the 40-episode sequel to The Real Ghostbusters ran in syndication in 1997.

Which actor auditioned for Superman but was cast as Lex Luthor in Superman: The Animated Series?

Clancy Brown auditioned for Superman but the producers cast him as Lex Luthor, a role he kept for decades of DC animation; Tim Daly voiced Superman and Dana Delany Lois Lane.

What nickname do fans give DIC's 1993–94 ABC Sonic the Hedgehog cartoon?

Fans call the darker ABC series 'Sonic SatAM' after its Saturday-morning slot; DIC made it alongside the syndicated Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, and it ran 26 episodes over two seasons.