Kids who grew up in the 1990s will likely haveFox Kidsas a staple channel in the mornings, especially for its slate of awesome kids' cartoons. Fans who remember some of these cartoons would recall the likes of Marvel teams, unique heroes, and some remarkable shows that highlighted some of the craziest and campiest parts of 1990s cartoon plots. However, it’s these wacky elements that make Fox Kids in the 90s such a memorable time for kids back then.
RELATED:Underrated Sci-Fi Movies From The 1980s & Where To Stream Them
Thing is, there are quite a lot of Fox Kids shows back in the 1990s that may have made a mark on adults today. To those who want to go on a nostalgia trip - or those interested to figure out which shows their parents watched back then - just which Fox Kids shows in the 1990s may have been forgotten but are just as good as the hits?
8Silver Surfer (1998)
It’s not all the time thatMarvelonly decides to make cartoons of its hit superheroes - as aside fromSpider-Manand theX-Men, Fox Kids actually airedSilver Surferin 1998, which depicts the story of the Silver Surfer himself. Unlike his most appearances, theSilver Surfercartoons effectively removed theFantastic Fourin their version of the Silver Surfer origin story. Instead, Thanos helped the Silver Surfer partially rediscover his memories as Norrin Radd, motivating him to protect Earth from Galactus.
Unfortunately for this series, it was short-lived with only 13 episodes. However, fans do praise the film for its unique style and mixture of animation styles. Moreover, this may be a must-watch for Marvel fans as a lot of the characters in theSilver Surferseries come from Marvel’s cosmic roster, such as Adam Warlock, Drax the Destroyer, and even Uatu the Watcher.
7The Avengers: United They Stand (1999)
While today’sMarvel Cinematic Universeindeed continues to show the potential of the Marvel Comics universe, the 1990s wasn’t particularly a good time for all Marvel media. Prior to the MCU, a lot of Marvel media are being shown as their respective series, withThe Avengers: United They Standbeing one of the hopefuls to become as legendary as their counterparts such as theX-Men.Unfortunately for the series, it only had a short-lived 13-episode lifespan before being ultimately canceled, as it didn’t “click” enough with audiences.
RELATED:Best Anime Detectives, Ranked
Unlike a typicalAvengersroster,The Avengers: United They Standfeatures the West Coast Avengers, starring Ant-Man/Giant-Man, the Scarlet WItch, Hawkeye, Tigra, Wonder Man, and Wasp. The “Big Three” in the form of Captain America, Thor, and Iron Man only appeared in guest episodes. However, the series did attempt tofeature a lot of Avengers villains, such as Ultron, the Masters of Evil, Namor, Agatha Harkness, and even Kang the Conqueror.
6Sherlock Holmes In The 22nd Century (1999)
A lot of stories do attempt to take a spin on theSherlock Holmesconcept, such asSherlock Holmes In The 22nd Centurywhich is effectively set in the near future of the 22nd Century. All of this began when Inspector Beth Lestrade of New Scotland Yard discovers that a clone of Professor James Moriarty is helping a criminal she’s supposed to catch.
Knowing she needed an equal genius to face Moriarty, Lestrade took Sherlock Holmes and his preserved corpse to biologist Sir Evan Hargreaves, who uses cellular rejuvenation to bring the famed detective back to life. Aside from this crazy premise, what makesSherlock Holmes In The 22nd Centuryinteresting is how each of its episodes is a “modern” spin ona classicSherlock Holmesstory.
5Extreme Ghostbusters (1997)
Due to the popularity of supernatural films in the 1990s, it makes sense for a hit likeGhostbustersto have a resurgence on television. Coming in the form ofExtreme Ghostbusters, this animated series comes at the end of theThe Real GhostbustersTV series wherein the lack of supernatural activity has effectively meant the retiring of the Ghosbusters. InExtreme Ghostbusters, each member except for Dr. Egon Spengler and Slimer have quit the team. Unfortunately for Dr. Egon,a resurgence of ghostsforces him to hire lone four students as his new Ghostbusters, each with their own unique personality that often clash with one another.
WhileExtreme Ghostbustersdidn’t receive as high a view count as expected, it did test the waters of a supernatural horror show for kids. Moreover, the new cast of teenagers did serve as a good way to help kids feel more welcoming to the Ghostbusters concept, which did help kids in the 1990s as the new members showed even kids can be Ghostbusters, too.
4The Pirates Of Dark Water (1991)
A lot of 1990s kids would probably not have heard ofThe Pirates Of Dark Water, particularly due to its release in early 1991 and its short 2-season run. However, despite its “ordinary” title,The Pirates Of Dark Waterdoes pack a lot of punch. Set in the world of Mer, an evil substance known only as the Dark Water has started to devour everything, and it’s up to the young prince Ren to find the 13 Treasures of Rule to stop it. Accompanying him are a crew of misfits, with the evil pirate Lord Bloth out to stop him.
RELATED:Best Anime To Watch If You Love Naruto
WhileThe Pirates Of Dark Waterseems to have an ordinary pirate adventure premise, the characters and plot were strong enough to sustain a fanbase from both inside and outside its run. Unlike other Fox Kids shows,The Pirates Of Dark Waterencapsulated what an adventure show truly meant, with each episode capitalizing on Mer as a powerful backdrop for amazing stories of Ren and his friends.
3Iron Man (1994)
One of the best ways to get to knowIron Manas a superhero would probably be through his own television series, as the 1994Iron Mancartoon focuses not just onTony Stark’s adventuresas Iron Man but also the trials and tribulations he faced while wearing his costume. This 26-episode animated series composed initially of a first season of condensed episodes, where Iron Man and some of his fellow superheroes try to stop the Mandarin and other Iron Man villains from doing numerous schemes.
Meanwhile, the second season removed the per-episode story and instead featured episodes within a linked storyline, involving Iron Man and his friends on a larger conspiracy than what they’ve initially expected. It’s this creative approach to the Iron Man concept, as well as the liberal use of his stories, that made this one of the most memorable 1990s Fox Kids shows among fans.
2Where On Earth Is Carmen Sandiego? (1994)
It’s not all the time that a computer game would spawn an animated series, much more in the 1990s, but this is something that theCarmen Sandiegoseries successfully pulled off. Based on the games,Where On Earth Is Carmen Sandiego?is a 1994 series wherein legendary thief Carmen Sandiego heads the organization VILE in stealing objects of value. However, she leaves clues behind for ACME Agents Zack and Ivy to discover as a challenge to capture her in her exploits.
Despite its rather mundane nature,Where On Earth is Carmen Sandiego?did win a Daytime Emmy Award For Outstanding Children’s Animated Program in 1995. This may be thanks in part due to its unique formatting, as it switches between animation and presentation styles to resemble a “video game being played on television.” It’s this take on storytelling, as well as the sharing of various trivia to viewers, that madeWhere On Earth Is Carmen Sandiego?quite a compelling show in the 1990s.
1Godzilla: The Series (1998)
Of all film franchises to get an animated series,Godzillamay be one of those that legitimately surprised viewers. InGodzilla: The Series, its stories take place just after the 1998Godzillafilm. Following a slight deviation from the film’s ending, Dr. Nick Tatopoulos accidentally discovers an egg from the bombardment site in the originalGodzillafilm, this time around hatching and imprinting upon Dr. Nick as its parent. Now anew Godzilla, this creature has become Earth’s best line of defense against various giant monsters that soon plagued the city.
Despite the rather niche nature of theGodzillabrand, viewers did considerGodzilla: The Seriesas superior material compared to the original film. Moreover, fans praised the series for its grounded take on theGodzillaconcept without losing its charm as a kids' show.
