The ’90s were a golden age for Saturday morning cartoons—an era when anything could be animated, no matter how weird, wild, or completely unhinged. From mutant biker mice and time-traveling teens to gothic swamp monsters and literal talking cows, TV networks were cranking out some of the most offbeat animated series ever made. And while shows like Batman: The Animated Series and Rugrats still get the love they deserve, there’s a whole crop of forgotten ’90s cartoons that quietly faded into obscurity—despite being absolute bangers.
Whether you grew up watching Swat Kats tear through MegaKat City, Freakazoid cause unhinged chaos, or Bucky O’Hare battle the Toad Empire, this list is your nostalgic deep dive into the lost cartoons of the 1990s that deserve a second look—and maybe even a reboot. So fire up your VHS player (or just scroll down) and prepare to relive the weird, wonderful, and underrated animated madness of the ’90s.
Based on the hit movies featuring best buds in Rock n Roll, Bill and Ted, this animated spinoff follows the new adventures of this dynamic duo and, of course, their time-traveling friend Rufus. Each episode features Bill and Ted trying to ensure history happens as it should… According to their interpretation, of course.
Not to be confused with Disney’s 1953 interpretation, Peter Pan and the Pirates is based more closely on the book by J.M. Barrie. This was a whole new take on the forever young, pirate-bashing hero.
Featuring the protagonist of the hit DC comic series, Swamp Thing may not have been a major success–only a handful of episodes actually aired–but it had an incredible action figure line from Kenner, and that is something to be grateful for.
Picking up after the third movie, the Back to the Future series further follows the adventures of Dr. Emmett Brown and Marty McFly through time. Joining Doc and Marty are the rest of the Brown family, including his wife Clara, sons Jules and Verne, and ,of course, Einstein the dog. Classic characters such as Marty’s girlfriend Jennifer and the dastardly Biff Tannen also pop up to add to the fun.
The theme song alone justifies Bucky O’Hare a spot on this list. Bucky O’Hare, the captain of the Righteous Indignation, and his crew take on the evil Toad Empire. Full of colorful characters and kickass visuals, it’s no surprise that this show led to a pretty badass toy line and video games.
A fever dream of a show if there ever was one. Mr. Bogus was a hybrid animated/Claymation series starring a small yellow gremlin-like creature that lived in a man’s house. Bogus caused all sorts of ruckus, but eventually solved his own problems in the way he best knew how: pure chaos.
This show is long overdue to receive its flowers. Pirates of Dark Water was basically Pirates of the Caribbean, with aliens. The hero of the story, Ren, and his fellow swashbucklers, Tula, Ioz, and Niddler, pursue the Thirteen Treasures of Rule to stop the black sentient liquid, Dark Water, from consuming the planet. Each episode pits the crew against the evil pirate Bloth, who also seeks the treasure and to control the Dark Water himself.
Basically, the Avengers of ‘90s athletes. This animated series centers on Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky, and Bo Jackson as they use their athletic abilities and dope gadgets to fight crime, help kids, and save the world. This show had immense potential, and it’s frankly shocking that it didn’t last very long.
A cartoon series that boggles the mind with the fact that it even exists. The movie this cartoon was based on was definitely not for children, but anytime there’s an opportunity to sell massive amounts of action figures, cartoons will always answer the call. Toxie and his fellow mutant buddies fight crime and pollution, essentially amounting to a more radical version of Captain Planet.
There have been a few animated versions of everybody’s spooky family, but the 1992 Hanna-Barbera version is, in this writer’s opinion, the cream of the crop. The writing was spectacular, the voice acting was top-notch, and that classic Hanna-Barbera animation style made this show a must-watch for ‘90s kids.
Idea: Let’s give King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table superpowers. This is basically the entire plot of ‘The Knights of Justice.’ A team of all-American football players from modern times is transported back to Camelot by Merlin to free the imprisoned original King Arthur and his Knights. Another fun cartoon with immense toy potential.
Another entry in the plethora of anthropomorphic animal cartoons, C.O.W. Boys Of Moo Mesa took the term “cowboy” quite literally and turned a bunch of bovine heroes into gunslinging heroes of the Wild West. When crime is too much for local law enforcement, the C.O.W. Boys are called upon to clean up the town of outlaws and corrupt lawmen.
A staple of the Fox Kids animation block, Eek! The Cat followed the misadventures of a happy-go-lucky purple cat who only wishes to help others despite his oblivious kindness, which often gets him into trouble. Whether lending a hand to his adopted family or unwittingly avoiding the wrath of Sharky the dog, Eek’s wholesome outlook on life, despite his environment, was surely inspiring.
There was a period of time in the ‘90s when Conan was everywhere. Whether it be the hit comic series or the blockbuster films with Arnold Schwarzenegger, the world couldn’t get enough of the barbarian. Conan the Adventurer is jam-packed with action, as Conan battles the evil Wrath-Amon and his serpent minions in hopes of freeing his family from their stone imprisonment. This show was a pretty spectacular Saturday morning romp with cool characters, great toys, and a kickass theme song to boot.
Dubbed “Hanna-Barbera’s answer to Ren & Stimpy,” it’s a travesty this show isn’t available to stream anywhere. It follows Big Dog and Little Dog, two extremely unintelligent friends, and their efforts to make their way in the world. Most of the plot focuses on the dogs trying to eat food, oblivious to anything else impacting the world around them. Bonus: This show also gave us Super Secret Squirrel segments, which were also amazing.
More talking animals are fighting crime once again. The show showcases the adventures of three muscle-bound mice from Mars who drive–you guessed it–motorcycles as they fight to protect Earth from the same alien forces that enslaved Mars. This is pure testosterone-fueled fun that really has held up with time.
Bonkers is one of the more solid entries in Disney Channel’s programming, and that’s saying a lot given Disney had its fair share of excellent Saturday morning cartoons. Bonkers the cat is a washed-up TV star who has taken on a new identity as a patrol cop. He’s paired with a human officer, who happens to hate cartoon creatures, as they fight to rid Los Angeles of crime.
Jumping off the screen from your favorite arcade, Double Dragon tells the tale of the Lee brothers, Jimmy and Billy, as they search for their missing father and defeat the evil Shadow Master. Tons of references from the hit video game series are packed in, along with a great theme song and a pretty solid toy line. It’s a shame this show only had the shelf life of a year.
The toy so dope it had to get its own show, the animated series for Mighty Max only added to the greatness of the brand. After finding a magical baseball cap (as one does), Max becomes Mighty Max and can open wormholes through space and time to alternate dimensions. Max battles across multiple realities with his friends Virgil and Norman, fighting the evil Skullmaster in his attempt to take over all of reality. How one gets that from what was essentially a boy’s version of Polly Pocket, I’m not sure, but hey– we’re here for it.
Speaking of “boy versions” of classic toys, Stone Protectors were little boys’ answer to Trolls. After a group of teenagers is infused with magically powered stones, they are transformed into muscle-bound Trolls with superpowers and the ability to play rock and roll music (naturally). Each week, we followed the Stone Protectors as they battled the evil Zok and his Saurian horde.
One of the more badass creations to come out of the Hanna-Barbera umbrella, MegaKat City is a city of human/cat hybrids, protected by two vigilante pilots Razor and T-Bone, in their extremely cool fighter jet. Whether it be the villainous Dark Kat or Dr. Viper, there’s no evil so great that the Swat Kats can’t handle it with their fleet of crime-fighting vehicles.
Once again, we have a property based on a show that was more or less made for adults, repurposed to appeal to children in cartoon form. Stemming from the Tales Of The Crypt anthology show, The Cryptkeeper tells a horror story every week, usually teaching a lesson at the end. It was filled with fun, semi-scary stories which were way more child-friendly and mild than the live-action or comic series. The Cryptkeeper is just as fun animated as he is when he’s a live-action puppet, which makes for a great time on the couch.
It’s about time this show gets its flowers. Telling the story of legendary comedian Louie Anderson’s childhood, this Saturday morning delight was one of the high marks of the Fox Kids block. Louie’s dysfunctional but loving family is highly entertaining to watch. Anderson’s voice acting is phenomenal, whether he’s voicing his childhood self (but retaining his adult voice) or his unhinged father. This writer definitely recommends you take the time to find some episodes and enjoy the madness.
A cartoon about a character who was pretty much a living cartoon seemed like a slam dunk at the time. Furthering the adventures of everyone’s favorite pet detective, Ace Ventura picks up where he left off after the live-action movies with more zany adventures involving rescuing animals and, at times, the city at large. It’s unfortunate that we couldn’t get Jim Carrey to voice Ace himself, but the series didn’t suffer too much as a result.
Kids WB had some bangers on its Saturday morning programming, but one standout that still keeps people laughing to this day is Freakazoid. Freakazoid is the alter ego of class nerd Dexter Douglas, who, after being transformed by a sentient computer bug, becomes an ultra-powerful yet ultra-unhinged crime-fighting superhero. Imagine a hyperactive, insane Superman.
If you were a kid in the 90s, you saw Street Fighter everywhere. The smash hit video game series had a great toy line and a live-action and far superior Anime movie, so it was only natural that Saturday morning cartoons were the next step. Guile and the Street Fighters, an undercover international peacekeeping force, battle M. Bison and Shadaloo’s criminal empire.
From Damon Wayans’s mind comes Waynehead, a cartoon about Damey Wayne, a boy with a club foot trying to navigate adolescence in New York City. The show was said to follow Wayans’ exploits from his own childhood. Perhaps ahead of its time, this show didn’t have a long shelf life, but it left its mark on the culture all the same.
After Disney bought the Mighty Ducks hockey franchise, the people at the House of Mouse saw money on the table in the animated world. In an alternate universe, there is a planet called Puckworld, which is inhabited by humanoid ducks. It is a planet made of ice, crucial to the Ducks of Puckworld’s favorite activity: hockey. When their planet is invaded by the evil Saurians, the evildoers turn their attention to Earth, where a group of Duck resistance fighters follow them to protect the planet.
It’s really miraculous that Mortal Kombat, a video game made for adults, had a large part of its franchise marketed to children. They had action figures, a PG-13 movie, and, of course, a cartoon. Led by Raiden, the Earthrealm warriors (Sub Zero, Lui Kang, Sonya Blade, etc.) battle the armies of Outworld and prevent Shao Kahn and his horde from taking over Earth. Since the show was a children’s cartoon, most of the violence the franchise is known for was significantly toned down, contributing to its early demise.
A more mature take on the Hanna-Barbera classic, The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest features a teenage Johnny Quest, once again joined by Hadji and newcomer Jessie Bannon, daughter of Race, the family bodyguard. This world-encompassing series of adventures has stories that lean more mature for an older fan base. Plus, it had Questworld segments, which gave us an early idea of what computer animation had the potential to be.