The influence of cartoons on kids will always be a concern to parents. Cartoons do have positive and negative impacts on children. While they influence the children’s language acquisition and cognitive ability to a great extent, parents are concerned about some unwelcomed behavior the children learn from certain cartoons.
So, when I suggest to parents a list of cartoons that the children can watch at home, or to a teacher who can use these cartoons during class, I have to make sure the cartoons that I suggest are gems.
Here is a list of 90s cartoons that teach no violence and encourages no bad intentions or behaviors. They are safe, very imaginative, filled with life lessons, and teach many more positive skills.
And teachers, these cartoons are colorful, filled with vocabulary, and the dialogue pace is perfect for students to learn the English language.
Through this blog, I do not encourage children to spend a lot of time on cartoons. This is just a guide to good cartoons that do not require parental guidance and supervision. It is important to remember that too much of anything is poison, so Parents should restrict the amount of time spent on these cartoons.
I’ve categorized the cartoons according to the appropriate age groups.
3 & 4-year-olds
Dora the Explorer
This is a superfamous show premiered in the year 2000. It even has a movie adaptation. Dora, a seven-year-old girl, embarks on various adventures with her monkey pal Boots. She carries a backpack and a map for her adventure. The best part of this cartoon is, it’s interactive. Well, it’s a one-sided interaction written script but the children don’t have to know that. Songs, vocabulary, interaction, this cartoon is a package.
Children would enjoy this show. They’ll answer Dora’s questions, will sing along with her, and will learn a lot from the adventure they had with her.
Franny’s feet
Franny's feet is a sweet cartoon that aired in the year 2004. Franny Fantootsie is a six-year-old girl who is transported to a different world whenever she wears the shoes that are in her grandpa’s shoe repair shop. The world she goes to depends on the type of shoes she wears. If she wears snow boots, she goes on a snowy adventure; if she wears ballet shoes, she dances ballet on stage. At the end of every adventure, when she comes back, she finds a souvenir in her shoe from the place she went to. She makes new friends in each world and helps them solve their problems.
4 to 6-year-olds
Bob the Builder
Bob the builder was aired in the year 1998. It was one of the most successful cartoons in the UK. Bob is a building contractor. With his colleague Wendy and his talking work vehicles, Bob can fix anything. From the show’s catchphrase “Can we fix it? Yes, we can!”, we can understand what the show is about. The show develops problem-solving skills, teaches teamwork, socializing skills (Bob is very friendly.), and many other skills.
Make way for Noddy
Make way for Noddy is a British cartoon aired in the year 2002. Noddy is a taxi driver in Toyland. He also owns a plane. He is portrayed as a curious, impulsive kid who drives a taxi. He often gets into trouble but his friends always help him. We have Big Ears, a wise old gnome who gives good advice to Noddy and guides him towards the right path; we have Dinah Doll, a sister figure to Noddy, who owns a shop; we have the goblin brothers, who are the reason why Noddy gets into trouble most of the time and many more characters.
Oswald
Oswald was aired in 2001. In a colorful, big city (literally named “The Big City”) with anthropomorphic characters, lives Oswald – the blue octopus. Oswald is a very optimistic, polite, caring, friendly octopus. He is blue, wears a hat, and lives in an apartment with his dog Weenie. He is the best character ever written in a cartoon. His best friends are his neighbor Henry the penguin, and Daisy the flower. Oswald lives a peaceful life. He is always there for his friends, and he never hesitates to help anyone. He plays the piano, he sings, he dances, and he enjoys every moment of his life. He is still one of my role models. The show is very engaging. It gives a peaceful and pleasant aura. When you watch this show, you’ll feel extremely relaxed. This show gives me hope that there is hope for humanity, and people are good. Yes, I am a big fan of this series.
The only thing wrong about this show is, its short. It only has 26 episodes.
The show is like a jackpot for vocabulary. Highly recommended.
6 to 9-year-olds
Dragon tales
"I wish, I wish, with all my heart, to fly with dragons in a land apart." is the chant you say to go on adventures in the land of dragons. Siblings Max and Emmy find a magical dragon scale which, when held and the chant recited, will take them to the Dragon Land. There, they befriend the dragons - Ord, Cassie, Zak, Wheezie, and the wise Quetzal, and go on many adventures with them.
This show won the Parent’s Choice Award several times and was nominated thrice for Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Children's Animated Program in 2001, 2002, and 2003.
Harry and his bucket full of dinosaurs
Adapted from the book - Harry and His Bucket Full of Dinosaurs written and drawn by Ian Whybrow and Adrian Reynolds, this show was aired in the year 2005. Harry has a bucket full of dinosaurs. To him, the dinosaurs talk but in others' eyes, they are toys. Harry jumps into the bucket that transports him to the Dinoworld where his dinosaur friends become dinosaur size! Like dragon tales, he goes on adventures, solving problems, and having fun.
9 to 13-year-olds
(entertaining for teenagers and adults too)
Scooby-doo, where are you!
If anyone says they don’t know Scooby-doo, they are either lying or very unfortunate. Scooby-doo was one of the best things that came out of Hannah-Barbera and Warner Brothers Productions. This classic show written by Joe Ruby and Ken Spears involves a group of friends Fred Jones, Daphne Blake, Velma Dinkley, and Norville "Shaggy" Rogers, and their talking brown Great Dane Scooby-Doo solving supernatural mysteries and mishaps.
Pokémon
"Pokémon? That’s not violent free! The Pokémon fight each other!"
Well, Pokémon is an exception. The good outweighs the bad, so it cannot be ignored as a potential cartoon for children. I grew up watching Pokémon. If there’s an anime that teaches you to chase your dreams and never give up on it, that’s Pokémon. Although its origin is Japanese, the English dubbing team for this anime has done an excellent job.
Evolved from card games to video games, and video games to tv series, the Pokémon series has been on and running since 1997. With over 1119 episodes (still airing), 23 movies, 8 TV specials, 25 side stories, and 896 Pokémons, it becomes one of the biggest anime franchises in the animation industry.
Pokémon does not teach or encourage violence. It teaches kids to treat animals with kindness. I recommend you to watch the very first episode, and you’ll understand its concept. It teaches the importance of friendship, trust, compassion, willpower, and many more.
Honorable mentions
These cartoons definitely would've made the list if it weren't for a few issues. Teenagers would love these cartoons.
1. Phineas and Ferb (the characters use construction tools without supervision.)
2. Kid vs Kat (the cat is an alien that wishes to destroy the earth.)
3. The Powerpuff Girls (violence)
4. Code name: kids next door (some unwanted behaviors)
These series are available for sales on DVDs in their respective official websites or in Amazon.
I grew up watching these cartoons. I wrote this blog with such nostalgia. What was your favorite cartoon? Let me know in the comments.
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