top 25 Cartoon Intros From The 90's: #13-1
By ShrapnelLeader on February 26, 2010, 6:21 pm
Greetings fellow g1. I'm ShrapnelLeader, Top 10 extraordinaire, and welcome to my blog.
If you haven't seen the first half of this blog, go to.....
http://screwattack.com/blogs/Dying-of-Shrapnel-Wounds/Top-25-Cartoon-Intros-From-The-90s-25-14
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So before I move on to the list here are the rules I took for grading:
- Each cartoon grade revolved almost entirely on the theme song
- All the cartoons on this list played in the 90's. To be on the list, the show had to have had at least 2 seasons in the 90's. That means shows like Spongebob did not make the list. The only exceptions are shows that finished in 1990 but were re-aired throughout the decade.
- I searched nearly 90 intros and have taken many hours piecing the best together and ranking them. In short, this is no poorly thought out list. This has been my toughest list to date! Like Stuttering Craig once said "Making this list was like trying to choose which child you liked more. It SUCKED!"
- This list is NOT a popularity contest. I do not believe in bias.
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Also remember that this list is an OPINION, so don't get bent out of shape if your favorite cartoon on as a kid did not make the list.
Writer's note: Some of you have made predictions on what will be in the Top 13. Some were right. Some were not. If you aren't right, it doesn't make YOUR choice bad. I just had to choose the best 1% of 1990's cartoons.
As I have been writing this list, I've realized something......whether people agree with the placement of each cartoon or not, the very fact that they are in my Top 25 list AT ALL is proof of just how good they were!
So, after email after email of requests for the second half of the list, rioting in the streets, and more, I finally give you the TOP 13 BEST cartoon intros from the 1990's!!! (LOL)
So get ready for nostalgia......it is inevitable!
#13: Dexter's Laboratory
Dexter's Lab was the forerunner of a renaissance of great and creative cartoons known as Cartoon Cartoons. This is still one of my favorite cartoons from Cartoon Network and cartoons in general. (Heck, this was my DAD's favorite cartoon) What can I really say? The artwork was amazing and detailed, the humor was very funny for all ages, the stories were numerous, and overall, we loved it. I loved seeing just what Dexter would invent next and just how Dee-Dee would ruin the day. Classic Cartoon Network at its best.
There are some themes that absolutely need lyrics. Dexter's Laboratory doesn't. The entire intro quickly shows you the basics but leaves the main course for the episode. The music itself essentially defines Cartoon Network. The orchestra really gives it an extra umph! Great show and great intro.
#12: Pepper Ann
Wow, didn't see this coming did you? Heck, do anybody remember Pepper Ann? It's been a while, so my memory of it is limited. It focused on Pepper Ann (duh), a twelve year old girl who had a lot of fantasies and stuff. Well, that's about it. It was a good cartoon, but nothing mind blowing or cartoon changing like some others before and after it. But hey, we were kids, right? It's not like we cared.
Like Chip n' Dale Rescue Rangers, I don't remember much of the cartoon, but the theme song has been stuck in my head ever since. I like the tempo of the song. It really suits the animation and the tune is too catchy. I remember when I was a kid, my friends and I would sing the words "Pepper Ann, Pepper Ann....." but add to it "....she's so ugly, she's our man." I don't know why. It was funny, especially because she was a major tomboy.
Pepper Ann: So ugly, she's our man.
#11: Sonic Underground
Ok, before anyone gets all upset or something, I'm going to say one thing: this was a HORRIBLE cartoon. It was an obviously generic 1990's rock cartoon with bad writing, so-so animation, and abysmal voice acting. *shudder* (Jaleel White used his Steve Urkle voice for Sonia, the girl).
And yet, watching a few episodes on Youtube, I kinda' like it....STILL. Heck, I even LOVE it at times. Aside from all bad, I still can't help but like the hedgehog trio, Sonic, Manic, and Sonia. For some reason, I like hearing them speak to each other. Yeah, it's no masterpiece of script (for sure), but it feels kind of real and not written and rehearsed. Their bickering, joking, and conversations save the show from complete disaster (emphasis on complete). Plus watching it reminds me when me, my sister, and my cousin would all have adventures as the three hedgehogs. :P What can I say? It's a guilty pleasure.
Whew, now that I got THAT explanation out of the way, now for the intro itself.
One of the things that always stood out to me was the harmonizing in the song. It got my attention. Years later, I still remember that tune. It is loud, attention grabbing, and addicting - what a good intro should be. Now, this song is very much a dark horse candidate of this list, and many Sonic fans (the ones who actually heard of the show) have been trying to sweep this under the rug for years.Whether you loved the show or curse its very existence, the intro was very good.
( Seriously hard-core Sonic fans, don't get mad)
#10. Rocko's Modern Life
YAY for Nickelodeon! Man, I haven't had a Nick Toon since #21 on this list.
Rocko's Modern Life was a mind trip of a cartoon! In the earlier Nick Toon days, mind scramblers like Ren and Stimpy, Ahh!! Real Monsters, and were the norm (and awesome). Aside being extremely funny, there were several things I loved about this show. First off, the artwork was off the wall random and had an alternate universe feel to it. Kids love randomness. Also, the characters were carAzy. My favorites were actually the Bigheads (the frog neighbors of Rocko and Heffer). Mr Bighead was the grumpy neighbor, like Mr. Wilson from Dennis the menace, and Mrs. Bighead was nice, but had the most revoltingly scratchy man-voice. In short, it was a lot like a less risque Ren and Stimpy, but still very funny and unique. This was one of the CLASSIC Nick Toons.
OMG......the theme song. You say "Rocko's ______" and I GUARANTEE anyone who grew up in the 90's will say "modern life!" It is THAT memorable. It isn't very song-like, and there were three words in the song......and ALL that doesn't even matter. All you need to hear is the harmony of each "Rockoooo's Moodernnn Liiifffeeeee" and you.....are....HOOKED!!!
#9. Tale Spin
Oh HECK YES!!!! Such a good intro, but I'll get to that later. Tale Spin was yet ANOTHER Disney spinoff series back in the 90's. This one was great-made-better with one of our favorite Disney characters of all time in it: Baloo. It had it all: plane chases, humor, great characters, a wide variety of adventures, and oh, did I mention that Baloo was in it? Pure win.
And OHHH MAN, did this show have a great theme song. If it was a necessity for Disney spinoffs then Tale Spin did not disappoint. Let's get started, shall we?
Within seconds of the intro, you hear this awesome James Earl Jones-like voice go "Spin It!" 4 seconds in and it's already good, but it really get awesome when you hear the "OOHH EEE EEEHHH!!! Tale Spin! OOHH EEE OOOHHH!!" Hahaaa....I love it every time. Later it speeds up, getting even better until the finale! The last 10 seconds of the song is so epic, Chuck Norris felt threatened. The words go so fast, you can't really tell what they are saying, but it is too cool for you to care.
#8. Gargoyles
Waaahhhhh!!!! I REALLY don't want to put this theme so LOW on the list, but the competition is getting so hard!
Remember when I said choosing an intro was like choosing which child you liked more. Now it feels like which leg AND which child you like more. Pure pain.
Sigh, well here we go. Gargoyles. Man, is this show cool. I mean, jeez.
Fact: Goliath's voice ALONE has made over 1,000 girls pregnant. I think that Gargoyles is one of the pinnacles of American animation. Everything about it was flawess. The acting, the artwork, the concept, the characters, the story, the setting, and on and on and on and on! Gargoyles was the bomb of its time and deserves a movie. (correction, a good movie)
Ohhhhh man. The theme song! The orchestra. Sooo good. In order to appreciate just how great it is, my video is the song, rather than the intro with speech. This is a song you need to listen to with huge surround sound. Do it. Now.
#7. Alvin and the Chipmunks
Surprised? You shouldn't be. Alvin and the Chipmunks is one of the most renowned cartoons of all time. Their cartoons were popular in three decades! First the 60's, then the late 80's and early 90's. Heck, with the new movies out, I'm very sure some tv channel will decide to do a reboot. Guaranteed.
But anyway, on with the show. As the intro suggests, the story revolves around three anthropomorphic chipmunks named Alvin (the troublesome leader), Simon (the logical braniac), and Theodore (the sensitive fat one). I LOVED this show! I always seemed to associate with Alvin, myself. I mean to do good, but I just keep getting in trouble. lol Several times my parents have yelled the oh-so-classic lines "Alvin.....Alvin......ALLLLLVVVIIIIINNNN!!!!!!!" when trying to get my attention. This deserves a spot.
Wow wow wow wow wow. This theme song is gooood! I mean really good. The harmony of the three chipmunks is so mind-blowingly perfect, it makes their high pitched voices 10 times cuter! Instead of being annoying, it really works for the benefit of the show. Not only that, but it is just plain addicting! You love every word they sing, every note uttered, and you love them. Nobody with a soul could hate this intro. It is way too good.
I mean EVERYBODY. This new generation (thanks to the movies) , my generation (1990's kids), the last generation (the old cartoon series), and even the one before THAT (hey, I'm sure many parents watched it too). To me, they are equal in quality, but you can't deny that the great gargoyles are fading, remembered only by those who watched the show.
Sorry Goliath, but all good things come to an end. Except the Chipmunks.
#6. Spiderman
After that whole speech about memorability, I'm probably going to be called a hypocrite for putting this at number 6. I would feel guilty if this intro wasn't one of the best rock theme songs of ALL time.
Before the spiderman movies there was the Spiderman cartoon. And boy did it SUCK!!!
Haha....just kidding. I was actually referring to the old 60's cartoon that spent 90% of each episode repeating clips of spiderman swinging around the city.
No, the Spiderman cartoon was SO good, it very well could have been one of the reasons why Spiderman the movie was so successful at the box office. It really was an animated version of the comics. The animation stood in with the big boys, there were hundreds of great villains, and it actually had a good Venom. In fact, Venom was my favorite character of all; even more than Spiderman! This show set such a high bar for Spiderman cartoons, many have been afraid to follow it. It was that good. And it was for sure 100 times better than Spiderman 3. B(
Quick quiz: What genre of music dominated the 1990's in America? Rap? No, it was growing, but not there yet. Electronic? No, that was more the late 90's. Hmmm.....OHH! Rock music of course! DING DING DING! You are correct!
Yes, there were tons of other unnamed cartoons I reviewed with rock theme songs. Rock defined the 90's.
The rock theme song for Spiderman was one of the best ever.......yeah, that about it. Aside from doing guitar sound effects (really hard to type) all I can say is that the animation is saweet! ActionActionActionActionAction. This was a little boy's dream come true. Like Stan Lee himself loves to say "Nuff said."
#5. Duck Tales
You: WHAT!?!? You put DUCK TALES at NUMBER 5????? Are you INSANE???
Me (sobbing): YES! I did it! I'm sooooo sorry!!!
You: But WHY???? Even the Nostalgia Critic went on and on about it!!! WHY???
Well, with great courage (and possible suicide), I will tell you just why Duck Tales is not my number 1 choice. But, hey, it is in my top 5.
Being yet another Disney spinoff, again, we all know that the quality of Duck Tales will be just as good if not better than the rest of them before we even watch it. When we saw the intro, we were hooked. Duck Tales was huge and I mean huge! It combined some of the best things kids liked: epic adventures, booby traps, Scrooge freakin' McDuck, Disney magic, and yes, arguably the catchiest theme song of all time. Duck Tales: Woo Hoo!
Ok, you know it's a great theme song and I know it's a great theme song because, quite frankly, it is a great theme song. I need only say 4 words: "Duck Tales. Woo Hoo" There. That is all I need to say. You know what I mean. What you don't know, however, is why Duck Tales is number 5. Well, here we go.
Duck Tales is ONLY beaten by a cartoon that controlled the lives of millions of kids in the 90's, a cartoon that dominated the 80's AND 90's, a cartoon with a song SO catchy, it only has 5 WORDS, and of course, the best intro of ALL TIME.
Considering all the EXCELLENT intros I already mentioned and didn't mention, the number 5 spot in possibly hundreds of cartoons is really good!
Duck Tales, you are so addicting, but you barely missed the pot of gold.
#4. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (the original, dude!)
(Couldn't find a decent quality regular intro) Sad face
You knew it was coming. You knew that no matter what kind of list about cartoons this was, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles would be mentioned.
But wait, ShrapnelLeader, the turtles were an 80's show! Actually, our heroes in a half shell were on the air for 9 SEASONS! All the up to the mid 90's. So, yeah, they count.
We ALL know this song. We ALL know the title. We ALL have ignored the fact that "teenage" "mutant" "ninja" and "turtles" do NOT mix. How could I NOT put this in the top 5? That would be an insult to millions of hardcore fans.
#3. Pokemon
Lord, give me strength...........
.............whew......deep breaths Shrapnel......deep breaths...............
Pokemon..........man. What do you say? How do you explain it?
Well, it was a popular Nintendo video game that was made into a popular anime that was made into a popular card game that was made into 13 movies that was made into a cult that was......wait.....what?
Yes ladies and gentleman. In the 1990's, Pokemon was a cult phenomenon.
No, it was more than a phenomenon, it RULED the 1990's!!! You know it to be true. We (and I mean myself included) lived Pokemon. We breathed Pokemon.
We "had to catch them all", but that was impossible when suddenly hundreds more were made to collect. (I was part of the original Pokemon generation)
My parents saw I was so obsessed over it, they had to pull the plug. Slowly, they weaned me to sports cards to satisfy my card trading cravings.
Thankfully, I did not turn out like this girl. I know many did.
(Heck, I even heard about a boy who committed suicide because he though humans, like pokemon, do not die, but only faint)
Now before some of you Pokemon lovers (like Jose) start writing flame comments, let me be clear.....I do not hate Pokemon. In fact, I still like Pokemon a little bit.
But it really defined the 90's in every aspect: cartoons, culture, music, everything.
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Ok, I had my explanation on how HUGE Pokemon was. Now on to the intro.
I mean, this song is SO addictive, and was SO big, it should be put in karaoke's! I still love this song. I was almost crying when I pulled up this video off youtube because I knew every...single....word to the song!
Ugh! Focus! The song! Ok, the song was very catchy, the lyrics were really easy to learn......and.....and....IT WAS POKEMON!!!
So yeah, again, I'm not hating on Pokemon. Please don't eat me, Jose. :O
#2. Inspector Gadget
Oh....great.....just great. After 3 weeks of working on my lists, I find out that my number 2 spot was ACTUALLY an 80's cartoon! Dang it!
Now, even though it showed in the 80's, it was re-aired THROUGHOUT the 90's, so it kind of counts.
So, yeah, I totally did not realize this until now and i hate making exceptions. So don't think I'm a hypocrite.
So.....yeah. Let us begin.
Ok, ok, the last 2 were pushing it, but Inspector Gadget really kicked butt and the claw was one of the coolest bad guys of all time. You never saw his face, he had a deep menacing voice, and he had a cat. And as we all know, only the evilest of villains have cats.
Now what about the song? Well, you know how movie critics often say less is more? Well that is the theme song for Inspector Gadget in a nutshell! I mean, think about it: the song only had 5 words! 5! "Inspector" "Gadget" "Woo" "Hoo" and "Go." That's it! This song is so addicting, so famous, so awesome, 80's/90's cartoon or not, Inspectoy Gadget deserves no less.
I'll get you next time Gadget! Next Time.
Ok. Here it is. The moment you have ALL been waiting for! Some of you guessed it from the start. Some had something else in mind.
As for me, it was really hard, but I couldn't NOT put this at number one. To me, it is either one of or THE best in all categories: music, animation, and memorability.
Well here it is.......
The quality of this cartoon series was unbelievable! It was everything a batman show should be. It was dark and gritty, but still deep and emotional. It was complex and well layered, but not over the heads of children like me. It was faithful the the original source and took liberties only when it had to. The artwork was everything a cartoon should strive to be: complex with lots of animations. Usually, cartoons compromise that. Great art, little animation. Great animation, little art. In my own personal opinion, Batman: the animated series was the highest quality cartoon of all time.
Now for the theme song itself. Man oh MAN is it good. Just when we thought orchestra was dead, here comes Batman, breaking the mold. (It came out a full 2 years before Gargoyles) A+ for Originality. Every moment is just absolutely thrilling. The variety of instruments dazzle the ears in a instrumental chorus. Drums, trumpets, french horns, various woodwinds, cymbals, and more! No other theme song on this list was more complex and beautifully composed like Batman. Instruments: A+.
And THAT is why Batman: the animated series is MY NUMBER 1 greatest cartoon intro from the 1990's.
I hope you liked my list. As you can see, I put every fiber of effort into it.
Also, I hope you liked the ride. Nostalgia is a beautiful thing and I am glad I could give it to many of you.
As a g1 for Screwattack, I have enjoyed every moment on this site. Thank you all for your support, your ratings, and your comments. I hope to make new, creative lists and blogs soon. :D
10.2
Overall Score |
Your |
Thunderbird 2 days 18 hours ago |
Thunderbird 2 days 18 hours ago |
ShrapnelLeader said…
Finnish? LOLWUT? haha
ChimeranX 2 days 18 hours ago |
Question: What did you think of courage the cowardly dog? Just as a TV Show, even.
ShrapnelLeader 2 days 18 hours ago |
As for Courage the Cowardly Dog, it was an awesosme show, but it didn't have a theme song. That's why it wasn't on the list.
ChimeranX 2 days 18 hours ago |
It was really good list.
ShrapnelLeader 2 days 18 hours ago |
ChimeranX 2 days 17 hours ago |
ShrapnelLeader 2 days 17 hours ago |
n00b & 1337's Top 5 Sonic games
ChimeranX 2 days 17 hours ago |
hopefully ghostratchet and I will have better luck...*gulp*
ChimeranX 2 days 16 hours ago |
Pmak 2 days 18 hours ago |
ShrapnelLeader 2 days 18 hours ago |
Kflame210 2 days 18 hours ago |
ShrapnelLeader 2 days 17 hours ago |
Kflame210 2 days 17 hours ago |
ShrapnelLeader said…
Tell me about it. I nearly cried writing the explanations for some of them. Good times.
Crazy Cliff 2 days 18 hours ago |
ShrapnelLeader 2 days 18 hours ago |
Crazy Cliff 2 days 17 hours ago |
Sneakyhippo2 -_- 2 days 17 hours ago |
Charlie_PNAD 2 days 16 hours ago |
ShrapnelLeader 2 days 11 hours ago |
Slarvsylta 2 days 16 hours ago |
Oh and I'm working on one of these list myself atm (80s & 90s intros)
ShrapnelLeader 2 days 11 hours ago |
VaderSnake 2 days 16 hours ago |
Vondruke 2 days 16 hours ago |
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