Children's TV Shows You THOUGHT You Forgot About

We love this trip down memory lane! Thanks for taking us along, feliciatmc! —SparkNotes editors

1. The Big Comfy Couch

Lunette the Clown owned a dolly named Molly, and spent hours dancing, stretching on a giant clock, visiting her mailman pseudo-boyfriend, granny, and cat. And then she pulled random stuff out of her couch, such as giant slinkies and livestock. After a few seasons, she began to visit a place called “ClownTown,” where her escapades included martial arts and a Cabbage Cooking Club. Totally BA.

2. Hey Arnold!

Arnold and his group of eclectic friends, fourth grade students at PS 113, own the fictional American city of Hillwood. In each episode, Arnold solves a problem. He's a mediator, negotiator, compromiser, and all-around good guy. Sounds like my next local politician, please!

3. Wishbone

Wow. Just wow. A Sparkler’s dream. An adorable dog and his equally-adorable owner Joe Talbot introduce children to the stories of Ivanhoe, Cyrano, Robin Hood, and more. All on four legs. Well, six, if you count Joe. But he doesn’t matter much. He mostly reads.

4. Lamb Chop's Play Along

Running from the 1960s to 1997 and winning five consecutive Emmys probably makes Lambchop the most successful fictional sheep puppet entertainer of all time. I mean, I’m just guestimating here. She and her friends made it not okay to eat lamb stew for 4-through-9-year-olds everywhere.

5. Papa Beaver’s Storytime

Of course something involving beavers would originate in Canada. The beaver family of questionable lineage is found swimming, building, or doing other beaver-y things, when all of a sudden (surprise!) Papa Beaver, dressed in tweed, is reminded of a story he knows. The Beavers learn a lesson from a fable or folktale. How unsurprising. Thanks, Canada, for this gem.

6. PB&J Otter

Living in the rural fishing community of Lake HooHaw, Peanut, Butter, and Jelly Otter, named brilliantly for the greatest sandwich of all time, spent their time gallivanting throughout the town, getting into mischief, and generally spreading the good cheer and exuberance of youth.

Lake HooHaw is a place where animals of all species, including poodles, ducks, and cranes, live in harmony, a place where simply dancing to a catchy tune can solve all of your problems, a place where a fish can be kept as a loyal pet. Sounds like the place for me!

7. Rocko’s Modern Life

Rocko is so much more than just another anthropomorphic cartoon character. Rocko is a wallaby. Seriously. A wallaby. The show follows this little wallaby around the city of O-Town, and is riddled with sexual innuendos and double entendres that I still don’t quite understand. Rocko was originally considered “too weird” for test audiences, but was surprisingly embraced by the American public.

8. Doug

Speaking of sexual innuendos, Doug Funny is chock full of ‘em. But enough about that, let’s talk about QuailMan! Doug’s alter ego is a superhero with a pitiful wardrobe budget. He saves the day time and again in Doug’s mind, and help Doug and his friends of green, orange, purple, and blue skin tone lead normal lives no matter what the circumstance. In 1999, Disney created a half-hour “musical stage performance” based on the show. Too bad Doug wasn't around for the late naughts. He would have loved MyLifeIsAverage.

9. Angela Anaconda

This show provided American and Canadian children with an introduction to cutout animation and the sharp wit of a young girl in the suburbs. Angela’s overly-complex sentences and constant rivalry with Nanette Manoir, the wealthiest girl in school, always make for an amusing half-hour. BTW, their faces were black and white. What’s up with that?

10. As Told By Ginger

This show, ladies and Sparklers, deserves our eternal gratitude. It deserves praise, adoration, and glory. It deserves bouquets of roses, gallons of pickle juice, and multiple parades. Per day. “For what does it merit this adoration?” you may ask. To which, I say: This show made it ok to be awkward.

Ginger had frizzy hair, her mom was single, her brother was weird, and her friends had glasses, lateral lisps, and braces. She wrote all of this down in her journal, reflecting on their position as the school geeks and “gingerisms.” Thank you, Ginger, for allowing us all to explore our own “yournamehereisms,” and for being one of the first cartoon characters to change clothes daily. To you, we owe both our individuality and our hygiene.

What's your favorite show from your childhood?

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