Remember the good old childhood days when all you worried about was which cartoon shows to watch that day? The long and lazy summer holidays swept by as you slumped in front of the TV and consumed as many cartoons as possible, and now, even in your busy work life, do you still make time to enjoy some adult cartoon shows?
For the ones who love to indulge in all things animated and cartoon-related, you have come to the right place! We have here a charming collection of the best cartoons of all time. But first, let’s look at the history of our beloved shows.
History of Old Cartoon Shows
More than a hundred years ago, in 1908, cinema-goers were blessed with something they'd never seen before - an animated movie. Yup, that's how long ago the first-ever cartoon show was made! It was called Fantasmagorie and was created by French cartoonist Émile Cohl.
This, my friends, spurred a revolution in the cinema arts, allowing creators to concoct such views, stories, and adventures that would otherwise be impossible in the real world. Plenty of things have happened since then in the world of animation, and plenty of cartoon series marked milestones in its development.
From 90s cartoon shows or the funniest cartoon network shows, when there are so many cartoons to choose from, one might wish to have a guide of some sort to separate the grain from the chaff, so to speak. And that's our cue as we've prepared a list of the best cartoons of all time for your judgment!
#1 Looney Tunes
1930 - 1969
Looney Tunes, an animated comedy short film series, marked the Golden Age of American animation. Looney Tunes, together with its accompanying series Merrie Melodies, introduced to us such iconic characters as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Wile E. Coyote, Marvin The Martian, and plenty, plenty more! Each of these characters had their own skits assigned to them, but it was Bugs Bunny that eventually stole the show, becoming the leading rabbit of the universe. And, if you're into classic animation, Looney Tunes is basically a manual to the genre!
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102points
#2 Tom And Jerry
1940 - 1958 | 114 episodes
Tom & Jerry is by far the most well-known animated series franchise consisting of 114 short films in its original run. Of course, you are right, there are plenty more of these comedic skits, but we're only talking about the episodes created by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera since the duo was the first to bring Tom and Jerry to life. It's the story as old as the Earth itself depicted here - the constant chase between a cat and a mouse. However, in this series, the cat never wins, and the teeny tiny mouse proves to be way smarter than the predator! The fun here never ends, and their adventures get more and more elaborate with each skit. A true classic in the world of animation!
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100points
#3 Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!
1969 - 1978 | 3 seasons | 41 episodes
Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! is an animated comedy series created by the legendary animation studio Hanna-Barbera. The series revolves around a team of four teenagers - Fred, Daphne, Shaggy, and Velma - and their dog Scooby-Doo, as they travel around in their van, The Mystery Machine, and solve various mysteries. Each of the characters is loveable and memorable, especially the titular Scooby! Their adventures are grand, the jokes are hilarious, and there's not a thing to criticize this series for!
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85points
#4 DuckTales (1987)
1987 - 1990 | 4 seasons | 100 episodes
DuckTales is an animated series produced by Disney Television Animation that first aired in 1987. And no, it isn't a cartoon where you see ducks nesting, picking worms, or gaggling - it's full of adventures supplied by the legendary trio of ducklings supervised by their money-thirsty uncle Scrooge McDuck. And boy, what awesome shenanigans do Dewey, Huey, and Louie get into! From seeking treasures to thwarting enemies' plans of stealing Scrooge's riches, no day goes by without something exhilarating happening.
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83points
#5 The Simpsons
1989 | 33 seasons | 718 episodes and counting
The Simpsons, which is the longest-running American animated series, has made us laugh, cry, and feel love for the last three decades. It saw Baby Boomers laughing at hidden jokes their Millennial kids couldn't understand at the time, and it saw those same Millennials showing The Simpsons to their own kids - a staple animated series any generation can find relatable and loveable.
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78points
Which are the Best Cartoons of all Time?
The definition of the best cartoons, arguably, might vary from our and the critics' understanding of the best animations. Because of that, we've added more than enough cartoon shows to our list for you to choose your favorites.
Although the enumeration of these iconic cartoons is based on the word of those who might know more about animation than we do, your vote ultimately will decide their positions! The more upvotes a cartoon show receives, the higher up it will appear on the list!
Maybe you'd like to see the adult cartoon show BoJack Horseman in the first place instead of the classic cartoon for kids, Tom & Jerry? Well then, give it your vote! To ensure that it reaches the top of the list, share this article with your friends who agree with your choice. Now, let’s have a look at these captivating cartoons.
#6 The Bugs Bunny Show
1960 - 2000 | 27 seasons | 684 episodes
The Bugs Bunny Show, an animated anthology series, is proudly one of the longest-running American cartoons, having its first appearance in 1948 and ending its career in 2000. That's 52 years of runtime! Since its inception, The Bugs Bunny Show was produced in half-an-hour episodes, segmented into three shorter cartoons following the shenanigans of Bugs Bunny, Tweety Bird, Sylvester, and Road Runner, just to name a few of their Looney Tunes gang. The Bugs Bunny Show was a real Saturday morning staple and a wildly popular series that many of us watched in our early years. And maybe still do.
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78points
#7 Avatar: The Last Airbender
2005-2005 | 3 seasons | 61 episodes
Avatar: The Last Airbender is an animated action-adventure fantasy series that ran on Nickelodeon from 2005 to 2008. Avatar's world is inspired by Asian cultures, and in this world, certain people have telekinetic powers allowing them to control one of four classical elements - water, fire, earth, and air. Then there's the Avatar - the chosen one who can control all of the four and whose mission is to keep a peaceful balance among the nations. This Avatar is Aang, and together with his friends, they set out on extraordinary adventures to restore said balance. The series is ingenious with the excitement it creates, the nice moral messages it gives, and, of course, the most loveable characters in the most unexpected situations. Some critics even named Avatar one of the best animated series ever, and we couldn't agree more!
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66points
#8 Wile E. Coyote And The Road Runner
1949 - 2001
Wile E. Coyote And The Road Runner are a duo of animated characters first appearing in the Looney Tunes show and later getting their own series. In each episode that this duo appears in, the villainous coyote tries to catch its prey, the Road Runner. However, the coyote doesn't trust his instincts for catching the bird but rather creates various absurdly complex contraptions to succeed. Which he doesn't, anyway! Full of iconic recurring gags and a new scheme each time, Wile E. Coyote And The Road Runner is one truly captivating show!
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65points
#10 Teen Titans
2003-2006 | 5 seasons | 65 episodes
Teen Titans, an animated superhero series, follows the lives and adventures of the five main members of the eponymous team. Each one of them has a set of very specific abilities, from being able to communicate with animals to having psionic abilities. The team all live together in the Titans Tower and protect their neighboring city from various threats and criminals, all the while trying to live their adolescent lives as normal teens. Teen Titans soon became one of the most acclaimed Cartoon Network series, praised for its character development, humor, and serious themes. In fact, it pretty soon became so famous that multiple spin-offs, video games, music albums, and collectibles were released.
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63points
#11 Phineas And Ferb
2007-2015 | 4 seasons | 129 episodes
Offbeat and very original, the animated series Phineas and Ferb might have never seen the light of day if not for the persistence of its writers - it took about 16 years of pitching the concept to various networks before securing a run on the Disney Channel. This cartoon follows Phineas Flynn and his stepbrother Ferb Fletcher on their summer vacation; the boys embark on a new grand and impossible project every day. To make it even more unique, the boys own a pet platypus Perry, who's an undercover detective. Definitely a show that never gets boring!
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60points
#12 The Tom And Jerry Show
1975 | 16 episodes
Tom And Jerry's exploits could be added to a list of basically any list mentioning TV shows, as the duo, in various incarnations, has been gracing our screens from the ‘50s right up to this day. The Tom And Jerry Comedy Show, though, ran for half an hour and included two segments of our favorite pair's antics and also a Droopy cartoon right in the middle. Unfortunately, this Tom And Jerry embodiment lived only for a couple of months in the ‘70s, but the episodes were later added to syndicated Tom And Jerry packages.
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58points
#14 SpongeBob SquarePants
1999 | 13 seasons | 271 episodes
So, it's a sponge living under the sea in a pineapple, hanging out with a starfish, a crab, a pet snail, and a squirrel. And that's just to name a few odd characters from SpongeBob SquarePants, an animated series that became a real phenomenon throughout the years of its run. Created by the legendary animator and marine science educator Stephen Hillenburg, this series is full of imagination and the most unbelievable adventures experienced by the weirdest characters. It was, and still is, something completely different compared to all the rest of the animated series, mostly because of its originality that stems from an unexpected setting, ingenious characters, and the beautiful message underneath it all.
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55points
#15 Courage The Cowardly Dog
1996 | 4 seasons | 52 episodes
Courage The Cowardly Dog, an animated horror/comedy series, follows Courage - a kindhearted yet easily scared orphaned dog whose parents were sent into outer space by a crazed veterinarian. Now Courage lives with an elderly couple, Muriel and Eustace, in the middle of Nowhere. Somehow it seems that the trio always gets into some bizarre, nightmarish misadventures with various entities, monsters, and occurrences haunting everything they do. Courage The Cowardly Dog is a truly one-of-a-kind series filled with surreal humor, an eerie atmosphere, and always original happenings.
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54points
#16 Futurama
1999 - | 7 seasons | 140 episodes
If Futurama has always seemed oddly familiar to you, then you're right, as you definitely have seen the other famous creation by the same writer Matt Groening, and, yes, it's The Simpsons. But, though such a prehistory of Futurama might lead you to imagine the same Simpsons just in space, boy, are you wrong. From gut-wrenching events (don't tell me I didn't warn you about The Dog) to subtle and not-so-subtle adult humor, this show is not just another animated series but an excellent sitcom undoubtedly worthy of being on this list. And if seven seasons of Futurama aren't enough to quench your thirst, you can always watch one of the series-based movies, play a video game, or collect the official merchandise.
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51points
#17 Dexter's Laboratory
1996 | 4 seasons | 78 episodes
Dexter's Laboratory follows a boy genius Dexter, who, unbeknownst to his parents, runs a high-tech laboratory in his room. Here Dexter invents various useful and useless devices and materials with his older sister Dee-Dee constantly trying to sabotage his plans. There's also a rival boy genius and Dexter's superhero pet monkey. And you know the rest - time for misadventures! Dexter's Laboratory was probably one of the earliest Cartoon Network series known to attract not only kids but younger adults too and proved again that animated series should be given the credit that they deserve.
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50points
#18 Pokémon
1997 - | 24 seasons | 1,187 episodes and counting
Pokémon, a legendary animated adventure and fantasy comedy, follows the adventures of Ash Ketchum, who's a Pokémon trainer. Joined by his partner, a Pokémon called Pikachu, and a rotating cast of human friends, Ash set out to become the Pokémon Master. His plan of becoming one consists of traveling to various locations of the world to tame Pokémon monsters and then entering them in tournaments. The series, besides being addictively entertaining, was praised for its input in introducing Western audiences to Japanese animation and thus propelling anime's popularity worldwide.
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49points
#19 The Fairly OddParents
2001 - 2017 | 10 seasons | 172 episodes
Meet Timmy Turner, the protagonist of The Fairly OddParents animated series created by Butch Hartman. Timmy is an ordinary boy, living in a not-so-ordinary environment - he's neglected by his parents and terrorized by his babysitter. One fine day, though, our Timmy is granted two fairy godparents, who fulfill his every wish to improve his miserable life! Of course, those wishes are very likely to backfire on him, but that's the root of all the adventures Timmy embarks on daily. The series is creative, the premise is original, and the animation is done expertly - what's there not to like?
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48points
