5 cartoons from the 90s that were weirder, wilder and smarter than today's TV: Batman to X-Men animated series

I’ll be 80 and still remember the lyrics to Pinky and the Brain. “What do you want to do tonight?”

“The same thing, we do every night, Pinky. Try and take over the world!”

With an opening like that, it’s hard not to remember the lines coming up: One is a genius. The other’s insane.

Sigh, the 90’s. Maddening, chaotic and so delightfully bizarre, that we accepted two mice taking over the world. But hey, Top Cat inspired some of us that being a cat and living in a garbage bin was a very cool thing to do.

We need the 90s, we do. And in a stream of bland to bad reboots, sequels, prequels, let’s just relive how really, good (and mad) we had it, once. So, here’s a list ranging from absolutely joyful and batty to…er..rather haunting and morbid.

1) X Men-Animated Series

Admit it, ’90s kids—you’re already humming the opening credits. Before the blockbuster films and X-Men: Evolution hit our screens, there was the original animated series, striving to stay true to the comics. With the X-Men’s sprawling and sometimes confusing history, it could be hard to follow at times—but that doesn’t matter. You’ll still love the colourful adventures, powers, and unforgettable battles that made this series a true classic.

2) The Powerpuff Girls

It’s still streaming on Netflix, so if you want to allow your kids to watch it…..go for it, but maybe with supervision? For the most part, it’s innocent and pure; three kindergarten girls have the weight of the world on their shoulders and need to protect it. They live with their rather batty Professor Utonium (Don’t deny it folks, you know he is), and have to contend with villains that range from Amoeba to the devil himself. But it’s still wildly entertaining and can never go out of style.

3) Pinky and The Brain

The show took the slapstick chaos of Wile E. Coyote endlessly chasing the Roadrunner and upgraded it into a full-blown bromance between a clueless Cockney and a genius rodent straight out of an Orson Welles fever dream of world domination. Their nonstop fails didn’t just make you laugh; they fueled the show’s wild creativity and turned their messy love and hate dynamic into pure magic.

4)  Batman The Animated Series

Oh, this was a dark, gripping and somehow terrifying watch. You watch Batman deal with all his enemies, and somehow the Joker, (Mark Hamill) is the most frightening one of all. The whole setting is eerie, dark and messy: You actually see Gotham the way Batman does.

5) TaleSpin

Oh look it’s Baloo the bear from Jungle Book! He’s now alaid-back bush pilot whose cargo biz is snatched from him by no-nonsense Rebecca Cunningham, turning him into her reluctant employee at “Higher for Hire.” Along for the ride is Kit Cloudkicker, a plucky former air pirate cub who calls Baloo Papa Bear and navigates their aging, tricked-out plane, the Sea Duck. Together, they dodge sky pirates, boar armies, and bizarre escapades straight out of 1930s serials, all while serving up a whirlwind of humor, heart, and high-flying chaos.