Some childhood shows taught us life lessons. Others just taught us the ways of chaos. From mysterious islands to talking animals and questionable animation, the Pleiad staff looks back at the TV that made us who we are, for better or worse.
Editor-in-Chief Bonnie Lord
I watched a lot of shows as a kid, but I certainly had my favorites. One show, that most people might not know or remember, was “Kipper” (1997-2004), a show about a dog and his friends, Tiger, Pig and Arnold and their day-to-day adventures. We had this show on DVD, so we could watch it anytime we wanted to. Even now, it’s the perfect low-stimulation show, and brings me comfort and nostalgia when I’m home.
A similar favorite, “Little Bear” (1995-2003) was a low-key and beautifully written and illustrated show centered on naturalism. “Franklin” (1997-2006) was another animal-centric show, and the movie “Franklin and the Green Knight: The Movie” (2000) was a staple in our household every spring.
I was also a PBS Kids fiend, and spent most of my TV time watching “Between the Lions” (1999-2011) and “Arthur” (1996–2022), which had the best computer games, many of which are still playable. These shows taught me a lot, but most importantly, they taught me the importance of publicly-funded media, which is currently under attack by our current federal administration.
These shows were crucial in making me who I am today, and readying me for the intimidating world of public school. Kids deserve free, easily accessible educational TV, period.
Managing Editor, Jocelyn Kincaid-Beal
My favorite childhood TV show was Scooby-Doo. When I was a kid, my family had DVD box sets of both “Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!” (1969-1971) and “What’s new, Scooby-Doo?” (2002-2006) so I just think of them collectively as “Scooby-Doo.” I really don’t know what drew me to it, but I LOVED Scooby-Doo. I had Scooby-Doo toys, pajamas, games, you name it. For two years, my dad had to come up with three Scooby-Doo themed “things to think about” for me every night in order for me to fall asleep. He also made up his own Scooby-Doo stories that I made him tell me over and over again.
Scooby-Doo taught me that monsters – in the traditional scaly, fanged or ghostly sense – aren’t real. The real monsters are people who, driven by greed, jealousy or a hunger for power, choose to scare others so they themselves can get what they want. I know that sounds dramatic, but the reveal of every episode is that a person was pretending to be a monster or a ghost as some means to an end. As a kid, I wasn’t scared of monsters in the closet or under my bed, but I was always wary of adults and their intentions.
There have been many remakes, reboots, spin-offs, what-have-you, of Scooby-Doo – to the point where I don’t feel the need to create my own. We had several of the direct-to-DVD Scooby-Doo cartoon movies when I was a kid, which I remember as being very good. My favorites were “Scooby-Doo! Pirates Ahoy!” (2006) and “Scooby-Doo! Abracadabra-doo” (2010). I have never had any interest in things like “Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated” (2010-2013), “Scoob!” (2020) or “Velma” (2023-2024). I think people mess too much with things that don’t need to be messed with. I will admit that, embarrassingly, the live-action film “Scooby-Doo” (2002) has a special place in my heart. I watched it too young to know it was a bad movie, and I love Matthew Lillard and Sarah Michelle Geller to this day.
Assistant Managing Editor, Killian Altayeb
I adored “Wild Kratts” (2011-present) as a kid! It was the perfect blend of chaos, adventure and science. I learned more about animal biology from Chris and Martin than from any textbook, and I loved how every episode turned curiosity into something heroic. The fact that one of their sons is now taking up the mantle makes it feel like the world they built never ended; it just evolved.
I was equally captivated by “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” (1968-2001). For context, my parents used to make me watch it so I’d “learn how to behave,” and I think it actually worked. There was something deeply grounding about his calm voice, empathy and the way he made everyday life feel worth noticing.
The biggest lesson those shows left me with was that kindness and curiosity aren’t opposites, they’re partners! Wild Kratts taught me to ask “why” about the world around me, and Mister Rogers taught me to ask “how” about the people in it. Together, they created a balance between wonder and decency that I still try to live by.
Features/Opinions Editor, Heidi Faramelli
My favorite childhood TV show was – and still is – “SpongeBob SquarePants” (1999-present). I still watch it to this day.
SpongeBob shaped who I am, especially in terms of my humor. All the kids whose parents didn’t let them watch the show, I’m looking at you. Quotes like Patrick saying, “The inner machinations of my mind are an enigma” still live in my head rent free, ready to be pulled out at any moment.
Looking back, SpongeBob taught me that the best thing you can be is your unapologetic self. He never let anyone tell him who he was. Sure, at times other characters and I may have found him annoying, but his laugh and his personality are all ultimately part of his charm.
“SpongeBob SquarePants” is still going on today, but if I could, I’d change it back to its original animation style. I know we need to update things now and again, but what ever happened to ‘if it’s not broken, don’t fix it’? The SpongeBob cartoon style today is vastly different to me as someone who appreciates its early 2000s aesthetic. Bring back old SpongeBob!
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention “WordGirl” (2007-2015) and “Reading Rainbow” (1983-2006) – the latter of which just got rebooted this year! These shows introduced me to the workings of the English language and the joys of reading. They also taught me that asking questions and understanding literature are integral to becoming more empathetic, knowledgeable human beings.
Ultimately, I’m grateful for many shows outside of SpongeBob. To go way back, some honorable mentions include “Caillou” (1997-2018), “Wonder Pets!” (2006-2016), “Super Why!” (1999-2016), “Arthur” (1996-2022) and so many more iconic pieces of media. If you can’t tell, I was raised on PBS Kids and I’m proud of it.
Marketing Coordinator, Bella Bakeman
My favorite childhood TV shows were: “Max & Ruby”(2002-2021), “Word Girl”(2007-2015), “Full House”(1987-1995), “Phineas and Ferb”(2007-present), “Gravity Falls” (2012-2016), “Wizards of Waverly Place”(2007-2012), “Good Luck Charlie”(2010-2014) and “iCarly” (2007-2012).
Now here’s the thing about them being childhood favorites, I don’t really… remember a whole lot about them.
I remember “Max & Ruby” and “Word Girl” the least, but I know both of them brought me immense joy and warmth. “Max & Ruby” was about two siblings and Ruby was the eldest, taking care of her brother. I remember feeling very seen, as my brother was younger than me, and I was always getting him out of trouble. My memories of “Word Girl” are even fuzzier, but PBS rocks, and you should all watch this clip of her (will find and insert).
“Full House” is a bit of an oddball here, it’s not necessarily a kids show, but I do have fond memories of watching reruns at 6 a.m. before school on Nick at Nite.
“Phineas and Ferb” and “Gravity Falls” are probably the best shows on this list. Also about siblings and their friends, both shows do such a good job of portraying kids growing up in crazy environments. As a child of divorce, I was constantly looking for families that looked a little different. While not directly talked about, Phineas and Ferb were not blood related, but step-brothers. Mabel and Dipper were living with their Great Uncle Stan. Everything about those shows was abnormal, which made my life feel a little more normal.
“Wizards of Waverly Place,” “Good Luck Charlie,” and “iCarly” were my favorite preteen shows. I saw myself in their characters, these intelligent and bossy young girls who ran their worlds. I wanted to be just like all of them.
Sadly, we live in a world where most of these shows have in fact been rebooted. None of them are particularly great. I have hopes for the new “Phineas and Ferb” because the creator and voice actors are the same. The rest of them, I could live without. I think the magic of these shows exists within their brevity. As much as I’d like to see more “Gravity Falls” (just two seasons does not feel like enough!) I don’t think anyone should attempt it. It won’t ever be good enough.
Part-Time Multimedia Journalist, Sophia Valchine
My favorite childhood TV show is “The Amazing World of Gumball” (2011-2019). I always loved how each character had their own distinct art style, but they all seem like they’re from the same world. To me, it was the funniest show I’d ever seen, and some of my humor today still comes from the silly jokes the characters told. Gumball himself was my favorite character, and his relationship with his brother Darwin always made me happy to see when they got into crazy hijinks together that never got old to me. I’m not one to rewatch shows, but I’ve seen this one more times than I can count.
This show always left me feeling happy when I watched it, and having a feel good show to fall back on after a day that middle-school-me blew out of proportion helped me wind down.
As for rewriting the show, Cartoon Network has actually done it for me with “The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball” (2025). I’ve already watched all of the first season that they’ve released, and I really appreciate how they stayed true to the original show while adding more modern touches. It made me realize that the references in the original show were more inspired by what were then modern trends than I thought.
Part-Time Multimedia Journalist, Kai Taylor
My favorite childhood TV show is “Octonauts” (2010-2021), an animated show that revolves around a crew of animals that live in a really cool underwater base and go on expeditions throughout the ocean.
The main three characters are a fearless polar bear named Captain Barnacles, a shy penguin named Peso and a daredevil cat named Kwazii. The gang goes on adventures in the ocean, traversing the vast landscape in high-tech submarine vehicles. Every episode involves a new creature they discover while on an adventure. At the end of the episode, they have a “creature report”, in which the characters sing fun facts and show actual pictures of the animal they discovered. It has everything you want in a kids’ show. 15 years after it came out, I still rewatch the Christmas episode every December.
I have an extremely large fear of the ocean. Looking back, “Octonauts” is probably the reason for that fear. While the show is amazing in every single way, they do encounter a lot of creatures in the ocean, all of which actually exist (which is terrifying). Vampire squids, moray eels, various sharks and even whales aren’t that scary as fun little cartoon animals, but are ever the more frightening when you find out that they’re real. Yes, vampire squids are real. And they scare me. So while I love “Octonauts” with all my heart, I do resent the fact that it is the reason for my thalassophobia.
If I was tasked with rebooting or rewriting the show today, I simply would refuse to. “Octonauts” is a masterpiece. It should not be touched or changed by any studio ever.
Part-time Multimedia Journalist, Domis Gibson
My favorite childhood show was the Disney cartoon “Doc McStuffins” (2012-2020). I loved watching her play with all the toys on screen and seeing how she would fix them. There were a few times I would try to fix my toys like she did, and I even got her little doctor bag as a gift once and used it for weeks.
This show taught me I could be anything I set my mind to. As a kid, you’re told you can do anything, but not many times do you actually see that, especially when it comes to characters of color. So seeing a young Black girl on screen being a successful doctor, even if it was for toys, was such an empowering moment.
If I were to change something about the show, I would maybe have her brother be a part of the journey. He was just a well-liked character, but rarely did he do anything productive, meaning he was usually seen as a useless character.
Volunteer Multimedia Journalist, Bella Fabrizio
My favorite childhood TV show is definitely “Gravity Falls” (2012-2016). It was my favorite as a kid because the mystery was so intriguing to me; I wanted to figure out all the show’s secrets. I spent a lot of time trying to decode the hidden messages in each episode and predict how the characters were going to defeat Bill Cipher (the main bad guy) in the end. Looking back, however, I think I liked the show so much – and still think fondly of it – because it was something my younger brother and I both enjoyed. We searched for those hidden messages together, and after we finished the show we started a tradition of rewatching it every summer.
Gravity Falls’ main protagonists were all outcasts in some way, but that didn’t stop them from solving mysteries and saving the world; in fact, their differences helped them do so. The main lesson I learned from Gravity Falls is this: be weird and be curious. The characters in the show didn’t let the pressure to conform and turn a blind eye to the strange things that were happening affect them, and that definitely inspired younger me to be myself and be proud of my differences.
One of the biggest changes I would make to Gravity Falls, if I was given the opportunity to rewrite it, would be to get rid of the filler episodes that take place just before the season two finale. A big reveal takes place halfway through the second season, and I think the show’s ending would have been more action-packed and exciting if the momentum from the reveal could have carried directly into the finale (or, at least, into more plot-driven episodes beforehand).
Volunteer Multimedia Journalist, Kristal Tiburcio
My favorite childhood TV show was definitely “My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic” (2010-2019). As a Hispanic child, I was often trying to find anything to watch other than Dora and her cousin Diego, who felt like the only cartoons appropriate for me to watch in a Spanish-speaking household. I found My Little Pony by total accident, as a kid sneaking off with the TV remote and nothing better to do. It was the gateway to English-speaking cartoons, and even better, memorization of lyrics that still plague me to this day.
An unintentional message that the show left me with was that you can be a lot of things without losing who you are as a person. Sometimes those things can be contradictory, and that’s okay.
If I could rewrite the show today, I would change how they handled one of the biggest and most important villains in the first few seasons. She was supposed to be the sister of one of the most powerful characters in the show, and after her redemption was later shown as just another background character. I’d keep her powerful! She was a big deal! She definitely deserved more spotlight.
Leave a Reply