What to Read If You Miss Watching

Saturday Morning Cartoons

Escape adulthood with a deep dive into the animated shows
of your youth. Pairs perfectly with your favorite sugary
cereal.
Pocket Collections

 Corrie Evanoff

Read when you’ve got time to spare.

Image by Oleksandr Khoma/Getty Images

The Inside Story of ‘Animaniacs’: How We Got Yakko,
Wakko and Dot
Quinn Myers
MEL Magazine

Steven Spielberg might have produced the zany kids’ show, but it was creator Tom Ruegger’s
three kids who gave the Animaniacs life.
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An Oral History of ‘Batman: The Animated Series’

Abraham Riesman
Vulture

The show that defined the Dark Knight for a generation, in the words of its creators and stars.
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‘Pepper Ann’ Was the Most Underrated Feminist Cartoon

of the 90s
Chloe Schildhause
Vice

Pepper Ann was the groundbreaking 12-year-old heroine of her eponymous TV show. Creator
Sue Rose and writer Nahnatchka Khan explain how Pepper Ann impacted a generation of girls.
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The 9 Unbreakable Rules of the Wile E. Coyote/Road

Runner Universe
Kelsey McKinney
Vox

From Chuck Jones himself.

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Night of the Sentinels: The Oral History of X-Men: The

Animated Series’ Risky Debut
Brian VanHooker
Inverse

The creators of X-Men: The Animated Series reflect on their pilot episode, “Night of the
Sentinels.”
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Disney's ‘Gargoyles’ Was The Most Adult Children's Show

Ever Made
Christopher OBrien
BuzzFeed

Gargoyles walked so that Game of Thrones could run.

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Disney’s ‘Recess’ Was the Best Social Philosophy Cartoon of

All Time
Jordan Calhoun
Black Nerd Problems

Recess wasn’t about pushing diversity; Recess was just diverse.

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Bad Beets: The Rise and Fall of Doug Funnie

Alex Siquig
Complex

The boy from Bluffington lived a charmed life—until the spotlight faded away.
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The Surprising Story Behind the Making of ‘Captain Planet’

Teresa Chin
Grist

The ’90s cartoon show was based on real issues and real people.

BONUS READ: The Pre-Captain Planet Eco-Heroes of Animation via JSTOR Daily.
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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles History (in a Half-Shell)

Calum Marsh
The New York Times

After nearly 40 years and a Netflix film, a look at what continues to make these cartoon heroes
so appealing.
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Letter of Recommendation: ‘Pinky and the Brain’

Jonah Weiner
The New York Times

“Are you pondering what I’m pondering?”

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Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask Taught Me About Love

Victoria Dominguez
Vox

An anime romance between a heroine and a himbo was my original OTP.

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Nickelodeon’s Early Days Were ‘Loose and Crazy,’ Says

Rocko’s Modern Life Creator
Allegra Frank
Polygon

The cartoon belonged to a very different version of the channel.

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Who’s Your Master of the Universe? Every Single He-Man

Series, Ranked
Carlos Mejia
Fatherly

Who’s your Master of the Universe? You might think you know the best He-Man, but you don’t.
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The Magic School Bus Made the World Safe for Weird
Teachers
Rebecca Onion
Slate

Everyone has a Ms. Frizzle in their lives.

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Meet the Men Behind Saturday Morning’s Most Memorable

Cartoons
Erin Blakemore
Smithsonian Magazine

Zoinks! Hanna-Barbera once dominated kids’ Saturday schedules.