In 1990, the Children’s Television Act was launched to lower the number of ads that a network could direct toward children during cartoons. This was the beginning of the demise of cartoons on network television that would culminate with the Telecommunications Act of 1996, which substantially regulates children’s television. This would impact network programming throughout the 2000s, but before that, the networks gave kids an explosion of new original content.
Some of the most memorable original content could be found on Kids’ WB. Let’s take a look at the network’s seven best ’90s cartoons!
Earthworm Jim
Earthworm Jim was based on the video game of the same name and ran for 2 seasons totaling only 26 episodes. It is about an earthworm named Jim who developed superpowers when he finds a robotic super suit. Jim is joined by his trusted sidekick, Peter Puppy, who, when angered, turns into a hulking beast.
Jim has to outsmart his foes with hysterical cartoon results. It uses Looney Tunes slapstick humor with a voice-over narrating to the viewer motives and backstory in humorous ways. The characters often break the fourth wall to deliver jokes directly to the audience. The show has a Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy vibe to it. The jokes are punny, the characters are usually clueless and seem to be winging their actions. The animation is well done with good production value.
If you’re a fan of the games, you’ll see lots of references used, notably a cow falling on someone at the end of the episode.
