Fairy Tale Theatre is full of awesome for adults and kids alike, and honestly who doesn’t want to see Mick Jagger as the emperor of Japan or Billy Crystal as one of the three little pigs? Seriously, rent these ASAP.
That’s more of a boys’ show, though, and the first season wasn’t exactly for kids.
I’ve got a big soft spot for Invader Zim, but I guess that is slanted more towards a tweens-level audience.
YMMV, my girlfriend was 4 or 5 when the show was on, and was in love with Bo or Luke (forget which, probably Bo.)
I’ve tried to get my daughter into Looney Toons and The Flintstones, but she prefers Spongebob (which is certainly tolerable) and Max and Ruby.
Both shows are written by Dan Schneider (of 80s sitcom Head of the Class).
My 3 year old loves both shows and we can watch them without feeling ill, unlike Hannah Montana and The Suite Life, which are completely unfunny.
There are times while watching iCarly that my daughter leaves the room and it’s about 5 minutes later that I realize I’m still watching it! It’s cute and clever. I love the Gibby and Nevel characters.
I can’t believe I’m the first one to suggest Rocky and Bullwinkle. Classic, classic stuff…
Another classic I forgot about. Although I’m looking for something with a better storyline and compelling characters, it is one of my favorite shows of all time. Thanks for jogging my brain.
Netflix has it and it sounds like a great option for what I’m looking for. I’m hoping they don’t play up the romance stuff too much (my girls won’t be dating until they’re … oh, let’s say 28 or so), but we’ll give it a shot. Thanks.
Another vote for Phineas and Ferb. It’s a well-done kids’ show that includes some jokes and references that are clearly aimed at parents who may be watching.
My 7-year-old daughter really likes Wizards of Waverly Place, which isn’t bad. It’s not the kind of show I want to watch as an adult, but if I am watching, it at least seems “not stupid.” (As opposed to the Suite Life shows, which my daughter also likes, and which I can’t stand).
Edited to add: Backyardigans is also good, though it’s aimed at younger kids – say, ages 3 to 5.
Yurie (the god and middle-school girl) has a crush on Kenji Ninomiya (the one member of the school’s calligraphy club), but he seems hardly aware of her, even after she saves his life in a typhoon which she causes in episode 1. And Yashima-sama (the god of the local shrine) seems to have a crush on another god who plays in a rock band. (!) So there’s romance in it, but it’s not inappropriate in a story for pre-teens.
We love Mythbusters as a family.
My girls were big fans of Disney’s Kim Possible when they were younger. I enjoyed watching it with them and still watch it occasionally.
Unfortunately, I think it is only on late at night. You can still probably get a few of the Kim Possible movies on DVD.
Oh yeah! Almost forgot, my favorite - Jimmy Neutron! I still watch that show every chance I get. I love Sheen to death!
Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends recently ended, but it looks like Cartoon Network is going to start re-running them here pretty soon.
It’s awesometastic.
I’ll second Kim Possible. My daughters (now 10 and 7)have loved it since it came out.
Danny Phantom has enough “over the kids’ heads” adult level humour to keep it entertaining and the same can be said about Ben 10. I admit to liking the fact all of them have strong female characters in them. My oldest totally identifies with Sam and Gwen.
Another huge, huge, HUGE recommendation for Phineas and Ferb. Always funny, very gentle with its messages, and usually a good song to sing to.
Kim Possible also gets a recommendation.
Foster’s Home For Imaginary Friends is probably the best kid’s show around.
If Batman’s still up for debate, Batman: The Brave and The Bold is all kinds of awesome. My 5 and 7 year olds love it, and we do too. It’s not as scary as The Animated Series, and Bats works with other superheroes, so there’s cooperation, teamwork, Bats being too pushy and telling everyone else what to do, and lots and lots of humor. I’ve never seen an episode where I didn’t laugh several times.
That and Spongebob seem to be big right now (disclaimer: my husband watches Spongebob with them, not me. He’s not my favorite).
Yeah, I forgot about Foster’s. It is a great show, lots of jokes that adults will appreciate too.
I only have a few suggestions to add outside of thirding (fourthing?) the Miyazaki movies and Kamichu!
Getting away from anime, check out The Iron Giant. Every kid I know has loved it.
And definitely give A Little Princess a try. It’s a charming story of a little girl forced to live in a girl’s boarding house while her father is off to fight in WWI. There are some intense emotional scenes with themes of loss and abandonment that might make it a hard watch for sensitive kids, but the movie plays fair with its emotions and it has a joyful payoff at the end that makes it all worthwhile. Highly recommended.
My boys (8, 4, and 3) love those shows, too! They’re quite educational, even for adults. Dirty Jobs has taught me more than I ever wanted to know about certain things. My kids often ask to watch Mythbusters, so I bought a couple of the collections on DVD.
And Phineas & Ferb is always popular. My 4-year-old has the theme song memorized. Bought that DVD, too, and got our money’s worth.
Oh yeah, totally another vote for Foster’s. It’s easily on Spongebob’s level, both of which are equal to Looney Tunes in sheer cartoon brilliance.