It certainly has that place in my heart, and it can definitely be considered a trailblazer for American cartoons in the 90s (some have argued that R&S made shows like Rocko and Spongebob possible), however Ren & Stimpy also had its shark-jumping moment when John Kricfalusi (the show's creator) got sacked by Nickelodeon. Plus, John K has turned out to be a bit of an arrogant prick (one surefire way to piss him off is to tell him you like pretty much any 80s cartoon), so that may have tainted people's opinion of the show.varmintx said:
No Right Answer: Best Nicktoon Ever
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I'm gonna have to side with Lisa on this; Rocko's Modern Life trumps Spongebob Squarepants (even if my choice is out of pure nostalgia for the show)! I'll admit, I did watch Spongbob when it was red hot (I was just starting 9th grade) and I even liked some of the earlier episodes and seasons, but now I do believe it's time for Spongebob to be put out to pasture. The last full episode I watched in its entirety wasn't that good. Also, right around when I was in high school, I started watching more of Cartoon Network's programming (namely Toonami and Adult Swim for the anime since I was just starting getting into that form of animation) as the then-current lineup on Nickelodeon was more for the younger crowd.
For me, I think the last true Nicktoon was Invader Zim. Zim captured what the 90s Nicktoon had: those programs where not only entertaining, but they offered stuff that both younger and older viewers could enjoy. With that said, I seriously would pick Invader Zim to be one of the best Nicktoons, along with classic Ren and Stimpy and classic Rugrats. And since Lisa mentioned this show, The Adventures of Pete and Pete is by far the best live action Nick show the network has ever aired! I love that show so much that I even have the out of print box sets and pull them out on occasion and watch them.
For me, I think the last true Nicktoon was Invader Zim. Zim captured what the 90s Nicktoon had: those programs where not only entertaining, but they offered stuff that both younger and older viewers could enjoy. With that said, I seriously would pick Invader Zim to be one of the best Nicktoons, along with classic Ren and Stimpy and classic Rugrats. And since Lisa mentioned this show, The Adventures of Pete and Pete is by far the best live action Nick show the network has ever aired! I love that show so much that I even have the out of print box sets and pull them out on occasion and watch them.
Lisa's point about Nick, not always being Nick is a good one. What Nick is changes sometimes. Smart point and she should be on the show more often.
Man, Lisa is totally right about Spongebob. I've got all the episodes through season 5, but after that it did take a big dive. I'm sure it's still funny for little kids, but it's really slap stick fart joke humor now. It used to have a really unique charm to it.
If Spongebob had stopped at the movie then this would be a pretty good debate (it was reminiscent of RML in a lot of ways [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhoymAarK0E]), but it didn't, and we got a whole lot of trash for it. Though my personal favs are Hey Arnold and Invader Zim, of course not including TLA, because I don't even think Nick sees that as a 'Nick' show.
Also Batman Beyond was a hellofa Batman cartoon. I think it was the perfect move after Batman:TAS, it's just that it was never going to live up to that kind of caliber.
Also Batman Beyond was a hellofa Batman cartoon. I think it was the perfect move after Batman:TAS, it's just that it was never going to live up to that kind of caliber.
By the rules of the "debate" the show had to be unique to Nick and still have lasting appeal.varmintx said:
The first point of order being less subjective, Ren & Stimpy did get picked up by Spike TV a few years ago. But even if you overlook that as a disqualifier, the complete failure of the relaunch does draws into question the show's lasting appeal.
Obviously I can't speak for everyone, but I know a lot of folks, myself included who remember Ren & Stimpy more fondly through a thin nostalgia fog than they do actually revisiting the show.
I sat down and watched a few episodes earlier this year and just really couldn't get into it, the show did not age well.
Rocko was a fantastic show, I loved it as a child, but have not not rewatched it, maybe I should.
I know I'm not just speaking for myself, outside of some outdated references which aren't even that big of a deal since the show already had plenty of references that most kids wouldn't have got in the 90s, Animaniacs holds up very well [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCtKKKW22-g]. Nothing like getting validation for your viewing habits from 20 years ago.Diddy_Mao said:
...20 years...jesus.
Yeah the humor in Animaniacs holds up really well. I imagine that's largely due to the fact that it had a formula that wasn't completely based on referential humor and went for an intentionally "classic" style of comedy.varmintx said:I know I'm not just speaking for myself, outside of some outdated references which aren't even that big of a deal since the show already had plenty of references that most kids wouldn't have got in the 90s, Animaniacs holds up very well [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCtKKKW22-g]. Nothing like getting validation for your viewing habits from 20 years ago.Diddy_Mao said:
...20 years...jesus.
By more direct comparison go back and watch an episode or two of Tiny Toon Adventures. There's a show that mired itself so heavily in 90's references that it's almost a bit painful to watch at times.
It didn't really have a Nick feel. That was one of the criteria.INeedAName said:
As such, I have to go with....
"Keep your hands off my wife! I mean, moo!"Skeleon said: