Ceri Rawlings
I’m turning 20 next year and I have to admit, I still enjoy watching cartoons! Some of the older ones are faultless and the fresher cartoons to our screens are still as good, I am here to recommend cartoons to you to prove that cartoons are still awesome, this is not a list of top cartoons, just my personal favourites. It is impossible to number all of these amazing shows!
Spongebob Squarepants
Since 1999, this sponge has been on our screens and he’s unstoppable. With a film coming out later this year and a new series on its way, people of all ages can find something to enjoy about this ridiculous cartoon and its lovable characters. The concept was invented by a marine biologist as well, just to add to the humour of the show.
Best Episode: Krusty Krab Training Video
Johnny Bravo
I loved this as a child and so did my Mum, there is something about it that makes it timeless and still makes me laugh, but in a new way. Netflix has put many of these cartoons available for streaming recently and I found myself chuckling at the jokes meant for adults that as a child I never noticed. It’s still funny even after its cancellation 10 years ago.
Best Episode: Witch-ay Woman
Tom & Jerry
Just a classic, the silent cat and mouse have been making adults and children laugh since 1940. The slapstick humour playing well to the wide audience, if it is on I will always stick on an episode, new or old it’s still great to watch.
Best Episode: Southbound Duckling (but all are amazing) 
Looney Tunes
This cartoon ran for 39 years and is the definition of a classic cartoon with children still watching to this day. With a wide diversity of characters and stories, it broke boundaries of animation making cartoons something special, much like Tom & Jerry it made cartoons watchable by the whole family. I remember watching Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner with my Mum when I was really small. Its timeless.
Best Episode: Beep, Beep 
Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends
This wasn’t a popular one for most, but I adored it. The quirky characters and odd art style was what drew me to it and when re-watching on Netflix recently, I was still laughing. The original concept is a breath of fresh air for television, with each episode having somewhere new to go or a new imaginary friend to meet or save.
Best Episode: Store Wars or Mac Daddy 
The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes
Who doesn’t love a superhero cartoon? Marvel’s Avengers follow comic book rules (it’s the closest I’ve seen) and give you something that you follow until the end. It was cancelled in favour of the new Avengers Assemble in 2013, but I prefer Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, I would still recommend both to an avid Marvel fan with an appreciation for the comic books.
Best Episode: The Fall of Asgard, but I would suggest starting from the beginning 
Pokemon
The original Indigo League and Orange Islands however, none of those fluffy Moshi Monster-like beings they are trying to pass off as Pokemon. I grew up with this, the series aired not long after I was born and it was amazing to me, I fell in love with the Pokemon and the characters in the original group, however the best thing about this era of Pokemon episodes was the film, Pokemon: The First Movie- Mewtwo Strikes Back, I still love it! My best mate and I rewatched some of these episodes before moving out of our uni halls…we still loved it!
Best Episode: Charmander- The Stray Pokemon 
Avatar: The Last Airbender
I was in Year 8 when this started its air on Nickelodeon and I was hooked, for about 2 series I would try to watch it all and then I eventually thought I was too cool for cartoons. Then during a work free month in uni, Netflix began to stream all 3 seasons of Avatar and I watched them all, start to finish. And I still really enjoyed it, it became darker and more intense as the series progress, taking it from a show meant for young children to a teenage focused show. I enjoyed it so much and I am enjoying Legend of Korra too, the world and concept are just unlike what I expected.
Best Episode: Zuko Alone, but again, I would recommend starting from the beginning 
Adventure Time
This, like Spongebob, is still running due to its high success on Cartoon Network and I’m not surprised. It is family entertainment, weird and quirky with exciting characters and wonderful, often odd, stories. Some episodes make you laugh and others leave you thinking…what the hell did I just watch? Enjoyable by young children and adults, its stories are education in life lessons too, with subtle hints to philosophical questions, it gets young children thinking as well laughing and it is thoroughly enjoyable, even at 19.
Best Episode: My Two Favourite People 
Powerpuff Girls
No words can even amount to the love I feel for this cartoon. 3 badass superpowered little girls who are the definition of feminism (to me) who fight crime, go to kindergarten and still are home in time for bedtime. I was about 4 when this program stormed onto Cartoon Network and I had an obsession, the humour suited both adult and child and the girls became role models to me as a child. It was incredible, and is possibly the reason I am still in love with superheroes to this day. Rewatching episodes, I could laugh in new ways, smile at the slight side hints at feminism and enjoy each story as if it was new.
Best Episode: Beat Your Greens/ Down n’ Dirty 
Special mention to Danny Phantom, Fairly Odd Parents, Dexter’s Laboratory, The Simpsons, Grim & Evil, Teen Titans (2003) and X-Men who are all amazing cartoons, but didn’t make it to my little list. If I’ve missed any out, let me know, I hope I’ve given your child inside something to satisfy its needs!