If you grew up in the GCC, chances are you’ve spent countless afternoons glued to the TV, soaking up every episode of your fave cartoons from MBC3, Cartoon Network, and Spacetoon.
These channels were basically our babysitters, right? Whether it was racing home after school to catch the latest episode or waking up early on weekends just to watch, those shows were everything.
We’re jumping into that nostalgia pool, taking a trip down memory lane with a list of iconic cartoons that will instantly transport you back to the good old days.
Who knows, you might end up deep in a mini binge session, or maybe you’ll spark some laughs by reliving these memories with your friends.
Fanboy and Chumchum
This show? Absolute chaos, but in the best way possible. Honestly, this is probably where our low-key slushie addiction started—taking notes from the pros, duh. The plot? Who cares? All we know is it was hilarious (especially if you caught it in Arabic) and pure, unfiltered fun. Sure, it left us with more questions than answers, but who needs answers when you’re just vibing?
The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack
In case you totally blanked (because, same), this show is about Flapjack, the hyper little kid raised by a talking whale named Bubbie. Together with their sketchy friend Captain K’nuckles, they dive into some seriously wild adventures. Sounds weird? Trust, it was even weirder than you remember.
The Emperor’s New Groove
Oh, he wasn’t even the main character. What was his name again? Oh yeah, Kuzco (but like, who cares?). He was this self-obsessed, vain, and totally spoiled emperor who got turned into a llama—lol. But let’s be real, the real star of the show? Yzma. Yeah, yeah she was the antagonist, but she’s a total icon and thats all we care about ✨.
Courage the Cowardly Dog
Let’s refresh: we’ve got a pink, paranoid pup who was literally found after escaping the “Pets of Tomorrow” vet clinic in some sketchy place called Nowhere, Kansas (lol). Courage? He was basically the OG anxiety-ridden millennial pet, freaking out over everything. Like, is this where all our anxiety issues started? Just saying.
Recess
Why did we think these fourth graders were tway older back then? These six kids took it upon themselves to defend the playground like it was the last slice of pizza. They were out here challenging the rule of King Bob and his wannabe minions, who somehow got the power to make up their own playground laws. Who knew Primary school drama could be this deep? Lowkey, this show was our intro to politics, playground edition.
The Replacements
This show was a literal fever dream. Like, we can’t even remember the plot. But according to Google, it’s about two orphans who decide to, wait for it—order some parents from a foster agency. Casual, right? Except they end up with a British secret agent mom and a dad who’s basically a reckless stuntman. Like, what? Who knew you could just Amazon Prime parents?
Teen Titans
Yep, this show was the intro to the superhero universe before Marvel and DC took over our lives (in the best way possible). Five teenage heroes battling baddies and juggling everyday teen drama? Yeah, totally relatable (unfortunately, only the teen drama part). And yeah, let’s not even start on that ending (ehm, it got cancelled). Still not over it.
Dexter’s Laboratory
Oh, you know we can’t talk about throwback shows without mentioning Dexter. No, not the serial killer with the code—that’s another vibe. We’re talking about the OG Dexter. Dexter’s not your typical hero (he’s not a hero at all actually; he’s the villain protagonist). He’s killing criminals, not because he’s a vigilante with a heart of gold, but because it’s safer for everyone (including him) if he channels his dark urges the right way (uhm, okay..whatever that means). And yeah, he’s not exactly perfect—sometimes innocent people ended up on his hit list too (???).
Need some snacks while watching? Try these for a dose of nostalgia.