If you’re a millennial, it’s almost guaranteed that you grew up with ’90s cartoons that have remained just as iconic as years have passed. Whether you were glued to Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, MTV, or all of the above, there’s a good chance you still have a soft spot for this golden age of animation.
But even if you were a superfan growing up, there are plenty of behind-the-scenes secrets to learn about ’90s cartoons. Here are 10 fun facts you probably didn’t know about them.
Flea, the bassist of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, had a recurring voice role in “The Wild Thornberrys.”
The rock legend, born Michael Peter Balzary, voiced Donnie in the cartoon, which ran from 1998 to 2004.
“Johnny Bravo” served as a writing gateway for a few famous cartoon creators.
The show was one of the first writing gigs for both Seth MacFarlane and Butch Hartman, who would go on to create “Family Guy” and “The Fairly OddParents,” respectively.
The crew of "The Simpsons" once sent flowers to the crew of "South Park."
There's nothing wrong with a little friendly competition in the cartoon universe, and when "South Park" aired an episode jabbing at their competitor "Family Guy," the creators of "The Simpsons" thought a reward was in order. They sent flowers to the crew of "South Park," according to Curionic.
Chances are, you’ve heard a theme song performed by Little Richard in your classroom.
The classic rock-n-roller recorded the theme song for "The Magic School Bus."
"Hey Arnold!" had some everyday inspirations.
Creator Craig Bartlett told "Great Big Story" that he drew inspiration from people he grew up with in Portland and Seattle and Brooklyn.
"Doug" was originally supposed to be a children's book.
Before "Doug" became a popular TV show, it started as creator Jim Jenkins' notebook doodles. Jenkin then met David Campbell, who convinced him to turn his doodles into a children's book prototype. This, however, was unsuccessful.
"It was a brilliant suggestion of mine that got turned down by all the New York publishing houses," Jenkin's partner David Campbell told the LA Times.
US fans of "Dragon Ball Z" have been missing out on a few episodes.
The manga spinoff was licensed for English-speaking audiences in 1996. Originally, 67 English episodes were created but were reduced to 53 episodes due to controversial content and length, according to Anime News Network.
Reptar has been voiced by a well-known rapper.
Although it's not uncommon for Busta Rhymes to make cameos, one of the Brooklyn rapper's most surprising voice acting stunts was as Reptar in "The Rugrats Movie."
There’s a simple reason why Dexter from "Dexter’s Laboratory" has a Russian accent.
In a New York Times interview, creator Genndy Tartakovsky said of the titular character: "He considers himself a very serious scientist, and all well-known scientists have accents."
Beavis and Butt-Head were named after the creator, Mike Judge's, childhood friends.
In a 1995 interview in Wild Cartoon Kingdom magazine, "Beavis and Butt-Head" creator, Mike Judge, revealed that the show's two main characters were based on specific people from his childhood.
According to Judge, Bobby Beavis was "kind of an athletic kid" that lived three blocks from him while he was in college. Serving as inspiration for Butt-Head's character was a 12-year-old who called himself "Iron Butt" because he claimed to never get injured from a kick to the posterior.
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