It’s been over 35 years since Fox Kids took over children’s screens on Saturday mornings, and there are a few underrated gems that have truly gotten forgotten by time. It’s a bit of a bummer when you think about how much the streaming era has changed traditional television for children, but one of the lesser thought about aspects is the fact that children no longer have a block of shows to look forward to that were curated specifically for them. It’s why Saturday morning cartoons are still a hit with a certain generation all these years later.
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Saturday morning blocks like Fox Kids in the 1990s offered not only plenty of brand new shows that Fox themselves produced, but also many licenses that helped to define the era. But while many of these shows have gone on to great success as brands in the decades that followed, these five shows in particular are underrated to the point where you likely didn’t know they existed unless you sat there watching in the 90s.
5). Little Shop
Originally making its debut with Fox Kids on September 7, 1991, Little Shop takes inspiration from Roger Corman’s feature film turned broadway show legend The Little Shop of Horrors, and teams up a much different take on Seymour and Jr. together for wacky new adventures. It’s a fairly short series that ultimately didn’t get a ton of episodes, and that’s why it’s largely gone unnoticed over the decades.
Toning down the violence of the original film and adding in a musical number for each episode to teach Seymour some kind of lesson, it aired over a couple of months and subsequently disappeared from the block. You can’t even stream it anywhere.
4). Peter Pan & The Pirates
Fox’s Peter Pan & the Pirates was one of the very first Fox Kids shows that made its debut with the start of the block on September 8, 1990, and had one of the biggest runs out of those initial debuts with 65 episodes in total across one massive season. It’s loosely inspired by previous Peter Pan novels and stories, but really did its own thing. Captain Hook was voiced by Tim Curry (which is awesome), so it’s surprising to see that this is another show that’s sort of faded from memory.
It’s likely because it’s ultimately so generic in the grand scheme of everything that has aired with Fox Kids during its peak, and it’s another show that only got a few home video releases during its time. It’s also another show that hasn’t gotten an official streaming release remastering its footage for modern audiences.
3). Attack of the Killer Tomatoes
Attack of the Killer Tomatoes was also another series making its debut with the start of Fox Kids, and is another cartoon that loosely adapted a horror film franchise. Unlike Little Shop, however, this show survived the jump to kids’ programming better with two seasons and tons of reruns keeping it alive beyond its first year of broadcast. The show serves as an official sequel to the original film set years after its events and follows Tara (who’s most famously seen in a bikini despite being a human/tomato hybrid mistaken for a teenage girl) as she teams up with Chad, the nephew of the film’s original hero.
It’s such a wild, yet kooky series that you’ll likely remember seeing it at least once. It was also one of the first shows to ever feature CG animation for a kids’ show too, so it’s got a place in history despite the fact that you probably don’t remember watching it. Yet again, it’s not available for streaming either.
2). Life with Louie
Much like how Fox Kids loved cartoons based on famous movies, it was also early in on shows inspired by famous comedians. Life with Louie made its debut with Fox Kids on September 2, 1995, and was relatively successful with 39 episodes across three seasons. Inspired by Louie Anderson’s childhood, this show followed the eight year old Louie (voiced by Anderson himself) as he wanted to spend his days just lounging around, watching TV, and eating good snacks.
He had a wacky family (with a father also voiced by Anderson), and often had to navigate complicated issues, avoid bullies, and much more through his humor and wit. It’s a slice of life kind of series that often felt like a relaxing end to the Fox Kids block when it ran, and it’s because of that pace you likely won’t remember it. It’s not really available on streaming platforms either.
1). Bobby’s World
But you can’t really mention ’90s Fox Kids shows inspired by famous comedians without Bobby’s World. The most successful show on this list by far, and one of the biggest hits with Fox Kids overall, Bobby’s World got over 80 episodes across seven different seasons. Created by Howie Mandel (who voiced a few characters), this show followed the very young Bobby and his (literally) Generic family as he imagines the world in all sorts of fun ways that only a kid can.
This one is likely the show you’ll remember the most as it continued to air with the Fox Kids block for quite a long time. The animated series even had an official streaming release over the years. It’s no longer available on major platforms as of this time, but you can officially watch the episodes with Kabillion on YouTube.
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