Any 2000s kid can remember cartoon staples such as The Backyardigans, Phineas and Ferb, and Kim Possible, but let’s not forget that the 2000s was full of so many hidden cartoon gems. I know I can remember watching some pretty unique cartoons in my elementary school years, so join me for a trip down memory lane with four 2000s cartoons that may have completely slipped your mind.
- Liberty’s Kids
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Liberty’s Kids was a kid-friendly retelling of the events of the American Revolution through the eyes of Ben Franklin and his fictional companions: James, Sarah, Moses, and Henri. The show mainly follows these four fictional characters though these historical events. James is an American colonist and apprentice journalist to Ben Franklin. Sarah is from England who came to America to search for her missing father. Moses is a freed slave who works in Ben Franklin’s print shop. Henri is a French boy who was freed from indentured servitude by James and Moses. This show was a staple from my 5th grade history class, and it also doesn’t hurt to shoutout the show’s incredibly catchy theme song.
- Totally Spies!
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Totally Spies! follows three teen girls from Beverly Hills—Sam, Alex, and Clover—who work secretly as spies to solve crimes around the globe. They work for a spy organization called WOOHP (World Organization of Human Protection). The three girls fit into a very 2000s girl group. Sam was the smart one, Alex was the easy-going one, and Clover was the “blonde,” who loves shopping and is a bit impulsive. It is a light-hearted show that explores both the spy dynamic and the every-day life and problems that teenagers face.
- Codename: Kids Next Door
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If you were anything like me in the 2000s, then you were obsessed with anything relating to kids and spies (this is my second spy cartoon listed after all). This Cartoon Network show follows a group of 10-year old kids in a spy-like, kids-only organization, called the Kids Next Door, who fight crimes against kids from villains like adults, senior citizens, and teenagers. These “crimes” could be anything from homework to healthy eating to brainwashing children into being well behaved. This show had everything a young kid would want, secret treehouse bases, gadgets and weapons made from house-hold items, and a comradery between all kids against anything that would ruin their fun.
- Grossology
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I admit, this is a bit of a weird one. Grossology was a show that was on Discovery Kids, and it follows teen siblings Ty and Abby who live a secret life as “grossologists” who work for a government organization to solve “gross” crimes. Some of these crimes included swarms of bugs, slime, vomit, and hagfish just to name a few. It was a creative way to teach kids about topics that even adults don’t enjoy talking about. This show is a bit more of an acquired taste (if you were like me in elementary school, weird) but it was a unique show with a couple of bonus points for the education.
These are just a few of the many forgotten gems of the 2000s, four unique shows for a very unique time in all of our lives.