Photo: ABC
You think you know about nostalgia, but you’re forgetting about all the good stuff. Once you get through this list of forgotten childhood shows, you’ll instantly miss them with a passion. Odds are you’ll spend the rest of your day binge-watching Biker Mice From Mars. Pardon the low-quality images; life back then was too cool to be captured in high-def.
The Elephant Show
When was the last time you skinnamarinka-dinky-dinked? The tuba-toting elephant was accompanied by a trio of Canadian singers and artist guests who helped kids out with their tough kid problems. The show was eventually turned into Sharon, Lois and Bram’s Elephant Show. There was no shortage of good elephant-loving times between 1984 and 1989.
Eureeka’s Castle
Photo: Nickelodeon
Where “The Elephant Show” left off is where “Eureeka’s Castle” picked up: 1989. The show, co-created by R.L. Stine in the late ’80s, ran until 1995 on Nichelodeon. Eureeka was a sorcerer-in-training who was joined by a friend green dragon, Magellan, and a group of other Sesame Street-esque friends in a big, wind-up castle. It played back to back with other kid classics but kept the muppet style entertainment going.
The World of David the Gnome
Photo: YouTube
The “Gnome” world was created in the mid-1980s, based off of the book The Secret Book of Gnomes from 1977, which was adapted into an animated Spanish series before coming to America in 1987. The show has had revivals and spinoffs over the past three decades, but the Weinstein Company announced a reboot called Gnomes in 2015.
Denver the Last Dinosaur
Denver was, indeed, the last dinosaur, but he also had one of the best cartoon theme songs. With a short, two-season run, the show focused on Denver, a late bloomer who hatches millions of years after dinosaurs have gone extinct, only to be befriended by a group of California teens. The show ran until 1990.
Wild & Crazy Kids
Photo: Nickelodeon
Those of us who didn’t have the pleasure of being a wild and crazy kid got to live vicariously through these guys on Nickelodeon’s Wild and Crazy Kids from 1990 to 1992. It was all about what color team you were on, winning the cheesiest kid competitions (three-legged soccer and donkey basketball? hilarious!) and hopefully getting to see some ’90s hot babes guest host and get sprayed with a hose. These are the dreams of a prepubescent 10-year-old boy.
Biker Mice From Mars
Photo: YTV
Bikers? Mice? Mars? What’s not to love? Throttle, Vinnie and Modo were about as badass as anything from 1993 to 1996. The best part of the show: The villain is a real estate tycoon named Ronaldo Rump, who had stolen the Regenerator, a device that can create anything, to drastically alter Mexico. We think it’s safe to say we need Biker Mice in our lives now more than ever.
Salute Your Shorts
Photo: Nickelodeon
We learned a lot about girls and camping from Salute Your Shorts, but mostly about the importance of wearing underwear that easily rips. For two seasons, we watched a group of young summer campers, including Donkeylips, Sponge, Ronnie and Bobby harass poor Ug, the camp counselor, at Camp Anawanna.
Hey Dude
Photo: Nickelodeon
The Hey Dude gang felt like a slightly more mature version of Salute Your Shorts, given that they are real jobs, and the girls had boobs. This was our first real look at Christine Taylor, and our love for her hasn’t waned a bit, nor have her looks. From 1989 to 1991, we got a good look at life on the ranch and realized ranch work is way too hard, so we work for the Internet now instead.
Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad
Photo: ABC
Matthew Lawrence was the ’90s heartthrob every girl fantasized about (and still does, lost a girlfriend last year to him). It might have had something to do with his ability to transport himself into computers to fight viruses as a superhuman samurai in 1994. Damn you, Matthew Lawrence, you’re too handsome. Tim Curry, you weren’t bad either.
Dinosaurs
Your favorite dinosaur family was always good for a laugh around the dinner table. From 1991 to 1994, Earl Sinclair and his dinosaur family gave us some good, heartfelt dino family time, teaching us family values and that dinosaurs had it rough, too. Looking back, that dinosaur baby was a bit of an aggressive child, most likely suffering some kind of issue that was never really dealt with.
