Not necessarily cartoons but the educational ones on pbs etc.
BEST:
- Sesame Street (love the muppets. even adults can find it amusing)
- Barney And Friends (only the early years from early 90's)
- Lambchop's Play Along
- Reading Rainbow (although at times i found it boring, i have to give it credit for being truly educational and informative)

WORST:
- Sharon, Lois & Brom's Elephant Show - what was that? it was so boring. i hated how they sang and what was so great about the darn elephant?? he never talked or did anything but lame dances!
- Pee Wee's Playhouse - do i really need to comment. this show was disturbing on so many levels. even before that scandal about him came out he creeped me out. it looks like a show only michael jackson could enjoy.
- Mister Rogers Neighborhood - this guy put me to sleep and the hand puppets were pathetic and the faces on the puppets looked sinister.

Not necessarily cartoons but the educational ones on pbs etc.
BEST:

- Barney And Friends (only the early years from early 90's)
- Lambchop's Play Along


WORST:

- Pee Wee's Playhouse - do i really need to comment. this show was disturbing on so many levels. even before that scandal about him came out he creeped me out. it looks like a show only michael jackson could enjoy.
- Mister Rogers Neighborhood - this guy put me to sleep and the hand puppets were pathetic and the faces on the puppets looked sinister.

I'd have to reverse these selections, Barney and Lambchop are 2 of the most boring characters ever as far as children's television is concerned and Pee Wee's Playhouse and Mr. Roger's Neighborhood are absolute classics. I would also include Shining Time Station and The Electric Company in that category as well.

Speaking of Lambchop, It's not the worst thing Shari Lewis ever done. Somehow she was allowed to write one of the worst Star Trek episodes ever entitled the Lights of Zetar. :rolleyes:

I agree with Sesame Street but only the pre-Elmo years, That character ruined the show.

Best:
HOWDY DOODY
MICKEY MOUSE CLUB (the original)
HUCKLEBERRY HOUND
ROCKY & HIS FRIENDS

I never had a chance to see many episodes of CAPTAIN KANGAROO, but I
respect it for its longevity.

Worst:
Cartoons with prosocial messages (esp. late 1970s)
Most cartoons based on live-action TV shows and movies and toys (which
indicate a lack of imagination or originality)

Best:
HOWDY DOODY
MICKEY MOUSE CLUB (the original)
HUCKLEBERRY HOUND
ROCKY & HIS FRIENDS

I never had a chance to see many episodes of CAPTAIN KANGAROO, but I
respect it for its longevity.

Worst:
Cartoons with prosocial messages (esp. late 1970s)
Most cartoons based on live-action TV shows and movies and toys (which
indicate a lack of imagination or originality)

are you specifically referring to most 80s and 90s cartoons especially?

are you specifically referring to most 80s and 90s cartoons especially?

Yes, that's pretty much when the trend started. I confess that I did enjoy
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, mostly for the humor. There were some
other bright spots, including: The Smurfs, G.I. Joe, Inspector Gadget,
DuckTales. in the eighties. The '90s gave us Animaniacs and the
excellent live-action PBS series Wishbone. The problem, I think, is that when someone does come up with a really good idea for a show--and especially if it is a huge success--
every other studio tries to imitate it until you can't tell one show from another. That has always been the case (even in the 1950s) and that kind of thinking is not restricted to children's programming but exists in all genres.

Best:Sesame Street,Babar & The Bugs Bunny & Road Runner Hour.

Worst:Teletubbies,Peewee's Playhouse & Mr.Roger's Neighborhood,Pokemon & Digimon.

Mister Rogers Neighborhood - this guy put me to sleep and the hand puppets were pathetic and the faces on the puppets looked sinister.

Mister Rogers makes your list of "worst" because he's boring and yet Barney and Reading Rainbow made the "best" list?

Wow.

To each their own, I suppose.

Personally, I'd rather watch a "boring" guy who teaches positive values and self-worth to children than watch a giant purple dinosaur dance around like a fool.

Pee Wee's Playhouse - do i really need to comment. this show was disturbing on so many levels. even before that scandal about him came out he creeped me out. it looks like a show only michael jackson could enjoy.

And Pee-Wee's Playhouse, too!?!

Again, it's all a matter of personal opinion...but if I'm not mistaken, this show was so disturbing that it won over twenty Emmy awards!

I think the best of the best has to be Sesame Street. I not only learned the alphabet and the basics from that show, but I learned some spanish too. I still watch it on occasion... and I don't have kids!

Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood is classic. It's geared more for little kids and he talks directly to them, so of course an adult isn't going to enjoy it as much and would probably feel as though they were being talked down to. It was never meant for adults, but I've watched this too on occasion and I still learn things! Sometimes they would have interesting segments where they would go to factories and once Mr. Rogers visited a group of performers that were doing "Stomp".

I've often heard that "Teletubbies" is really stupid and bad for kids, but I don't see anything wrong with it. Especially for babies, if you must let your infants stare at a TV screen. Sure, there's no real learning that is done (that I can see, anyway), but it's colorful and it moves quickly, which is good because very young kids don't have big attention spans anyway.

A classic that isn't on anymore but is available on DVD is "The Electric Company". Even though it's very dated, it still has great information to teach kids grammar, reading and writing.

Bad shows:
Sponge Bob Square Pants-whomever thought of this show must have been nuts, because I find it stupid and completely unfunny.

Ren and Stimpy-Yet another lame cartoon that kids are supposed to like. Insane.

Actually I could go on and on about the bad cartoons on today.....

worst

barney the dinosaur- need i say more?
the new adventures of captain planet and the planeteers- blantant PC crap, horrible show


best

arthur- i liked this alot even though it was aimed at pre-school kids
mr t- i know, it was a bit corny in places but it taught kids respect, manners and was very educational

The worst television for children IMO has to be any live action shows that's on both DISNEY and TEEN NICK shows.Any parents whom let their kids whatch these shows should be lock in a dark,rat infested room and force to watch these shows themselves!There's nothing "cute" about these kids,the adults are all idoits,and it's the same ol' farce.

Mr. Rogers is def. one of the best. When I was a kid, I watched shows like Power Rangers, Barney, Sesame Street etc. but Mr. Rodgers was like a Maury show for kids, except reversed 360, with no street or teen elements added to it, in the sense that the host brought up topics for that age group that fit surviving in life. I think the made up characters in the show were good cause every kid wants to live their age. No kid wants to grow up or be an adult at age 6 and it's a great time- but it can also be a negative time where kids are stuck in the middle of a parent's divorce, in which fantasizing about their fav. cartoon or made up character, makes them feel inferior (yet they don't know because of their age). It makes you wanna dress up and play along. That's why kids love Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny etc. (Sorry for anybody who still believes in them :lol:, no seriously). Kids should be able to get what fits them and not something that puts them in the future.

- Pee Wee's Playhouse - do i really need to comment. this show was disturbing on so many levels. even before that scandal about him came out he creeped me out. it looks like a show only michael jackson could enjoy.
- Mister Rogers Neighborhood - this guy put me to sleep and the hand puppets were pathetic and the faces on the puppets looked sinister.

I totally agree about PWP, If I were a parent, I would never let my kid(s) watch that pedophile filth of a show.

I think the best of the best has to be Sesame Street. I not only learned the alphabet and the basics from that show, but I learned some spanish too. I still watch it on occasion... and I don't have kids!

Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood is classic. It's geared more for little kids and he talks directly to them, so of course an adult isn't going to enjoy it as much and would probably feel as though they were being talked down to. It was never meant for adults, but I've watched this too on occasion and I still learn things! Sometimes they would have interesting segments where they would go to factories and once Mr. Rogers visited a group of performers that were doing "Stomp".

I've often heard that "Teletubbies" is really stupid and bad for kids, but I don't see anything wrong with it. Especially for babies, if you must let your infants stare at a TV screen. Sure, there's no real learning that is done (that I can see, anyway), but it's colorful and it moves quickly, which is good because very young kids don't have big attention spans anyway.

A classic that isn't on anymore but is available on DVD is "The Electric Company". Even though it's very dated, it still has great information to teach kids grammar, reading and writing.

Bad shows:
Sponge Bob Square Pants-whomever thought of this show must have been nuts, because I find it stupid and completely unfunny.

Ren and Stimpy-Yet another lame cartoon that kids are supposed to like. Insane.

Actually I could go on and on about the bad cartoons on today.....


hey you

have to disagree....I really like sponge bob and ren and stimpy esp the christmas special...hehe:) and I luv teletubbies and nope dont have kids but do have all the christmas specials:)

OMG I really dislike Barney...makes me cringe....and Mr Rodgers Neighborhood...just too awful for words.

Sesame Street used to be good. Now it sucks. Ever since they gave half the show to Elmo.

Barney is horrible.

If I had kids I'd let them watch:

ARTHUR
CLIFFORD
MAGIC SCHOOL BUS
CURIOUS GEORGE
Mr. Rogers

All good edumacational shows.

Barney and Friends.

I have NO kids, but I DO have a 2 year old niece!! I'm trying to turn her on to some real quality (and fun) stuff so she'll have fun now and live by ethos later!

SHOWS I WOULD LOVE TO TURN MY NIECE ON TO:
Sesame Street (PRE-Elmo! My niece loves him but Elmo ruined that show!)

Howdy Doody (Best. Kids. Show. Ever. Fun, ethics and/or life lessons (without your kids realizing it), plus tons of sweet and cute all in one 30-minute package! And yes, just about everything on that show still applies today. That's why I'M so into it!)

Captain Kangaroo (Just plain high quality fun - no thinking necessary)

Electric Company (I hate to say it, but I think this show was better than Sesame Street ever was!)

SHOWS I'M HOPING MY NIECE DOES NOT GET INTO:
SpongeBob (sooooo annoying and soooo pointless!)

Billy & Mandy (too dark and, again, pointless)

Teletubbies (I can't even understand what's going on - what makes me think SHE is gonna understand any of it???)

There. 'nuff said.