Popular Children’s TV Programs Of The Past That Are Still Loved

Children born in the 80s and 90s have fond memories of a number of hit TV programs that are popular even today. Those were the days when there weren’t too many channels on our television sets to browse, or smartphones that could be connected to the TV to watch movies or any programs of our choice. Those were the days when the entire family would gather in the living room to watch popular TV programs like ‘Rangoli’ or the ever-popular series like ‘Ramayana’ or ‘Mahabharat’, ‘Shaktimaan’ and other such TV Programs. It was the time when cable TV had a number of fantastic shows that went beyond meaningless family drama, cartoons without strong story-lines or supernatural shows which make little to no sense. It was the time of quality shows that everyone could watch, not just children. Today’s cartoons don’t seem to have the charm that the shows of the 90s and 80s did. We take a look at some of the most popular children’s TV programs of the past.

TV Programs that will give you nostalgia

• Captain Planet Series: At a time when climate change and global warming was not as severe a problem as it is today, this show about a planet saving superhero called ‘Captain Planet’ was extremely popular. The show revolved around 5 teenagers from five continents, each given a magic ring representing one of the five elements of nature. They were led by the Gia, the essence of Earth. The teens would summon the entity, ‘Captain Planet’ using their rings when they needed his help. This show taught 90s kids a lot about environmental protection, reducing the use of plastic and conserving our resources.
• Scooby Doo series: Mystery is one element that children love and the makers of the ‘Scooby Doo Series’ counted their success on this factor. The show revolved around four teenagers, Fred, Shaggy, Daphne and Velma along with Shaggy’s dog who could talk. The friends would solve mysteries and would often be at odds with a ghost which would often be the villain plotting something. The show was one of the first that taught young children not to be afraid of supernatural entities as they were probably not real.
• Tom and Jerry Show: How can one forget the ever lovable Tom and Jerry? Even today, this is one of the most loved TV programs in the world. The show revolves around a cat named Tom who could never catch a clever mouse called Jerry. Tom’s antics while trying to catch the witty Jerry was the basis of the show and there are several hilarious moments from this ever-popular show. Even though the scenario changed depending on the episode, the basis was the same with Jerry outwitting Tom at every turn.
• Small Wonder: When one talks about shows for children, how can we ever forget this iconic show that every 90s kid loved? The show was originally from the 70s and was the Hindi dubbing of the TV program of the same name. It revolved around a robotics engineer called Ted Lawson, his wife Joan and their son Jaime. Ted invents a life-like robot called VIKI and to avoid getting into trouble with society, he pretends that the robot is his adopted daughter. The show had several memorable characters, namely Ted’s annoying neighbors whose daughter would annoy Jaime often.
• Centurions: This was another TV program that was well-loved among children, especially boys who were in awe of the gadgets shown on the show. The show revolved around three men Max Ray, Jake Rockwell and Ace McCloud who were joined by Rex Charger and John Thunder later in the show. The heroes wore ‘exo-frames’ on which specialized tools and weapons could be beamed down from an orbiting space station which was controlled by a woman called Crystal. The men would fight terrifying villains like Doc Terror and Hacker. It might be too cliched for children of today, especially older children, but this was one of the most popular shows of the 90s and the re-runs have a devout audience in younger children of today.

TV Programs well-loved today

While most cartoons today do not have the strong story-lines that the shows of the past did, children do seem to enjoy them. But for people born in the 80s and 90s, TV programs like the ones mentioned are the ones that invoke the most fond memories.