My friends think 'Hey Arnold!' is the best city cartoon, but I'm sticking with 'Doug'

We were all hanging out at my place in Denver last weekend, rewatching some old Nicktoons, and the topic came up. Everyone started talking about how deep and real 'Hey Arnold!' was, with its city life and tough topics. I get it, but I always felt more connected to Doug Funnie's world. The show was just so good at showing regular kid stuff, like worrying about your first day at a new school or having a crush. I remember watching it after school in '96, and it felt like Doug was talking right to me. His journal drawings and his made up band, The Beets, were way more my speed than football heads and stoop sales. Maybe it's because I grew up in a small town, not a big city. Does anyone else think Doug gets overlooked when we talk about the best 90s cartoons about growing up?

3 comments

3 Comments

colemartinez2mo ago

Honestly though, do you think Doug gets less love because it was quieter? Like Arnold had these big city adventures, but Doug's drama was all about a bad haircut or his sister using his stuff. That small stuff felt huge when you were a kid.

miller.jason2mo ago

You're right, colemartinez. Doug's problems were small but felt so big, like worrying about what to write in Roger's yearbook or if Patti would laugh at his lunch. That show was about the inner world of a kid, which is huge even if the outside world is just a suburban block. Arnold's stories were about helping others, but Doug's were about surviving your own mind, which is its own kind of adventure.

colemartinez2mo ago

Doug nailed the awkwardness of being a kid in a way no other show did. Arnold's city was cool, but Doug's worries about fitting in were way more real for a lot of us. Maybe that's why it still hits home.