I grew up in the prime of Disney Channel and I've been revisiting some of the many crushes I had from my favorite shows. If you were looking for a blast from the past, look no further.
Cole Sprouse (The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, The Suite Life of Deck)
Okay, I'm gonna be real. Both of the Sprouse brothers are daddy material. However, Cody was my favorite and I still stand by that. Cole portrayed an awkward, nerdy boy who was a little bad with the ladies but sweet and sensitive. I was also kinda awkward so Cody was my dream boy. Cole and Dylan aged very well, might I add. Cole now stars as Jughead Jones on Riverdale, though he will always be Cody to me.
Zac Efron (High School Musical)
I was THE biggest High School Musical fan, ok. I slept on HSM bed sheets until I was sixteen. Please don't @ me. For some reason a jock having an identity crisis was exactly what I needed in my life when I was little. He now stars in a lot of crude comedies, which I'm all for. He got out of being a Disney star without getting naked and riding on a wrecking ball.
The Jonas Brothers (Jonas, Camp Rock)
Yes, all three of them. Even Kevin, who no one in my friend group picked to be their future hubby on their own free will. I owned one of their CD's and played it so much that it quit working. I also owned Camp Rock and wrote all of the lyrics from the songs down. Nick was my pick, of course. His little curls were my favorite thing on Earth. When Camp Rock came out I suddenly leaned towards Joe. Both of them are still making music and still gorgeous. Kevin is also married, which is kind of a shocker but a pleasant surprise all in all. He even got a little hot as he got older.
Danielle Fishel (Boy Meets World)
Oh yeah, playing both sides of the coin here. Danielle played Topanga Lawrence, the feminist icon of the '90's for a lot of girls. She's gorgeous, obviously but her personality in the show is wonderful. She started out as every boring girl that guys were not really into during middle school and high school but became a beautiful, independent women by the show's end. She came back to Disney for Girl Meets World with her on-screen love interest, Cory and has two kids with him in the show.
Drake Bell (Drake & Josh)
A lot of people will probably not like this one but he's a character you love to hate. In Drake & Josh, Drake Bell plays a character of the same first name who acts like every jerk high school boy I have come in contact with. He's hot, though and his smooth operating is super appealing. He has a self-confidence that's attractive to a lot of women. Though he spent most of the show smooching any female he could find I still have a place in my heart for old Drake. He's now a musician and fights people over Twitter, but it could be worse.
Amanda Bynes (The Amanda Show)
Yes, I had a crush on the girl who's catchphrase was "MAAHA!", and I'm not ashamed of it. She was silly and funny and I laughed every time I watched The Amanda Show. She's been through a rough patch as an adult, though. She's been arrested several times for DUI's and even stayed in a psychiatric hospital for a time. She's supposedly sober now, though and would love to return to acting. She's more on the Lindsay Lohan side but she was a great child actor and I'm happy that she's getting her life together.
Jamie Lynn Spears (Zoey 101)
"OOOH, I KNOW YOU SEE ME STANDING HERE". This show was so good. Anyways, Jamie plays the lead character, Zoey, in Zoey 101 and she was the crush of boys and closeted lesbians everywhere. The show was about a girl and her brother attending a boarding school that just had been boys-only up until this point. Jamie happens to be the sister of famous musician Britney Spears so of course she's gorgeous. The show ended due to her getting pregnant but there was a 10-year reunion short for the show. I also really loved her key necklace.
Jessie McCartney
So Jessie McCartney was probably my first real crush. He came out with "Beautiful Soul" when I was 4, if that gives you any idea of how long I've been waiting to be Mrs. McCartney. McCartney wasn't really a Disney star but he did act in All My Children and was a guest star in The Suite Life of Zack and Cody. McCartney is still making music so hopefully I'll still be grooving to him when I'm 80.
Heath Ledger
I think most of Heath Ledger's movies were a big part of my sexual awakening. TMI, sorry. And yeah, even Brokeback Mountain. I feel that every teenage girl goes through a phase of watching 10 Things I Hate About You on repeat. His hair, his jawline. Flawless. Unfortunately, Ledger passed away in 2008 from abuse of prescription medication. I will always remember him as the brave William from A Knight's Tale or even his amazing depiction of The Joker in The Dark Knight.
Robert Pattinson (Twilight Saga)
Oh boy. I was Twilight's #1 fan. I read all the books, watched all the movies, and even owned the soundtrack on CD. Robert Pattinson was a crush I had when I started going through my teen years and I still hold a tiny bit of a crush on him now as an adult. Pattinson played the modern heartthrob Edward, a vampire who falls in love with a human. The tension throughout the book and the films between his character and the female interest is captivating and if you didn't put yourself in Bella's shoes at least once, you're a liar.
Going over all the crushes I had as a kid puts how old I am now into perspective. I'm very thankful for growing up in the era that I did because a lot of today's kids don't know any of these beautiful humans. What a tragedy. Even though I've grown up and my tastes have changed a little, I still love all of these people and would still freak out if I met any of them in real life. To child crushes, thanks for making my heart flutter when I couldn't talk to real boys.
