We all love taking a look back at shows from our childhood, because let’s face it you still know all the words to the "Arthur" theme song. But it turns out as we were sitting on the couch wearing our jelly shoes and chokers, these shows were teaching us more than we thought. I took a closer look at some of '90s classics to see what they were really about.
"Arthur"
Personally, Arthur will always hold a special place in my heart. He was always there for me after school at 4 o’clock on PBS, making him the most consistent man in my life thus far. Not only was he a loyal companion but he taught us a lot of valuable life lessons. Francine showcased the common plight of middle-class families. She struggled with her dad's job as a garbage man, but ultimately showed that money isn't that important (even if your best friend is Muffy Crosswire, the richest girl in Ellwood City). Buster Baxter also had a single working mother that raised him just as well as any other family. Ultimately, Arthur taught us that things that make everyone different, are the things that make us pretty cool.
"The Powerpuff Girls"
"The Powerpuff Girls" offered a new type of female heroism in the late '90s and early '00s. Little girls had superheroes to look up to that were actually, well, little girls. They taught us that girls can defeat supervillans just as well as men, and you don't have to be dressed in a sexy costume to do it (because how Wonder Woman defeats crime wearing glorified underwear is beyond me).
Addtionally, Professor Utonium demolished traditional gender roles by raising the girls as a single dad (and a pretty kick ass dad at that). He showed that one parent can be just as good as two, even if you accidentally made your kids during a science experiment.
"Hey Arnold!"
"Hey Arnold!" is an integral part of any '90s kids' childhood memories. His fashion and hair styles were revolutionary for the time, and pretty much mirror hipster fashion of today. Not only was Arnold "fashion goals" but the "Hey Arnold!" movie showcased the issues of gentrification. The film follows Arnold and his friend Gerald as they try to stop a major corporation from turning their entire neighborhood into a shopping complex with high-rise apartments. The kids in the movie even hold a rally to protest the development. Although the show usually revolved around light topics, such as "Stoop Kid" and "The Pigeon Man," the movie directly addressed the realities of gentrification. The families living in his neighborhood were forced out by the rise of property prices, an issue that people in urban areas face all the time in the real world.
"Kim Possible"
If the Powerpuff Girls are the queens of feminism then Kim Possible is definitely the princess. This show was amazing for a lot of reasons; naked mole rats, copious amounts of tacos, and breaking down gender roles are just a few. Kim showed everyone that you can be girly and strong all while successfully defeating the evil Drakken (who owed most of his success to his female counterpart Shego). Call me, beep me if you want to reach me, and take down traditional definitions of what it means to be a girl, because they are so not the drama.
