It's a pretty safe bet to assume that most current late teens/early twenty-somethings had a childhood that, from a media standpoint, was predominately controlled by various cartoons. And who's to blame them - the late 90s/early '00s was a defining period for cartoons as a whole, between the envelopes being pushed on those aimed at children, as well as the advent of cartoon animation being utilized in shows aimed at adults, such as Family Guy and South Park. Despite all that, one thing is for certain: cartoons have helped play a role in defining a generation, and if you fall within the age range I described above, it's very likely that you've been defined by one of these cartoons:

1. "Ed, Edd n Eddy"

Ed, Edd n Eddy really skirted on the lines of child-appropriate humor versus adult humor. Having gone back and rewatched a few seasons at 19 years old, I'm not at all surprised at my parents' (then) hesitance in letting me watch the show. But disregarding the antics that the writers were able to get away with, the show did a phenomenal job in showcasing every particular trope of child, from those children who just wanted to be cool at the expense of others (such as Kevin) to those who, despite their exceptional intelligence, would rather socialize with troublemakers in the name of excitement (such as Double D).

2. "The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy"

Grim Adventures featured a dark flavor of humor that was rarely seen in children's programming before it and has rarely been seen after. But the scariest thing about a cartoon featuring the Grim Reaper and various different monsters is the humility that the show displays. While the show might have been a little bit too much in the "fear" department for some (personally, I know that I had a few friends growing up who thought the show was too scary), it did a wonderful job helping children learn that, although the world can be scary at times, it's also something that we can all overcome with a little bit of humor and determination.

3. "Chowder"

Perhaps the dark horse of these five entries, Chowder had a sense of humor that's nearly impossible to replicate. Famous for its uncommon brand of meta-humor and all-too-common act of breaking the fourth wall, Chowder introduced children to humor that most people struggle to grasp even at an old age. It's hard to generalize an entire demographic based on the actions of one thing, but if I had to take a swing at things, I would say that Chowder played a massive role in helping this generation both crack jokes on the fly, but also in helping people take jokes as well.

4. "The Fairly OddParents"

While I don't personally believe that The Fairly OddParents is the best show on this list in terms of its storytelling or its characters, I believe that it's one of the best cartoons ever made in teaching children that they are not alone. For all intents and purposes, Timmy is an incredibly unfortunate child: his parents neglect him, his teacher berates him, and his babysitter abuses him - this is, of course, why he's granted his fairy godparents. And for those children unfortunate enough to have had subpar living conditions, this show stood as testament that, no matter how badly things get, they were never alone in the situation. With the proper determination and resources, anybody can make an attempt at improving their situation: it's the hope to improve things that keep people going forward.

5. "SpongeBob SquarePants"

Personally speaking, I can't go a day without hearing, seeing, or reading at least one SpogeBob reference, and I would be lying if I said that I'm not guilty of making many of those references. But that's just the power of SpongeBob SquarePants: all somebody has to do is hint at the show and the room they're in becomes an echo chamber of people finishing the reference. Between this and the timeless episodes from the first half of the series, this show is no longer something that many of us watched during our childhood. Rather, we all, to some degree, have become SpongeBob.