The 90s Nicktoons Aesthetic

When I shared The Rectangle Show to a couple friends on Facebook, they both said it reminded them of mid-90s Nicktoons. I didn’t intend for that to be the result, but I considered it high praise, and it made me want to re-watch some old 90s Nicktoons with no other intention but to savor the wild artwork that is so inherent to this golden era of children’s television.

And today I thought I’d write this article as a way of exploring just what the 90s Nicktoons aesthetic actually consists of. As we’ll see, there’s no magic formula, but there are some interesting recurring motifs.

1.) Fat lips: On many (not all) 90s Nicktoons characters, oversized lips add a more cartoonish vibe that’s just fun all the way around! (Some of my own artwork has taken advantage of this also.)

2.) Wild color palettes. As you can see above, the 90s Nicktoons are brimming with vibrant color. Need I say more?

3.) Most of it is just bizarre. When you watch the two videos above, (as well as all the others I’ve linked to,) you get the feeling that there was extreme creativity in 90s Nicktoons, almost as if the creative team was on acid. It’s very mesmerizing to watch because there’s never a dull moment (well, except for some of those orange CGI shapes. That’s a bit generic for my taste…) Anyway, they don’t make kids’ television like this anymore!

What is your favorite part of the 90s Nicktoons aesthetic? Was there something I missed? What 90s Nicktoons show was your favorite as a kid? Please let me know your thoughts in the comments. And if you enjoyed this article, please consider subscribing to my bi-weekly newsletter so you never miss another one!