With everything happening in the world today, looking back on cherished childhood memories can bring much-needed levity to the roller coaster ride of our day-to-day lives. That’s why FloridaBet.com has decided to temporarily change the channel on our Florida sports betting updates, and instead determine what Florida’s favorite throw-back cartoon shows are.
By using Google Trends, we were able to compare search engine interest for a wide range of cartoon series that millennial and Gen Z-aged adults grew up watching. Using data gathered between February 27 and March 5, 2024, we ranked the top 10 most popular nostalgic cartoons according to Florida residents. Here are the results.
Florida’s Favorite Childhood Cartoons
The Results Are In
The Sunshine State's favorite cartoon series happens to be “SpongeBob SquarePants,” which has been on Nickelodeon since 1999. Although we all know SpongeBob hails from Bikini Bottom, and lives in a pineapple under the sea, Florida residents can visit him anytime at the Universal Studios Theme Park in Orlando.
At No. 2 is another Nickelodeon classic, “The Fairly OddParents.” While beloved, it’s possible the show’s high listing on our search engine-based rankings may be skewed by its association with Drake Bell, who played a grown-up version of lead character Timmy Turner in a trilogy of live-action adaptations in the early 2010s. Bell has been making headlines in recent days for his participation in the docuseries “Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV,” where it’s expected he will address the child sexual abuse he experienced during his time working with Nickelodeon.
Switching gears back to the cartoon world, “Blues Clues,” which revolves around Blue the dog’s attempts to communicate with her owner, ranks at No. 3 on our list. One trademark aspect of this animation/live-action hybrid series is how it encourages children to “break the fourth wall” and participate in the story This, along with most of the series’ other conventions, was inspired by the latest research from the world of early childhood development. First airing on Nick Jr. in 1996, “Blues Clues” ran for a decade, producing 143 episodes in total.
“South Park,” the first cartoon on our list that’s geared toward adults, lands at No. 4. The long-running animated satire created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone debuted on the Cartoon Network in 1997 and has seen over 300 episodes hit the airwaves. Meanwhile, Tommy Pickles and the rest of the “Rugrats” land at five, yet another Nickelodeon series to find itself highly ranked on our list of Florida’s favorite cartoon series.
The back half of FloridaBet.com’s top 10 nostalgic cartoons is highlighted by one series that’s been beloved by multiple generations. “Scooby Doo” first appeared on TV in 1969 as the star of ABC’s “Scooby Doo, Where Are You!” The goofy great Dane has been solving mysteries with the rest of the gang ever since, appearing in over a dozen spin-off series and film adaptations.
The rest of the list is packed with more throwback classics sure to entertain you while we await legal sports betting’s arrival in Florida.
Stay with FloridaBet.com for all things around the Sunshine State, the latest sports betting news, and our expert reviews of the best Florida sportsbook apps that are expected to live in the state once sports betting is made legal.
Author
Jeff Parker is an entertainment writer for FloridaBet.com. A writer for film, television and the internet, Jeff is a life long movie buff, with a Masters Degree in Popular Culture. He lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where he works full time as documentary filmmaker and producer.
