If you grew up watching cable cartoons in the 90s, these four probably filled your afternoons. Dexter's Laboratory, The Powerpuff Girls, Cow and Chicken and Johnny Bravo were Cartoon Network favorites with their own style and jokes. This One Gotta Go card asks which one you'd erase from your childhood.
Think about the theme songs you still know, the catchphrases you repeated at school, and the show you would actually rewatch today. Then pick the one you could live without and hear what your friends remember.
The 4 choices on this card
A. Dexter's Laboratory
Dexter's Laboratory followed a boy genius with a secret lab and a sister, Dee Dee, who always found a way in. Fans loved the clever jokes and the big inventions. The case against it is that the formula repeats a lot, so it might be your cut if you want more variety.
Keep it if: You loved the secret lab, the inventions and every time Dee Dee pressed the wrong button.
B. The Powerpuff Girls
The Powerpuff Girls gave us Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup saving Townsville before bedtime. It had action, comedy and a great villain in Mojo Jojo. The case against cutting it is huge, which is exactly why some people pick it just to stir up the table.
Keep it if: Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup were your heroes, and you still know the opening narration by heart.
C. Cow and Chicken
Cow and Chicken was the weirdest show on this card, about a cow and a chicken who are somehow siblings. Fans loved how strange and silly it was. The case against it is that the humor was so odd that plenty of people never quite got it.
Keep it if: You love the strangest cartoons best and still laugh thinking about the show's random humor.
D. Johnny Bravo
Johnny Bravo was all hair, sunglasses and confidence, a guy who thought he was irresistible and never got the girl. Fans quote his lines to this day. The case against it is that one joke carried the whole show, so it's an easy cut if you want more story.
Keep it if: You still do the Johnny Bravo voice and think his over-the-top confidence never gets old.
Our take
We'd cut Cow and Chicken. It was wonderfully strange, but it's the one on this card that people remember the least, while the other three each left a big mark: Dexter's lab, the Powerpuff Girls saving Townsville and Johnny Bravo's one-liners. Expect the most fun debate between Dexter's Laboratory fans and the Powerpuff Girls crowd. Bonus question for your group: which of these four would you actually sit down and rewatch tonight?
How to play this card with friends
- Read the four choices out loud.
- Everyone picks the one they'd eliminate at the same time.
- Explain your pick. This is where the fun starts.
- Use the follow-up questions below to keep it going.
Follow-up questions to keep the debate going
- Which late 90s Cartoon Network show had the smartest writing for a kids show?
- Which theme song can you still sing from memory?
- Which of these would work best as a reboot today?
- Which 90s cartoon deserves a spot on this card instead?
Want more debates like this? Get the One Gotta Go card game for game night, family dinners and road trips. Shop the decks.
90s Cartoons (Cable): quick answers
What were the best Cartoon Network shows of the 90s?
Dexter's Laboratory, The Powerpuff Girls, Cow and Chicken and Johnny Bravo are four of the best-remembered Cartoon Network shows from the late 90s, along with others like Ed, Edd n Eddy and Courage the Cowardly Dog. Each had its own art style and sense of humor.
Who are the Powerpuff Girls?
The Powerpuff Girls are Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup, three superpowered sisters created in a lab by Professor Utonium. They protect the city of Townsville from villains like Mojo Jojo, and the show mixed action with a lot of comedy, which is why it still has so many fans.
