i. spongebob squarepants | big comfort show. funny, timeless, and i grew up with it for most of my childhood. not the best objectively, but i just really like the humor and the sponge himself. i run on spongebob references and plushies. only updated until season 5 or 6 or so, but i don't think modern spongebob is too bad

ii. avatar: the last airbender | lightning in the bottle for cartoons, the best objectively. very well written, insane character development, insane worldbuilding, there are LAYERS to atla fr. it holds up insanely well for a kids' show. i only watched it in full as an adult, but i feel i wouldn't have appreciated it as much when i was younger.

iii. courage the cowardly dog | for the longest time, i thought some of the spookier episodes were figments of my imagination. it's a very unique show. in addition to being really surreal and creepy, it doesn't shy away from darker, more philosophical topics. it gets very emotional at times too, every other episode makes me :(

iv. winx club | biggest childhood favorite. one of the first cartoons i really remember watching. my neurons were activated with pretty girls and pretty sparkly outfits, and the girls were pretty good characters that i feel could have been fleshed out much more. transformations and OSTs have always been consistently stellar even in later seasons. only a golden age fan, though i also like s5 despite its flaws

v. w.i.t.c.h. | another stellar italian magical girl series, they really take the genre seriously. i loved that it had a more mature and dark atmosphere especially in the comics, and a more flawed and grounded cast. the comic arcs were also really good. i wished i was able to watch it more, the days of contained internet, subscription magazines and cable television (that did not prioritize witch) meant less exposure than i'd like to the show back then