5 Cartoon Series You'll Adore As Much As Your Kids Do

1. Adventure Time

© Cartoon Network

At first you might be confused by the world of Adventure Time, but soon you’ll be totally in love with the adorable and deceptively mature universe it presents. The show’s themes often emphasize the angst and growing pains of adolescence via Finn, a boy coming of age in the post-apocalyptic Kingdom of Ooo. Finn, along with his dog Jake, do exactly as the title suggests and go on adventures, meeting Ice Kings, Lumpy Space Princesses and Vampires along the way. It’s as weird and as wonderful as it sounds.

2. The Regular Show

© Cartoon Network

The Regular Show might be a silly cartoon about talking bluejays, raccoons and lollipop-headed men who work at a local park, but it’s also a brilliant portrayal of emerging adulthood. Plus it’s filled with ’70s and ’80s movie references that will go straight over your kids’ heads. (One episode even included a brilliant homage to cult classic The Warriors.) In other words, there’s something for everyone to enjoy. Your kids will love the crazy action sequences and you’ll love reminiscing about how awesome laserdiscs once were.

3. Bob’s Burgers

© FOX

Between maniacal, bunny-ear-wearing Louise, musical-obsessed Gene and boy-crazy Tina, chances are the Belcher kids are as idiosyncratic as yours. But no matter how crazy their antics get while running the family restaurant, the Belchers are always there for each other, even if their support manifests in the oddest of ways, like infiltrating horse conventions or performing in competing school plays. Sweet but never overly sentimental, Bob’s Burgers is reminiscent of The Simpsons at its best, a rarity in a TV landscape overrun by mean-spirited Family Guy-esque animation.

4. Gravity Falls

© Disney

Twins Mabel and Dipper Pines find themselves spending the summer with their Great-Uncle (or as they refer to him, “Grunkle”) Stan in the mysterious town of Gravity Falls, Oregon, where they help him run The Mystery Shack, a tourist trap billed as “the world’s most bizarre museum.” Over the course of two seasons, Mabel, Dipper and Grunkle Stan have found themselves in increasingly supernatural situations, and the show shows no signs of slowing down as the paranormal activity that surrounds them continues unabated.

5. Steven Universe

© Cartoon Network

Steven Universe is another fantastical gem of a show, and we mean that almost literally. In this cartoon, the world is protected by a group of warriors known as the Crystal Gems, who draw their power from a stone inherited by a boy named Steven. Steven and the Gems spend their days hanging out and saving the universe. The intriguing premise has grown more sophisticated by the episode, leaving kids and parents alike captivated by the show’s unique magic.