As technology ramped up to new levels in the 1990s thanks to the introduction of the internet and the more widespread use of cell phones, kids clutched onto the trends, too, dreaming about a hi-tech future. These great robot cartoons from the 90s helped fuel that passion and stand as animated classics today.
Reboot
The show ran from 1994 to 1997 and featured the adventure of Dot Matrix and Enzo, and their boss, a “Guardian” named Bob. The three of them were in charge of protecting the town of Mainframe from the villainous Megabyte, especially the computers of the berg. Blocky computer animation is totally reminiscent of the era, but the robot characters were a huge hit.
Beast Wars: Transformers
Transformers has been around since 1984, with new iterations of episodes and movies coming out every few years. The show is about two factions in Cybertron (the home planet of robots) who are fighting for control: the Autobots and Decepticons. Lots of robot characters in this one. Beast Wars debuted in 1996 and the robot characters were a little more “animalistic.”
Aeon Flux
This MTV show aired for one season in 1991 and featured a rebel fighter who lived among an underground society, but when her twin sister is assassinated she must temporarily work as a spy to uncover the conspiracy at hand. Aeon Flux was a robot in disguise as a human woman.
WILDC.A.T.s
This comic book series from Image comics debuted in 1989 and ran for 25 issues, with a spinoff cartoon show that ran for just one season, 1995, as part of the Action Zone on CBS. Featuring a troupe of action heroes, WILDC.A.T.s had the good guys battling a host of baddies throughout the short run, with villains ranging from ninjas to … yes, robots. Luckily, one of the protagonists knew how to deal with the bots since he was a cyborg himself.
Exo-Squad
This robot cartoon ran for two seasons, from 1993 to 1994, and followed the story of an advanced robot-human peacekeeping force fighting back against dangerous threats of all sorts. The “exo” in this show was the robot component, as the humans got through life, or at least the crime-fighting adventurous bits, inside of giant robot suits/vehicles … now, where have we heard something like that before?
The Terrible Thunderlizards
Another entry that does not ostensibly feature robots, The Terrible Thunderlizards was a comedy-action cartoon that aired for two seasons, from 1993 to 1995. It followed the adventures of four dinosaur pals who escaped from prison by doing away with a couple of pesky humans and then taking on careers as mercenaries. In that role, they encountered all sorts of wild adventures and characters, including cavemen, space creatures … and robots.
Mummies Alive!
A curse unleashed in Ancient Egypt sees its day of reckoning in the modern world, where dead bodies and reincarnations awaken from their dark slumber to stalk the world. Each of the mummies was endowed with the superpowers of an Egyptian god, and the group set out to fight crime. While no actual robots were involved, much of the stylization and animation was robot-like, with the characters’ faces and heads appearing as robot parts.
Mighty Max
Max is an ordinary kid who discovers a magic key that transports him to another world where he while battling for his life against monsters from all around (including some robots). His adventure takes him through various worlds until finally finding his way back home. One nemesis who Max ran up against was Lava Lord, who was hell-bent on world domination and destruction, along with his lackey, a giant robot called Magus.
The Jetsons
A holdover from previous generations, The Jetsons was as popular as ever through syndication in the 1990s. George Jetson and company lived in a futuristic version of the year 2062, complete with robot maids.
(Like Robot Cartoons from the 90s? Then you might like our article on 1980s Robot Toys, click here.)
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