Kick off This Summer With Some Great Cartoons

My Five Favorite Summer Cartoons

Okay, so there’s a global pandemic that’s making a lot of summertime plans really hard to follow through on. However, today’s the Summer solstice, and I’m not COVID-19 ruin that for me. So, to keep my spirits up, I thought I’d take a stroll down memory lane. Here are some of my favorite cartoons set during the kid-friendly season that is summer.

For this, I’m focused on shows that are set during summer time or summer vacation for the majority of their run. Shows with episodes that focus on summertime activities may get another post, but no promises.

Camp Lazlo

The Bean Scouts used to be a peaceful group of campers who spend their summer days obeying the rules in an orderly fashion. Then Lazlo arrived and turned everything upside down.

Premiering in the summer of 2005, this hilarious take on summer camp antics was the brainchild of the creator of Rocko’s Modern Life, Joe Murray. In fact, a lot of the voice actors, writers, and other staff from Rocko reunited with Murray in order. As a result, this quirky show about the titular monkey in a rundown summer camp inheirted much of Rocko’s appeal. While I was too young to remember Rocko, I adored Camp Lazlo as a kid, and still look back on it with fond memories. I never went to an actual summer camp as a kid, but when I think of one, I think of Camp Lazlo’s Camp Kidney.

Camp Camp

In hindsight, this next entry from the minds at Rooster Teeth seems like the reverse of Camp Lazlo. Like the previous entry, Camp Camp is set in a rundown camp run. Unlike Camp Lazlo, though, the roles of the main adult and kid are reversed. Here, the main child character, Max, is the cynical one who (initially) hates the Camp, while the main grown-up, Dave, is the wide-eyed idealist.

I haven’t really watched the show since season four, but I still think it’s a pretty good cartoon. It’s made by the people of Rooster Teeth, who are known for having a lot of talented voice actors, animators, and writers working for them. However, to sweeten the deal, several recurring characters are voiced by prominent voice actors like Yuri Lowenthal, Dante Basco, and Travis Willingham, to name a few.

Ed Edd n’ Eddy

If you’ve paid any attention to my blog, then you should know how much of a fan I am of Ed Edd n’ Eddy. One of the most successful and most enduring cartoons that Cartoon Network ever put out, this hilarious cartoon captures the childhood misadventures of our childhoods. Then it throws in the slapstick genius of The Three Stooges to create moments so hilarious that I almost busted a gut at them.

And before you say anything, I’m well aware that the final season took place during the school year. The majority of it, though, took place in the summer, so it counts.

Gravity Falls

How could I forget to put the modern-day classic that is Gravity Falls? I’d have to be crazy to do so! If you’ve been living under a rock, then allow me to tell you about the cartoon that would set the standards to which we now hold Disney cartoons. It’s about two twins, Dipper and Mabel Pines, who get sent to spend the summer with their great-uncle Stan in the mysterious town of Gravity Falls, Oregon. While that sounds boring, the town proves to be one of the craziest places on Earth. Thus, the two spend their summer uncovering the many mysteries and weirdness behind the town.

Calling this show legendary is an understatement. It’s probably one of the most influential cartoons of the last ten years. Even years after the show ended, it’s still got a large fanbase. One of the best fanfics I’ve ever read had the cast of Gravity Falls play a big part in it. And Disney’s new hit shows, Amphibia and The Owl House, were created by people who worked on Gravity Falls. In conclusion, it’s an awesome show.

Phineas and Ferb

The legend itself, I hold Phineas and Ferb among one of the best cartoons I’ve ever seen, period. Not to mention its one of the best cartoons that Disney’s made in the 21st century. Debuting back in 2008 (God, that feels so long ago,) this show follows the titular brothers as they strive to make every day of summer vacation the best day ever. Whether it’s building the world’s coolest rollercoaster, traveling the world in a single day, or meeting their counterparts in another dimension, this show never ceased to amaze me. Also, it has some of the best songs I’ve ever heard in a cartoon.

Enjoy Your Summer, Everyone!

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