Film on Vinyl: '90s Cartoon Classics

Welcome to another installment of Film on Vinyl, Joe Donohue’s column that celebrates the blending of his love for film and music by reviewing and dissecting movie soundtracks pressed on the oh-so-sweet vinyl record. Next up on the playlist: Enjoy the Ride Records' love letter to '90s cartoons, "The Best of Nicktoons.”

Every decade has its little calling card. Disco boogied through the '70s, horror movies frightened the '80s, and most importantly, cartoons ruled the '90s. When I was a kid, there was nothing better than waking up on a Saturday morning, pouring a bowl of cereal and watching my favorite cartoons: "Darkwing Duck," "TaleSpin," "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" and "Gargoyles," to name a few.

While these classic cartoons entertained kids all over, none of these shows quite holds a candle to the hilarious and irreverent cartoons that Nickelodeon created. This animation powerhouse churned out hit after hit and has been a mainstay of pop culture for years. What’s even more unforgettable than these zany characters are their catchy theme songs. Just try to get the theme to "Rugrats" out of your head. It’s damn near impossible.

Thanks to the nice people at Enjoy the Ride Records, you can now own all of your childhood memories on one spectacular record.

Packaging:

"The Best of Nicktoons" is a beautiful compilation of Nicktoons theme songs. Not to be shallow, but that beauty begins right on the surface. The album front is adorned with a plethora of Nickelodeon favorites from Arnold all the way to that lovable wallaby Rocko. Looking at these characters really tickles my nostalgia bone. If you don’t know where that is, it’s just below the funny bone.

Once you’re done gawking at the cover, it’s time to take a deeper look into the sleeve. There you will find the perfectly pressed slime-swirled record, and another peek at your favorite toons.

Tracks:

Now it’s time to discuss the bread and butter of this release, the theme songs. There is so much to love about this release that it’s too hard to pick just one, but I’ll give it a shot. "Rugrats" and "Ren and Stimpy" mostly dominate side A of the release. Not only are listeners given the theme songs to both shows, but also a variety of classics from episodes. There's "Rugrats Rock," the "Reptar Cereal Theme" and everyone's favorite, "Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy." Once you move on to side B, the goodies really start to flow. There, you'll find the themes from "CatDog," "Angry Beavers" and my all-time favorite, "Rocko's Modern Life."

Thoughts in a Nutshell:

If you were to ask me to sum up my childhood in one neat little package, I’d have to tell you that you’re crazy. But against all odds, Enjoy the Ride Records has managed to bottle some of my fondest memories together, and create one absolutely stunning pressing. "The Best of Nicktoons" is a must own for all '90s kids.

Before I go, I do want to talk about one flaw in this release. Some of you may have been wondering how I could dote on '90s Nicktoons and not even give a passing mention to a Mr. Doug Funny. That’s because Enjoy the Ride believed that everyone’s favorite daydreaming teen deserved his very own release, and I couldn’t agree more.

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Until next time, make sure you’re using the appropriate cartridge. Remember to always spin responsibly.