30 Years Of Nicktoons: The 10 Best Nicktoon Theme Songs

The Nicktoons brand is thirty years old! After beginning as a 90-minute programming block on August 11, 1991, the Nicktoons name soon expanded to encompass all animated series produced by Nickelodeon.

Over the past three decades, many beloved, iconic cartoons have been created under the Nicktoons banner. Great cartoons often cement themselves in the memories of their young viewers with a great theme song, and the Nicktoons have also come with quite a few of those.

Here are ten of the best Nicktoon theme songs.

10. 'The Loud House'

One of the newer Nicktoons, having only premiered in 2016, The Loud House became a hit early in its run. Finding fans among both youngsters and older viewers, it quickly cemented itself as one of the greats, worthy of joining the stable of classic Nicktoons that came before it.

The Loud House mostly focuses on Lincoln Loud, the middle child and only boy among the eleven Loud siblings, however, Lincoln's ten sisters get more screentime and development as the series goes on. The series theme song, sung by series composer Doug Rockwell, and written by Rockwell, fellow composer Michelle Lewis, and series creator Chris Savino, is catchy and fun, introducing the premise and letting viewers know exactly what to expect from the show. It is a theme that today's children will be looking up in the future when they want a nostalgia hit.

9. 'All Grown Up!'

In 2004, as Rugrats, one of the three original Nicktoons, was wrapping up production after a successful 14-year run, Nickelodeon had three possible spin-offs in development: All Grown Up!, Pre-School Daze, and The Carmichaels. Of the three, only All Grown Up!, inspired by the 2001 Rugrats tenth anniversary special that saw the babies aged up to early adolescence, became a full series.

While reception to the series was mixed, mostly from fans of the original, almost everyone agreed that the theme, a catchy pop-rock number, was pretty cool. It helped that the theme was sung by Cree Summer, who voices Susie Carmichael in the series. In All Grown Up!, a recurring sub-plot has Susie as an aspiring singer.

8. 'As Told By Ginger'

Premiering late in the year 2000, As Told By Ginger was unique among Nicktoons in that it was aimed at a slightly older audience than Nickelodeon's usual demographic, sometimes dealt with dark themes, and held to a level of continuity much stricter than the average cartoon. The series followed aspiring writer Ginger Foutley as she navigated her complicated Junior High and High School years.

The series theme song, 'I'm Inbetween', written by wrapper Ray Raymond, which was praised for fitting the more grown-up feel of the show, went through multiple incarnations. The first version, sung by voice actress Melissa Disney in character as Ginger, was scrapped early on in America, but was used in early British airings of the show. A second version, recorded by singer and voice actress Cree Summer, was used for half of the first season, before being replaced by the final version, performed by popular R&B artist Macy Gray, for the rest of the show's run.

7. Rocko's Modern Life

First airing in 1993, Rocko's Modern Life quickly became a hit not just with kids, but teens and college age students as well. The series, focusing on a Rock Wallaby constantly dealing with strange events in his life, remains a cult classic.

The theme is sung by beloved American New Wave band The B-52's, with input from Tom Kenny, the voice actor behind Heffer Wolfe. It perfectly melds with the series quirky, surreal style.

6. 'CatDog'

CatDog, premiering in 1998, followed 'conjoined twin' siblings Cat and Dog, collectively known as CatDog, who are of course complete opposites. The duo spend much of their time avoiding local bullies the Greaser Dogs.

CatDog's theme song is sung by series creator Peter Hannan. An instant earworm, it will be playing on loop in your head for a longtime after you hear it.

5. 'Rocket Power'

In the late 90s, Nikelodeon were on the hunt for a show to capitalise on the growing Extreme Sports trend. Animation studio Klasky-Csupo, longtime partners of Nickelodeon, answered the call with Rocket Power. The show focused on siblings Otto and Reggie Rocket, and their friends, Twister Rodriguez and Sam 'Squid' Dillard, as they master sports like skateboarding and surfing, sometimes competing in competitions.

The show's catchy theme song is, at times, better remembered than the show itself. The song is credited to 'The Wipeouters', a side project of Mark and Bob Mothersbaugh of 'Devo' fame.

4. 'Fairly OddParents'

After a run of ten well-received shorts aired as a part of the Nickelodeon/Frederator What A Cartoon! showcase for new animation talent, Butch Hartman's Fairly OddParents was granted a series order. The show follows average kid Timmy Turner, who is granted a pair of Fairy God Parents, Cosmo and Wanda, after his absent-minded parents repeatedly leave him with a cruel babysitter, Vicky.

The theme, performed by creator Butch Hartman and composer Ron Jones, perfectly and memorably explains the show's premise. It has been remixed for special episodes.

3. 'Danny Phantom'

In 2004, Nickelodeon broke into the superhero genre when they ordered Butch Hartman's second creative effort, Danny Phantom, to series. The popular show centred on Danny Fenton, a teenager granted ghost powers after an accident with his parents' ghost portal.

The show's theme, inspired by the Hip-Hop music popular at the time of it's release, was performed by Deric Battiste and composer Guy Moon. Recently, the Danny Phantom theme has become a TikTok meme template, which is perhaps the greatest honour modern audiences can give.

2. 'Rugrats'

One of the three original Nicktoons, Rugrats also became one of the longest running. The series, which focused on the adventures of one-year old Tommy Pickles and his friends, ran for an impressive nine seasons, aired over fourteen years.

The theme song, composed by Devo band member Mark Mothersbaugh, is instantly recognisable to just about any kid born in the 90s. It is so iconic that when the series was rebooted in 2021, the theme went mostly unchanged.

1. 'SpongeBob SquarePants'

When it first premiered in May, 1999, nobody was quite sure how SpongeBob SquarePants would be received. Some feared that the series was a little too weird, even by Nickelodeon standards. It turns out they had nothing to worry about, because at 13 seasons and 268 episodes, the show starring the happy-go-lucky sponge is the longest running Nicktoon ever, with more to come.

Any child born in the 90s or 2000s knows the SpongeBob theme, and you'd be hard pressed to find an adult regularly around children who doesn't know it too. The SpongeBob theme, performed by Patrick Pinney, has become one of the most recognisable cartoon theme songs of all time.

Which Nicktoon theme is your favourite?