DuckTales, Inspector Gadget, and Magic School Bus Are All Set to Return to TV

When we were growing up (I hate the phrase, but it applies here, I promise), Saturday mornings meant hours of back-to-back cartoon programming that was guaranteed to keep kids busy while our parents slept, read the paper, or fiddled about the house. We would park ourselves in front of the TV and watch The Care Bears, The Jetsons, and DuckTales (on regular TV) for hours on end. While much of the routines of the '80s and '90s are long gone, the sugary-sweet shows of the era are set to live on. Call it a wave of nostalgia or just a return to innocence, but a number of your favorite cartoons from your childhood are set to return to TV — in rebooted, updated fashion — in the coming year. Yup, just like you, your kids will soon be able to soak up the girl-power message of The Powerpuff Girls, marvel at the bionic ways of Inspector Gadget, and laugh at the funny antics of Scrooge's nephews in DuckTales.

Read on to see all of the upcoming cartoon reboots that parents and kids can soon enjoy together!

Clifford the Big Red Dog
Netflix

Clifford the Big Red Dog

Though it hasn't been off the air for that long — my now 9-year-old was a fan when he was a toddler — Netflix recently picked up the rights to Clifford the Big Red Dog to bring the series to a new generation of Scholastic-lovers.

DuckTales
Disney

DuckTales

There was a wave of cheers heard throughout the country when Disney announced that a DuckTales reboot will make its debut on Disney XD on 2017. The longtime favorite show about Scrooge and his grandnephews — Huey, Dewey, and Louie — plus Donald Duck doesn't just appeal to toddlers; more than a few adults (ahem) have been known to watch it!

Care Bears and Cousins
Netflix

Care Bears and Cousins

Not many people remember that the Care Bears were created by greeting-card company American Greetings in the early '80s. The 10 happy bears wore their emotions on their bellies to win their way into kids' hearts back then. Though there was a brief reboot in 2012 for the Hub Network's Care Bears: Welcome to Care-a-Lot series, in 2016, Netflix plans to reintroduce the bears as Care Bears and Cousins on its network.

The Magic School Bus 360°
Netflix

The Magic School Bus 360°

Children of the '90s grew up learning about science and technology from Scholastic's The Magic School Bus. And starting in 2016, Netflix will stream 26 half-hour episodes of a rebooted version of the show called The Magic School Bus 360°. The flying school bus and Ms. Frizzle will still be there (though she likely won't be voiced by Lily Tomlin this time around), but the kids will use newer scientific tools as they take their field trips around the universe.

Rainbow Brite
Feeln

Rainbow Brite

Last Fall, Rainbow Brite made its triumphant return with plenty of color and a recognizable voice (Molly Ringwald) behind the series' villain, The Dark Princess. The cheery show about Rainbow Brite and her quest to fill the world with happiness and color is streaming exclusively on Feeln.

Danger Mouse
Netflix

Danger Mouse

The early-'80s Nickelodeon favorite Danger Mouse will make a valiant return to TV via Netflix in 2016. The show, about a British mouse who is a secret agent, will receive a full reboot — including Danger Mouse's signature eyepatch. The new patch will be "a multi-functional high-tech iPatch" — sounds perfect for a generation of i-loving tots. And, in an age where secret agents aren't just men, the show will introduce some female characters, including the new professor Squawkencluck, the niece of the original inventor.

The Powerpuff Girls
Cartoon Network

The Powerpuff Girls

The original cartoon girl-power brigade — The Powerpuff Girls — will return to Cartoon Network in 2016, 18 years after they made their debut on the network. Expect to see Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup springing into action as they use sugar, spice, and Chemical X to combat evil.

The Cartoon Network has already announced licensing plans, so we're sure there will be a slew of toys ready to go when the show makes its return.

Inspector Gadget
Netflix

Inspector Gadget

Just saying his name conjures up the theme song in our heads! We're really excited about Netflix's Inspector Gadget reboot, which will begin airing in the US in 2016 (it is already airing in Europe). The series will be a sequel to the original, about a clumsy private detective with bionic body parts, with both the Inspector and his now much older niece combatting crime together. Unlike the original, the series will be computer-animated this time around, so expect plenty of special effects.