Most of us can remember actually looking forward to getting up on Saturdays. Knowing there was no school, we’d jump out of our bed in our foot pajamas, pour ourselves a bowl of sugar-sweetened cereal, and camp out in the living room for the next three hours. All of this served one purpose: to watch Saturday Morning Cartoons. Back then, Saturday Morning Cartoons were a way of life, but it wasn’t just the cartoons we coveted, it was also their theme songs. Even now, years later, many of us still have the theme songs of our beloved cartoons stuck in the crevices of our memory. The following is our list of the top Saturday Morning Cartoon theme songs, back when Saturday Morning Cartoons were actually cool. 

Gummi Bears: Gummi Bears, bouncing here and there and everywhere (come on, you know the words). The Gummi Bears was a show introduced by a company that knew a thing or two about animation: Walt Disney. Centered around a group of bears with human like characteristics fighting bad guys in Medieval Times (yes, yes, it’s a true story), The Gummi Bears is credited with being one of the first true Saturday Morning Cartoons. Ahead of its time, the animation behind The Gummi Bears set a precedent for others to follow. The theme song was also, to put it bluntly, quite awesome. The lyrics and the tune made you feel happy to be awake so early, and ready, if needed, to fight any ogre that came your way.

The Smurfs: Ahem, mi mi mi…..La la la la la laaaaaa, la la la la laaaaaa. If ever there was a theme song, and a show, completely unforgettable it was The Smurfs. Produced by Hanna-Barbera, The Smurfs forever have a place in pop culture. A series about little blue creatures living in mushroom shaped houses and constantly evading the grasp of the evil sorcerer Gargamel, The Smurfs were a rock of Saturday Morning Cartoons for nearly a decade. With a theme song that is – if anything – easy to memorize, the song of The Smurfs is one that will surely stick in our heads for a lifetime.