Top 10 Most Popular Cartoons of All Time 

Hook Introduction

Every generation swears its favorite cartoon is the best one ever made, and honestly, that’s part of what makes this topic so much fun to settle with actual data. Some of the most popular cartoons of all time have been running since before your parents were born, and they’re still making billions today. Here’s the real, numbers-backed list.

Key Highlights (Quick Facts)

• SpongeBob SquarePants has generated over $16 billion in retail sales since its 1999 debut, according to Forbes and Nickelodeon reporting.
• Looney Tunes, created in 1930, has racked up roughly $16.8 billion in retail sales plus $482 million at the box office, making it one of the highest-grossing media franchises in history.
• The Simpsons holds the Guinness World Record for the longest-running scripted primetime TV series, with 782+ episodes across 36+ seasons as of 2026.
• The Simpsons has won 37 Emmy Awards to date, and producer James L. Brooks holds the record for most Emmys won by one person for a single show, at 12.
• Tom and Jerry, first released in 1940, produced 166 theatrical shorts and remains one of the most recognized non-dialogue comedy franchises ever made.
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles has generated over $15.4 billion in merchandise sales since its 1984 debut.
• Dora the Explorer has pulled in roughly $15.4 billion in retail sales, proving preschool cartoons can rival prime-time hits in commercial power.
• Fan-voting platform Ranker’s crowdsourced “Best Cartoons of All Time” list, with over 219,000 votes, currently places Tom and Jerry, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and Looney Tunes in its top three.

Here’s why this matters: “most popular” in the cartoon world isn’t just about nostalgia. It’s measurable — in decades on air, awards won, and, increasingly, in how many billions of dollars a franchise has generated in toys, movies, and streaming deals.

What Makes a Cartoon “The Most Popular” of All Time

Ranking cartoons is trickier than it looks because “popular” can mean different things depending on who’s asking.

Some lists rank by pure nostalgia and crowd voting, like Ranker’s platform, where fans cast votes based on personal attachment. Others rank by hard revenue: box office, merchandise, and streaming licensing combined, which is how outlets like Fandom’s franchise database compare shows.

Then there’s longevity and critical recognition — how many seasons a show has survived, and how many Emmy or Annie Awards it has picked up along the way. For this list, we weighed all three: revenue and franchise value, cultural longevity, and voter/critic consensus, to build a picture that isn’t skewed toward just one generation’s favorites.

The Top 10 Most Popular Cartoons of All Time

1. The Simpsons

Matt Groening’s animated sitcom debuted as shorts in 1987 and became a standalone series in 1989. It holds the Guinness-verified record as the longest-running scripted primetime show in US television history, with over 780 episodes and 37 Emmy wins, and it’s still producing new seasons in 2026.

2. SpongeBob SquarePants

Since 1999, this Nickelodeon staple has grown into a $16 billion retail empire, spanning six movies, two spin-off series, and hundreds of licensing partners. Its 17th season premiered in 2026, and the show remains Nickelodeon’s most recognizable property worldwide.

3. Looney Tunes

Dating back to 1930, Looney Tunes is one of the oldest continuously recognized cartoon brands on Earth, generating close to $17 billion in retail sales over its history, plus hundreds of millions more from theatrical releases like the Space Jam films.

4. Tom and Jerry

First hitting screens in 1940, this cat-and-mouse rivalry produced 166 theatrical shorts almost entirely without dialogue, proving visual comedy could carry a franchise across generations. It regularly tops fan-voted “greatest cartoons” lists even today.

[Image: A person’s hand holding a TV remote control in front of a television screen] Caption: Classic cartoons like Looney Tunes and Tom and Jerry remain some of the most rewatched animated content worldwide.

5. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Since debuting in 1984 as a comic book before becoming an animated hit, TMNT has generated over $15.4 billion in merchandise alone, alongside a long-running film series and multiple animated reboots that keep introducing the Turtles to new audiences.

6. Scooby-Doo

Premiering in 1969 with Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!, this mystery-solving gang franchise has spawned dozens of spin-off series, TV movies, and live-action adaptations, and it consistently ranks among the most recognized cartoon franchises in crowd-voted rankings.

7. Dora the Explorer

Launched in 2000, Dora became a genuine commercial powerhouse for preschool programming, generating an estimated $15.4 billion in retail sales — proof that educational, younger-skewing cartoons can compete commercially with prime-time giants.

8. Avatar: The Last Airbender

Released in 2005, this Nickelodeon series is frequently cited by critics as one of the best-written animated shows ever made, praised for its worldbuilding and mature storytelling, and it consistently lands in the top three of major fan-voted rankings.

[Image: Animation studio desk setup used for drawing and creating cartoons] Caption: Animation craftsmanship, from hand-drawn classics to modern digital studios, has shaped decades of the most popular cartoons.

9. Mickey Mouse and Friends

Debuting in 1928 with Steamboat Willie, Mickey Mouse predates almost every other entry on this list and remains the foundational character of the entire Disney media empire, still central to Disney’s branding, parks, and merchandise nearly a century later.

10. Rick and Morty

A newer entry compared to the rest, this Adult Swim series has become one of the defining adult-animation hits since 2013, frequently mentioned alongside The Simpsons as proof that cartoons can carry sharp, mature storytelling for grown-up audiences.

Cartoon Franchise Statistics Table

Cartoon	Debut Year	Estimated Franchise Value	Standout Record
The Simpsons	1989	N/A (media/licensing)	Longest-running scripted primetime show (Guinness)
SpongeBob SquarePants	1999	$16 billion (retail)	6 movies, 700+ license partners
Looney Tunes	1930	$16.8 billion (retail)	One of oldest surviving cartoon brands
Tom and Jerry	1940	N/A (166 shorts)	Near-wordless format, multi-generational appeal
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles	1984	$15.4 billion (merchandise)	Multiple film reboots and animated series
Dora the Explorer	2000	$15.4 billion (retail)	Top-performing preschool franchise
Space Jam (Looney Tunes film)	1996	$6 billion (franchise total)	Box office/merch crossover hit

How This Ranking Was Built (Step-by-Step)

1. Compile franchise revenue data. Pull retail sales, box office, and merchandise figures from tracked franchise databases like Fandom’s highest-grossing media franchises list.
2. Check longevity and record status. Confirm Guinness World Records and network-verified episode/season counts for shows claiming “longest-running” status.
3. Cross-reference award history. Count Emmy, Annie, and Peabody wins where available, since critical recognition signals long-term cultural relevance, not just nostalgia.
4. Layer in crowd-voted rankings. Platforms like Ranker aggregate hundreds of thousands of fan votes, which helps balance out purely commercial rankings with genuine audience sentiment.
5. Weigh cultural reach across generations. A cartoon that’s remained relevant to kids, teens, and adults simultaneously (like The Simpsons or SpongeBob) ranks higher than one popular with only a single age group.
6. Confirm 2026 relevance. Prioritize franchises still active, airing new content, or generating major news in 2026, rather than shows that peaked decades ago and have since gone fully dormant.

Pros and Cons of Long-Running Cartoon Franchises

Pros	Cons
Multi-generational appeal creates massive built-in audiences	Extremely long runs can lead to declining quality or repetitive plots
Franchise longevity supports huge licensing and merchandise ecosystems	Newer, more innovative shows can struggle to get the same shelf space
Nostalgia drives reboots, movies, and streaming revivals	Some classic humor and depictions haven’t aged well by modern standards
Long histories create rich, deeply loved character universes	Long-running shows can overshadow newer artists and studios

Comparison Table: Longevity vs. Revenue vs. Awards

Cartoon	Years Running	Revenue Scale	Major Awards/Records
The Simpsons	36+ seasons	High (licensing)	37 Emmys, Guinness record holder
SpongeBob SquarePants	25+ years	$16 billion	6 films, Nickelodeon’s top franchise
Looney Tunes	95+ years	$16.8 billion	One of oldest surviving cartoon IPs
Tom and Jerry	85+ years	Multi-billion (est.)	166 theatrical shorts, multiple Oscars (shorts era)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles	40+ years	$15.4 billion	Multiple film reboots

2026 News and Cartoon Industry Trends

The Simpsons made headlines again in 2026 after being renewed for four additional seasons, with select new episodes now streaming exclusively on Disney+ alongside its Fox broadcast run — a sign that even the oldest hits are adapting to a streaming-first world.

SpongeBob also had a big year, with its 17th season premiering in mid-2026 and two additional films — Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie and Plankton: The Movie — releasing straight to streaming rather than theaters, reflecting a broader industry shift toward direct-to-streaming animated content.

Meanwhile, newer prestige animation like Arcane has pushed the medium’s budgets and ambitions further than ever, with reported production costs exceeding $250 million across two seasons — proof that animation is no longer seen as a “lesser” format compared to live action, even among adult audiences.

[Image: Children watching television together in a living room] Caption: Cartoons continue to reach multi-generational audiences across streaming, broadcast, and on-demand platforms in 2026.

References

1. Guinness World Records — Longest-Running Scripted Primetime TV Series (The Simpsons)
2. Television Academy — The Simpsons Emmy Awards and Nominations Archive
3. Forbes — At 25, The SpongeBob Franchise Continues To Be Money For Nickelodeon (2025)
4. ComicBook.com — SpongeBob SquarePants 27th Anniversary Report (2026)
5. Fandom/Ultimate Pop Culture Wiki — List of Highest-Grossing Media Franchises
6. Ranker — The 500+ Best Cartoons of All Time, Crowd-Ranked (219K+ votes)
7. Looper — The 18 Best Cartoons of All Time, Ranked
8. CBR — The Most Popular Cartoons of All Time, Ranked
9. Ad Age — How SpongeBob Became an $8 Billion Franchise
10. Wikipedia — The Simpsons Season 34–36 Production Records

Conclusion

Whichever way you measure it — revenue, awards, or sheer staying power — the most popular cartoons of all time all share one thing in common: they found a way to stay culturally relevant across multiple generations of viewers. That’s a far harder trick to pull off than it looks, and it’s exactly why The Simpsons, SpongeBob, and Looney Tunes are still household names decades after they first aired.

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