You ever hear a cartoon theme song so good it made you pause mid-Cheerio? Turns out, a bunch of them were secretly written or sung by your favorite bands and artists. They weren’t just jingles—they were bangers in disguise. The more you dig, the more you realize: your childhood playlist was stacked with legends.
The theme for Rocko’s Modern Life? That’s the B-52’s giving your Saturday morning a dose of weird, wild, and wonderful. And when Ms. Frizzle revved up the bus in The Magic School Bus, that wasn’t just cartoon chaos—that was Little Richard turning a science class into a rock ‘n’ roll field trip.
PBS got real lucky when Ziggy Marley stepped in with the joyful reggae vibes of Arthur. That theme wasn’t just catchy, it was soul medicine. And over on Nickelodeon, TLC brought the ‘90s cool to All That, making the opening track a moment of hip-hop history.
Before you ever heard “Girlfriend” on the radio, Bowling For Soup was already winning kids over with the endlessly fun theme to Phineas and Ferb. And speaking of pop-punk, Simple Plan powered up What’s New, Scooby-Doo? with enough energy to turn a mystery van into a tour bus.
Coolio rapped his way into Nickelodeon lore with the unforgettable theme to Kenan & Kel. Cyndi Lauper sprinkled glitter and punk magic on Pee-wee’s Playhouse. And Solange Knowles gave The Proud Family a voice with so much soul, you’d swear Destiny’s Child was in the living room.
Will.I.Am brought a futuristic funk to Samurai Jack, while Taj Mahal made Peep and the Big Wide World feel like a front porch jam session. Meanwhile, Tally Hall gave Happy Monster Band music that could’ve just as easily been a Pitchfork-endorsed indie EP.
If the lyrics “Hot dog, hot dog, hot diggity dog” live rent-free in your head, you have They Might Be Giants to thank for Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. And yes, those same Johns gave educational brilliance to Higglytown Heroes, JoJo’s Circus, and Jack’s Big Music Show.
Let’s not forget Andre 3000 creating and composing music for his own animated series Class of 3000. Christina Milian absolutely crushed the catchy theme to Kim Possible. And Dr. John lent his iconic New Orleans charm to the Curious George theme song.
Modern shows didn’t skip out either: Jeff Rosenstock composed the punky perfection of Craig of the Creek, while Patrick Stump from Fall Out Boy brought his stadium-sized pipes to Spidey and His Amazing Friends. Meanwhile, Estelle not only voiced Garnet on Steven Universe, but sang part of the show’s beloved theme song.
Iggy Pop somehow sang the theme to Aaahh!!! Real Monsters and Space Goofs, and Joe Perry of Aerosmith provided guitar heroics for Spider-Man: The Animated Series. Not to be outdone, Aaron Neville sang Little People, Bruce Cockburn did Franklin, and Macy Gray delivered a heartfelt theme for As Told By Ginger.
Even The Jonas Brothers rocked out the theme for American Dragon: Jake Long, Mark Mothersbaugh of Devo gave us Rugrats, Grimes created the whimsical intro to Hilda, and The Darkness injected high-voltage glam into Grace’s Amazing Machines.
And yes, Wayne Brady sang the funky, unforgettable theme to The Weekenders. Because of course he did.
So next time someone says “kids’ music doesn’t slap,” play them Yo Gabba Gabba! — a show created by The Aquabats and featuring guest performances by The Killers, MGMT, The Roots, and Weezer. Then watch their face melt like a LEGO sneaker in the sun.
