There is nothing better than waking up early on a weekend morning, getting a bowl of Froot Loops, and watching a cartoon about two angry beavers. The late nineties and early two thousands was arguably the greatest era of cartoons with shows like “Ren and Stimpy,” “Courage the Cowardly Dog,” “Sponge Bob,” and “Beavis and Butthead.” But there is one particular show that doesn’t get the praise that it deserves, and that show is none other than “The Angry Beavers.” The show is so colorful; not only with its imagery, but also with its dialogue, humor, and story. It captures the pure magic of that time period, and does it all with the extremely exaggerated and unreal animation style of that time, which makes it all the more fun. The show is such a vibe, and all you need to understand that vibe is its intro/theme.
The show first premiered on Nickelodeon in 1997 and ran for a total of five seasons before its cancellation in the year 2001. It was created by an American animator named Mitch Schauer following two brother beavers Norbert and Dagget and their daily struggles in the Oregon wilderness. What is truly great about the show is how each episode can be super simple or super complicated and still make sense and not feel out of place. You never know quite what to expect before watching the next episode, but you know it’s going to be entertaining. Even though the show didn’t have a super long run, it had a wide audience of kids and adults alike which is something that not a lot of cartoons can do.
My favorite character is Norbert. He is the chill, shaggy, blonde beaver with too much swag. He is definitely the least angry one of the bunch, but also the smarter one who can be kind of manipulative towards his brother Dagget to get what he wants. He is a perfect representation of an older sibling which can weirdly enough make a show about talking beavers relatable. Dagget is the angry little brown beaver who isn’t the brightest. He is typically favored by audiences because of his innocence and his overly-dramatic way of handling things. The show also has other hilarious side-characters that are a lot of fun; like Barry the Bear and the park ranger from one of the first episodes.
I remember the first time I watched “The Angry Beavers” vividly, which is surprising since I was like, three or four. It was the most 2000s thing ever; I was staying at my aunt and uncle’s house with my sister overnight. We stayed up late playing Wii Sports and watching “The Rugrats,” and the next morning during breakfast (after playing the Wii again for a few hours) my aunt turned on “The Angry Beavers.” It was Season 1 Episode 2 where they were trying to dam the rapid flowing river to prevent a flood. I remembered it for years and years after that day and was fortunate enough to eventually get to watch it again, like a decade later on Paramount+. But the show was so good that it stayed in my head for all of those years, and I remembered to come back to it. Not only that, but I find the show just as enjoyable now as I did back then. I don’t think I’ll ever grow out of enjoying cartoons. If I had to pick a favorite episode of the series, it would be down to Season 3 Episode 34’s “Practical Jerks” or Season 1 Episode 1’s “Up All Night”.
My main argument is that this show is the best, and is highly overlooked when compared to the greatest cartoons ever. A show about two angry beavers is way more original and fun than your stereotypical sitcom about a dysfunctional family (which is something that Nickelodeon has done multiple different times). And hey, I’m not trying to diss Nickelodeon right now; they were booming in the early 2000s! But you just don’t see the same kind of energy in shows like “The Angry Beavers” had. They used to have some really crazy TV shows where random things would happen with zero context like in “Back at the Barnyard.” I don’t know the numbers like some people do, but those shows really worked for me and my family growing up. My dad seemed to even look forward to watching cartoons with me and my sister and it’s really cool to have that kind of hype from a parent. I wish we were able to repay him by having enthusiasm for the weather channel. But the point is that sometimes the shows that don’t take themselves seriously and are the most “out of context” have the most lasting impacts. Maybe its just because I’m older now, but a lot of the new stuff I have seen doesn’t seem as fun, original, or stupid (in a good way) as shows like “The Angry Beavers” did.
Outside of originality and creativity directed towards the show’s plot, you have to give the art design and the voice actors some serious credit. Things like that really brought such a crazy TV show idea to life. So to sum up everything, I think that this show is a perfect representation of cartoons. I love the color and the exaggerated shapes used for the backgrounds and the characters in the show. I love the entertaining plots and characters. Throughout all of these years, the show has never lost its luster, and it will forever remain special and iconic to me. It’s also not just a fun, silly cartoon to entertain kids, but it also teaches them the greatness and friendship that comes with having a sibling.
