‘bMany people might argue that the best years of your life fall within your childhood. I can’t help but disagree with that statement and say that many will likely find that their college years were actually the best years of their lives. While many of our childhoods had its highlights, it’s finally leaving the nest of your home and getting to experience the world on your own that really makes one feel like they are living. There’s no more curfew, parties are at every corner, you’re able to pick your own classes, and there is a newfound sense of freedom that has never been experienced beforehand. Let’s face it, college totally rocks.
With that said, we probably have plenty of fond memories of our childhoods as well and even though college students may be on the cusp of adulthood, they’ve still got plenty of that childhood nostalgia left in them. I mean, have you seen how popular Pokémon is amongst college students?
Even though cartoons lack the ability to truly age like we do, it is fun to imagine the shows we’ve grown up with in a different perspective. Whether you’re looking back to the glory days of your college life or whether you’re looking forward to starting college of your own, these 90s cartoon characters have all been re-imagined into being students at a university. Even though some might convey the less enticing side of college, these 90s characters are totally living the college life.
30 From High School To University
I am not really sure where the students from Xavier’s School For Gifted Youngsters really end up going after they graduate from high school… I’ve also got to really question how much actual required education the mutants from the school get rather than just learning to hone their powers. I mean, not every X-man can really be professor material so how good of an education could they be getting? Regardless, here we’ve got a whole slew of iconic X-men re-imagined as students at a University and they all seem to be the same age as well with the exception of Professor Xavier. I guess they have to leave the schooling to someone! It doesn’t look like much has changed from their high school days though as they all seem to be up to their usual mutant antics.
Art by TheCreatorHD.
29 A Blossoming Romance
It is always a fascinating transformation seeing young kids all grown up with raging hormones. Especially since those young kids had many disputes usually just by being disgusted by the opposite gender. The Powerpuff Girls’ feminine qualities were practically the Rowdyruff Boys’ kryptonite in the cartoon!
But at some point or another, everyone grows out of believing in cooties.
Since Brick is essentially the male counterpart of the Powerpuff’s Blossom, it only makes sense that they might grow up to find out they have more in common than just loving the color red. It really makes you wonder if Buttercup ended up with Butch or if Bubbles ended up with Boomer. Either way, it sure would be interesting to see how these romances would come to be!
Art by DarkShadow42042.
28 Draw Me Like One Of Your French Girls
Anyone who has ever been on a college campus will tell you just how much the media lies when portraying college dorm rooms. You usually see students living in an arena sized mansion compared to the more realistic ten by ten room occupied by two people.
Basically, what I’m saying is that this dorm room is bonkers.
We don’t even get to see the other half of the room! With that said, it’s great to see that Daria and Jane are bunking together in this glamorized version of college and their room looks great, complete with the classic artsy posters and Christmas lights… the works! The two make a great pair too, helping one another with their school assignments. Why can’t I get roommates like that?
Art by Eve-Bolt.
27 They’re No Longer Riding The Bus To School
The group of kids from The Magic School Bus could not take the yellow magical automobile to school forever as at some point or another, they had to grow up and graduate from Ms. Frizzle’s class. While college might seem like an exciting new venture toward the end of your teenage years, I cannot help but think that these kids would have grown tired of school after realizing how dull it was after leaving Ms. Frizzle’s class. Sure, learning to drive has its perks and you’re no longer dependent on public transportation, but that magic school bus was totally wicked and makes college algebra and normal transportation totally dull by comparison. Maybe they should update the whole series and go with The Magic School Bus: The College Years and get the whole gang back together to study the effects of global warming.
Art by Dou-Hong.
26 She’s Certainly Grown, So Has Her Stench
Fifi La Fume definitely isn’t a character I would think of to try to re-imagine in a sultry school girl uniform, but alas, the internet is crazy and here is Fifi La Fume in a sultry school girl uniform.
Then again, I guess she is technically wearing more clothes than her standard variation.
Even though ACME Looniversity never enforced a uniform (or clothes for that matter) it seems that Fifi is now attending a university with a strict dress code. It looks like she doesn’t have much interest in focusing on her studies, however, as she seems to have her attention pinpointed toward something else. Could it be that Furrball ended up attending the same university as Fifi and that is him in the corner? Hopefully not because the poor guy needs a break!
Art by 14-Bis.
25 This Roommate Pairing Will Never Work
I am not really sure how Lisa Simpson ended up getting stuck with Jessica Lovejoy as a college roommate. The two couldn’t be any more different and it seems like the two definitely would not opt to room with one another, but I guess random roommates are just the luck of the draw. Jessica Lovejoy doesn’t seem too displeased.
Lisa on the other hand couldn’t look more annoyed.
Maybe it is Jessica’s provocative nature or her means to create mischief wherever she goes. Or maybe Lisa really just wants a less bothersome roommate who will let her study in peace. Too bad for Lisa, it does not look like that little bit of solitude will becoming until at least next school term. But I absolutely love Lisa’s taste in coffee mugs!
Art by ToonGrowner.
24 From Housewife To Professor
Lois Griffin has had plenty of random jobs throughout the run of Family Guy, though she’s never really held one down for much longer than an episode or so. Whatever happened to her teaching piano lessons back in the earlier seasons? It’s hard to believe that with Peter’s incompetence that he can keep the family financially stable as well, so it’s about time for Lois to start helping out. What career choice should she seek? Steamy college professor? Why not? While I’m not really sure what Lois would end of teaching or what she is necessarily well educated in, with those looks, I doubt that any of her students really care. It looks like many students are going to be trying to visit the professor during her private office hours.
Art by Strike-Force.
23 He Always Was A Sharp Student
Forget Xavier’s School For Gifted Youngsters. Wolverine has always been too old to join the others in grade school anyway. Maybe he should take a look at Xavier’s School For Gifted Hairdressers? Sure, Wolverine might not seem the most fit to be a hairdresser and I’m not too sure how good his adamantium claws are for styling hair, but I guess school is all about learning!
Too bad Wolverine doesn’t really know too many other hair styles than his own.
Even the actor that portrays him, Hugh Jackman seems to sport a very similar look, even in some of the different period pieces he has been in. But why complain? Wolverine’s hair style is totally fierce and will surely look good no matter what time period you are from.
Art by JohnTrumbull.
22 She Finally Got Away From Her Family
Meg Griffin has had a pretty rough upbringing, usually being the laughing stock and center of all jokes involving her family. Even though she was much more respected by her family before the show’s four year hiatus, the series shifted into being relentlessly cruel toward the character.
It makes sense that Meg Griffin probably couldn’t wait to escape her family and move away to college.
Don’t worry Meg. You’ve finally found your place. Childhood can be a pretty traumatic experience all the way up through your teen years, but it seems like there is a place for everyone in college, no matter how awkward you are. Meg really does look like she is at peace here, which we are very happy to see. Even though she’s given us a few laughs at her expense, she always deserved better.
Art by Ashiva-k-i.
21 We Always Knew They’d Get Together
Helga? Arnold? Hanging out together? Reading poetry?? (I actually don’t know if it is poetry, but just go with it) It is hard to imagine Arnold and Helga all grown up and going to college together seeing as they were only kids during the show Hey Arnold! and its run. Yet somehow seeing Arnold and Helga hanging out at the quad with one another looking lovingly into each other’s eyes makes us kind of giddy. No, the two probably didn’t seem like they would be much of a good match during their childhood years, but people change. While often times cruel, Helga usually had a good head on her shoulder so perhaps she matured and found better ways of expressing her pent up feelings. It’s hard to imagine, but it just goes to show how much people can change from grade school to college.
Art by Shaami.
20 They Probably Never Make It To Class…
Let’s be honest from the get go. Ed, Edd, and Eddy are hardly college material. Even if they were to somehow find a way to partake in a higher education, I doubt that they would ever really bother to attend class. It does not look like the trio really amounted to much either as it seems like they spend most of their days as couch potatoes and imbibing in some not so friendly sins rather than cracking open a book. Also, what a dump they live in! You can only guess that their get rich quick schemes over the years never panned out by looking at their dilapidated living room. At least they still have each other after all these years as this trio is just impossible to break up.
Art by Bloochikin.
19 Getting The Education They Deserve
I’m not sure if Donatello is representing a college student at a university or a sultry college professor (but hopefully not the latter because he is… well, he’s a turtle) but either way you slice the pizza, Donatello is college material. While most of the gang from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles would likely have good qualities that would make them a match for a higher education, Donatello is the one that we could most likely see donning a school blazer. He’s always had the brains and an interest in education unlike his brothers, so we could only imagine that this turtle would do quite well in a college setting. Hopefully, the university he applies for can just get over that whole “he’s not actually human” thing.
Art by Nichan.
18 He’s Still Running The Streets
It is worth noting that Hyung86’s Deviantart page has a whole gallery full of animated Disney movie characters re-imagined as college students and that they are all worth checking out. Honestly, this whole list could have been comprised of them, but we can really only showcase so many. While Disney Princesses tend to get plenty of love already, I figured we might as well take one of the male Disney heroes and give him some attention. It seems like Aladdin is still running the streets, likely getting into college on a track scholarship which makes sense considering how agile he is. The track suit only makes sense given the street rat’s history and we can totally see him being captain of the track team. Just hopefully, he goes to the same university as Jasmine!
Art by Hyung86.
17 Looks Like Recess Is Cancelled
You know what the hardest part about going to college is? There is no recess. Sure, students kind of get to plan their own schedules and there is plenty of free time between classes and there are a whole bunch of Ultimate Frisbee leagues and… well, you get the idea! Okay, so maybe recess is entirely unnecessary in college, but still, I can’t see T.J. Detweiler and his motley crew surviving without it, even if they are all grown up. While most of the crew seems like they haven’t changed quite too much over the years as they all seem to sport the same looks and hobbies, you’ve got to hand it to Gus. He’s definitely become a less dorky version of himself and seems to have embraced his military background.
Art by IsaiahStephens.
16 Laundry Day Is The Worst
So really, Chun Li probably wouldn’t be thought of as a cartoon character from the 90s, but considering she technically made an appearance in Street Fighter 2: The Animated Movie back in 1994, we figured we would give her a free pass. One of the biggest dilemmas facing new college students is figuring out how to get things done that our parents used to do for us. No matter how much of a hassle other chores are, one thing is for certain. Laundry has to be the worst.
Chun Li unfortunately seems to be having trouble adapting to this new chore as well.
She probably filled the machine a little too much if she has to resort to one of her powerful kicks to actually get the door shut. I guess she’ll just figure out the hard way to do smaller loads.
Art by Transfuse.
15 Before They Were Villains
There’s no denying that the Batman series has some of the most iconic female villains in superhero history. Sure, other series have had their fair share of good female villains, but are any of them as memorable as the likes or Harley Quinn, Catwoman, and Poison Ivy? Definitely not. Even though most of us remember these characters from adulthood and onward toward villainy, it’s neat to take a look at the possibility of them having gone to school together when they were younger.
Despite their sultry appearance, they still manage to look so innocent.
Looking at these Gotham City Sirens now, you’d probably never guess that they were heading toward a life of crime. Maybe they ended up ditching class too often and that’s where they went wrong?
Art by Nina-d-lux.
14 What Do Unicorns Study?
Okay, I’m totally cheating here. No, Rainbow Dash is definitely not a cartoon character from the 90s as she is from the 2010 reboot of the My Little Pony franchise… though since the series originated in the 80s and went on well into the 90s, we figured why not? In retrospect, it’s hard to imagine the franchise has gone on this long and is even more successful today than ever. It doesn’t look like Rainbow Dash has made the best school decisions though. A pile of books? A steaming cup of coffee?
Rainbow Dash is definitely pulling an all nighter.
Hopefully she can cram enough info in before her test tomorrow. Looking at the book she is going through, who would have ever thought that ponies were responsible for the cloud?
Art by Tajarnia.
13 Not Only Are They Students… They’re Human Too
This is definitely a look we didn’t expect to see this classic trio in. We’ve already taken a look at another piece from Hyung86’s “Disney University” gallery, but we just had to take a look at one of the more interesting variations of characters we’ve seen. The artist doesn’t just go as far as to do a minor clothing switch… he goes as far as to completely humanize a group of characters that were otherwise only seen as animals.
Oddly enough, these hyenas have never looked cooler.
Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed look like those hardcore kids you’d see around campus who couldn’t care less about the people around them. Not to mention they look like they’ve got quite a bit of style. Looking at them now, you’d probably assume they were cool and not their typical moronic selves.
12 He Could Learn A Thing From His Old Self
Sonic has changed a lot over the past few decades, though many might agree that has been for the worse. Modern Sonic video games usually suffer from a plethora of technical and gameplay issues, usually causing the fan base to clamor for the days of Sonic’s past (Thanks, Sonic Mania!) so maybe it isn’t such a bad idea to send the blue blur back to school to learn a thing or two… his teacher? Classic Sonic, of course! It seems that fans want the Sonic the Hedgehog series to return more to its roots with the tight gameplay the series once had. While I don’t hate modern Sonic games, you can’t deny that Modern Sonic could learn a few tricks from one of his earlier forms. If we keep getting games like Sonic Forces, he may need to drop out.
Art by LadyGT.
11 Still Sporting The Same Wardrobe
What is it with these grown up versions of characters and keeping the same fashion sense that they did ten years prior? We’ve got to see Doug Funny grow up (just a little) between his transition from elementary school in Nickelodeon’s Doug to junior high in Disney’s Brand Spanking New! Doug, but we really haven’t seen him even enter high school, let alone college. Yet here he is, all grown up and reminding us of the lead character from the video game Bully.
It is kind of hard to not get a Jimmy Hopkins vibe from him.
Judy definitely looks trendier all grown up and we can only hope that Patti has grown to reciprocate Doug’s feelings for her. Though I am slightly perturbed by how tight Skeeter’s pants are.
