Top 10 Children's Cartoon Theme Songs Created and Sung by Rock Stars

Cartoons have always been a fundamental part of childhood, and many musicians have kept their youthful spirit alive by creating music for animated shows that entertain families both on TVs and tablets.

Some well-known performers have lent their voices to theme songs written by others. For example, Aerosmiths Joe Perry sang the opening for Spider-Man: The Animated Series, Little Richard energized The Magic School Bus, and Simple Plan contributed to Whats New Scooby-Doo. The B-52s performed the Rockos Modern Life theme for Nickelodeon, Solange collaborated with her sister and Destinys Child on Disney Channels The Proud Family, and Christina Milian voiced Kim Possibles Call Me, Beep Me! Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers performed Believe in Yourself for Arthur on PBS.

However, some theme songs were composed directly by rock artists themselves. These range from instrumental pieces to catchy, singable tunes. Legendary musicians such as Devo co-founder Mark Mothersbaugh, Oingo Boingos Danny Elfman, and Iggy Pop, alongside They Might Be Giants, Rivers Cuomo of Weezer, Patrick Stump of Fall Out Boy, and Mark Hoppus of blink-182, have all contributed to memorable cartoon music.

Whether the shows feature babies, superheroes, aliens, Disney icons, toys, or adaptations of childrens literature, these artists have left their mark. Millennials familiar with Nickelodeon likely remember Mothersbaughs instrumental that introduced Rugrats. Elfman, renowned for scoring films and TV, including The Simpsons and many Tim Burton projects, composed the music for the first season of Batman: The Animated Series. Iggy Pop brought his punk energy to a French animated series about extraterrestrials lost on Earth, which aired in the U.S. on Fox.

Interestingly, Mothersbaugh persuaded Devo to reunite in a sense to perform the theme for a Nick Jr. series as The Wipeouters. He also collaborated with Josh Mancell, who performed the theme for a PBS kids series airing from 2000 to 2003.

They Might Be Giants, already experienced in childrens music with their Grammy-winning Here Comes the 123s, wrote a new theme for Mickey and Friends in 2006. Weezers Rivers Cuomo created Backflip for a Netflix Jr. adaptation of a Dr. Seuss classic, later replaced by Yolas Come With Me.

Patrick Stump of Fall Out Boy described his enthusiasm for composing the Spidey and His Amazing Friends theme: he wanted to capture the frenetic energy of Spider-Man swinging through the city, resulting in an upbeat and overexcited tune. Stump continued creating childrens music, contributing to a Netflix Jr. show based on Mattel toys, while Mark Hoppus wrote the theme for Disney Jr.s Iron Man and His Awesome Friends, imagining Tony Stark as a child embarking on adventures.

Author: Sophia Brooks