There are plenty of TV shows that I watched as a kid that I still continue to love to this day. One of those is Avatar: The Last Airbender, which I will recommend for anyone, or maybe even the earlier seasons of Spongebob Squarepants, which I considered a peak cartoon at one point. But, there’s one series that was on Cartoon Network that I know so many people have loved and cherished for years, and that is Totally Spies.
While some people might not know about this show since it originally aired literally two decades ago (it’s still hard for me to process), Totally Spies was insanely popular with both kids and parents alike during its initial release, and now, I’m going to honor it like I should have years ago, because it deserves to be talked about and people need to see this show.
(Image credit: Cartoon Network)
The Gadgets That The Spies Use Look So Cool
You know, I’ll be honest – I’ve never been one for spy movies. Legendary spy movie icon, James Bond, was never my cup of tea, and neither were the Mission: Impossible flicks, and I just didn’t understand why. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized it’s just because I’m not the biggest fan of espionage movies overall, but Totally Spies made me realize I do like the spy genre – just when it’s done in a creative way.
For example, the gadgets in this show are incredible. While all of them seem to have some sort of resemblance to everyday objects that women would normally use, such as a compact mirror or an umbrella, they all secretly hide a gadget inside that could help the girls out on their missions. The compact mirror is a telephone, the umbrella can literally shield them from all types of dangerous substances – there’s even a banana clip that’s a boomerang. Come on, that’s ingenuity right there.
(Image credit: Cartoon Network)
There’s Something For Everyone In This Series
I think one of the biggest draws of this series is that there really is something for everyone to enjoy. Totally Spies reminds me of a lot of modern day animated shows where there are plenty of hidden messages that the parents would get, but there’s something for the kids to enjoy, as well, from the action sequences to the gadgets (as mentioned before) or just the characters themselves living their everyday lives.
I have to say, even as an adult, I still get enjoyment out of this series, if not even more so than when I was a child, because I understand everything now. Totally Spies begins when the girls are in high school and progresses into their years at college, and as someone who has gone through both stages of life at that point, I empathize with a lot of their problems while also enjoying the spy action. It’s an all-around entertaining show for all ages.
(Image credit: Cartoon Network)
I Have To Give Major Props To The Animators
Tell me, what does Spongebob wear in every single episode of Spongebob Squarepants? That same outfit, with a red tie and black shoes.
What does Homer wear in every episode of The Simpsons? A white shirt and basic jeans with black shoes.
What about South Park? Those kids have been wearing the same parkas for years at this point. They need to be washed.
But in Totally Spies? No, these animators decide to give these girls a whole wardrobe.
I could go on for hours about the animation in this show and how amazing it was when it came out in the early 2000s. The fight sequences were fantastic and as a young girl, I loved watching these girls kick butt and take names all while looking fly at the same time. But, something else I have to give the animators props for is that they gave these girls new outfits in practically every single episode.
Do you know how hard it is as an animator to do that? And not only just create new outfits, but do it for a weekly show? For 156 episodes? That’s some impressive talent, and all of these outfits are perfectly catered to how the girls would dress.
(Image credit: Cartoon Network)
I Loved Watching The Girls Grow From Teenagers Into Mature Young Women
Something I also loved about this series is that it wasn’t just stuck in one dormant time like a lot of other shows are. While I love adult animated shows, like South Park with its dark moments, those kids have been stuck in elementary school for twenty-five seasons now. The same thing with The Simpsons. Heck, even Spongebob. There’s no sense of time.
In Totally Spies, we get that by watching these girls season to season grow up into mature young women, starting off with petty teen drama in high school and moving into more adult problems in college. It feels like an action-packed coming of age story (which I’m always a fan of) and I feel that as the audience grew up, so did the girls, something that a lot of other long-running animation series don’t do.
(Image credit: Cartoon Network)
Each One Of These Girls Have Such Distinct Personalities And I Love It
One of the biggest things I love about this show is that it makes all the girls different in their own personal way, having distinct personalities.
In Totally Spies, we have three main characters, Sam, Clover, and Alex, all of whom are from California, and while they all have that same sort of “valley-girl” mentality where they love to shop and lounge in the sun, they’re still so different in many ways.
Sam is like the mother of the group, and the de facto leader of the three girls, and is always looking out for them. Clover is the material girl who loves to shop the most and cares about her looks, but has some of the best ingenuity when it comes to quick thinking and using impromptu items to escape situations. Alex (who was, of course, my favorite considering we shared a name), was the tomboy of the group, and more of a sporty girl, but yet, she wasn’t afraid to show her girly side whenever she was around boys – often getting her into klutzy situations.
They’re so different, and yet somehow, they meld together so well to form the perfect team and always save the day, and it’s something I really like that the creators did. They took the time out of their day to carve out their personalities and make them their own people and not just carbon copies of one another.
(Image credit: Cartoon Network)
I Wonder How This Seventh Season Is Going To Go Down
Announced in early 2022, it was confirmed that a seventh season of Totally Spies was on track for a 2023 delivery after eight years of no episodes, and honestly, I can’t wait. Since the last episode ended, I have graduated both high school and college and have begun working full-time, and yet, I still feel as excited as I was when I was 10 and watching this show.
But, it makes me wonder what they’re going to do to continue the storyline. The last time we saw the girls, they were still in college. Is the seventh season going to continue that storyline or are we going to see them fully grown up now? The article that made the announcement says that they are going to be moving to a new city, but does that new city involve college, too? I need information now, dang it.
As you can tell, I’m quite passionate about this show, and I feel like it needs to have a resurgence in popularity like Avatar: The Last Airbender did in 2020. If you haven’t seen Totally Spies, seriously, go check it out. And if you have, might as well re-watch it like I have before this seventh season debuts.
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