If there's one thing the 1990s and 2000s gave us, it's a whole host of incredible cartoons. Whether you were a Nicktoons fan, a dedicated Cartoon Network watcher, or a bit of a channel-hopper, there were plenty of animated shows to get your teeth sunk into! Many of them featured young characters around the same ages as us, which made them all the more engaging. The shows fed our imaginations - sure, we may not have had fairy godparents, and we may not have had the chance to save the world on a regular basis, but our favorite cartoon characters did! We also got the more realistic shows that depicted life at home and at school, teaching us valuable life advice and lessons without us even realizing. Those clever TV animators...

Many of the best cartoons of our childhood ended while their characters were still kids themselves. Of course, this has begged an important question: what did they get up to when they were all grown up? Did our cartoon heroes and heroines live 'normal' lives like us? Did they graduate high school and even make it to college? So many possibilities! Where there are questions like this there are, of course, fan-provided answers, often in the form of artwork. Even if we don't get canon confirmation that Scooby-Doo received a bachelor's degree, there's fan art out there that's made it happen- and he's not the only one. Here are just some of your favorite childhood cartoon characters reimagined as college students.

25 Solving Another Mystery: College

Pretty much everyone born since the 1970s will have grown up watching some version of Scooby-Doo. Whether you were a child of the New Scooby-Doo Mysteries era or a fan of What's New Scooby-Doo, the members of Mystery Inc. will have been familiar characters to you and your friends. Question is, which amateur sleuth were you? I had the hairstyle of Velma but the appetite of Shaggy...

In the majority of Scooby-Doo cartoons, Fred, Daphne, Velma, and Shaggy are all high-schoolers. Their young age is constantly referenced - who hasn't heard the classic catchphrase "I would have gotten away with it if it wasn't for those meddling kids?" The fact that they were essentially still children made Mystery Inc's exploits all the more impressive. Of course, this has led many fans to imagine how the gang would turn out in their older years.

How did they do in college, for example?

This piece of artwork by Tasia M. S. on Instagram shows the guys, gals, and dog of Mystery Inc. in their all-important university years. Shaggy looks pretty much the same with his scruffy stubble and hippie style! Daphne and Fred are their usual preppy selves - they're probably the power couple of their campus, let's be honest. As for Velma, she's gone through a subtle but awesome style transformation! While her classwork is probably her main focus, she's had the time to pick out a cropped-jumper-and-shorts combo. It's a cool twist on a classic character.

24 Sugar, Spice, And Everything Nice

Have you ever wondered what Bubble, Blossom, and Buttercup would look like in their college years? Did they really quit saving the world for a while to focus on their education? Would green, blue, and a pinky-red remain their favorite colors for all eternity? Well, in this adorable piece of art by Dahae1014 on DeviantArt, all of our questions are answered. The Powerpuff Girls are all grown up, and they look exactly as we imagined they would!

For one, it still looks like Blossom is the unofficial leader of the girls, even in college. Look at that confident stance! She definitely believes in herself and in her sisters - as she should. She's still got her ginger hair tied up in her trademark bow, and her preppy dress is in the same shade of her old uniform. Bubbles' older version also harks back to her Powerpuff Girls days: she's incorporated her favorite shade of blue into her typically adorable outfit! She's still the most "cutesy" of the trio: look at those wide, doe-like eyes! You can just tell she's grown into a hopeless romantic.

Buttercup is perhaps the most interesting character in this artwork, though. She's ditched her green dress for a sportier hoodie-and-shorts look, and she's definitely the odd one out of the sisters. You have to wonder: did Buttercup keep on hanging out with Blossom and Bubbles in college, or did she find her own, slightly less girly-girl-ish crowd to hang out with? Who knows...

23 He's Got The Power

Honestly, this college-age interpretation of Disney's Hercules makes total sense. There are so many modern twists on his style that ring true! DeviantArt user Hyung86 has done a darn good job Firstly, we have to discuss that lightning-bolt tank top - a clear homage to his father Zeus, the Greek God of Thunder! We can imagine Herc's status as a literal demi-god would make him a pretty popular guy on campus.

Who wouldn't want to be friends with one of the greatest heroes alive?

It's interesting that the artist has chosen to depict Hercules in his stronger, fully-trained form, rather than his slightly lanky teenage stature. He's clearly embraced his superhuman strength, which does make the fact that he's on his college's American football team a bit concerning. Yeah, we spotted that helmet in his hand! Would you want to be on the opposing team when a guy with unnatural strength is barrelling towards you? Nope, me neither. Still, Herc would probably be a very efficient player - yet another thing to make him the hero of his university!

There is one question we have about this college-era Hercules image, though. Why is he pouting like that?! Has he turned into one of those handsome yet arrogant college boys who think they're Zeus's gift to the world? That doesn't seem like the Herc we know! Hopefully, it's just a phase...

22 They're Finally Friends

Well, isn't this just incredibly adorable? As fans of The Fairly OddParents will know, lead character Timmy Turner spent much of the series being totally idolized by Tootie, a young girl in his neighborhood who had a pretty huge crush on him. In this piece by DeviantArt's LemonFox2002, this childhood connection seems to have blossomed into a college-years relationship! Looks like Timmy didn't win Trixie's heart after all! Both characters have retained elements of their original designs: Timmy still loves his pink-shirt-and-blue-jeans combo, while Tootie seemingly hasn't gone shopping since she was a kid. Ah well - her outfit is still super-cute!

Now, one interesting thing about this interpretation of college-age Timmy Turner is the fact that his fairies - Cosmo and Wanda - are still present! See them there in the top-right-hand-corner? In the show, Da Rules state that fairy godparents must leave their young charges once they've grown up, as Timmy quite clearly has here. Yet, they're still present! We hope that they've found a way to bend Da Rules and remain in his life indefinitely: Cosmo, Wanda, and Timmy made a great team. It happened in the live-action Fairly OddParents movie, so it's a possibility! Although really, that questionable film is probably best forgotten...

21 Some Things Never Change

Even though we only met Angelica Pickles as a young child and then a tween in Rugrats and All Grown Up!, it was clear that she was destined for great things. She's smart, determined, and doesn't let anyone get in the way of her grand plans - even if this means she comes across as a bit mean.

This college-age version of Angelica, as drawn by Tumblr user CelesteDoodles, looks just as strong and sassy as her childhood self. What's the betting she's totally aced her high school exams to get a place studying business at a prestigious college? Adult Angelica's style is mostly totally different from her kid version's, which you'd kinda expect in a way. Lord knows most of us shouldn't keep dressing in the same way we did when we were four years old! Still, there are some slight references to her Rugrats-era self. She's still got a purple ribbon in her hair, for one!

Some things never change.

You've got to wonder how Angelica fared at and after college, though. We can see her as someone who'd put her education and extra-curricular activities above everything else: she's hardly going to be the CEO of a company by age 25 if she goes out partying every night! Does she still keep in contact with her family while she's away, like her younger cousin Tommy? Probably not - she's far too busy for that. However, is she as much of a feminist girl-boss as her mom? Definitely!

20 Babies No More

Angelica appears once again in this interpretation of the Rugrats as older teens. However, Leerer-Raum on DeviantArt has aged her up a little bit differently compared to our previous example! This Angelica looks a bit less confident than the previous version: instead, she's got the somewhat irritated expression that her younger self also wore a lot! She's also got a slightly less formal style - maybe this college-age Angelica has made a little bit of room in her busy schedule for socializing.

In this image, she's hanging out with two of her childhood pals: Chuckie and Susi! The former has barely changed, aside from the whole being older thing. He's still got his mop of bright ginger hair, and he's still got a bit of a neurotic air to him. Still, we imagine that brainy old Chuckie would excel during college!

Susie's older self is also very true to her childhood style. She's always been one of the more outgoing Rugrats, and it shows here! She's cheerful, she's got a colorful sense of fashion, and she's apparently become a bit clumsy, too! Check out that cast on her arm! The detailing here is amazing - did you notice the signatures from the rest of the Rugrats characters that are scrawled across the plaster? We could spot Tommy, Phil, and Lill's names! It's such a nice touch.

19 The Power Couple

Can we just talk about how faithful this comic is to the original style of Kim Possible? DeviantArt's HotRod2001 has got serious talent! Like, this person could have animated the actual series! They've got the characters down pat. This piece shows Kim herself, Ron Stoppable, Bonnie Rockwaller, and another character hanging out in their college dorm. Kim seems to be teasing poor Ron a bit - the poor boy seems to have lost his trousers there. Bonnie, always one to snidely laugh at the underdog, seems to be enjoying the scene that's unfolding.

It's unclear here whether Kim and Ron are still getting up to their world-saving antics while at college - or whether they're still a couple! We'd like to think so with the latter since they were basically the cutest animated couple of our childhoods. Whatever the case, these characters seem to be living a pretty stereotypical college life! There seem to be a lot of empty bottles everywhere, and the classic college-party-red-cups litter the room. We would never have taken Kim and Ron for party animals, but hey - college expands people's horizons in many ways! Also, we're a big fan of the Lion King poster in the background - it's a nice homage to Kim Possible's Disney origins!

18 Maybe They're A Couple Now

Check out that look of love between Helga and Arnold in this college-age interpretation of Hey Arnold! DeviantArt user Shaami has chosen to focus on their relationship, and we're pleased to see that these (eventual) childhood sweethearts have remained together in their adult years. They're focusing on their education too, mind - they've both got books in their hands, which is a lot more than a lot of the characters featured in this list!

We can only guess at what exact college courses Helga and Arnold chose to study, but the former seems to have gone into something artistic! She's wearing that hat practically like a beret and is rocking a more laid-back style. Some classic features of the character are still visible too, like her golden pigtails and bushy monobrow. It's good to see that Helga is staying true to herself.

She hasn't even been peer-pressured into plucking her brow.

As for Arnold, he's also been depicted with some of his classic traits from the TV show. He's still got his rugby-ball-shaped-head, although to be fair, he was never going to grow out of that! He also still wears his tiny baseball cap perched in between his tufts of hair, in a classic Arnold style. The real question is, is Arnold still best buds with Gerald? We need to know!

17 Majoring In Science

This older version of Dexter from Dexter's Laboratory has been drawn in a pretty striking style! An unknown artist (let us know if it's you!) has added an anime-esque twist to the character, alongside aging him up. The end result is pretty cool to look at and captures the essence of the character perfectly. As you'd expect, college-age Dexter is still into his science - he's probably already got himself a Ph.D. a few years early, let's be honest. He always was a bit of a boy genius! Of course, this active career in science means that Dexter's trademark lab coat is still his outfit of choice.

Would you expect anything less of him, really?

Considering Dexter's somewhat, er, "antisocial" personality in the animated series, you have to wonder what he'd be like as a college student. Does he leave his laboratory enough to make any friends? More importantly, has he managed to keep his pesky sister Dee Dee away from all of his experiments and inventions now they're both adults, or does she still insist on dropping by from time-to-time? Probably the latter, let's be honest. She's the kind of older sister who would make it her business to check on her sibling while he's at college - whether Dexter wants her to or not!

16 A Strange Crossover

In this piece of artwork by TriggerHappyFemale on DeviantArt, we don't just have an aged-up version of some cartoon characters - there's a cheeky crossover thrown in there too! The Fairly OddParents universe has met that of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, with the lead character of each show now apparently attending the same college. As you'd anticipate, Jimmy seems to be very much focused on his school work. He's probably very busy making important scientific discoveries and wowing his professors with his knowledge! Timmy, on the other hand, is incredibly bored by all of this studying and wants to do something adventurous and fun instead. That sounds like his character, all right!

Once again, it seems like Timmy still has his fairies with him in his college years - Jimmy references them in the comic. Thing is, how does Jimmy reconcile the existence of fairies and magic with his strong belief in the power of science? Why bother working hard on so many experiments and discoveries if you could just wish for the fairies to make all that stuff happen in the blink of an eyelid? This conflict doesn't seem to have ruined Jimmy and Timmy's friendship, at least. Who knows - maybe they're even roommates! All we know for certain is that Jimmy will probably get very little work done with Timmy there bugging him...

15 From The Playground To College

Of all of the cartoon characters to be aged up into college students, the kids from Recess have to be some of the most interesting. Each character had such a unique personality, and it's cool to see what kinds of individuals they turned out to be! DeviantArt's Just-AO seems to have done them all justice. Adorably, T.J. and Spinelli seem to have acted on their childhood crushes, and finally got together in their older years! They probably look the most similar to their Recess versions out of all of the characters, although you can definitely tell who's who.

Unsurprisingly, Gus has matured from an army-loving kid into an actual soldier. We all could have seen that one coming! However, more shocking is his transformation from a weedy kid into a pretty hunky guy - he's pretty ripped these days! Next to him is Gretchen, who looks like she hasn't lost her commitment to her education in her college years. You can imagine her spending most of her time in her school's library! She has ditched the pigtails, though, and gone for a more mature cropped cut.

Finally, we have Mikey and Vince. The former has, pretty surprisingly, matured into a bit of a hippie! Look at those dreadlocks... Who'd have thought it! Vince seems to have followed the path we'd expect, however - he's a pro athlete for the college basketball team! He always was the most athletic of the bunch...

14 The Rugrats Are All Here

In our final piece of fan art relating to the Rugrats kids, the whole gang has come out to play! DeviantArt's Isaiah Stephens has aged up every single character, and the result is pretty darn cool to look at. We haven't seen a college-age Lill and Phil until now, for example! Phil's still got the backward-baseball-cap look going on, while Lill is preppier than we'd expect. Question is, would these close-knit twins choose to attend the same college, or go their separate ways? It's an interesting one...

Now, we have to admit, seeing Tommy Pickles as anything other than a bald baby is still a bit strange. He's all grown up here, though, and seems to be wearing a T-shirt with his own name on it! We'd expect him to be the kind of guy who knows everyone on campus - he's just friendly and pleasant like that! Chuckie is still the slightly nerdy-but-cute type, while his adoptive sister Kimi is more fashion-conscious and cool. We're back to the Angelica we know and love, too - look at that confident stance and all-knowing smile! She's definitely a social butterfly at her college. We're loving this interpretation of an older Susie, too... Basically, can we just have a TV show featuring the Rugrats in college? We need it in our lives!

13 Can She Still Talk To Animals?

Here's a question: would Eliza Thornberry even choose to go to a traditional college considering her family's somewhat wild living situation? It's not like she needs further education - she's already a smart cookie! Still, DeviantArt user MuGeEeEeEeN seems to think that the studying life is the one for Eliza, and has drawn this interpretation of her during her college years. It's pretty neat!

For one, we love the fact that Eliza has a somewhat "alternative" sense of style. It kinda fits her most definitely alternative upbringing! The huge piercings in her ears and her colorful outfit suggest that she marches to the beat of her own drum, something we'd always expect of this Wild Thornberries star. She's conscientious, too, carrying all of her classwork around with her.

Would Eliza build upon her knowledge of the animal kingdom and study a conservation course, perhaps? Or would she use her ability to talk to animals to become the best vet in the business? It'd certainly help to calm your patients down if you could actually communicate with them! Whatever her choice, we'd sure Eliza would totally nail college - and maybe even apply her knowledge as a documentary maker like her parents! Who wouldn't want to follow in Nigel's footsteps? He's basically a cultural icon... Smashing!

12 The Trio Is Still Together

These three guys may have very similar names, but they couldn't look more different in their college student forms! Ed, Edd, and Eddy was much-loved Cartoon Network viewing back in the day - we all tuned in to watch the irreverent adventures of The Eds at some point! We often wondered how those guys would turn out when they grew up and had to be functioning members of society. Would they take the traditional "going to college" route?

Ed, in particular, didn't seem like he was the brightest kid in the world...

Well, judging by this piece of artwork by Andrahilde on DeviantArt, all three of these kids turned out better than we might expect! They're barely recognizable in their adult forms, so here's a hint for you: from left to right, you've got Ed, Eddy, and Edd. You can only really tell who's who based on their outfits, which are the same as those they wore as kids. In many other ways, The Eds have definitely grown up - check out Ed's crop of ginger hair and stubble, and Eddy's goatee!

There is one mysterious thing about this image, though. Why does Edd look so uncomfortable? Ed and Eddy both have huge grins on their faces; however, Edd looks like he'd rather be anywhere but right there. Did Edd, arguably the most intelligent of the three characters, outgrow his more immature pals, but is too scared to break off the friendship? Drama alert!

11 Does Grim Go To College Too?

Despite its somewhat dark premise, The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy was a firm favorite among viewers back in Cartoon Network's heyday. We loved following the exploits of these two very different kids as they hung out with the literal Grim Reaper and generally tormented the poor guy. The show was a lot more fun than its title suggests! Billy and Mandy had all sorts of interesting experiences as kids due to their connection to this deathly being, and you've got to wonder how it affected them later in life. How do you do something as "boring" and "ordinary" as go to college when you've spent years visiting the Underworld and partying with supernatural creatures?

Well, in this piece of art by Isaiah Stephens, Billy and Mandy seem to have brought Grim along with them as they venture through adult life! To be fair, once you've made friends with such a powerful being, you're hardly going to ditch him. The slightly less "cartoonish" vibe of this image makes Grim look a whole lot creepier, but it kinda works! The grown-up versions of Billy and Mandy are pretty cool, too. The former is still his chipper and cheerful self and seems to have gone for a preppy-meets-sporty look in his college days. Mandy, meanwhile, is still very much similar to her childhood version: a mix of girly-girl and goth. You wouldn't want to mess with her, that's for sure!

10 The Smartest Kids

While we've already had a glimpse at a college-age Jimmy Neutron in the Fairly OddParents crossover from earlier, we haven't yet explored what the rest of the show's characters might look like when they're all grown up. Luckily, Acaciathorn on DeviantArt has got us covered! Not only do we get to glimpse older versions of Jimmy, Cindy, Libby, Sheen, and Carl, we also get little hints about their personality too!

This artwork gives us everything we'd expect from these characters and more. Jimmy and Cindy are both clearly still very academic - and more than a little bit in love with each other. We can totally see parallels between Cindy's outfit here and the one she rocked as a child, and she's still as beautiful as ever - as Jimmy can see! Libby has grown up into something of a gossip - in the image, she's quite blatantly sharing some juicy news with a friend over the phone! She's still exhibiting her love of pink, although it's unclear if she's still Sheen's girlfriend as she was in middle school.

As for Sheen, well, he's barely recognizable!

He's filled out somewhat and seems to be quite muscly, although he's still got the same old turquoise T-shirt. As for Carl... Well, he's grown up into the guy you'd expect him to be. He's still somewhat nerdy, but kinda cute in his own way - who doesn't love a llama-wool vest?

9 The Gang's All Together

Here we have another piece of artwork that pretty much exactly matches the aesthetic of the original show. It's impressive stuff! DeviantArt user Pisces19 has tackled three of Danny Phantom's main characters in this aged-up version of the show: Danny himself, and his best friends Sam and Tucker. While these three were already in their late teens in the original show, they've been pushed forward just a couple of years more to make them college-eligible!

By the looks of this artwork, not much has changed for these three in the years after the show's timeline ends. For one, Sam is still unashamedly goth - perhaps even more so than before! That cropped-vest-with-mesh look is a pretty cool one, as are those behind-kicking boots! She also seems to still be Danny's girlfriend, judging by their linked arms. Cute! Danny himself is again much the same - although he seems to have stuck to his fully human form rather than engaging his ghost powers! Maybe he just wants to lead a quiet life now he's at college, and study for tests rather than battle supernatural beings...

As for Tucker - well, he may have lost his trademark red hat, but it still looks like he's the same tech geek we know and love! His yellow turtleneck has come to college with him, as have his classic square-rimmed glasses. It's good to see that getting older hasn't changed him too much.

8 Ten Times As Cool

Well, Ben Tennyson of Ben-10 certainly isn't a kid anymore in this artwork by Promsien on DeviantArt! Not only is he all grown up, he's all bulked up, too! We can definitely see this version of Ben being one of the sporty guys at his college - even his tank top looks a bit like a team shirt of some kind! Of course, its number also references his alias, and that shade of green is his signature color.

This artist knows their stuff for sure!

In the original Ben-10 series, young Ben gains the power to transform into ten different alien forms - hence why the number ten is so important to him! He also happens to gain this power when he's ten years old... So many number links! That's a pretty young age at which to start protecting the world, though. By the end of the show's run, Ben was a teen, and he'd been through quite a through daring and terrifying adventures. Is this something he'd continue for the rest of his life, or will he perhaps take a break to get some formal education? We'd hope the latter... Exams and assignments are less stressful than fighting monsters, believe it or not! Not that this knowledge would help any college student when they're in the midst of their finals, but oh well...

7 She's Still Got Her Trusty Map

Many years on from her childhood, it looks like this version of Dora is still exploring! As Reijr on DeviantArt has depicted, this older Dora has equipped her handy backpack and map and is off on her later adventure... To college, perhaps? She'd totally breeze through a degree in geography, that's for sure! We're not sure where her trusty companion Boots the monkey has got to, though - maybe pets aren't allowed on campus? Backpack and Map also seem to just be inanimate objects now rather than living, breathing objects... To be fair, it may have scared Dora's classmates if her belongings had started to talk to them. At least she's still got the same sense of style, with her cropped hair and brightly-colored ensemble.

Thing is, might Dora not get a little bit restless while attending college? She's used to just striking out on her own every day to explore the world, thwart Swiper's plans, and discover new things. That's all well and good, but it's not very practical if you've got class that morning. We're not sure that "I missed class because a fox tried to steal my possessions" is an excuse that would fly with most college professors. Dora may have to save her gallivanting for the weekends...

6 Rocking That Natural Look

Oh, man... This brings back a lot of memories! Who remembers The Magic School Bus? It managed to educate all of us unsuspecting kids without us even realizing it - it was that entertaining! In fact, the show was such a hit back in the 1990s that it was rebooted for a new generation last year. The Magic School Bus Rides Again - quite literally, these days! Way to give us all of the nostalgia feels, Netflix.

While Tumblr artist CelesteDoodles has created artwork showing many of the show's characters in their college years, this one of Tim is particularly eye-catching. He has matured into a pretty handsome young man and a bit of a hipster by the looks of things! Check out that scarf/blazer combo. You can imagine Tim tapping away at his laptop in the corner of a niche coffee bar. He's too cool for mainstream stores. He's also majorly grown his hair out, and it looks amazing - it suits his grown-up artistic vibe really well! Tim always was the most creative of the Magic School Bus kids. He was also constantly documenting their exploits on camera - maybe he's studying film at college now? A documentary series about a magical bus from his past might just go down well with critics...