Before social media filters, influencer aesthetics, and girlboss slogans, we had animated girls with messy hair, loud opinions, and lives narrated in voiceover. They weren’t perfect — but they were brave, honest, imaginative, and just like us.
These weren’t the Disney princesses. They were something better: weird, emotional, unforgettable. And somehow… the world has forgotten them. So let’s rewind the VHS, dust off our Saturday mornings, and remember the cartoon girls who shaped our childhoods — even if they’ve vanished from pop culture memory.
Mona the Vampire
Channel: CBBC / CITV
Vibe: Goth-core, imagination as power, monster-of-the-week energy
Mona faced invisible monsters with visible confidence. With a cape, fangs, and two loyal sidekicks, she defended her town from threats no one else could see — and didn’t care who believed her. She was dramatic, creative, and completely in her own world.
Mona was for every girl who lived half in her imagination — and defended it like a fortress.
Ginger Foutley (As Told By Ginger)
Channel: Nickelodeon
Vibe: Diary-core, awkward growing pains, emotional intelligence before it was cool
Ginger cared deeply, messed up often, and actually grew up onscreen — something rare for kids’ TV. She navigated mean girls, crushes, heartbreaks, and existential crises… with a journal in hand and mascara always a little smudged.
Before soft girls and Tumblr quotes, there was Ginger — trying to survive middle school with a pen and way too many feelings.
Eliza Thornberry
Channel: Nickelodeon
Vibe: Jungle boots, empathy, global explorer vibes
With braces, glasses, and the ability to talk to animals, Eliza made being the odd one out feel like a superpower. Her adventures taught us about wildlife, conservation, and how to listen — really listen — to those without a voice.
She didn’t need cute clothes or a love interest. She had a monkey and a mission.
Penny Proud
Channel: Disney Channel
Vibe: Sass, brains, and family chaos in all the right ways
Penny was smart, hilarious, and endlessly relatable. She juggled school, friends, embarrassing parents, and real-world issues — all while making you laugh. As one of the few Black girl leads in early 2000s animation, her presence mattered. A lot.
She gave us sass and substance — and the best theme tune of all time.
Lor MacQuarrie (The Weekenders)
Channel: Disney / Toon Disney / CBBC
Vibe: Tomboy loyalty, sports energy, hoodie-core
Lor wasn’t about lip gloss and locker notes — she was about loyalty, football, and being exactly who she was. She didn’t fit into anyone’s box, and she didn’t want to. Every girl group needed a Lor. Most of us wanted to be her.
“Lor taught us that being one of the boys didn’t mean losing your girlhood — it meant owning it differently.”
The Woman Behind So Many of Them: Cree Summer
You might not know her face, but you know her voice. Cree Summer is the unsung hero of girl cartoons — voicing Eliza Thornberry, Penny Proud, Susie Carmichael (Rugrats), Kida (Atlantis), Numbuh 5 (Kids Next Door), and Miranda (As Told By Ginger), just to name a few.
She brought fire, softness, humour, and depth to every character she touched — and shaped a generation of cartoon girlhood from behind the scenes.
Cree Summer didn’t just voice our childhood — she gave it heart, bite, and attitude.
