Cartoon Chatter | My Life as a Teenage Robot

Every now and then, a cartoon comes out that is funny and somewhat moralistic. Enter My Life as a Teenage Robot. This Frederator produced cartoon had a rather good soundtrack, decent animation and a fairly good storyline. Most episodes have a moral, but unlike other cartoons, you aren't knocked over the head with it.

XJ-9 (better known as Jenny) is a teenage robot created by scientist Nora Wakeman to protect Earth from alien invasions and other disasters. Instead of taking this responsibility seriously, Jenny prefers to hang out with her friend Brad and his brother Tucker. She has her share of odd encounters and romantic interests.

Perhaps what I like most about My Life as a Teenage Robot is that it presents a bit of a homage to animation greats Walt Disney and Otto Messmer. The popular hangout spot for Jenny and her friends is a spot called Mezmer's that has a black cat on its roof (Otto Mesmer created Felix the Cat). One episode pits glove-wearing mice in red shorts against Jenny (Mickey Mouse anyone?). These little Easter eggs are fun for me to see and hearken back to the beginnings of animation. While there are not any new episodes, you can catch some reruns on Nicktoons.

Image via flicker/Fred Seibert