Talk about a show done correctly. Out of the cartoons that came after the original cartoons this is one of the few shows that I really liked. The show centers around 5 10-year old kids who are part of this organization known as KND who battle against the tyranny of adults, senior citizens, teens, and other evil children. That’s such a great setup for a show. I remember being a kid and always wanted to rebel against my parents and teachers when they punished me or did something to me I didn’t like. It tugs at the strings of your inner-child, takes all those suppress thoughts and ideas and actually brings them to reality. We got kids not wanting to brush their teeth and let them rot, parents having coffee as their energy source and the kids working out plans to destroy their coffee supply, and creative villains like the crazy cat lady, the foreign lunch lady who feeds you all kinds of disgusting food, your parent’s boss who wanted to get rid of you so your parents could work more, and those picture perfect kids who acted so smug and perfect that you just wanted to walk up to them and punch them. God, just a great list of villains like these gets me pumped up for the show.
The show worked out so well was because of 3 reasons. One, even though the kids are secret agents battling against adults they still act like kids. They go to school, do what their parents tell them to do, and just act like kids. Two, each of the kids were relatable. They were diverse and represented an aspect of a child or a typical child. Numbuh One was the leader, a workaholic and conspiracy theorist who took his job more serious than the others but was very loyal to his team and friends. Numbuh Two was the inventor and the guy who wanted to make those funny one-liners. Numbuh Three was the cheerful one who was the most childlike, she loved collecting stuff toys, and was just basically a common girl. Numbuh Four was the tough guy and bad boy of the team and Numbuh Five was the cool girl. The cast had variety with each one working off each other well and even though they all had the same goal they had different ways of achieving it. Third, the show was relatable. Again, I’m sure that at one time in your childhood you wanted to rebel against your parents and adults in general and this was the show that made your ideas real or reawakened that child within you.
The missions that they went on were good, funny, and enjoyable to watch and some were connected and lead up to something big in the show which usually turned out to be something creative and good to watch. Like in one episode we find out that chicken pox really does come from chickens being used by teenagers. Actually that’s one thing I never really got about the show, why are teens helping adults? Isn’t this like the one part in a child’s life where they become their parent’s worst nightmare? Other episodes included destroying pianos so kids wouldn’t have to spend countless hours learning how to play them, and a training bra actually being battle armor. Okay that last one was a stretch but it works in the show. The show lasted for 6 seasons and had 2 really good TV movies that I really liked. The first one was Operation: Z.E.R.O, the greatest evil in the world is resurrected and the only hope at defeating it is for Numbuh One to find the legendary Numbuh Zero the first kid in history to ever battle against adults, the founder of KND, and said to be the greatest KND agent of all time. The movie is done fantastically. The story is good, the villain is menacing, and it’s got surprises and major reveals you wouldn’t believe with each of them catching you off guard. The other movie Operation: I.N.T.E.R.V.I.E.W.S served as the series finale. Numbuhs 2-5 are now adults and are doing an interview talking about Numbuh One and their final mission with him. It was an action packed finale and a good way to end the series on a high note leaving you satisfied and glad that everything worked out for them in the end. Codename: Kids Next Door was a great cartoon and one Cartoon Network’s most remembered and recognizable shows. If you haven’t seen it check it out.