by 
Updated on July 4, 2022
The east coast (and northeast) is the setting of plenty of animated cartoons, thanks to the prominence of Boston, Philadelphia, and New York City. So, on the heels of my Midwestern animated cartoons post, here’s one about the Northeastern United States.
The US Census Bureau defines the Northeast to include: New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
New Jersey
“Aqua Teen Hunger Force” is set in southern New Jersey. One episode has Master Shake try to make a (supposedly) psychic Meatwad give the winning New Jersey lottery numbers.
New York
The nation’s largest city’s unsurprisingly the home of a ton of cartoons. To name a handful:
- “The Critic”
- “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”
- “Futurama” (as “New New York”)
- “Mr. Peabody and Sherman”
- “The Real Ghostbusters“
- Any Spider-Man animated series
- Bugs Bunny, per a few cartoons, grew up in New York (hence his accent)
Pennsylvania
Super Chicken of “George of the Jungle” lives in Pittsburgh.
“Liberty’s Kids” had episodes scattered across the colonial United States. However, Philadelphia (the home of Ben Franklin and his print shop) was a heavy focus.
Connecticut
Spider-Man villain the Green Goblin was born in Hartford. (Yes, a comic reference, but Norman Osborne’s appeared in animation, too.)
The 2013 animated movie “Epic” may take place in Connecticut, according to TV Tropes (there or New York).
Maine
The 1999 movie “The Iron Giant” is set in a small town in Maine.
Massachusetts
Boston’s mentioned in the final episode of “Underdog.” The evil mad scientist Simon Bar Sinister sends one of the show’s villains (“Batty-man”) to Boston as part of a nationwide series of robberies.
Various shows have had episodes set in Massachusetts’ distant past. They’re usually about either the first Thanksgiving, the American Revolution, or the Salem witch trials.
New Hampshire
An episode of “Wild Kratts” about Komodo dragons shows that Donita, one of the Kratts’ villains, has her mansion located in New Hampshire.
Rhode Island
“Family Guy” is set in the fictional Rhode Island town of Quahog.
Vermont
On “Animaniacs,” Wakko mentions Montpelier in his song “Wakko’s America.” (No, I couldn’t find a better Vermont reference, either.)
Image by Andreas H. from Pixabay
