Last week, SpaceToon, the television network that influenced an entire century, celebrated its 21st birthday. Love and heartfelt tributes to the Arab region's beloved cartoon network flooded social media.

For more than two decades, the pan-Arab free-to-air television channel has broadcast animated children's shows throughout the country.

The channels headquarter is in Dubai and has offices in Cairo and Riyadh. It first aired the show on March 15, 2000, and has since cemented its position in the region's pop culture sphere and the hearts of viewers. The channel now broadcasts in over 22 countries around the world and streams to a much larger audience online.

SpaceToon is best known for introducing anime, or Japanese animated cartoons, to the area. The channel, which was dubbed in Arabic and featured re-recorded versions of theme songs, introduced Arab viewers to some of their favorite cartoons, including "Pokemon," "Grendizer," "The Adventures of Sindbad," and "Detective Conan”.

“The first thing I would do when school was over was run to the TV, to catch my favorite shows in time,” Rayyan Al-Mousa, 28, said. I was introduced to anime thanks to SpaceToon, and I grew up watching ‘Pokemon,' ‘Dragon Ball Z,' and ‘Digimon,' which I still enjoy. Those shows affected how I saw the world. They instilled in me the virtues of perseverance, persistence, and never surrendering. Even though I now watch them in Japanese, I sometimes return to the Arabic dub for the nostalgia.”

For many other channel viewers, the shows have an emotional effect that goes beyond nostalgia.

Reem Al-Mansour, 31, grew up watching SpaceToon and remembered the show "Ana Wa Akhi" (My Brother and I), about two young brothers who lose their mother in a car accident and must figure out how to live without her. “My mother died when I was a child,” Al-Mansour explained. “And I saw a lot of myself reflected in the film. "'Ana Wa Akhi' was instrumental in getting me through those dark days, dealing with my new obligations, and even coming to terms with my sense of loss."

SpaceToon announced a new alliance with the MBC group's streaming service, Shahid, in May last year, to add their exclusive content to the network, joining the ranks of other major companies such as Disney and Fox.

Al-Mousa, like many other SpaceToon fans, expressed his delight at the transformation, expressed his hope that future generations will be able to enjoy the same shows he did. He told Arab News, "This will make the content available to so many younger people, and someday I'll be able to share the shows of my youth with my children."

Pinnizer, a Saudi company that specializes in retro pins, has a whole section dedicated to classic SpaceToon shows like "Treasure Island," "Sindbad," "Maroko," and others. Labeed Assidmi, the owner of Pinnizer, told Arab News that his retro pins were the most popular items in his online store.

In an exclusive interview with mangaka Go Nagai on Arab News', in 2019, he discussed the possibility of a “Grendizer” revival after learning of the anime's popularity in the region, reignited interest in the much-loved 1970s classic.

“One thing about SpaceToon that I will never forget is how they referred to us,” Al-Mansour said.

Shabab Almostaqbal of The Youth of the Future says we were able to believe in ourselves because of SpaceToon's faith in us. Anyone from the generation that grew up watching that channel cannot disagree.