18 Cartoon Characters We All Definitely Crushed On Back In The Day

Listen, it happens. There you are, a pure, innocent 12-year-old watching your pure, innocent cartoons.

Then that character comes on, and your nether regions start to feel a little strange. Kind of like you have to pee, but different somehow.

For me, Arnold of "Hey, Arnold!" helped my sexual awakening. What can I say? I admired a guy with the balls to wear a skirt to school every day. (I now know it's actually a long shirt, but still.)

In order to help us all feel more normal about our animated attractions, I asked my coworkers to share with me their first cartoon crushes. Here's what they said.

1. Prince Eric from "The Little Mermaid"

"I'm pretty much convinced Prince Eric spawned my sexual awakening. He would pick Ariel up like she weighed less than a feather. I'm convinced he is the reason my 'type' is a tall guy with dark hair and blue eyes." — Tina Kolokathis, Content Coordinator "He is tall, dark and handsome and is still my standard for all potential slam pieces." — Kelli Boyle, College Programming Coordinator

2. Daphne from "Scooby-Doo"

"Would have loved to ride her mystery machine." — Sepp Dasbach, Senior Photo Editor

3. Ash Ketchum from "Pokémon"

"I loved his black hair, his gloves and his effeminate voice (I'm being half ironic with that one, I think). I remember I was watching one of the Pokémon movies and there was a scene where he kissed Misty, and I literally asked my mother, 'Why do I feel like I have to pee when I see people kissing?'" — Alexia LaFata, Senior Editor

4. Bulma from "Dragon Ball Z"

"She was a total badass who was a tech genius who didn't take crap from anyone on the show even though they could destroy planets." — Evan Brenner, Media Manager

5. Goku from "Dragon Ball"

"He had an amazing body and an even hotter voice. I'm no damsel in distress, but I'd let him save me any day." — Sheena Sharma, Features Writer

6. Simba from "The Lion King"

"Teenage Simba gave me unrealistic expectations of men." -- Steph Ironson, Associate Editor "I had an insane crush on Jonathan Taylor Thomas aka JTT who was one of the big Tiger Beat pinups of my day. Anyway, he voiced Simba in the 'The Lion King' and I used to listen to the soundtrack and literally swoon in that way that you only do when you're a teenager. Which is weird because I was essentially getting turned on by a cartoon lion." -- Emily McCombs, Executive Editor

7. Kovu from "The Lion King II"

"He looked like he lifts. And that scar? Panty-dropper. Does this mean I'm into bestiality or…?" — Izabella Zaydenberg, Staff Writer

8. Trent from "Daria"

"He's just a misunderstood mysterious artist [whom] you can't help but fall in love with." —Celine Ordioni, Editor

9. Otto Rocket from "Rocket Power"

"At the time, he seemed like the ultimate boy: athletic and popular." —Lydia Mansel, Senior News Editor

10. Raymundo from "Rocket Power"

"He was like a hot dad with a sense of adventure and a heart of gold. I'd like to struggle to earn his kids' love and respect while learning to surf on the weekends." — Taylor Ortega, Trending News Writer

11. Angelica from "Rugrats"

"She was a bossy bitch in pigtails, just what I like!" — Zara Barrie, Senior Features Writer

12. Roger Klotz from "Doug"

"He obviously dressed the best, compared to Doug who wore a literal sweater vest." —Brittany Leitner, Senior Editor

13. Aladdin from "Aladdin"

"He's a little mischief maker, and there's just something about a guy barechested under a vest." —Talia Koren, Contributing Writer Recruiter

14. Beast from "Beauty and the Beast"

"He was so manly and strong. Once he turned back into a human, I was over him." — Jenna Graham, Office Manager

15. Alden from "Braceface"

"He was a mega hottie who would hold me in a non-creepy way after we boinked." — Candice Jalili, Staff Writer

16. Eliza Thornberry from "The Wild Thornberrys"

"Soooo many similar interests, plus her parents were nature documentarians; that's the COOLEST! Cool girl, cool 'rents, cool monkey brother. The. Perfect. Woman." — Eitan Levine, Trending News Writer

17. Tarzan from "Tarzan"

"He was already good at moaning, making moves and was half-naked with abs. You just knew he liked it dirty and was ready for action whenever." — Jessica Wendroff, Photo Editor "He literally only wears a loincloth the entire time. HOW COULD ANYONE NOT BE INTO THAT?" — Katie Corvino, Entertainment Writer

18. Jake from "American Dragon: Jake Long"

“Yeah, I didn't have the best taste in cartoons, but his spiky hair and impressive longboarding skills kept me coming back for more.” -- Leah Degrazia, Editor