Lizzie McGuire Turns 20!

Lizzie McGuire Turns 20!

Lets rewind back to 2001…

If you are a 90s kid then you must know who Lizzie McGuire is.

If you were lucky enough to have Disney Channel on your Virgin/Sky box growing up, then no doubt you spent your afternoons watching Lizzie and her BFFs Miranda and Gordo navigate through the trials and tribulations of being in middle school (for us Brits - secondary school). 

On January 12th 2001, Disney Channel premiered their new TV show, Lizzie McGuire. Viewers instantly fell in love with Hilary Duff’s awkward but self-assured character who provided a relatable voice for every kid, tween, and young teenager from 2001 to 2004. 

Lizzie McGuire aired 65 episodes over two seasons on Disney Channel with the finale episode airing on Valentines Day in 2004.

In honour of the iconic TV show turning 20 years old today, we wanted to look back at some of our favourite Lizzie McGuire moments. 

Oh and if you want to reminisce and relive your childhood, then fear not because all 65 episodes of Lizzie McGuire are available to watch on Disney+! 

When Lizzie discovered Rhythmic Gymnastics

Just like every teenage boy and girl, Lizzie was not content with being “normal and ordinary”. Every Lizzie McGuire fan will remember the episode when Lizzie discovered her surprising talent for rhythmic gymnastics. Despite going onto winning her big tournament, at the end of the episode Lizzie decided to leave her ribbons behind and find joy in her “normal” life.

When Lizzie wore an ugly sweater for Picture Day

Now I’m sure we can all relate to the dread that comes with picture day. First comes dread, then comes stress, and that proved to be the case for Lizzie, Gordo, and Miranda. Lizzie was so excited to channel her inner Britney Spears with her “Oops, I Did It Again” look for her photo… until her mom made her wear the red unicorn sweater her grandma gifted her. Not so Britney Spears after all!

When Lizzie spread a rumour about Kate

One of the most memorable episodes of Lizzie McGuire HAS to be the very first one. After Lizzie spread the rumour that Kate only made the cheer leading team because she stuffed her bra with toilet paper, mean girl Kate retaliated by leading a cheer calling Lizzie a loser. Luckily, Lizzie was able to recover from the social attack. 

This episode set us up with what to expect between Lizzie and Kate. The conflict between the pair went on to define so much of the two seasons.  

When Lizzie met (and kissed) Aaron Carter

*Alexa play I Want Candy by Aaron Carter*

When we think of iconic moments from Lizzie McGuire, this one is at the forefront of our minds. After sneaking onto the set of Aaron Carter’s music video shoot, Lizzie just so happened to run into the pop star outside of his trailer after leaving her tape recorder in his dressing room. After retrieving the tape recorder back, Aaron points out the mistletoe hanging right above them, leans in for a kiss and mutters the words that every fan knows so well: “Merry Christmas, Lizzie McGuire.” 

You could hear teenage girls’ hearts swooning all over the world! 

When Kate called Lizzie an outfit repeater

Now we couldn’t talk about our favourite Lizzie McGuire moments without referencing back to the ICONIC Lizzie McGuire movie! 

The Lizzie McGuire Movie first premiered in May 2003 so by then we were all familiar with Kate Sanders - the ultimate mean girl. Known for ruining Lizzie’s life with the most cutting insults a middle schooler could imagine, it came as no surprise in the movie when Kate screamed to the whole school that Lizzie McGuire was an outfit repeater!

Still to this day, this iconic moment is referenced in Instagram captions and memes all over social media. 

When Lizzie demanded a bra 

Lizzie McGuire was a show that highlighted many awkward moments that all of us would’ve gone through during puberty. The show confronted those moments with funny, relatable moments… one of them being when Lizzie shouted “I want a bra!” at her mom in the middle of a store. 

Lizzie even completely scarred Gordo for life after revealing her one true wish of wanting to own a bra.

When Lizzie went on a date with Larry Tudgeman 

Who remembers Larry Tudgeman???? 

Larry Tudgeman was known as the outcast at Lizzie’s school, but when he asked her out on a date, she was surprised to find that he actually cleaned up very well. Lizzie had fun at the science museum with Larry, until Kate had to ruin everything by telling everybody at school that Lizzie and Larry were boyfriend and girlfriend. Filled with humiliation, Lizzie was able to let Larry down easily, only for Larry to ask Miranda out! What a revelation! 

When Lizzie became a bad girl 

The teenagers in us all know that when you’re in secondary school, you go through different stages. After experiencing detention for the first time, Lizzie had a taste of the “bad-girl” lifestyle and went all out with her punk makeover with frizzed-out hair, a fake nose ring and changing her name to ‘Frizz’ (given to her by the school’s resident bad girl).

After cutting classes and telling her parents to take a chill pill, best friends Gordo and Miranda were able to help Frizz realise that being a bad girl is more trouble than it’s worth. 

When Lizzie kissed Gordo

The moment we all had been waiting for! 

It was inevitable that this was going to happen eventually! Gordo and Lizzie’s love story had been bubbling under the surface for the entire run of the Lizzie McGuire series, so when the two best friends finally shared a kiss on a balcony in Rome at the end of The Lizzie McGuire Movie, Lizzie McGuire fans all over the world were over the moon!

It was the perfect moment that every Lizzie McGuire fan had waited years for. 

When Lizzie exposed Paolo

SING TO ME PAOLO! 

Of course, we had to end our favourite Lizzie McGuire moments with the most memorable moment of them all. 

Including the four-word phrase that is still iconic to this day… “SING TO ME PAOLO!” 

If we're being technical here, it was Lizzie’s Italian pop-star-alter-ego Isabella who exposed Paolo for being an auto tuned fraud in the The Lizzie McGuire Movie, but that moment led to Lizzie and Isabella belting out “HEY NOW, HEY NOW.. THIS IS WHAT DREAMS ARE MADE OF” on stage at the Coliseum! Talk about epic! 

If The Lizzie McGuire Movie didn’t make you want to visit Rome and find your very own Italian pop star then you weren't watching the movie properly. 

The Lizzie McGuire Movie is what dreams are made of! 

 

What is your favourite moment from Lizzie McGuire??

Let us know in the comments below!

And be sure to relive your childhood by watching Lizzie McGuire on Disney Plus!

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