I was lucky enough to see “The Nutcracker” this week. I went with my two roommates– one of whom is an ACTUAL ballerina. And not just any ballerina, a former Sugar Plum Fairy. So. How do you do. (I will push her and push her until the end of time to give me a live performance in our cramped living quarters…)

Anyway, while I was watching, I realized: Macauley Culkin was in the Time Warner version of “The Nutcracker.” And he was SO cute. So cute like, when the Chinese restaurant in my town used to play it on the big screen, I would ignore my General Tso’s.

It got me thinking, for posterity, who were my other childhood crushes? Be warned, the list ranges in age and animation.

-Teenage Simba from the animated version of “The Lion King”– Twitty from “Even Stevens” (Just the right amount of cool, the right amount of dork.)– Matt Lauer circa 1999 (He starred in a very popular episode of “Sesame Street” and I found him dreamy.)-Bow Wow in “Like Mike” (First and last time I ever saw athletic potential for myself on the court. Hastily given up dreams.)– The boy from “Hocus Pocus” whose sister gets kidnapped by the witches (Colonial garb…)– Every male lead in the Mary Kate and Ashley movies– namely, Michel from “Passport to Paris” (I just learned that he’s Gregory Peck’s- ATTICUS FINCH’s! -grandson.)