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Cartoon Cartoons

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The Cartoon Cartoons logo, used for the Latin American version of Cartoon Cartoon Fridays.

Cartoon Cartoons is a collective name used by Cartoon Network for their original animated television series from July 14, 1997, to June 14, 2004, and produced in majority by Hanna-Barbera and/or Cartoon Network Studios. The first Cartoon Cartoon, Dexter's Laboratory, premiered in 1996, a year before the moniker's introduction. Further original series followed: Johnny Bravo, Cow and Chicken, I Am Weasel, The Powerpuff Girls, Ed, Edd n Eddy, Mike, Lu & Og, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Sheep in the Big City, Time Squad, Grim & Evil, Whatever Happened to... Robot Jones?, Codename: Kids Next Door, The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, and Evil Con Carne.

Originally, Cartoon Network mainly focused its programming on reruns of older animated series which it had acquired through its parent company's film library, but soon began to introduce more original programming. The Cartoon Cartoons originated with Fred Seibert's animation anthology series What a Cartoon! (1995), an animation showcase series featuring pilots of original cartoon ideas submitted by independent animators. Dexter's Laboratory was the first such pilot to be greenlit by the network for a full series in 1996. After other pilots were successfully produced into their own series, including Cow and Chicken, Johnny Bravo, and The Powerpuff Girls, the collective Cartoon Cartoons were featured on the network's Friday night programming block, Cartoon Cartoon Fridays from 1999 to 2003. Not all CN original series created around this time were officially recognized as Cartoon Cartoons; Samurai Jack, for example, did not bear the moniker.

The moniker was retired by the network in 2004, and its last surviving series, Ed, Edd n Eddy, ended in 2009 after a ten-year run. Since their heyday, reruns of the Cartoon Cartoons continued to air on The Cartoon Cartoon Show (2005–2008) and Cartoon Planet (2012–2014). In 2021, the name was resurrected by the network for a new shorts program. However the project was scrapped in 2024 due to Warner Bros. Discovery's financial issues.

History

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Cartoon Cartoons first appeared as shorts on animation showcase series What a Cartoon! in 1995, under the name of World Premiere Toons. The series was produced by Hanna-Barbera and Cartoon Network Studios under the direction of Fred Seibert. Seibert had been a guiding force for Nickelodeon (having overseen the creation of Nicktoons shortly prior to his departure) prior to joining Hanna-Barbera and would establish Frederator Studios years later.[1]

Through What a Cartoon!, Cartoon Network was able to assess the potential of certain shorts to serve as pilots for spin-off series and signed contracts with their creators to create ongoing series.[2] Dexter's Laboratory was the most popular short series according to a vote held in 1995, and became a full series in 1996. Dexter was retroactively labeled the first Cartoon Cartoon in 1997; however, the network's previous original shows, The Moxy Show and Space Ghost Coast to Coast, were not retroactively given the label.

The Cartoon Cartoon brand was first introduced in July 1997 for the network's Cartoon Cartoon Weekend block. Two more series based on shorts debuted in 1997: Johnny Bravo and Cow and Chicken. I Am Weasel, which aired as segments on Cow and Chicken, was spun off into its own series in 1999. These were followed by The Powerpuff Girls in late 1998 and Ed, Edd n Eddy in early 1999.[2][1] Mike, Lu & Og and Courage the Cowardly Dog premiered in November 1999, creating a lineup of critically acclaimed shows.[3][4] From 1999 to 2003, the Cartoon Cartoon Fridays block was the network's marquee night for premieres of new episodes and series.

In 2001, the network received Time Squad and Grim & Evil. In 2002, Codename: Kids Next Door became a full series after being chosen in the previous year's Big Pick Weekend. In 2003, Grim & Evil was split into The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy and Evil Con Carne; they were the last original series to officially carry the Cartoon Cartoon branding before it was discontinued.

The Cartoon Cartoons were intended to appeal to a wider audience than the average Saturday-morning cartoon. Linda Simensky, vice president of original animation, reminded adults and teenage girls that the cartoons could appeal to them as well. Kevin Sandler's article on them claimed that these cartoons were both less "bawdy" than their counterparts at Comedy Central and less "socially responsible" than their counterparts at Nickelodeon. Sandler pointed to the whimsical rebelliousness, high rate of exaggeration and self-consciousness of the overall output which each individual series managed.[5]

In October 2003, the live-action Fridays premiered on the network as a replacement for Cartoon Cartoon Fridays. The Cartoon Cartoons bumpers (that appeared before and after episodes of its original series) were dropped after the network's CN City rebrand on June 14, 2004. In November 2004, the block Cartoon Cartoons: The Top 5 was renamed to simply The Top 5. Cartoon Network still kept the Cartoon Cartoons name around in various forms applying to their older series (such as for The Cartoon Cartoon Show from 2005 to 2008), but since newer shows such as Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, Camp Lazlo, and Ben 10 were stylistically different from previous shows, the moniker was not applied to them.

In Asia and Latin America, the moniker continued to be used until 2007 with series like Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi, Camp Lazlo, and My Gym Partner's a Monkey.

Revival

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On April 15, 2021, Cartoon Network announced a new iteration of the Cartoon Cartoons shorts program.[6][7] On November 24, 2021, the first new Cartoon Cartoons shorts were announced.[8] The first nine shorts include Accordions Geoffery & Mary Melodica by Louie Zong (of The Ghost and Molly McGee and We Bare Bears), Dang! It's Dracula by Levon Jihanian (of Tig n' Seek), Hungy Ghost by Jesse Moynihan (of Adventure Time), Fruit Stand at the End of the World by Rachel Liu, Off the Menu by Shavonne Cherry (of Ren & Stimpy and The Looney Tunes Show), Harmony in Despair by Andrew Dickman (of Looney Tunes Cartoons), Unravel by Alexis Sugden, Mouthwash Madness by Lisa Vandenberg (of Animaniacs), and Scaredy Cat by JJ Villard (of King Star King).[9]

On June 7, 2022, more Cartoon Cartoons were announced.[10] The next seven shorts include The All-Nimal by Nick Edwards (of Apple & Onion and The Fungies!), Buttons' Gamezone by Fernando Puig (of The Cuphead Show!, Middlemost Post and Tig n' Seek), Tib Tub, We Need You by Sean Godsey and Mike Rosenthal, I Love You Jocelyn by Tracey Laguerre (Art and Animation Director for brands like Google, Dreamworks, Buzzfeed and more), Pig in a Wig by Sam Marin (of Regular Show), The Good Boy Report (based on the webcomic of the same name) by Kasey Williams (of Niko and the Sword of Light and Harley Quinn) and Maude Macher and Dom Duck by Kali Fontecchio (of The Looney Tunes Show and Jellystone!).

On March 21, 2024, GiAnna Ligammari (of Niko and the Sword of Light and Inside Job) announced a Cartoon Cartoons short ISCREAM created by her.[11] Four days after, the short was announced as being completed.[12] The shorts were showcased in a screening on April 25, 2024.[13][14] The short The All-Nimal was shown at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival on June 11, 2024.[15] On November 14, 2024, Ligammari confirmed the pilots will never air on television nor they will be picked up as television series due to the budget cuts at Warner Bros. Discovery.[16]

Promotions

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In June 1999, Cartoon Network began promoting its Cartoon Cartoons lineup with an advertising campaign to draw in viewership for its new Friday-night block Cartoon Cartoon Fridays, which was targeted toward viewers aged 6 to 11.[17] Marketing included brand partnerships with General Mills, Hasbro, and Pepperidge Farm as well as an on-air sweepstakes and an 11-market live touring event.[17] Advertisements appeared on television, radio, online, in movie theaters, at Six Flags theme parks, and billboards among other media with the tagline "You with us?".[17]

In mid-2000, Cartoon Network promoted its original programming by launching the Cartoon Cartoon Friday Tour 2000, a live event that ran for 10 weeks across 13 cities.[18] Active during weekdays in the lead-up to its Friday-night block, the tour cost a reported $25 million and reached a collective audience 16.2 million.[18] It was sponsored by Coca-Cola's Hi-C and was created in partnership with Adelphia, AT&T, Cablevision, Charter Broadcasting, Comcast, Cox Cable, MediaOne, and Time Warner Cable.[18] Launched as part of a three-part Cartoon Network marketing campaign occurring at different parts of the year, Cartoon Cartoon Friday Tour 2000 ended on September 1, 2000.[19]

In March 2000, Cartoon Network ran an advertisement on other networks, including rival channel Nickelodeon, featuring different Cartoon Cartoons characters persuading viewers to switch channels and watch Cartoon Cartoon Fridays.[20] The advertisement is set against an orange backdrop, Nickelodeon's signature color.[20] Time Warner City Cable withdrew the commercial from local broadcast stations in New York due to its perceived inappropriateness for children.[20]

Programming blocks

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More shows premiered bearing the Cartoon Cartoons brand, airing throughout the network's schedule and prominently on Cartoon Cartoon Fridays, which became the marquee night for premieres of new episodes and shows beginning June 11, 1999. It initially aired from 7:30 PM to 11:00 PM (Eastern Time) on Friday nights.[21] The block was expanded from three and a half hours to four hours with the November 1999 premieres of Mike, Lu & Og and Courage the Cowardly Dog.[4]

On June 9, 2000, Cartoon Cartoon Fridays launched with a new lineup and quickly garnered increased ratings for the channel.[22] The block's format featured a different character from a Cartoon Cartoon series hosting each week, with the first host being Eustace from Courage the Cowardly Dog. The June 9 broadcast also began the first week of The Big Pick, a showcase of cartoon pilots that could become full series based on the results of an online viewer poll. A similar event, The Big Pick II, aired the following year.

On October 3, 2003, following a months-long switch to Summer Fridays and Fridays, the block was rebooted under a hybrid live-action format as Fridays, hosted by Tommy Snider and Nzinga Blake, the latter of whom was later replaced by Tara Sands. It aired shows outside the Cartoon Cartoon moniker, such as Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi, The Life and Times of Juniper Lee, Camp Lazlo, My Gym Partner's a Monkey, Squirrel Boy, and Class of 3000. The last airing of Fridays was on February 23, 2007.

Cartoon Cartoons: The Top 5 (simply retitled The Top 5 in 2004), an hour-long program featuring a countdown of the week's five "best" Cartoon Cartoon episodes from the network's lineup, ran from 2002 to 2008. From 2005 to 2008, the Cartoon Cartoons label was primarily used for The Cartoon Cartoon Show, a half-hour program featuring episodes of older Cartoon Cartoons that were no longer shown regularly on the network.

The block Cartoon Planet was revived on Cartoon Network from 2012 to 2014, airing in a format similar to The Cartoon Cartoon Show. It featured Cartoon Cartoons such as Dexter's Laboratory, Johnny Bravo, Cow and Chicken, I Am Weasel, The Powerpuff Girls, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Ed, Edd n Eddy, Codename: Kids Next Door, The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, and other original Cartoon Network Studios series such as Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, Camp Lazlo, and Chowder.

Title Year(s) aired Note(s)
Cartoon Cartoons 1997–2004
Cartoon Cartoon Weekend 1997–2002
Cartoon Cartoon Fridays 1999–2003
Cartoon Cartoon of the Day 1999–2000
The Saturday Morning Block 1999–2000
Cartoon Cartoon Summer 1999–2001
The Cartoon Cartoon Show 2000[23]–03;[24] 2005–08[25]
The Big Pick 2000–01
Cartoon Cartoon Weeknights 2000
Cartoon Cartoon Primetime 2001
The Premiere Premiere Show 2001–02
Cartoon Cartoon Weekend Summerfest 2002
Cartoon Cartoons: The Top 5 2002[26]–08
Cartoon Cartoons in the Morning 2002–03
Cartoon Cartoons in the Afternoon 2002

List of series

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See also: List of programs broadcast by Cartoon Network

Precursor

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Title Premiere date Finale date(s) Note(s)
What a Cartoon! / The What a Cartoon! Show / The Cartoon Cartoon Show February 20, 1995 November 28, 1997 (as main show)
November 29, 2002 (as collective series)		 [a][b]

Full series

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Title Premiere date Finale date Note(s)
Dexter's Laboratory April 28, 1996 November 20, 2003 [c][d][b]
Johnny Bravo July 14, 1997 August 27, 2004 [c][d][b]
Cow and Chicken July 15, 1997 July 24, 1999 [c][d][b]
I Am Weasel July 15, 1997[e] 2000[27] [c][d][b]
The Powerpuff Girls (original series) November 18, 1998 March 25, 2005 [c][d][b]
Ed, Edd n Eddy January 4, 1999 November 8, 2009 [c][d][b]
Mike, Lu & Og November 12, 1999 May 27, 2001 [b]
Courage the Cowardly Dog November 12, 1999 November 22, 2002 [c][d][b]
Sheep in the Big City November 17, 2000 April 7, 2002
Time Squad June 8, 2001 November 26, 2003
Grim & Evil August 24, 2001 October 18, 2002
Whatever Happened to... Robot Jones? July 19, 2002 November 14, 2003 [c]
Codename: Kids Next Door December 6, 2002 January 21, 2008 [c][d][b]
The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy+ June 13, 2003 November 9, 2007 [c][d][b]
Evil Con Carne+ July 11, 2003 October 22, 2004 [c][d][b]
  • (+) Indicates that the show originally aired as part of Grim & Evil, and that the 2003-2004 episodes were not produced for the standalone show.

In other media

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DC Comics ran an anthology comic based on the Cartoon Cartoons; the series ran from March 2001 to October 2004 for a total of 33 issues.

In the OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes episode "Crossover Nexus", the Cartoon Cartoon logo is shown in the bottom of a wall inside the Cartoon Network headquarters; the Cartoon Cartoon jingle theme song is played when Ben Tennyson (Ben 10) shape-shifts into different Cartoon Network characters.

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Renamed to The What a Cartoon! Show in 1996 and again to The Cartoon Cartoon Show in 2000.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l This show is, or was, airing on Boomerang.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Reran as segments on The Cartoon Cartoon Show and Top 5, beginning in 2005.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Reran as segments on Cartoon Planet, beginning in 2012.
  5. ^ As a standalone series on June 10, 1999.

References

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  1. ^ a b Strike, Joe (July 15, 2003). "The Fred Seibert Interview — Part 1". Animation World Network. Archived from the original on June 12, 2011. Retrieved August 30, 2010.
  2. ^ a b Mittell (2004), p. 82–83
  3. ^ Mittell (2004), p. 80
  4. ^ a b Moss, Linda (November 8, 1999). "Cartoon Adds Two Shows on Friday". Multichannel News. Vol. 20, no. 46. Future Publishing. p. 26. ISSN 0276-8593.
  5. ^ Stabile, Harrison (2003), p. 98–99
  6. ^ Low, Elaine (April 15, 2021). "Cartoon Network Studios Debuts New Animated Shorts Program". Variety. Archived from the original on January 24, 2022. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  7. ^ de Wit, Alex Dudok (April 15, 2021). "Cartoon Network Studios Launches First Dedicated Shorts Program in over a Decade". Cartoon Brew. Shorts. Archived from the original on April 15, 2021. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  8. ^ @cartoonnetwork (November 24, 2021). "Check out the first group of shorts from #CartoonCartoons, a new #CartoonNetworkStudios program cultivating the next generation of hits and hit makers with a commitment to creativity, diversity & mentorship 🎨✏️ Check back for updates as we get to know these talented artists!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  9. ^ Amidi, Amid (2021-11-24). "Cartoon Network Studios Reveals 9 Shorts Made As Part of Its Cartoon Cartoons Program". Cartoon Brew. Archived from the original on 2021-12-24. Retrieved 2021-12-24.
  10. ^ @cartoonnetwork (June 7, 2022). "Check out the second group of shorts from #CartoonCartoons, a #CartoonNetworkStudios program cultivating the next generation of hits and hit makers with a commitment to creativity, diversity & mentorship! Check back for updates as we get to know these talented artists! 🎨✏️" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  11. ^ @virtualGIA_ (March 21, 2024). "This is the first bit of VisDev I drew for my short, ISCREAM! Made for the Cartoon Cartoons Shorts program. I am dying for everyone to see it already. 🍦" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  12. ^ @virtualGIA_ (March 25, 2024). "And as of today, the short is finished!!!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  13. ^ @virtualGIA_ (April 25, 2024). "The time has come ... #ISCREAM" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  14. ^ @artsyspencerg (April 25, 2024). "Animation at its finest on display here. Insanely proud of my gia, and grateful i was able to see the great work by the other extremely talented artists. A full feast of animation" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  15. ^ "Annecy festival". Annecy festival.
  16. ^ @AWorkersIgnited (November 14, 2024). "From artist Gia Ligammari - one of the creators of Cartoon Cartoons shorts that never saw the light of day. #StandWithAnimation" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  17. ^ a b c Stanley, T. L. (November 8, 1999). "Marketers of the Next Generation; Unique On-Air Promos and Off-Air Partnerships Have Made Cartoon Network a Destination". Brandweek. Vol. 40, no. 42. Adweek. p. 28. ISSN 1064-4318.
  18. ^ a b c Finnigan, David (March 12, 2001). "Thank Ed for Fridays". Brandweek. Vol. 42, no. 11. Adweek. p. R12. ISSN 1064-4318.
  19. ^ Forkan, Jim (July 3, 2000). "Cartoon Net Goes Bonkers with Promos". Multichannel News. Vol. 21, no. 27. p. 15. ISSN 0276-8593.
  20. ^ a b c Cooper, Jim (March 20, 2000). "Cartoon Net Ad Pulled". MediaWeek. Vol. 10, no. 12. Brandweek. p. 5. ISSN 1055-176X.
  21. ^ Pursell, Chris (October 18, 1999). "Originals Widen Cartoon Net Base". Variety. Vol. 376, no. 9. p. 27. ISSN 0042-2738.
  22. ^ Moss, Linda (September 11, 2000). "Cable Nets Survive Summer's 1-2 Punch". Multichannel News. Vol. 21, no. 37. p. 3. ISSN 0276-8593. Cartoon -- which launched its new "Cartoon Cartoon Fridays" lineup June 9 -- enjoyed phenomenal ratings this summer.
  23. ^ "Cartoon Network Schedule June 5 - 11, 2000". TVScheduleArchive.com. Archived from the original on September 13, 2014. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
  24. ^ "Cartoon Network - TV Schedule". CartoonNetwork.com. Cartoon Network. October 9, 2003. Archived from the original on October 9, 2003. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
  25. ^ "CN Schedule: June 16 - June 22". Animesuperhero.com. June 14, 2008. Archived from the original on January 26, 2022. Retrieved January 7, 2022.
  26. ^ "Toon Zone - Shows - Cartoon Network Schedule". Animesuperhero.com. Archived from the original on January 6, 2019. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
  27. ^ Lenburg, Jeff (2006). Who's Who in Animated Cartoons. New York: Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 81. ISBN 978-1-55783-671-7. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
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