Follow TV Tropes

Following

Creator / Cartoon Network

Go To

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cnlogo.png
Can't you get it through your thick skull? People LOVE cartoons!

Turner Broadcasting launched this cable channel on October 1, 1992note , after acquiring the extensive Hanna-Barbera animation library the year before (and even before this, Turner owned some animation, by way of the 1986 MGM/UA deal and his production of Captain Planet and the Planeteers). If the name didn't tip you off, Cartoon Network is a television channel primarily focused around animation, with the initial pitch for what started as the 24-hour animation station being predicated on this simple, yet undeniable fact: animation is for more than just children, meaning that there is an absolutely HUGE Periphery Demographic of adults that would watch cartoons at any hour of the day, right alongside any children that happen to be in the room.

The channel started off purely as a rerun station for the 8,500+ hours worth of animation in the Turner library, including newer Hanna-Barbera shows made for TBS and syndication that saw reruns here, before slowly developing its own original programming. The most notable of these early projects were the spoof talk show Space Ghost Coast to Coast and the animated anthology series What A Cartoon! Show a year later. The latter program would lead to the creation of various television series (originally known as Cartoon Cartoons) produced under a new H-B division called Cartoon Network Studios. In 2001, upon the death of H-B co-founder Bill Hanna, Warner Bros. took over the operations of Hanna-Barbera, while spinning off Cartoon Network Studios into a separate company under the Turner banner; CNS kept ownership of the programming it produced, while Warner Bros. seized control over Hanna-Barbera's "classic" properties.note 

Much of Cartoon Network's original programming has been critically praised, with most considering them to be superior to cartoons shown on broadcast networks, especially as more and more broadcast networks began abandoning their animated programming blocks outright. CN has and continues to push the envelope on what a kids' channel can show: over the years, it has aired several TV-14–rated animated films (such as the Hellboy series and Justice League: The New Frontier) and TV-PG series (like both Clone Wars series), resulting in that aforementioned huge Periphery Demographic. We'd be remiss not to show you this bumper featuring an excessive Cluster F-Bomb.

And this is all without delving into [adult swim], once a normal programming block created in 2001 to showcase adult animation that now controls the entirety of the network's watershed hours.note  Cartoon Network is also known among anime fans for Toonami, a block that's considered a key factor in increasing the popularity of Japanese animation in America during the turn of the millennia. There's also Boomerang, which became the de facto home for classic animation as the network's original programming lineup expanded.

Around the late-2000s, the network began to incorporate live action shows as it attempted to compete directly with Nickelodeon and the Disney Channel. The cancellation of a number of animated originals causing many former creators to leave, as well as that of Toonami, is blamed by the network's fans on this shifting focus. These efforts came to a head with the creation of the CN Real block, a block composed entirely of live-action programming. The block's negative reception and low ratings prompted its cancellation after less than a year, and by 2014, Cartoon Network would formally abandon live-action programming.note 

The New '10s saw an animation renaissance with the network premiering a large number of new animated series to cater to a variety of interests. The network would also experiment with new formats, from producing Mini Series such as Over the Garden Wall, and using New Media to incubate future shows, with programming like Mighty Magiswords and OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes both being launched as interactive content through their CN Anything app.

With regard to variety of interests, the channel took a subtle change in demographics from 2010-14, as TV-PG often became the default rating for their programming starting with Canadian imports 6teen and the Total Drama animated reality shows, and continuing with the originals Adventure Time and Regular Show. Since 2015, this output has become more balanced with more shows rated TV-Y7 being introduced.

A crossover Mascot Fighter called Cartoon Network: Punch Time Explosion was released in June 2011 on the Nintendo 3DS, and an Updated Re-release on PlayStation 3/Wii/Xbox 360 in November of the same year. The network also re-aired several of its classics in honor of its 20th birthday.

In 2019, as part of a major restructuring of the then-AT&T-owned WarnerMedia, Cartoon Network, along with its siblings, their consumer products and production divisions, and Turner Classic Movies, broke off from the former Turner Broadcasting division to have their operations taken over by Warner Bros.. Most of the shows produced by Cartoon Network Studios would become available on Hulu and HBO Max, with the studio also producing original content for the latter streaming service.

As part of this restructuring, Cartoon Network began to broaden their output, releasing shows for a younger audience through the Cartoonito initiative, a brand already used by Warner overseas for a number of TV channels and blocks. Plans to once again experiment with live-action programming for streaming services were scrapped when WarnerMedia merged with Discovery, Inc. in 2022 to form Warner Bros. Discovery. Under new ownership, Cartoon Network and Boomerang were moved into the purview of its Kids & Family networks section alongside Discovery Family; in addition, Cartoon Network Studios consolidated their development and production teams with Warner Bros. Animation and now functions as an imprint of the latter, focusing on the creation of new, original properties while WBA focuses on existing franchises such as Looney Tunes, DC Comics, Tom and Jerry, Scooby-Doo and classic Hanna-Barbera properties; as part of this merger, the Cartoon Network Studio building was closed in July 2023.


Note: The programs listed here represent the daytime CN linear channel both in the United States and internationally. For content involving the channel's sub-entities ([adult swim], Cartoonito, Boomerang, Toonami, Miguzi), see their respective pages.

Original Programming:

    open/close all folders 

    Original productions 
All works listed are animated TV series produced by Hanna-Barbera/Cartoon Network Studios, unless otherwise noted

    Upcoming productions 

Cartoon Network Studios

Foreign affiliated

    Specials, films, shorts, and notable pilots 

    Foreign-affiliate produced series/films and co-productions 
  • Fat Dog Mendoza (CN Europe; 1998-2001)note 
  • The Cramp Twins (CN Europe; 2001-2006)note 
  • Spaced Out (CN Europe; 2002-2005)note 
  • Youri The Spaceman (CN Europe, 2002)note 
  • IGPX: Immortal Grand Prix (CN US; 2003*; 2005-2006*)note 
  • Staraoke (CN Finland; 2003-2011 *; 2009 *) note 
  • The Adventures of Tenali Raman (CN India; 2003) note 
  • Santo vs The Clones (CN Latin America; 2004) note 
  • Jungle Tales (CN India; 2004) note 
  • Robotboy (CN Europe; 2005-2008)note 
  • Harry and His Bucket Full of Dinosaurs (CN US; 2005-2008)note 
  • The Amazing Adrenalini Brothers (CN UK; 2005-2007) note 
  • Gerald McBoing-Boing (CN US; 2005-2007) note 
  • Powerpuff Girls Z (CN Japan; 2006-2007)note 
  • Fantastic Four: World's Greatest Heroes (CN Europe; 2006-2007)note 
  • Skatoony (CN Europe and CN Arabic; 2006-2008)note 
  • Storm Hawks (CN US; 2007-2009)note 
  • George of the Jungle (CN US; 2007-2009)note 
  • My Spy Family (CN Europe; 2007-2010)note 
  • The New Adventures of Hanuman (CN India; 2007) note 
  • The Mr. Men Show (CN US; 2008-2009)note 
  • Chop Socky Chooks (CN Europe; 2008)note 
  • Crime Time (CN India; 2008)note 
  • Hero: 108 (CN Europe; 2010-2012)note 
  • Roll No. 21 (CN India; 2010-present) note 
  • La CQ (CN Latin America; 2012–14) note 
  • Exchange Student Zero (CN Australia; 2012*; 2015*)note 
  • Action Dad (CN Brazil; 2012) note 
  • Sons of Ram (CN India; 2012) note 
  • Chakra: The Invincible (CN India; 2013) note 
  • Mansour (CN Arabic; 2013) note 
  • Jorel's Brother (CN Latin America, 2014-present)note 
  • Monster Beach (CN Australia; 2014*; 2020*)note 
  • King Shakir (CN Turkey; 2016 - present) note 
  • Villainous (CN Latin America, 2017-present)note 
  • Oswaldo (CN Brazil; 2017-present)note 
  • Lamput (CN India; 2017-present)note 
  • The Heroic Quest of the Valiant Prince Ivandoe (CN Nordic; 2017-present)note 
  • Turma da Mônica Jovem (CN Brazil; 2019-present)note 
  • Frankelda's Book of Spooks (CN Latin America; 2021-present)note 
  • Mechamato (CN Asia, 2021-present)note 
  • Tom and Jerry (CN Japan; 2022-present).

    Licensed Video Games 

    Licensed Comics 

    Other original projects 
  • B. Happy: Part of a collection of Web Premiere Toons featured on Cartoon Network's website starting in 1999.
  • The Bob Clampett Show: a sort of spiritual successor to the below mentioned Tex Avery Show, a half hour block of cartoons by Warner Bros. animator Bob Clampett. Interstitials would narrate facts about the man and his work over a stop motion Clampett puppet drawing at his desk.
  • The Bremen Avenue Experience: One of several "Wedgies", which were shorts that were (wedged between programming from 2008 to 2010. BAE, produced by CN Europe, was one of the most popular of these.
  • Calling Cat 22!: One of several "Wedgies", which were shorts that were (wedged between programming from 2008 to 2010.
  • Cartoon Network Groovies: A collection of original music videos featuring Cartoon Network characters, from the older Looney Tunes and Hanna-Barbera characters to their original ones.
  • Cartoons That Never Made It: A series of one-minute shorts that aired in 1997 and revolved around fictional cartoons that flopped due to having laughably terrible premises, most of them involving a morbid joke or two.
  • The Intruder: A 2000 Toonami micro-series that served as a transition between the TOM 1 and TOM 2-eras of the block.
  • CN City: Cartoon Network's fourth on-air brand identity, utilized during the mid-2000s. Ad bumpers depicted characters from shows both past and present interacting in the titular city, which was a mash-up of the various settings of said shows.note 
  • Great Big Cartoony Club Show: Part of Web Premiere Toons.
  • Nacho Bear: One of several "Wedgies", which were shorts that were (wedged between programming from 2008 to 2010.
  • The Scooby-Doo Project: A series of shorts parodying The Blair Witch Project aired during a Scooby Doo marathon in October 1999 leading up to the premiere of Scooby-Doo! and the Witch's Ghost, with the shorts aired together as a special a month later.
  • Toon Heads: A documentary series on The Golden Age of Animation, with each episode airing shorts around a specific theme (like "the Stone Age before The Flintstones did it"). Would occasionally air rare and controversial shorts, such as a collection of World War II cartoons. The planned series finale was a special centered on 12 Bugs Bunny cartoons featuring the rabbit fighting antagonists that were racial caricatures, but it was ultimately pulled and shelved.
  • The Talented Mr. Bixby: One of several "Wedgies", which were shorts that were (wedged between programming from 2008 to 2010.
  • The Tex Avery Show: Similar to the Bob Clampett Show (and in fact, directly inspired it) a half hour block dedicated to the cartoons of animator Tex Avery, which includes historical facts about the man and his work as interstitials.
  • VBirds: A short-lived virtual animated band (think Gorillaz or Hatsune Miku) created by Cartoon Network UK in 2003.


Acquired programming:

    Warner Bros. 

    Hanna-Barbera/Ruby-Spears/MGM 

    Canadian productions 

    Japanese anime 
Asterisked shows [also] aired outside the Toonami and Midnight Run programming blocks

    Toy-Centric 

    Programming aired outside of the US 

    Cartoon Network's Cartoon Theatre 

    Others 


Other Cartoon Network Studios projects

    [adult swim]  
    Max 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cartoonnetworkstudios_2.png

Programming blocks that are airing or have aired on this network include:

  • [adult swim] (2001-present): Cartoon Network’s late night programming block specializing in adult animated comedies and, prior to 2012, seinen and shonen anime. Now considered to be a separate network for ratings purposes; eventually went from starting around midnight to being nearly half of the channel's schedule, having complete control over the channel's watershed hours.
  • The Acme Hour (1995-2003): An hour block (two hours on Saturday evenings) block featuring a mix of Warner Bros., MGM, and Fleischer shorts. Had bumpers showing a first-person POV of the viewer experiencing several wacky cartoon tropes, such as using invisible paint, drinking shrinking potion, falling off a cliff, getting an anvil dropped on his head, to name a few examples. The bumpers can be found here.
  • ACME Night (2021-present): A two/three hour block that airs on Sunday evenings dedicated to showing movies from Warner Bros and a few aquired programming from the Turner Networks. Despite it being targeted at families, they are allowed to push the envelope further than CN's regular daytime content, since many of the block's programs are rated TV-14.
  • Boomerang (1992-2004*; 2000-present*): A four-hour weekend programming block that later became a spin-off channel of its own once Cartoon Network began placing most of its focus on original content over its older animation library. Served as the cartoon equivalent of Turner Classic Movies (right down to lacking ads) until its 2014 revamp into a second animation-focused family network with its own original series. Outside the big mainstays like Tom and Jerry and Looney Tunes, the main channel no longer airs archival programming, with the role now being taken by both a subscription-based streaming service of the same name and HBO Max.
  • Cartoon Cartoon Fridays (1999-2007): A Friday night premiere block for Cartoon Cartoons, which was what Cartoon Network's original comedy programming was branded as at the time. The block would be hosted by one of the characters from one of their original shows, with short skits that occasionally formed a night-long storyline airing being shows. Later revamped with live-action hosts, simply called "Fridays", lasting from 2003 to 2007.
    • Fried Dynamite (2007-2008): A short-lived successor to Fridays. Ceased airing premieres with the introduction of Har Har Tharsdays.
  • Cartoon Planet (1995-1997; 2012-2014): Spin-off of Space Ghost Coast to Coast. A Saturday morning block wherein Space Ghost, Zorak, and Brak would showcase old cartoons and have small skits between them. Revived as a one-hour Friday night block in 2012, this time showcasing old Cartoon Network originals.
  • CN Real (2009-2010): A Reality Show block that served as the zenith of the network's live-action programming experiments. The backlash against this block was enormous, to the point where the tropes page for the block turned into such a massive complaining magnet, it was made a member of the Permanent Red Link Club and didn't come back for nearly a decade!
  • DC Nation (2012-2014): An hour-long Saturday-Morning Cartoon block featuring animated content, from full-length action/adventure series to more comedic shorts, about characters from the DC Comics universe.
  • Late Night Black And White (1993-2002): A showcase of monochromatic cartoons from the Turner library, including material from Harman and Ising, Max and Dave Fleischer, Walter Lantz, and Looney Tunes. Briefly aired on Boomerang in the mid-2000s.
  • Miguzi (2004-2007): An afternoon action animation block that served as a Lighter and Softer successor to the Toonami block listed below, which had been reconfigured into a Saturday night block at that point.
  • JBVO (2000-2001): A call-in/request segment hosted by Johnny Bravo. Johnny would also showcase viewer submitted content such as letters and fan art.
  • Oh Canada (1997-2002): A late-night animated anthology series showcasing shorts commissioned for the National Film Board of Canada.
  • Saturday Video Entertainment System (2003-2004): A video game-themed action animation block that aired on Saturday nights prior to Toonami's move to the timeslot.
  • Super Chunk (1994-2001; 2009): A three-hour marathon block that aired Saturday afternoons. The cartoons chosen were usually Cartoon Network's original programming, but there were times where classic cartoon shorts and half-hour TV shows were picked.
  • Toonami (1997-2008; 2012-present*): Cartoon Network's premiere action animation block, with a focus on Japanese anime, that aired on weekday afternoons and, later, Saturday nights. Initially ending in 2008, it would be revived as a Saturday night adult-oriented anime/action cartoon block within the larger [adult swim] programming block in 2012.
  • Tickle U (2005-2007): A weekday morning preschool block that aired lighter fare such as Yoko, Jakamoto, Toto, Harry and his Bucket Full of Dinosaurs, a Gerald Mc Boing Boing series, and Krypto the Superdog, among others. Briefly aired on Boomerang as a special presentation in 2005.
  • Har Har Tharsdays (2007-2010): A Thursday night block devoted to Cartoon Network's comedy programming, succeeding Fridays. Effectively ended in 2010, as the channel began airing premieres on various days of the week.
  • You Are Here (2008-2010): A Friday night block devoted to Cartoon Network's action programming, succeeding Toonami.
  • Cartoonito (2021-): A preschool block which debuted in September 2021.
  • AKA Cartoon Network/AKA Cult Toons (1999-2000): Only aired in the United Kingdom, a two hour block from 7 PM to 9 PM that featured remixed and re-edited Hanna-Barbera cartoons from 1960s and 1970s, akin to a pre-video streaming capable internet YouTube Poop. Also featured reruns of shows such as Space Ghost Coast to Coast, Tom and Jerry, and other Cartoon Network shows and licenced media. Hosted by an officially-recolored black Dexter from Dexter's Laboratory with a new voice actor.



 
Feedback

Video Example(s):

Top

Scrappy-Doo

While the Cartoon Cartoons are going to work, Scrappy-Doo laments how he's never given respect for keeping the cartoon industry fresh. While people like Buck Tuddrussel and Eustace like him fine enough, others either don't respect him or don't know who he is, leading Scrappy to have a complete mental breakdown.

How well does it match the trope?

5 (13 votes)

Example of:

Main / DudeWheresMyRespect

Media sources:

Report