Cartoon Networkedit
From Cartoon Network Wiki - The TOONS Wiki
|
This is about the United States channel, for other channels worldwide see Cartoon Network (Worldwide)
Cartoon Network is a cable television network created by Turner Broadcasting which primarily shows animated programming. The original American channel began broadcasting May 28th in 1982 with the Bugs Bunny short Rhapsody Rabbit being its first-ever aired program.[1] Cartoon Network originally served as a 24-hour outlet for classic animation properties from the Turner Broadcasting libraries. Cartoon Network is mainly youth-oriented, but shares channel space with a late-night adult-oriented channel skein called Adult Swim, helping to boost being popular with kids and adults. In recent years, Cartoon Network began airing more live-action programming, mainly being movies.
In 2008, Cartoon Network made a music video stating that comedies are the heart of the network and action is the soul of the network. Cartoon Network West was also introduced in 2008, three hours behind regular networks.
Contents |
[edit] History
[edit] Late 1970s-1990s: Early developments and the launch
By the end of the 1970s, Ted Turner's cable-TV conglomerate had acquired the MGM film library (which included the older catalog of pre-1948 color Warner Bros. cartoons), and its cable channel Turner Network Television had gained an audience with its film library.
In 1980, it purchased animation studio Hanna-Barbera Productions and acquired its large library as well as most of the Ruby-Spears library.
By May 28, 1982, Cartoon Network was created as an outlet for Turner's considerable library of animation, and the initial programming on the channel consisted exclusively of reruns of classic Warner Bros. (like Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies), MGM (like Tom and Jerry and Droopy Dog), and Hanna-Barbera cartoons (like The Jetsons and The Flintstones), with many Hanna-Barbera TV cartoons like Wally Gator used as time fillers.
Since its launch, the channel has always been broadcasting 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.
The network's first theme was the Colorful Space theme with bumpers involving the Cartoon Network's first logo, cartoon characters, and the show's logo. The Colorful Space theme lasted until Cartoon Network received its makeover on October 1, 1992.
The network's second theme was the Checkerboard theme with bumpers involving the Cartoon Network's first logo, cartoon characters, and the show's logo. The Checkerboard theme lasted until Cartoon Network received its makeover on July 17, 1997.
Most of the short cartoons were aired in half-hour or hour-long packages, usually separated by character or studio—Down With Droopy D aired old Droopy Dog shorts, The Tom and Jerry Show presented the classic cat-and-mouse team, and Bugs and Daffy Tonight provided classic Looney Tunes shorts. The majority of the classic animation that was shown on Cartoon Network no longer airs, with the exception of A Pup Named Scooby-Doo, Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!, The New Scooby-Doo Movies and Tom and Jerry. This was the Platinum Era.
[edit] Original series and the Time Warner acquisition
The network's first original series, Space Ghost: Coast to Coast and The Moxy Show were created in 1994. Hanna-Barbera started production on The What-A-Cartoon! Show (also known as World-Premiere Toons and "The Cartoon Cartoon Show"), a series of creator-driven short cartoons that premiered on Cartoon Network in 1995. It was the network's third original series (the second was Space Ghost Coast to Coast with moltar later becoming the toonami host and the first was The Moxy Show). The project was spearheaded by several Cartoon Network executives, plus Fred Seibert (who was formerly one of the driving forces behind the Nicktoons, and would go on to produce the similar animation anthology series Oh, Yeah! Cartoons). The chief purpose of The What A Cartoon Show was to help Cartoon Network expand their library of exclusive programming and it introduced a number of new cartoon ideas. Only seven of them, however, were spun off into their own series runs. These eight series, Dexter's Laboratory, Johnny Bravo, Cow and Chicken, I Am Weasel, The Powerpuff Girls , Courage the Cowardly Dog, and Mike, Lu & Og became the origins of the network's original cartoons which were collectively known as Cartoon Cartoons. But the channel later dropped this name for their cartoons after 2003. At 2003, Cartoon Network had a new block called Fridays.
This was the time on Cartoon Network when it was in its Golden Age. Toonami was introduced in 1997, bringing Saturday night ratings higher than before and Cartoon Cartoons were doing well. In 1996, the merger of Turner with Time Warner was complete. This consolidated ownership of all the WB cartoons, so now post-1948 and the former Sunset-owned cartoons (which WB reacquired in the 1960's) were being shown on the network, leading up to a 2000 announcement that Cartoon Network would be the exclusive TV home of the classic Warner Bros. animated library. Newer animated productions by WB also started appearing on the network - mostly reruns of shows that had aired on Kids' WB, plus certain new programs such as Justice League.
Cartoon Network's programming would not be available in Canada until 1997, when a Canadian specialty network Teletoon (and its French language counterpart) was launched.
Cartoon Network underwent its makeover on July 17, 1997, launching the Powerhouse theme that was used from July 17, 1997 until June 14, 2004. The Powerhouse theme had bumpers involving characters from a Hanna-Barbera cartoon, a Cartoon Cartoon, or just objects and places with the Cartoon Network's Checkerboard logo at that time, or the word NEXT and the Checkerboard logo.
[edit] 2000s: Making way for new series
On June 14, 2004, Cartoon Network relaunched itself with a new logo and slogan, “This is Cartoon Network.” The first program ever aired on the relaunched Cartoon Network was Rescue Heroes. The bumps now featured 2D cartoon characters from their shows interacting in a CGI City composed of sets from their shows. They were created by Animal Logic.
By now, nearly all of Cartoon Network's classic cartoon programming had been replaced by new programming, with the exception of a select few, such as Tom and Jerry, a longtime staple of the Turner networks. Within the next year, the network took off more shows from the 1990s (Dexter's Laboratory, The Powerpuff Girls etc.) and put them on a 30 minute block called The Cartoon Cartoon Show. Some shows like Time Squad, Mike, Lu & Og, I Am Weasel and Sheep in the Big City were taken off the network completely. Some shows started to air on Boomerang this year. The shows were Classics. Mike, Lu & Og is one of the shows that currently airs in Boomerang.
Since the City Era was introduced and The New Cartoon Network, this year was one of the final years of Cartoon Network's Golden Age.
[edit] Summer Promotion
With the City look still going on, Cartoon network launched Cartoon Network Summer for this summer only where new episodes of old shows and premieres of new shows including Camp Lazlo and The Life and Times of Juniper Lee. In Fall 2005, there were many new things to the network including The Life and Times of Juniper Lee, Camp Lazlo, and Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi. On Christmas premieres of new shows started to air including Ben 10, and My Gym Partner's a Monkey! During 2005, Lumpus and Slinkman (Camp Lazlo) hosted a block at Summer 05' called Cabin Fever 10am-4pm.
This was the last year of the City Era and the first of CN's new "silver age".
[edit] Refurbishing
In the summer of 2006, Cartoon Network's slogan was a simplistic “Cartoon Network - Yes!,” as spoken by Fred Fredburger, a character on The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy. The network also used bumps featuring the cast of Camp Lazlo as stick puppets and characters in front of a red background. The Golden Era ended by that time.
The new campaign featured three different styles of bumps. The first style is "Lunchbox of Doom", featuring an assortment of show clips inside a CGI gothic lunchbox, a reference to an episode of The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy. The second is "VS.", comparing two cartoon characters. The last style is a reprise of the CGI City look, using flat, dark colors.
As of 2007, Cartoon Network retained the image campaign that began in 2006, although a slightly refreshed version of the theme is currently in use.[3] On October 15, 2007, the channel began broadcasting in 1080i High Definition.[4]
Starting in Fall of 2007, the network look was revamped, and bumpers and station identification were themed to The Hives song "Fall is Just Something That Grown-Ups Invented", and aired for several months past fall, leading into July 2008, when it got replaced. It has seemed to still be aired during the summer,okvhgcanyone singing. Another bumper named "Ridiculously Short Cartoons" aired excerpts from shows on Cartoon Network, also airing until May 2008.
Starting September 14, 2007, the first live action Cartoon Network Studios show, Out of Jimmy's Head started to air. In May 2008, the show left the network and the character sneak peek was still on Cartoon Network Video until Summer 2008 when the show was deleted from the Video list.
Live action started to air a lot of movies and shows.And the best show Naruto.
[edit] A new direction
About a third of their Cartoon Network Studio shows were cancelled during this year. Cartoon Network's current slogan was "Funny For Your Face". When the new year started, Cartoon Network started using some of the shows that currently aired on Teletoon. Johnny Test was added in January 2008, George of the Jungle was also added in January 2008, Bakugan Battle Brawlers was added in Febuarary 2008, Chop Socky Chooks was added in March 2008, Total Drama Island was added in June 2008 and 6Teen was added in November 2008.
Cartoon Network announced at it's 2008 Upfront that it is working on a new project called "Cartoonstitute", which is headed by animators Craig McCracken (as executive producer) and Rob Renzetti (as supervising producer). Both report to Rob Scorcher, who created the idea. The program will work in a way similar to What A Cartoon!, by creating at least 150 pieces of animation within 20 months.[5]
Since April 2008, Cartoon Network has played a 1 minute sign-off bumper, depicting a child's daily activities from sunrise to nighttime. In the end, it reads "Good Night. See you tomorrow!" before the Adult Swim program block began. It was their first sign-off bumper after 7 years of showing such a nightly block.
Ever since May 25, Cartoon Network has been airing a series of shorts called "Wedgies". Its name comes from the Wedge, a tool for splitting wood. The shorts, "Wedgies", is used on Cartoon Network to fill in spots between two programs. Brand new "Wedgies" are usually shown on Sunday marathons that shows programming with a common link. The "Wedgies" also have to fit the common link (e.g. Wedgies featuring babies must show during a marathon about babies. Wedgies featuring nachos must show during a marathon with nachos).
[edit] Changes in store
Starting July 14, 2008, instead of the Fall is Just Something That Grown-Ups Invented song, it airs little creatures called Noods which are most of the time white until they either change colors or change to, and hereby take the personalities of, Cartoon Network main characters or other characters. Also, they have been characters in the Supermarket with food. For example, Chowder behind eaten fruits. Nood looks were so popular that Cartoon Network made Seasonal Noods for the Holidays of the Year including Halloween and Winter. The Logo has also changed a bit. A Marathon means a new color logo and the Holidays has an ice logo. It changed in almost each program that airs. Many pages of the Cartoon Network website was changed to a nood background. The pages include Games, Shows and Front Page.
On September 20, 2008 Toonami ended and gave its Saturday night time slot to Action Flicks, showing animated action movies. In mid 2008, Movie Madness was changed into The Flicks. The Flicks airs each Sunday night premieres of worldwide movies or network movies. Pretty much, Cartoon Network stopped airing shows before 2007, since most of them were cancelled. Some weren't cancelled but aired on CN Video, in their Cartoon Network website or iTunes. 2008 also brought the return of the show, ¡Mucha Lucha! and also had many airings of the popular show, Johnny Test.
Programming blocks also changed. New episodes of Comedies moved to Thursdays because on Fridays, You Are Here, a new Action block started to air replacing Fried Dynamite's reruns of the Flicks movies. You Are Here is an action block. On Mondays to Wednesdays, evening includes a remix of shows including comedies and non-comedies (sometimes movies). Thursdays are new episodes of comedies as for Fridays are new episodes of action shows. Saturdays include action movies and Sundays are Premieres of movies.
Cartoon Network had another live action movie year. Plus, the network got all their pre-2007 shows pretty much out of their network. Ed, Edd n Eddy still airs, which makes it the only Cartoon Cartoon that is currently airing on the channel.
[edit] Present
[edit] Another Chance
Cartoon Network started 2009 with a Looney Tunes marathon. Apparently, Looney Tunes didn't make it on a regular spot. The Powerpuff Girls had a marathon to honor its tenth birthday which also premiered The Powerpuff Girls Rule! special. The marathon did bring in more viewers then normal and was overall successful. [6]
Low airings of Skunk Fu! brought the end of the show for the network since it wasn't seen starting March 2009. Chop Socky Chooks left the network again, Ed, Edd n Eddy returned, Squirrel Boy returned, Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends returned and The League of Super Evil premiered. The Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends series finale aired on May 3, 2009 airing the last five episodes in a marathon from 1PM-7PM mixing up new episodes and older, popular episodes. Squirrel Boy later had a big marathon called the Squirrel Boy Squirrel Bash!
On June 11, the sequel to Total Drama Island, Total Drama Action premiered.
On June 17, Cartoon Network had hosted reality shows for a block called CN Real.
On August 17, Cartoon Network brought back the Super Chunk block. The Super Chunk block currently is inactive.
On September 8, Krypto the Super-dog and Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends reruns returned to Cartoon Network, airing weekdays at 11:30AM and 1:00PM.
[edit] Cartoon Network Looks
Here is a list of Cartoon Network Looks.
- Noods (July 14, 2008-present)
- Fall (September 1, 2007-July 14, 2008)
- Yes! (Summer 2006-September 1, 2007)
- City (June 14, 2004-Summer 2006)
- Powerhouse (July 17, 1997-June 14, 2004)
- Checkerboard (October 1, 1992-July 17, 1997)
- Colorful Space (May 28, 1982-October 1, 1992)
[edit] Programs
- Main article: List of programs broadcast by Cartoon Network.
[edit] Current programming blocks
[edit] CN Real
CN Real is a programing block with live-action reality programing wich started out airing Wensdays and Saturdays June 17, 2009. The block, which at the launched of "Real" was split into one hour each between the two nights, features the programs The Othersiders, Survive This, Brain Rush , and Destroy Build Destroy. On August 19, 2009, BrainRu$h and Destroy Build Destroy were removed on the block and were replaced with 2 new shows, Bobb'e Says and Dude, What Would Happen?.
[edit] Har Har Thursdays
Har Har Thursdays is a block of programming on Cartoon Network that started airing June 5, 2008. The block airs comedy series such as Chowder, The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack , Stoked (TV series), Total Drama Action, and 6teen. The block sometimes changes its name to commemorate certain events, like "Star Star Starsdays" (in honor of the pemiere of Star Wars: The Clone Wars) "Heart Heart Theartsdays" (for Valentine's Day) or "Scare Scare Scaredays" (for Halloween).
[edit] Saturday CrushZone
Saturday CrushZone is a Saturday moring action block that shows The Secret Saturdays, Ben 10: Alien Force, Pokemon, Bakugan, Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's, and Chaotic.
[edit] Super Chunk
Super Chunk is a marathon block on Cartoon Network that first aired from 1982-2001, then started airing again on August 17, 2009. This block is dedicated to airing three-hour marathons of shows from its library of programming, mostly classic shorts and older Hanna-Barbera shows. It once had a short-lived revamp, but was replaced by Cartoon Olio. Then, after an almost eight-year hiatus, Cartoon Network brought the block back again, yet again revamped with a giant Nood in the forest with the words Super Chunk painted in the sky. Currently, the block is inactive.
[edit] Total Drama Tuesdays
Total Drama Tuesdays is a Tuesday night block that shows Total Drama Island, Total Drama Action, Stoked (TV series), and 6teen. Usually it will show the newest episodes of Total Drama Action, Stoked, and 6teen.
[edit] Cartoon Network's The Flicks
The Flicks is a movie block on Cartoon Network that started in Summer 2008. The Flick's replaced Cartoon Network's Cartoon Theatre. The block shows animated feature flims, made-for-TV movies, and flims made for Cartoon Network.
[edit] You Are Here
You Are Here is a friday night action/adventure block that premiered on October 3, 2008, temporarily taken of the air on June 26, 2009, and brought back in September 2009, which airs between 8PM and 10PM as other blocks do. The block includes shows like Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and Ben 10: Alien Force. The block is hosted by a golden Nood with a crown, which might be a king. It is commonly known as You Are Here or 2nd Pulse, but the Limited moniker was added with a blue color scheme on May 16, 2009.
[edit] Past programming blocks
[edit] Cartoon Cartoons
Cartoon Cartoons, a series of comedic animated shorts produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions guided by Fred Seibert, who founded the Nickelodeon-based Frederator Studios years later. Originally known as "World Premiere Toons," the shorts were essentially series pilots — the idea was to measure audience response and turn the most popular shorts into series. Only a small handful of the shorts ever made series, however. The first short to air was "The Powerpuff Girls Meat Fuzzy Lumpkins," but it would be three years before the Girls got their own series. This show also aired the cartoon "Larry and Steve", which was the prototype of the hit show Family Guy. The first series to spin off from What-a-Cartoon! was Dexter's Laboratory in 1996. A year later, Johnny Bravo and Cow and Chicken joined Dexter on the Cartoon Network lineup. The Powerpuff Girls became a Cartoon Cartoons series in 1998. I Am Weasel came later, in 1997 as the first Cartoon Cartoons series not to be introduced in a What-A-Cartoon! short.
More shows premiered bearing the Cartoon Cartoons moniker, airing throughout the network's schedule and prominently on Cartoon Cartoon Fridays, which became the marquee night for premieres of new episodes and new shows. For three years during Summer, Cartoon Network actually let fans pick which of that year's crop of Cartoon Cartoon shorts made series, by staging a vote where fans could choose from among the three most popular entries. The first short to be voted into a series was The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy (originally known as Grim & Evil) in 2000, and a year later Codename: Kids Next Door was voted in 2001. Both have gone on to become two of Cartoon Network's longest-running series. Megas XLR was voted in the year later and ran its own series as well, along with Whatever Happened To Robot Jones? in 2002, which didn't receive popular vote but became a series sometime later. Both of which, however, were short-lived.
As of September, 2008, the name was primarily used for The Cartoon Cartoon Show, an hour-long program featuring episodes of older Cartoon Cartoons that are no longer shown regularly on the network.
[edit] Fried Dynamite
Fried Dynamite started on August 31, 2007 on Cartoon Network. Fried Dynamite was the block Friday-Saturday block of cartoon shows, hosted by Blake Michael, which aired on every Friday night from 7pm-11pm and Saturday morning from 9am-11am. On October 3, 2008 Fried Dynamite ended in the wake of the new block, You Are Here.
[edit] Action programming blocks
Cartoon Network had a long history of action programming blocks. One of the first blocks the network aired was Super Adventures.
From 1982 until 1995, Super Adventures aired action-oriented Hanna-Barbera/Ruby Spears cartoons shows from 1960's to the 1980's.
In 1995, Super Adventures was replaced by Afternoon Adventures wich aired action cartoons such as James Bond Jr., Johnny Quest, Captain Planet, and Swat Kats just to name a few.
A new block called The Power Zone also debuted in 1995 which aired action-oriented cartoons from the former Super Adventures staple and took in place of Afternoon Adventures in 1996.
The Power Zone ended unexpectedly in the Fall of 1996 after which there was no permanent action programming block until the debut of Toonami on March 17, 1997.
[edit] Toonami
Toonami ran from March 17, 1997 through September 20, 2008, making it the longest-running block in Cartoon Network's history.
[edit] Fridays
Cartoon Cartoon Fridays, was launched on April 30, 1999 and last aired on May 2, 2003. Cartoon Cartoon Fridays was the Friday night version of "Cartoon Cartoons". This program block on Cartoon Network that showcased the channel's original cartoon series, with new episode premieres usually taking place in this block. The block was "hosted" by cartoon characters that were part of Cartoon Cartoons shows (Usually along with new episodes of their respective shows airing on their corresponding night). The block aired between 7 p.m.-5 a.m., with the shows and segments repeating at least twice.
Cartoon Cartoon Fridays was replaced with Summer Fridays. Unlike CCF, this block not only aired new episodes of original series, but unoriginal series too. Nobody hosted the block.
Later that year, Summer Fridays was replaced with Fridays. This block also aired new episodes of original and unoriginal series. It was hosted by Tommy Snider and Nzinga Blake. Later, Nzinga Blake was replaced with Tara Sanders.
On February 23, 2007, Cartoon Network aired the last Fridays before being replaced with Fried Dynamite.
It is the second longest-running block in Cartoon Network's history.
[edit] Funny For Your Face
Funny For Your Face was a block on Cartoon Network that replaced Master Control when it ended in November 2007. It started out when Johnny Test was introduced to Cartoon Network. Funny for Your Face was cancelled in late June 2008. This block showed comedies such as Camp Lazlo, What's New Scooby Doo, Johnny Test and Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends starting at 4:00PM.
[edit] Footprints
- ↑ Rhapsody Rabbit (1946)
- ↑ Cartoon Network's 10th anniversary
- ↑ Cartoon Network
- ↑ TVWeek.com
- ↑ Template:Cite news
- ↑ [1]
