ToonHeads
Classic cartoon shorts with trivia and historical context.
ToonHeads is an American animation anthology series that aired on Cartoon Network from 1992 to 2003, featuring classic cartoon shorts from studios such as Hanna-Barbera, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Warner Bros., and Popeye, accompanied by background information and trivia about animators and voice actors. The series was first announced during the Cartoon Network special "Droopy's Guide to the Cartoon Network," which aired on the channel's launch day. It includes over 102 episodes, many undocumented, along with five specials.
Quick Facts
- Narrator
- George A. Klein (1992–95)
- Don Kennedy (1995–98)
- Leslie Fram (1998–2003)
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
- Seasons
- 8
- Episodes
- 102
- Producer
- Andy Merrill; George A. Klein
- Runtime
- 15–60 minutes
- Company
- Cartoon Network Productions
Facts from the source article.
Format
Early seasons featured an announcer stating each episode's theme and three cartoons to be showcased. The first format change occurred in late 1995 when Don Kennedy was added as narrator, providing history and facts about each cartoon; he also narrated on The Tex Avery Show around that time. A second format change came in 1998 when George A. Klein took over as producer and writer, aiming to create a "Ken Burns"-style weekly documentary on specific cartoon history. These themed episodes focused on directors, characters, or themes, such as cartoons lampooning Hollywood, interrupted sleep, sports, obscure Warner Bros. works, and plagiarism allegations between The Cat Concerto and Rhapsody Rabbit. Trivia questions were added, and from 1998 to 2003, Leslie Fram narrated final tracks while Klein narrated rough-cut scratch tracks.
Episodes
ToonHeads is notable for airing rarely seen cartoons, including those in "The Wartime Cartoons" special, "The Lost Cartoons" special, and a January 1996 series featuring the long-unseen Nudnik shorts. A special titled "A Night of Independent Animation" aired on October 20, 1996, showcasing independent student films such as Another Bad Day for Philip Jenkins by Mo Willems and The Wire by Aaron Augenblick. In August 2022, the two unaired episodes "The Best of the Worst Cartoons Ever" and "The Twelve Missing Hares" were found preserved on tape by episode writer Jerry Beck and made available through a media loan by Jerico Dvorak.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes of ToonHeads are there?
ToonHeads has 102 episodes across 8 seasons.
When did ToonHeads end?
ToonHeads last aired on 23 November 2003.
More in 2000s American Anthology Television Series
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced