Cartoon Cartoons
Cartoon Network's original series brand from 1997 to 2004.
Cartoon Cartoons was the label Cartoon Network gave to its original shows from 1997 to 2004, mostly made by Hanna-Barbera and later Cartoon Network Studios. The name came from Fred Seibert's pilot showcase What a Cartoon! (1995). The first series, Dexter's Laboratory, aired in 1996, a year before the label was introduced. Other shows included Johnny Bravo, Cow and Chicken, The Powerpuff Girls, and Ed, Edd n Eddy. The label was dropped in 2004, but reruns aired on blocks like The Cartoon Cartoon Show. In 2021, the name returned for a YouTube shorts program.
Quick Facts
- Creator
- Cartoon Network Studios
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
- Episodes
- 30
- Executive producers
- Pete Browngardt
- Aminder Dhaliwal
- Katie Rice
- Nick Jennings
- Sam Register
- Producer
- Scott Malchus
- Runtime
- 2-11 minutes
- Network
- YouTube
Facts from the source article.
History
The Cartoon Cartoons began as short films on the 1995 series What a Cartoon!, originally titled World Premiere Toons. Hanna-Barbera and Cartoon Network Studios produced the show under Fred Seibert, who had previously helped create Nicktoons at Nickelodeon. Using What a Cartoon!, Cartoon Network tested which shorts could become full series and made deals with their creators. A 1995 vote declared Dexter's Laboratory the most popular short, leading to its own series in 1996. In 1997, Dexter was retroactively called the first Cartoon Cartoon, though earlier original shows like The Moxy Show and Space Ghost Coast to Coast never received that label. The Cartoon Cartoon brand debuted in July 1997 with the Cartoon Cartoon Weekend block. That same year, two more shorts became series: Johnny Bravo and Cow and Chicken. I Am Weasel, originally part of Cow and Chicken, got its own show in 1999. The Powerpuff Girls followed in late 1998, and Ed, Edd n Eddy in early 1999. Mike, Lu & Og and Courage the Cowardly Dog premiered in November 1999. From 1999 to 2003, Cartoon Cartoon Fridays served as the network's main night for new episodes and series premieres. Time Squad and Grim & Evil arrived in 2001. Codename: Kids Next Door became a series in 2002 after winning the previous year's Big Pick Weekend. In 2003, Grim & Evil split into The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy and Evil Con Carne, the last shows to officially carry the Cartoon Cartoon name before it ended. The Cartoon Cartoons aimed to attract a broader audience than typical Saturday-morning cartoons. Linda Simensky, vice president of original animation, reminded adults and teenage girls that these shows could appeal to them. According to Kevin Sandler, the Cartoon Cartoons were less bawdy than Comedy Central's offerings and less socially responsible than Nickelodeon's, with a focus on whimsical rebellion, heavy exaggeration, and self-awareness.
Promotions
In June 1999, Cartoon Network kicked off a push for its Cartoon Cartoons shows, aiming to boost ratings for the new Friday-night block Cartoon Cartoon Fridays, which was made for kids ages 6 to 11. The campaign brought in partners like General Mills, Hasbro, and Pepperidge Farm, plus an on-air sweepstakes and a live tour hitting 11 markets. Ads ran on TV, radio, online, in movie theaters, at Six Flags parks, and on billboards, all using the slogan "You with us?" The next year, the network rolled out the Cartoon Cartoon Friday Tour 2000, a live event that lasted 10 weeks and visited 13 cities. It cost about $25 million and drew a total audience of 16.2 million. Hi-C from Coca-Cola sponsored it, and it was put together with help from several cable companies. Earlier, in March 2000, Cartoon Network aired a commercial on other channels, even rival Nickelodeon, where Cartoon Cartoons characters urged viewers to switch over to Cartoon Cartoon Fridays. The ad used an orange background, Nickelodeon's signature color. Time Warner City Cable pulled it from local New York stations because they felt it wasn't suitable for children.
In other media
DC Comics published a Cartoon Cartoons anthology comic, which ran for 33 issues from March 2001 to October 2004. In the OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes episode "Crossover Nexus," the Cartoon Cartoon logo appears on a wall inside the Cartoon Network headquarters, and the Cartoon Cartoon jingle, composed by Stephen Mank of Atlanta-based Primal Screen, plays when Ben Tennyson transforms into various Cartoon Network characters. In August 2024, Cartoon Cartoons returned as a YouTube channel featuring older Cartoon Network shows, replacing the channel for the now-defunct Boomerang streaming service, which shut down on September 30.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did Cartoon Cartoons first air?
Cartoon Cartoons first aired on 26 January 2026.
When did Cartoon Cartoons end?
Cartoon Cartoons last aired on 17 August 2026.
More in Television Series by Cartoon Network Studios
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