30 years ago this month, Cartoon Network celebrated a big anniversary.....30 years. It was launched due to Turner's acquisition of Hanna-Barbera, not just the old library, but the studio itself, which meant that new content could be made for Turner. With all of those resources as well as Turner owned cartoons prior to Hanna-Barbera (MGM, pre-1948 Warner Bros. Cartoons, and the theatrical Popeye cartoons), it was enough to launch an all cartoon channel.
Now Cartoon Network has fully acknowledged the big anniversary with many tributes, look backs, and other cool stuff. Some of it, I do fear, is to convince their new owners, Discovery, that they are relevant. If you have been reading the news, you know what I'm talking about. Many animated shows are being canceled and deleted off of HBO Max. These shows include Infinity Train, OK KO, and more recently Final Space. And in the case of Final Space, all copies are being destroyed. Now I have heard conflicting information about Discovery that they care about Warner Bros and its library, and maybe these shows were not that good to keep around, but these are someone's work. Animators, writers, directors, and voice actors all worked on paid time to create these works, so to just throw them away as tax write offs, that's not good business practice. So perhaps the celebration is more to scream "we are the network of the best shows, please don't delete our shows." Or maybe they are being legit about celebrating their anniversary.
Regardless, they are doing a great job; I was able to look back on some memories that I had from so long ago. While they and other people have been celebrating really well, here is my perspective on Cartoon Network's 30th.
Let me throw my bias out there: 1998-2004 were the best years of Cartoon Network. Period, the end. Now I know Dexter and Johnny Bravo came before then, but new episodes and reruns were still very constant at that time. So why 1998? That was the Powerhouse era, where a true balance between new, contemporary, classic, and weird. Coming out of that era were Powerpuff Girls, Ed Edd n Eddy, Courage the Cowardly Dog, The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, and Codename: Kids Next Door. During the Checkerboard era, the What a Cartoon Show was the biggest new show with many different shows from different creators. This is where Dexter's Lab, Johnny Bravo, Courage the Cowardly Dog, and Powerpuff Girls came from. All would get full series. Here are my top moments from Cartoon Network's history:
1. the launch
At Turner, Ted Turner launched Cartoon Network with smiling Hanna-Barbera characters standing by his side as he pushed the plunger exploding the future to come for animation. On the network itself, Droopy's Guide to the Cartoon Network was the very first show at launch, and within that show aired its first cartoon.....Rhapsody Rabbit. It was the Vid-Y-Oh for kids master, but it was still the very first cartoon to air on Cartoon Network.
2. Bugs and Daffy Tonight
Now, imagine seeing Looney Tunes in prime time where they belong, something that hasn't happened since the 60's. Well, that's exactly what happened in 1992 at launch. An hour and a half of the AAP pre-48 cartoons. This was the place to be for this content in 1992 and lasted until 1995 when it was rebranded as Bugs and Daffy.
3. What a Cartoon Show
I pretty much already cover this, but this is where we were first introduced to series and characters that would be a part of the brand for many years. Dexter had many episodes from the series, Powerpuff Girls had a couple, and Courage would actually get nominated for an Academy Award that year. While most would come from Hanna-Barbera, some such as Courage would come from other studios as well. This allowed a variety of art styles similar to Nickelodeon. That would be the competing strategy.
4. Dexter's Laboratory
This is one of my favorite Cartoon Network shows. I really loved the antics between Dee-Dee and Dexter. Dexter being the smartest boy on the planet, but meh.....not so much street smarts, while his oldest sister Dee-Dee always interfering with Dexter's work in his secret lab just to have some fun with Dexter, a word that's not in Dexter's vocabulary. The original era with Genndy Tartakosky at the wheel being the creator was the best era, but looking back at the later era, despite all the changes, it wasn't too bad either. The characters were still well designed. Dexter was the first merchandisable series for Cartoon Network, but it would be shadowed over with Powerpuff Girls.
5. Toonami
As a kid, I never watched that much, but looking back, this was the introduction to many of anime. Sailor Moon was rescued and new episodes newly dubbed would debut there. The Dragonball franchise would also take off here in America because of Toonami. And many more shows would follow over the years now airing on adult swim. Shows like Inuyasha, Kill la Kill, Akame ga Kill, and My Hero Academia have all aired there, many continue to air to this day.
6. The Powerpuff Girls
I was a fan of The Powerpuff Girls because it was a fun show with some great action to compliment it. This was Cartoon Network's biggest hit at the time and it is still fondly remembered. It since had many reboots including an anime version which was....weird. But the original series was the best, no question about it. Girls merchandise of Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup were through the roof. And I also enjoyed the movie. Here's hoping for a bright future with these girls.
7. Toonheads
This show educated you on the history of animation usually set to a theme just like today with Me TV's Toon In With Me. I have stated my love of Toonheads in prior posts, but this was the show that got me into animation history. Topics include Before They Were Stars, Norman McCabe, early works episode, and the Three Faces of Tom and Jerry. Some of these cartoons were exclusive to Toonheads only, so these were must watch and must record.
8. Ed Edd n Eddy
Ah my favorite Cartoon Network series. I have expressed my love of the show on other posts, but this show was awesome. No other show makes me laugh the same way as the Eds did. With its unique art style, memorable characters, and fun stories, this series lasted a very long time ending in the late 2000's.
9. Courage the Cowardly Dog
Now, you want to talk about a series that was closest to the Warner Bros. Cartoons, look no further than Courage even though the premise was different: a dog living with an elderly couple who is a scaredy cat, but always would save Eustace and Murial from any creepy danger from curses (Return the Slab......."What's yer offer?!"), ghouls, ghosts, zombies, and other strange creatures they embark.
10. Cartoon Cartoon Fridays
Every Friday night, this was appointment television as the latest episodes of Cartoon Network originals would air during that time. Once in a great while, so would Cartoon Cartoon Weekends, where fans could vote what series should be picked up next. This is where we got The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy and Codename: Kids Next Door. Both shows are honorable mentions as I don't have the room to mention everything, but this should be a nice way to pay tribute to these two shows at the moment.
11. The Popeye Show
For years on Turner networks, Popeye cartoons, especially the more classic Fleischer era cartoons aired in redrawn colorized forms. Rare black and white airings were on Toonheads (sometimes) and Late Night in Black and White. But the Popeye Show changed the game. Black and white originals aired frequently with information about Popeye, Fleischer, and Famous Studios throughout. As a bonus, Cartoon Network tried restoring the original Paramount titles back on the cartoons. Most were recreations, but revolutionary at the time. Today the black and whites look better with authentic original titles back on the cartoons and restored in HD, but back then this was a must watch for animation enthusiasts.
12. The Looney Tunes Treatment and June Bugs
Finally, the wrap up the whole thing, from 2001-2020, this along with Boomerang was the exclusive home of Looney Tunes, and years 1992-2003 were the best years for them on Cartoon Network. Longer blocks were made for more cartoons, longer shows like The Looney Tunes Show accommodated for more Looney time. If that wasn't enough, there was The Bob Clampett Show, the Chuck Jones Show, and annual June Bugs marathon, with 2001 being the biggest and best June Bugs yet. It was originally supposed to include the Toonheads episode, the 12 Missing Hares, but was pulled at the last minute. It was the largest Looney Tunes package ever aired until 2021 when Me-TV's package was bigger with even more rare cartoons appearing on there. I've talked about this many times on this blog how big of a deal this was. Too bad Looney Tunes Back in Action killed the momentum.
These are just my personal favorite memories and I'm sure you have some other fond memories of Cartoon Network as well. Let me know what they are in the comments section below.
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