Cartoon Cartoons is a collective name used by Cartoon Network for their original animated series from 1996 to 2003. The majority of them were produced by Hanna-Barbera and/or Cartoon Network Studios. The concept of Cartoon Cartoons was spearheaded by Fred Seibert, and originated from his animation anthology series, What a Cartoon!. Once their popularity had grown, the Cartoon Cartoons were featured on the network's Friday night programming block, Cartoon Cartoon Fridays. The name was retired by the network in 2003 and officially met its demise in 2009, when Ed, Edd n Eddy ended. Since their heyday, re-runs of the Cartoon Cartoons have continued to air on The Cartoon Cartoon Show and Cartoon Planet.
History
Cartoon Cartoons first appeared as shorts on animation showcase series What a Cartoon! in 1995, under the name of World Premiere Toons. The series was produced by Hanna-Barbera and Cartoon Network Studios under the direction of Fred Seibert. Seibert had been a guiding force for Nickelodeon prior to joining Hanna-Barbera and would establish Frederator Studios years later. Through What a Cartoon!, Cartoon Network was able to assess the potential of certain shorts to serve as pilots for spin-off series and signed contracts with their creators to create ongoing series. Dexter's Laboratory was the most popular short series according to a vote held in 1995, and became the first Cartoon Cartoon in 1996. Three more series based on shorts debuted in 1997: Johnny Bravo, Cow and Chicken, and I Am Weasel. These are followed by The Powerpuff Girls in 1998 and Ed, Edd n Eddy in 1999, and concluded with Mike, Lu & Og and Courage the Cowardly Dog in 1999, creating a lineup of critically acclaimed shows. In 2001, the network received Time Squad and Grim & Evil. In 2002, became a full series after being chosen in the previous year's "Big Pick Weekend". The "Cartoon Cartoon" brand was first introduced in July 1997 for the network's Cartoon Cartoon Fridays, originally part of the network's Friday night programming block. This block would become the marquee night for premieres of new episodes and series, beginning on June 11, 1999. The Cartoon Cartoons were intended to appeal to a wider audience than the average Saturday morning cartoon. Linda Simensky, vice president of original animation, reminded adults and teenage girls that the cartoons could appeal to them as well. Kevin Sandler's article on them claimed that these cartoons were both less "bawdy" than their counterparts at Comedy Central and less "socially responsible" than their counterparts at Nickelodeon. Sandler pointed to the whimsical rebelliousness, high rate of exaggeration and self-consciousness of the overall output which each individual series managed. In October 2003, that same month for the new Fridays premiered on the network, the Cartoon Cartoons brand was discontinued and the openings of Cartoon Cartoons that were shown before the opening of the actual Cartoon Cartoon was dropped.
Programming blocks
More shows premiered bearing the Cartoon Cartoons brand, airing throughout the network's schedule and prominently on "Cartoon Cartoon Fridays", which became the marquee night for premieres of new episodes and shows beginning June 11, 1999. On October 3, 2003, the block was rebooted under a hybrid live-action format as "Fridays", hosted by Tommy Snider and Nzinga Blake, the latter of whom was later replaced by Tara Sands. It aired shows outside the "Cartoon Cartoon" moniker, such as Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi, The Life and Times of Juniper Lee, Camp Lazlo, My Gym Partner's a Monkey, Squirrel Boy, and Class of 3000. The last airing of "Fridays" was on February 23, 2007. As early as September 2005, the "Cartoon Cartoons" label was primarily used for The Cartoon Cartoon Show, a half-hour program featuring episodes of older Cartoon Cartoons that were no longer shown regularly on the network, and "Cartoon Cartoons The Top 5", an hour-long program featuring a countdown of the week's five "best" Cartoon Cartoons from the older lineup. The block Cartoon Planet was revived on Cartoon Network on March 30, 2012, airing in a format similar to The Cartoon Cartoon Show. It features Cartoon Cartoons such as Dexter's Laboratory, Johnny Bravo, Cow and Chicken, I Am Weasel, The Powerpuff Girls, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Ed, Edd n Eddy, , The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, and other original Cartoon Network Studios series such as Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, Camp Lazlo, and Chowder. Cartoon Planet returned on October 5, 2012, for Cartoon Network's 20th anniversary.
In the OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes episode "Crossover Nexus", the "Cartoon Cartoon" logo is shown in the bottom of a wall inside the Cartoon Network headquarters; the theme song can be heard when Ben Tennyson shapeshifts into different Cartoon Network characters.
