Checkerboard

The Checkerboard era was the very first Cartoon Network era. It began at the launch of the network on October 1, 1992 and ended in the United States in June 1997. It was succeeded by the Starburst era. The era was named, by fans, both for the black and white Cartoon Network logo that resembled a checkerboard and for its bumpers, which could feature tiles of characters featured on the network in a checkerboard pattern. As of 1997, the era's bumpers, promos, and IDs were still during the Starburst era being phased out up until March 1998, while the Powerhouse era was slowly being introduced beginning in December 1997.

By April 1998, the Powerhouse era had officially taken over as the main branding, but some traces of the Checkerboard and Starburst eras remained for a while.

This look was produced by Corey McPherson Nash, with additional bumpers being animated by DESIGNefx, Stretch Films, and other studios and individuals.

Programming
When the channel launched, it relied on older shows from the Hanna-Barbera, MGM and Warner Bros. libraries to fill out its schedule. The first cartoon shown on the network was a classic Merrie Melodies short, "Rhapsody Rabbit". In 1993, the network began producing original animation, with its first original series being The Moxy Show. Only a total of 4 original series were produced during this era.

During this era several notable programming blocks were introduced including: Boomerang, a classic animation block which became its own channel in April 2000; Super Chunk, a weekly marathon block that aired on CN from June 1994 to July 2001; and Toonami, a weekday action animation block that aired on CN from March 1997 to September 2008.

CN Original Series

 * The Moxy Show (premiered November 6, 1993 and ended December 25, 1995)
 * Space Ghost Coast to Coast (premiered April 15, 1994)
 * What a Cartoon! (premiered February 20, 1995)
 * Dexter's Laboratory (premiered April 27, 1996)

In Other Countries
The Checkerboard era began on Cartoon Network Europe in 1993 and was succeeded by the Powerhouse era in 1999.

Trivia

 * An unknown music track heard in the bumpers of the Checkerboard era can be heard in the background on the intro of the promotional "A Taste of Cartoon Network" VHS tape as the full version. A recreation by Primal Screen Guy can be found here. Part of the track closely resembles Culture Club's "Church of the Poison Mind".