Cartoon Network

This is about the United States or American channel. For other channels worldwide, see Cartoon Network (Worldwide)

Cartoon Network
Launched	October 1, 1992
Owned By	Turner Broadcasting System (to be transferred to Warner Bros. at a later date)
Picture Format	480i (SDTV) 4:3 (1992-present) 1080i (HDTV) 16:9 (2007-present)
Slogans:	The Best Place for Cartoons (October 1, 1992-June 13, 2004) This is Cartoon Network (June 14, 2004-2006) Yes! (2006-2007) Fall is Just Something That Grown-Ups Invented (2007-2008) Let's Go! (2008-2010) CHECK it. (2010-2014) New, New, New, New (2017-2018) On Your Cartoon Network (2017-present)

Cartoon Network (abbreviated as CN, as of 2004) is an American cable television network owned by Turner Broadcasting System, a subsidiary of AT&T's WarnerMedia which primarily airs animated programming. The channel was launched on October 1, 1992 after Turner purchased the animation studio Hanna-Barbera Productions in 1991. It was served as a 24-hour outlet for classic animation properties from the Turner Broadcasting libraries and was all-ages-oriented, but now the channel serves as a platform for the up & rising animation medium with various programs catering to both adult and child audiences respectively.

It also broadcasts many shows, ranging from action to animated comedy. Original series started in 1993 with The Moxy Show, along with Cartoon Cartoons original programmings like Dexter's Laboratory, Johnny Bravo, Cow and Chicken, I Am Weasel, The Powerpuff Girls, Ed, Edd n Eddy and Courage the Cowardly Dog. In 2005, it started airing live-action programming, including movies from Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema.

The founder of Cartoon Network was Betty Cohen. She served as president of the network until 2001, when she was replaced by Jim Samples. Samples was succeeded in 2007 by Stuart Snyder. Snyder was succeeded in 2014 by Christina Miller. Miller was succeeded in 2020 by Michael Ouweleen.

History

1986–92: Development

In 1986, Ted Turner's cable-TV conglomerate acquired most of the pre-May 1986 MGM film and television library (which also included Gilligan's Island and its animated spin-offs, the U.S. rights to a majority of the RKO Radio Pictures library, and the a.a.p./u.a. catalog which includes the pre-1950 Warner Bros. film library, the Harman and Ising Merrie Melodies except Lady, Play Your Mandolin!, the pre-August 1948 color Warner Bros. cartoons, and the Fleischer Studios and Famous Studios Popeye cartoons released by Paramount Pictures). In 1988, its cable channel Turner Network Television was launched and had gained an audience with its film library. In 1991, it purchased animation studio Hanna-Barbera Productions and acquired its large library as well as most of the Ruby-Spears library.

1992–2001: Cohen era

The original Cartoon Network logo used from 1992 to 2004. It is still in legal use on rare occasions, at the end of original programs and a variation has been used in some promotional bumpers. It is also still used on The Amazing World of Gumball.

At 12PM ET on October 1, 1992, Cartoon Network was launched as an outlet for Turner's considerable library of animation, and the initial programming on the channel consisted exclusively of reruns of classic Warner Bros./RKO cartoons (the pre-August 1948 Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies), the 1933–1957 Popeye cartoons, MGM cartoons, UA cartoons, and Hanna-Barbera cartoons. At first, cable providers in New York City, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., and Detroit carried the channel. By the time the network launched, Cartoon Network had a 8,500 hour cartoon library.

Cartoon Network was not the first cable channel to have relied on cartoons to attract an audience. Nickelodeon had paved the way in the 1990s. On August 11, 1991, Nickelodeon had launched three "high-profile" animated series: Doug, The Ren & Stimpy Show, and Rugrats, further signifying the importance of cartoons in its programming. Disney Channel and The Family Channel had also included animated shows in their programming. In each of these cases, cartoons were only broadcast during the morning or the early afternoon. Prime time and late night television hours were reserved for live-action programs, following the assumption that television animation could only attract child audiences, while Cartoon Network was a 24-hour single-genre channel with animation as its main theme. Turner Broadcasting System had defied conventional wisdom before by launching CNN, a channel providing 24-hours news coverage. The concept was previously thought unlikely to attract a sufficient audience to be particularly profitable, however the CNN experiment had been successful and Turner could hope that the Network could also find success.

Initially, the channel would broadcast cartoons 24/7. Most of the short cartoons were aired in half-hour or hour-long packages, usually separated by character or studio—Down Wit' Droopy D aired old Droopy Dog shorts, The Tom and Jerry Show presented the classic cat-and-mouse team, and Bugs and Daffy Tonight provided classic Looney Tunes shorts. Late Night Black and White showed early black and-white cartoons (mostly from the Fleischer Studios and Walter Lantz cartoons from 1930s), and ToonHeads, which would show three shorts with a similar theme and provide trivia about the cartoons.There was also an afternoon cartoon block called High Noon Toons which was hosted by cowboy hand puppets (an example of the simplicity and imagination the network had in the early years). The majority of the classic animation that was shown on Cartoon Network no longer airs on a regular basis, with the exception of Tom and Jerry and, as of September 2017, Looney Tunes.

The first challenge for Cartoon Network was to overcome its low penetration of existing cable systems. When launched in October 1992, the channel was only carried by 233 cable systems. However, it benefited from package deals. New subscribers to sister stations TNT and WTBS could also get access to Cartoon Network through such deals. The high ratings of Cartoon Network over the following couple of years led to more cable systems including it. By the end of 1994, Cartoon Network had become "the fifth most popular cable channel in the United States".

The network's first original show was The Moxy Show and was first aired in 1993. The first series produced by Cartoon Network was Space Ghost Coast to Coast (1994), but the show mostly consisted of "recycled animation cels" from the archives of Hanna-Barbera, being an ironic deconstruction of a talk show. It featured live-action guests, mostly consisting of celebrities which were past their prime or counterculture figures. A running gag was that the production cost was dubbed "minimal". The series found its audience among young adults who appreciated its "hip" perspective.

Kevin Sandler considered that Space Ghost Coast to Coast was instrumental in establishing Cartoon Network's appeal to older audiences. Space Ghost, a 1960s superhero by Hanna-Barbera, was recast as the star of a talk show parody. This was arguably the first time the Network revived a "classic animated icon" in an entirely new context for comedic purposes. Grown-ups who had ceased enjoying the original takes on the characters could find amusement in the "new ironic and self-referential context" for them. Promotional shorts such as the "Scooby-Doo Project", a parody of the The Blair Witch Project, gave similar treatments to the Scooby gang. However, there were less successful efforts at such revivals. A Day in the Life of Ranger Smith and Boo Boo Runs Wild (1999) featured new takes on Yogi Bear's supporting cast by John Kricfalusi. Their "tasteless" humor, sexual content and lack of respect for the source material was rather out of place among the rest of the Cartoon Network shows. These shorts do not seem to have much of a fan-following and the network rarely found a place for them in its programming.

In 1994, Hanna-Barbera's new division Cartoon Network Studios was founded and started production on What-a-Cartoon (promotionally known as World Premiere Toons). This show debuted in 1995, offering original animated shorts commissioned from Hanna-Barbera and various independent animators. The Network promoted the series as an attempt to return to the "classic days" of studio animation, offering full animator control, high budgets, and no limited animation. The project was spearheaded by several Cartoon Network executives, plus John Kricfalusi and Fred Seibert. Kricfalusi was the creator of The Ren & Stimpy Show and served as an advisor to the Network, while Seibert was formerly one of the driving forces behind Nicktoons and would go on to produce the similar animation anthology series Oh, Yeah! Cartoons and Random Cartoons.

The original Logo of Cartoon Network Studios, which produced most of Cartoon Network's original series after the phasing out of Hanna-Barbera. used from 2001-2010.

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 eventually became the first spin-off of What a Cartoon! in 1996. Three more series based on shorts debuted in 1997: Johnny Bravo, Cow and Chicken, and I Am Weasel (the latter two as segments of the same show; later, I Am Weasel was separated and got its own show). These were followed by The Powerpuff Girls in 1998 and concluded with Courage the Cowardly Dog and Mike, Lu & Og in 1999 .The unrelated series Ed, Edd n Eddy was also launched in 1999.

These original series 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 cartoons could appeal to them as well. Kevin Sandler's article of 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 exaggeration, and self-consciousness of the overall output, while each individual series managed to be "visually bold and energetic" in its own way.

In 1996, Turner merged with Time Warner. This consolidated ownership of all the Warner Bros. cartoons, so now post-July 1948 and the former Sunset-owned black-and-white cartoons (which Warner Brothers had reacquired in the 1960s) releases were being shown on the network. Although most of the post-July 1948 cartoons were still contracted to be shown on Nickelodeon, the network wouldn't air them until September 1999. Newer animated productions by Warner Bros. also started appearing on the network—mostly reruns of shows that had aired on Kids' WB, plus certain new programs such as Justice League.

Cartoon Network's programming wouldn't be available in Canada until 1997, when a Canadian specialty network entitled Teletoon and its French language counterpart launched.

On April 1, 2000, Cartoon Network launched a digital cable and satellite channel called Boomerang, which was spun-off from a program block on Cartoon Network that featured animated series and shorts from the 1980s and earlier.

2001-07: Samples era

On June 18, Betty Cohen, who had served as Cartoon Network's president since its founding, left due to creative disagreements with Jamie Kellner, then-head of Turner Broadcasting. On August 22, Jim Samples was appointed general manager and Executive Vice President of the network, replacing Cohen.

Adult Swim debuted on September 2, 2001, with an episode of Home Movies; the block initially aired on Sunday nights, with a repeat telecast on Thursdays. Adult Swim was also where Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law, Sealab 2021 and Aqua Teen Hunger Force made their official debuts, although they first aired in December 2000, while Space Ghost Coast to Coast was on hiatus.

Three new original series premiered in 2001: Time Squad, Samurai Jack, and Grim & Evil.

In 2002, Whatever Happened to... Robot Jones? and Codename: Kids Next Door premiered; the former was short-lived, but the latter became a juggernaut for the network in the mid-2000s.

On October 2, 2002, Cartoon Network celebrated its 10th anniversary with a one-day special bumper showing quick clips from shows, bumpers, and promos throughout their history, set to the tune of "Something to Believe In" by Poison. The first theatrical film based on a Cartoon Network program, The Powerpuff Girls Movie – which received generally positive reviews by critics – was released on July 3, 2002.

On September 5, 2003, Cartoon Cartoon Fridays was rebooted in a live-action format as Fridays, hosted by Tommy Snider, Nzinga Blake (2003–2004), and Tara Sands (2005–2007). It aired series outside the Cartoon Cartoon sub-brand such as Samurai Jack, Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi, Juniper Lee, Camp Lazlo, My Gym Partner's a Monkey, Squirrel Boy and Class of 3000; Fridays ended its run on February 23, 2007.

Cartoon Network's second logo used in various forms/different colors/different styles from 2004 to 2010.

On June 14, 2004, Cartoon Network entered the CN City era. Here, they debuted an updated version of its original logo (with the checkerboard motif retained and the "C" and "N" being the centerpiece) and a new slogan, "This is Cartoon Network!" The bumpers introduced as part of the rebrand featured 2D cartoon characters from its shows interacting in a CGI city composed of sets from their shows. By now, nearly all of Cartoon Network's classic cartoon programming had been relocated to its sister network Boomerang to make way for new programming.

In 2005, while the City era still going on, Cartoon Network launched Cartoon Network Summer. It featured new episodes of old shows and premieres of new shows, including Camp Lazlo and The Life and Times of Juniper Lee On Christmas premieres of new shows started to air including Ben 10, and My Gym Partner's a Monkey. During 2005, Lumpus and Slinkman (Camp Lazlo) hosted a block at Summer 05' called Cabin Fever 10:00 AM-4:00 PM.

In 2005, Cartoon Network launched a block aimed at the preschool demographics called Tickle U, which was not the first time Cartoon Network attracted that kind of audience. In the 1990s, there was a show called Big Bag, a puppet show co-produced by Sesame Workshop (formerly named Children's Television Workshop), the people responsible for Sesame Street. There was also Small World, which was more like a collection of animated preschool shorts from around the world. Reruns of Tom & Jerry Kids, A Pup Named Scooby-Doo, Hamtaro and Baby Looney Tunes were shown early in the morning. Shows featured on Tickle U were Gordon the Garden Gnome, Harry and His Bucket Full of Dinosaurs, Peppa Pig, Firehouse Tales, and Gerald McBoing-Boing. This block was trying hard to find its audience, because of this, Tickle U was a major failure to the network. The block was plugged months after its premiere, making it one of the short-lived blocks on the station.

On April 3, 2006, Cartoon Network entered the "Yes!" era, which overtook the CN City look on April 10. In Summer 2006, the network's slogan was a simplistic “Cartoon Network: Yes!”, as spoken by Fred Fredburger, a character from The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy. The network also used bumps featuring the cast of Camp Lazlo as stick puppets and characters doing random in front of a red background. The Now/Then bumpers were also changed; the city background were modified to use flat, dark colors to give the bumpers a "New Age" feel. The CN City bumpers were still used during this time, but not as much as the "Yes!" bumpers.

On December 8, 2006, Cartoon Network produced their first live-action television movie called Re-Animated, a collaboration between both live-action and animation. A year later in 2007, the film was spun-off into its own half-hour series entitled Out of Jimmy's Head, which continues the events of the film. This was also the first show on Cartoon Network to feature live-action characters as the main cast, even though it was not the first to combine live-action and animation together (the first being Space Ghost Coast to Coast). The show was short-lived, as it only lasted for 20 episodes, making Out of Jimmy's Head the only show on Cartoon Network to be affected by the Writers Guild of America strike in 2007.

2007–14: Snyder era

Jim Samples, who served as Cartoon Network's general manager and Executive Vice President since August 2001, resigned on February 9, 2007, following a bomb scare in Boston caused by packages left around the city that were part of an outdoor marketing campaign promoting the Adult Swim series Aqua Teen Hunger Force. Following Samples's resignation, Stuart Snyder was named his successor. On September 1, 2007, the network's look was revamped, and bumpers and channel identification were themed to The Hives song Fall is Just Something That Grown-Ups Invented. Every October since 2007, Cartoon Network would air 40 episodes of Goosebumps, though Cartoon Network lost the rights to the show on October 31, 2009.

During this time, the CN City look nearly disappears, and the Yes! look was slightly refreshed. The new campaign featured two different styles of bumps. The first style was "Lunchbox of Doom", featuring an assortment of show clips inside a CGI gothic lunchbox, a reference to an episode of The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy. The second was VS.", comparing two cartoon characters.

Cartoon Network announced at its 2008 upfront that it was working on a new project called Cartoonstitute, which was headed by animators Craig McCracken as executive producer and Rob Renzetti as supervising producer. Both reported to Rob Scorcher, who created the idea. It would have worked similar to What A Cartoon!, by creating at least 150 pieces of animation within 20 months. Cartoonstitute was eventually cancelled, and out of all the shorts, Regular Show and Secret Mountain Fort Awesome were selected, after animator Craig McCracken (the creator of The Powerpuff Girls and Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends) eventually left the network after 15 years in 2009. On September 20, 2008, Cartoon Network ended Toonami after its 11-year run.

Beginning on May 25, 2008, Cartoon Network has been airing animated shorts, called Wedgies, to fill in spots between two programs. On July 14, 2008, the network took on a newer look created by Tristan Eaton and was animated by Crew972. The bumpers of that era had white, faceless characters called Noods, based on the DIY toy, Munny. The standard network logo was then completely white, adopting different colors based on the occasion in the same style. In June 2009, a block of live-action reality shows began airing in a programming block promoted as CN Real. Another bumper named "Ridiculously Short Cartoons" aired excerpts from shows on Cartoon Network, also airing until May 2008. The network has also aired some limited sports programming, including Slamballgames, during the commercials.

About a third of their Cartoon Network Studios shows were cancelled in 2008. When the new year started, Cartoon Network started using some of the shows that aired on Teletoon. Johnny Test was added in January 2008, George of the Jungle was also added that same month, Bakugan Battle Brawlers was added in February 2008, Chop Socky Chooks was added in March 2008, Total Drama Island was added in June 2008 and 6teen was added in November 2008.

Programming blocks also changed. New episodes of comedy cartoons moved to Thursdays starting in March 2008. You Are Here, a new action block started to air replaced Fried Dynamite.

Cartoon Network started 2009 with a Looney Tunes marathon. The Powerpuff Girls had a marathon to honor its tenth birthday which also premiered The Powerpuff Girls Rule! special.

The third & current Cartoon Network logo, used since May 29, 2010.

A new identity for the station was introduced on May 29, 2010, along with a new theme and new bumpers and a new slogan, CHECK it. The branding, designed by Brand New School, makes heavy use of the black and white checkerboard which made up the network's first logo, as well as various CMYK color variations and various patterns. Since December 27, 2010, Adult Swim began starting 1 hour earlier at 9 PM. In February, Cartoon Network aired their first sports award show, called Hall Of Game Awards.

Also in 2010, Sym-Bionic Titan premiered. It was created by Genndy Tartakovsky.

At its April 2011 upfront, Cartoon Network has announced 14 new series, including The Problem Solverz, formerly known as Neon Knome, The Looney Tunes Show, Secret Mountain Fort Awesome, Level Up, a scripted live-action comedy series which will have a 90-minute starting film, Tower Prep, Green Lantern, How to Train Your Dragon, the series based on the DreamWorks film, The Amazing World of Gumball, Total Drama: Revenge of the Island, the sequel of Total Drama World Tour; and ThunderCats. The network also has a new Ben 10 series planned. The network announced a new block planned to air called "DC Nation"; this block will focus on the titular heroes, the first being Green Lantern. 9 Story's Almost Naked Animals, an animated comedy about a group of shaved animals in their underwear running a hotel called the Banana Cabana, was also picked up by the network and made its US debut on June 13, 2011, the same premiere date as another Canadian-acquired animated series, Sidekick.

The current Logo of Cartoon Network Studios used from 2013-Present.

In the summer of 2011, Cartoon Network introduced a new line of bumpers known as YEEEAUHHHH!.

After announcing two new live-action shows in Unnatural History and Tower Prep, which were both cancelled after their first seasons, Cartoon Network acquired the game show, Hole in the Wall (originally aired on Fox). By the end of 2011, Hole in the Wall and the final two CN Real shows, Destroy Build Destroy and Dude, What Would Happen? were removed from Cartoon Network's schedule completely. In 2012, Cartoon Network acquired the television rights to The High Fructose Adventures of Annoying Orange, based on the web series, The Annoying Orange and added it to its primetime lineup.^[36]

On February 2, 2012, Corus Entertainment and Astral Media, owners of Teletoon, announced they would launch a Canadian version of Cartoon Network that also includes a version of the U.S. network's Adult Swim nighttime block.^[37] The channel launched on July 4, 2012.^[38]

On March 18, 2012, Cartoon Network aired its first documentary, Speak Up, an anti-bullying campaign featuring a special appearance by President Barack Obama.^[39] On April 28, 2013, the network aired the CNN half-hour documentary The Bully Effect, which details the story of teenager Alex Libby and his struggle with bullying in high school.^[40] The special is based on the 2011 film Bully directed by Lee Hirsch.^[40]

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Cartoon Network, the Cartoon Planet block was revived on March 30, 2012, which aired the channel's original programming from the late 1990s through mid-2000s.^[41] From October 1 to November 4, 2012, Cartoon Network celebrated its 20th birthday, airing birthday and party-themed reruns of its shows.

In 2012, Cartoon Network announced new programming for the upcoming year, including the live-action series Incredible Crew; the animated series Teen Titans Go!, Uncle Grandpa, Steven Universe, I Heart Tuesdays, Clarence, Total Drama: All-Stars, Grojband, Beware the Batman, The Tom and Jerry Show, and Legends of Chima; and a new Powerpuff Girls special, the latter of which aired on January 20, 2014.

On May 20, 2013, Cartoon Network gave a refresh to its look by adding new bumpers, graphics, and sounds. A short animation was created for each show, and these animations were used when featuring the show in Next bumpers. The background used in its promos and bumpers was also changed from black to white.^[42]

For Christmas 2013, Cartoon Network temporarily aired from 6AM to 10PM EST, with Adventure Time and Regular Show taking up the 9:00 and 9:30 slots.

2014–19: Miller era

The logo that can be seen on CHECK it bumpers.

On March 6, 2014, Stuart Snyder was confirmed to have been removed as president and COO of Turner's Animation, Young Adults & Kids Media division after company changes. On July 16, 2014, Christina Miller was named his successor as president and general manager of Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, and Boomerang.

On March 31, 2014, Cartoon Network's 8 pm ET/PT primetime hour was given to its night time block Adult Swim, causing new episodes of the network's programming to change timeslots.

On October 21, 2014, Cartoon Network, along with CNN and Boomerang, were taken off the Dish Network in the United States after Turner Broadcasting declined to renew its contract with the Dish Network. The channels were restored on November 21, 2014.

On May 30, 2016, Cartoon Network USA refreshed the channel with a new graphics package based on previous rebrands in the Check It family called "Dimensional", the new graphics were developed by Bent Design Lab and features cartoon characters in 3D CGI, stop-motion, and 2D graphic techniques. Branding and marketing agency Troika developed the "Dimensional" style guide, a list of rules on how the graphics should be implemented on the channel. In September 2016, the network took back an extra hour from its Adult Swim block, ending its broadcasting daily at 9 pm.

On October 22, 2016, AT&T reached a deal to buy Time Warner for over $80 billion. If approved by federal regulators, the merger would bring Time Warner's properties, including Cartoon Network, under the same umbrella as AT&T's telecommunication holdings, including satellite provider DirecTV.

In 2017, new bumpers aired, such as "New New New New". On January 27, the block Friday Party began airing, which received negative reviews due to the promos only advertising Teen Titans Go. On September 1, two new blocks started airing on Fridays. One was Ben 10 Alien of the Week, which aired from 5pm to 6pm and later from 5:00pm to 5:30pm. It was an hour (later 30 minutes) block dedicated to a Ben 10 alien and it had a new episode to kick it off. The other new block was NEW NEW NEW NEW, which aired from 6pm to 8pm. It had new episodes of Teen Titans Go!, OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes, The Amazing World of Gumball, and We Bare Bears.

Ben 10 Alien of the Week ended on November 3, 2017, while NEW NEW NEW NEW ended on April 20, 2018.

In 2018, several new series premiered, including Apple & Onion, Summer Camp Island, and Craig of the Creek.

On September 13, 2018, Cartoon Network USA updated their Dimensional branding by adding drawings that were created by fans on the Cartoon Network Mashupsite: with it, fans can claim a frame that is added in a mashup video (looping) that will appear on TV as bumpers (including the Next ones), this era is called by fans the "Mashup" era, though it's a simple update that use the same assets as the Dimensional (new one from 2017-2018) branding. From September to December 2018, Cartoon Network temporarily got back the 8pm hour.

In 2019, several new original series premiered on the network, including Infinity Train, Victor and Valentino, and Mao Mao: Heroes of Pure Heart

Cartoon Network Era Names

• 1992 - 1998: Checkerboard Era
• 1998 - 2004: Powerhouse Era
• 2004 - 2006: CN City Era
• 2006 - 2007: Yes! Era
• 2007: Summer 2007 Era
• 2007 - 2008: Fall Era
• 2008 - 2010: Noods Era
• 2010 - 2016: CHECK it Era
• 2016 - present: Dimensional Era
• 2018 - present: Mashup Era

Start times and End Times of Cartoon Network

(2005-2008, 2009-2010, 2013)

• Eastern: 6:00 AM - 10:00 PM
• Central: 5:00 AM - 9:00 PM
• Mountain: 4:00 AM - 8:00 PM
• Pacific: 6:00 AM - 10:00 PM
• Alaska: 5:00 AM - 9:00 PM
• Hawaii: 4:00 AM - 8:00 PM

(2010-2014, 2015, 2016, 2018)

• Eastern: 6:00 AM - 9:00 PM
• Central: 5:00 AM - 8:00 PM
• Mountain: 4:00 AM - 7:00 PM
• Pacific: 6:00 AM - 9:00 PM
• Alaska: 5:00 AM - 8:00 PM
• Hawaii: 4:00 AM - 7:00 PM

(2013-2015, 2016, 2017-2018, 2019-present)

• Eastern: 6:00 AM - 8:00 PM
• Central: 5:00 AM - 7:00 PM
• Mountain: 4:00 AM - 6:00 PM
• Pacific: 6:00 AM - 8:00 PM
• Alaska: 5:00 AM - 7:00 PM
• Hawaii: 4:00 AM - 6:00 PM

(2006-2007)

• Eastern: 6:00 AM - 10:30 PM
• Central: 5:00 AM - 9:30 PM
• Mountain: 4:00 AM - 8:30 PM
• Pacific: 6:00 AM - 10:30 PM
• Alaska: 5:00 AM - 9:30 PM
• Hawaii: 4:00 AM - 8:30 PM

(2005-2008)

• Eastern: 6:00 AM - 11:00 PM
• Central: 5:00 AM - 10:00 PM
• Mountain: 4:00 AM - 9:00 PM
• Pacific: 6:00 AM - 11:00 PM
• Alaska: 5:00 AM - 10:00 PM
• Hawaii: 4:00 AM - 9:00 PM

Current programming blocks

Adult Swim (2001-present)

Main article: Adult Swim

Current logo for Adult Swim

Adult Swim (stylized as [adult swim]) is Cartoon Network's late night adult-oriented sister network, which premiered on September 2, 2001 at 10 p.m., in the United States. In March 3, 2005, Adult Swim was split from Cartoon Network so that Nielsen Media Research could treat it as a separate channel for ratings purposes which is it beginning on March 28, 2005 that still represent it till the end at 6 a.m..

Toonami (1997-2008; 2012-present)

Main article: Toonami

Current logo for Toonami

Toonami (a portmanteau of the words cartoon and tsunami suggesting a "tidal wave" of animated cartoons) is a brand of Cartoon Network, used initially for action-oriented programming blocks on Cartoon Network television channel worldwide, mostly showing American cartoons and Japanese anime, originating in the United States on March 17, 1997 at 4 p.m. ET/PT, and ended on September 20, 2008 at 11 p.m. ET/PT. It was revived on May 26, 2012 as a Saturday night anime block on Cartoon Network, reclaiming Adult Swim's Saturday anime block, similar to it's previous mature-geared "Midnight Run" incarnation which was that block's forerunner.

Past programming blocks

Action programming blocks (1994-1997)

Cartoon Network had a long history of action-oriented programming blocks. One of the network's first blocks was Super Adventures.

From 1992-1994, Super Adventures presented action-oriented cartoons like Space Ghost, Birdman, The Fantastic Four, among many other 1960's-1970's Hanna-Barbera/Ruby-Spears action series. It aired on weekday afternoons, and also had a weekend afternoon counterpart known as "Super Adventure Saturdays".

In 1994, Super Adventures was replaced with Afternoon Adventures, which presented a more varied mix of old and then-recent action cartoons, such as James Bond Jr., Captain Planet, Swat Kats and Jonny Quest. That same year, a Saturday late-night block called Power Zone debuted, which mostly aired the same action shows as its predecessor blocks. Power Zone supplanted Afternoon Adventures in 1996.

"Power Zone" was canceled sometime in the fall of 1996, after which there was no permanent action block on Cartoon Network until the debut of Toonami on March 17, 1997.

Cartoon Planet (1997-1998; 2012-2014)

Main article: Cartoon Planet

Current logo for Cartoon Planet

Cartoon Planet is an animated variety show that originally premiered in 1995 on TBS Superstation and continued its run from 1996 to 1997 on Cartoon Network. A spin-off of the animated Space Ghost Coast to Coast talk show, the premise was that Space Ghost had recruited his imprisoned evil arch nemesis Zorak and his loud and extremely dimwitted archenemy Brak to assist him in hosting a variety show. As apart of Cartoon Network's Twentieth Anniversary, Cartoon Planet was revived in an effort to gain more ratings. The newly revived block premiered on Friday, March 30, 2012 at 8pm/7c. The block will feature old classic shows hosted by Zorak and Brak (Space Ghost is absent for unknown reasons). This block may only be here for 2012, though this is unknown.

Saturday CrushZone (2009)

Saturday CrushZone is a Saturday morning action block that shows Pokémon DP Galactic Battles, Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's, and Hot Wheels Battle Force 5.

Fried Dynamite (2007-2008)

Fried Dynamite premiered on August 31, 2007 on Cartoon Network, replacing Fridays. Fried Dynamite was the Friday-Saturday block of cartoon shows, hosted by Blake Michael, which aired on every Friday night and Saturday morning. It ended on October 3, 2008 in the wake of the new block, You Are Here.

Cartoon Cartoons (1996-2003)

Main article: Cartoon Cartoons

Cartoon Cartoons logo

Cartoon Cartoons is a collective name for Cartoon Network original series which premiered before 1996. These cartoons were originally produced by Hanna-Barbera and Cartoon Network Studios, but over the years, studios like a.k.a. Cartoon, Kino Films, Stretch Films, Blanky Blook and Curious Pictures produced these series for Cartoon Network. Any and all Cartoon Cartoons have been featured as a part of Cartoon Network's original Friday night programming block, Cartoon Cartoon Fridays.

Fridays (1999-2007)

Fridays logo

Cartoon Cartoon Fridays (then known as Fridays), was launched on June 11, 1999 and last aired on February 23, 2007. Cartoon Cartoon Fridays (as it was known until May 16, 2003, then became Summer Fridays until August 29, 2003) was the Friday night version of "Cartoon Cartoons". This program block on Cartoon Network that showcased the channel's original cartoon series, with new episode premieres usually taking place in this block. The block was "hosted" by cartoon characters that were part of Cartoon Cartoons shows (Usually along with new episodes of their respective shows airing on their corresponding night). The block aired between 7 p.m.- 5 a.m., with the shows and segments repeating at least twice.

On February 23, 2007, Cartoon Network aired the last Fridays before being replaced with Friday Night Premiere Thunder. 

The Big Pick (2000-2001)

The Big Pick was a summer event that aired on Cartoon Cartoon Fridays. There would be a Cartoon Cartoon short that aired every Friday at 9pm, before a brand-new episode of a Cartoon Cartoon. There would also be a Cartoon Cartoon Weekend with 53 hours of original programming with the Premiere Premieres airing four additional times over the weekend then the viewers would vote for the series to become a new Cartoon Cartoon, only two series became new and those were Grim & Evil (2000, premiered in 2001) and Codename: Kids Next Door (2001, premiered in 2002). The Big Pick was discontinued in 2002.

Miguzi (2004-2007)

Miguzi logo

Miguzi was a cartoon block that premiered on April 19, 2004 at 5 p.m. and finished its run on June 1, 2007 at 6 p.m.. This block was themed around Erin, a girl who finds refuge within the confines of a strange spaceship that is trapped underwater and inhabited by aquatic creatures. This lighter-toned action block was from Williams Street, the producers of late-night programming block Adult Swim and Toonami, a block of programming which Miguzi replaced in the weekday-afternoon timeslot.

Master Control (2007)

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Master Control logo

Master Control was a viewer-arranged programming block on Cartoon Network which ran from September 24, 2007 to November 9, 2007. The website for the block offered viewers the chance to choose between one of three teams and vote on which shows would air during the week. The block had one thirty-minute timeslot on Mondays to Thursdays, while a two-hour block aired on Fridays. The three teams available for choosing were the "Blastidons", "Vikinators", and "Shadow Mark." The objective was to vote for a certain team, so you could choose the shows that aired. The backstory: The blastidons ruled the lands as powerful Wizards. The Vikinators grew tired of their rule and rebelled. They became victorious and were free. While attempting magic, they created the Shadow Mark, a brotherhood of warlocks focused on dark magic. Now as the three elite races they battle for supremacy.

Saturday Video Entertainment System (2003-2004)

The Saturday Video Entertainment System was a Toonami-like block of action animation airing Saturday nights which ran March 15, 2003 to April 10, 2004. SVES was packaged like a video game, with a Samus Aran-like character in bumps reminiscent of older arcade/Super NES game design. This block was also designed by Williams Street.

Tickle U (2005-2007)

Tickle U was a two-hour programming block for pre-schoolers on weekday mornings from August 22, 2005 to January 5, 2006. The block had programs like Harry and His Bucket Full of Dinosaurs, Firehouse Tales, Little Robots, Gordon the Garden Gnome, Yoko! Jakamoko! Toto!, Peppa Pig and Gerald McBoing-Boing.

Saturday afternoon blocks (1995-2005)

Cartoon Network has aired Saturday afternoon mini-marathon blocks throughout the years. One of the first blocks the network aired was Super Chunk.

After a short-lived revamp, Super Chunk was replaced with Cartoon Olio, which premiered on July 7, 2001 and last aired on May 25, 2002. The block aired marathons of Cartoon Cartoons franchises such as Dexter's Laboratory, Ed, Edd n Eddy, Johnny Bravo, Courage the Cowardly Dog, The Powerpuff Girls, Time Squad and Cow and Chicken. The block also aired marathons of Hanna-Barbera franchises such as The Flintstones, Scooby-Doo, and A Pup Named Scooby-Doo.

In 2004, Saturday Block Party was introduced. Unlike its predecessors, the Saturday Block Party aired new episodes of some of the shows they presented. It aired Saturday afternoon from 3pm-6pm (sometimes 3pm-5pm). It lasted from June 19, 2004 - January 22, 2005. This block aired Cartoon Cartoons franchises such as The Powerpuff Girls, Codename: Kids Next Door and The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, and non-Cartoon Cartoon franchises such as The Cramp Twins, Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, Code Lyoko, Hamtaro and Totally Spies!.

June Bugs (1993-2002, 2012, 2013)

June Bugs was a yearly 48 hour marathon of Bugs Bunny cartoons which started on the first weekend in June 1993. In 2001, the marathon was intended to air nearly every Bugs Bunny cartoon ever made in chronological order, but Time Warner demanded to pull off 12 cartoons deemed "politically incorrect" by today's standards. However, with there being considerably less than 48 hours of shorts, it would repeat several times.

In June 2013, the June Bugs marathon return with rerun of both classic Looney Tunes shorts and The Looney Tunes Show.

Last Bell (2003-2004)

Last Bell similar to Closing Bell was an afternoon block which aired on weekdays from August 2003 to June 11, 2004, airing franchises like A Pup Named Scooby-Doo, Dexter's Laboratory, Courage the Cowardly Dog, The Powerpuff Girls, Ed, Edd n Eddy, The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, and Codename: Kids Next Door.

CN Real (2009-2010)

CN Real was a block that featured Cartoon Network's first live action shows that started airing in June 2009. Shows that have aired on the block include The Othersiders, Survive This, Destroy Build Destroy, BrainRush, Dude, What Would Happen, and Bobb'e Says. The block originally aired on Wednesday and Saturday nights with 2 shows on each day, but they were then merged to only airing on Wednesdays. The block received negative reception and most of the shows were canceled along with the block itself. However Dude, What Would Happen and Destroy Build Destroy would continue to air on CN Real's old Wednesday night timeslot. A lot of viewers hate CN Real.

CN Sports (2009)

A sub-block of CN Real which was a time-buy from Red Bull devoted to action sports. The programs aired Saturday nights with a Sunday afternoon encore, featuring 10 Count (a countdown list program) and Re:Evolution of Sports (a program which previously aired under the same arrangement on the Fox Sports Net family of regional sports networks). Last aired on November 1, 2009.

Wedgies (2008-2010)

Wedgies are shorts that appear occasionally after a show or a movie, usually as a time filler. Some Wedgies include Nacho Bear, Big Baby, Calling Cat 22,The Talented Mr. Bixby, and The Bremen Avenue Experience along with shorts from The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack. This was a replacement of the original Cartoon Network Extra, which featured the usual 11-minute episodes of some Cartoon Network series. Wedgies also include skits by Blake and the Fried Dynamite crew, which air mostly after school.

Invaded (2007)

Cartoon Network Invaded logo

Cartoon Network Invaded was a special crossover event that aired on May 4, 2007 and involved a continuing storyline involving paranormal or alien like themes that ran through five different Cartoon Network cartoons: Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, Ed, Edd n Eddy, My Gym Partner's a Monkey, Camp Lazlo, and The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy. It also aired on Cartoon Network (Southeast Asia), Cartoon Network (Philippines) and Cartoon Network (Australia) during the Halloween season of the same year.

On May 28, 2007 and June 1, 2007 the event concluded with a mini-marathon of all shows aired back-to-back with their alternate endings.

Johnny Johnny (2009)

Johnny Johnny was a block airing weekday afternoons, featuring one episode of Johnny Bravo and one episode of Johnny Test. The block launched on November 10, 2009, and ended sometime after the Christmas season in that same year.

Summer @ 7 (2007)

Summer @ 7 was the name of the summer line up that premiered on June 4, 2007. New episodes were shown every Monday through Friday night along with Pokémon Diamond and Pearl with Storm Hawks premiering during the block. The block ended August 31 and was replaced by HullabaNew on September 3.

Total Drama Tuesdays (2009)

Total Drama Tuesdays was a comedy block that aired Tuesday evenings, showing Total Drama Island, Total Drama Action, Stoked and 6teen. Sometimes it featured the newest episode of Total Drama Action, plus new episodes of Stoked and 6teen. This block was dedicated to showing cartoons created by Fresh TV, Inc. The block finished its run on November 10, 2009.

Har Har Tharsdays (2008-2010)

Har Har Tharsdays logo

Har Har Tharsdays (originally CN Thursday Nights) was a block of programming on Cartoon Network that started airing June 5, 2008. The block aired comedy series such as Chowder, The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack, Total Drama Island, Total Drama Action, 6teen, Stoked, and Johnny Test. These shows rotated through. The block sometimes changes its name to commemorate certain events, like "Star Star Starsdays" (in honor of the premiere of Star Wars: The Clone Wars) "Heart Heart Theartsdays" (for Valentine's Day) or "Scare Scare Scaresdays" (for Halloween). Also, without any changing of the name, the block took on a Green look for Ben 10 week, featuring Ben Tennyson in clips with the other characters directly before or after commercial breaks. This block ended before April 5, 2010, when all of Cartoon Network's comedy programs moved to Mondays.

HullabaNew (2007)

HullabaNew was a month-long block of programming which began on September 3, 2007, and ran for the remainder of September. During the event, one show was featured during every Friday with new episodes airing several Fridays during that night.

Thumbtastic Afterschool Event (2008)

The Thumbtastic Afterschool Event was an afternoon block on Cartoon Network that premiered on November 3, 2008. It was mainly an action-comedy block consisting of Chop Socky Chooks, Chowder, and 6teen. The block was hosted by TWF announcers Dick Thompson and Colonel Cossack.

Action Flicks (2008-2009)

Action Flicks is a movie block that replaced Toonami on Saturday evenings in October 2008. The majority of the movies that have been broadcast on Action Flicks included numerous DC super hero films (mostly Batman) and all three Naruto movies. The block's final broadcast was February 28, 2009.

Super Chunk (1994-2000, 2009)

Super Chunk is a marathon block on Cartoon Network that first aired from 1994–2000, then started airing again on August 17, 2009. This block was dedicated to airing three-hour marathons of shows from its library of programming. It was replaced by Cartoon Olio. Then, after an almost seven-year hiatus, Cartoon Network brought the block back again, yet again revamped with a giant Nood in the forest with the words Super Chunk painted in the sky, but the block ended a few weeks after.

You Are Here (2008-2010)

You Are Here was a Friday night action/adventure block that premiered on October 3, 2008. It was taken off the air again after May 28, 2010, the night before the network rebranded along with a new logo. The programming consisted of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Ben 10: Ultimate Alien, Batman: The Brave and the Bold and Generator Rex. These shows were moved to a new block called Night of Action.

Saturdays (2010-2011)

Saturdays is a Saturday morning battle block that new episodes shows like Redakai: Conquer the Kairu, Beyblade: Metal Masters, and Pokemon BW: Rival Destinies.

Night of Action (2010-2012)

Night of Action is a Friday night action programming block that was premiered on September 17, 2010, including action programs like Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Ben 10: Ultimate Alien, Sym-Bionic Titan, Generator Rex, Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Grand Chase. In March 2011, they aired Ninjago Part 1 for the first Friday then Part 2 in another Friday.

DC Nation (2012-2014)

Current logo for DC Nation

DC Nation is a action block where (as the name suggests) are emitted animated series DC company as Batman: The Brave and The Bold, Young Justice, Green Lantern, and exclusive movies like Superman and Batman: Apocalypse, special films, plus news, and news related.

Mondays (2010-2014)

Mondays is an Monday night comedy block that was launched on April 5, 2010, including programs like Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incoporated, Johnny Test, Adventure Time, Regular Show, MAD, Robotomy and Total Drama World Tour. It ended on May 12, 2014 and was replaced with "New Thursdays"

Flicks (1992-2014)

Flicks (formerly Mr. Spim's Cartoon Theater, Cartoon Network's Cartoon Theatre, Movie Madness and later The Flicks) is a Film block on Cartoon Network, featuring animated theatrical feature films, animated made-for-TV feature films, and films made for Cartoon Network. Since 2003, live-action films from Warner Bros. or New Line Cinema, in which are both owned by Time Warner, regardless if they are cartoon-related (though most are), became part of Cartoon Network's library of movies. Although airs movies from Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema, the network also airs movies from other major Hollywood studios such as: 20th Century Fox, Columbia Pictures and Paramount Pictures. The name of this block changes on Christmas to "Flicksmas". The Flicks, the block and bumpers were often still used since the start of the current rebrand. Since July 3, 2010, "Flicks" were now rebranded with a live-action human family, no longer capable of Noods.

New @ 7 (2013)

New @ 7 is a Monday-Thursday night comedy block that was launched on September 9, 2013, including programs like Adventure Time, Regular Show, Uncle Grandpa, MAD, etc.

New Thursdays (2014-2016)

New Thursdays is a Thursday night comedy block launched on June 5, 2014 with, Teen Titans Go!, The Amazing World of Gumball, Adventure Time, and Regular Show. Show later included in the block were, Steven Universe (Series), Uncle Grandpa, and Clarence. It ended on January 28, 2016 and was replaced with "Yoursday."

New @ 6 (2015)

New @ 6 is a block that airs a different Cartoon Network shows every week.

Clarence's Summer Splash (2015)

Clarence's Summer Splash is a weekday morning block that airs from (10AM to 2PM) with shows like, Clarence, The Amazing World of Gumball, Teen Titans Go!, and Uncle Grandpa.

Yoursday (2016)

Yoursday is a Thursday night comedy block launched on April 21, 2016 with, Teen Titans Go!, The Amazing World of Gumball, Clarence (Series), The Powerpuff Girls, and We Bare Bears. Shows later in the block were Adventure Time, Regular Show, Steven Universe (Series), and Ninjago.

Good Mornings with Uncle Grandpa (2016)

Good Mornings with Uncle Grandpa is a Saturday morning comedy block launched on April 2, 2016 running from (9AM-1PM). It is programming shows like, Teen Titans Go!, We Bare Bears, Uncle Grandpa, Clarence, The Powerpuff Girls, and The Amazing World of Gumball.

Ben 10 Alien of the Week (2017)

Ben 10: Alien of the Week is a Friday night block which aired from 5pm to 6pm. and was an hour of Ben 10 episodes dedicated to a Ben 10 alien. First was a new episode, then a 1 minute short of the aliens planet, a rerun, then a tutorial of how to draw that alien, another rerun, and finally a repeat of the new episode that aired earlier. The promos had live action kids saying the names of the aliens. On October 6, 2017, the block was cut down to 30 minutes.

Related projects

Boomerang

Main article: Boomerang

Boomerang was originally a programming block on Cartoon Network (since the network's launch in '92 aimed towards The Baby Boom Generation. The block's start time jumped frequently but was always aired in the weekends. On April 1, 2000, Boomerang received both a new look and a cable spin off channel. The block lasted until October 2004.

In 2014, Time Warner and Turner Broadcasting announced that Boomerang will revamp and rebrand in early 2015. It rebranded on January 19, 2015.

Cartoon Network HD

In 2005, Cartoon Network started producing content in HD. On October 15, 2007 at 6 a.m. ET/PT, Cartoon Network began to provide content in television high definition. Presently, only the East Coast feed of Cartoon Network HD ever provides content in high definition formats and the West Coast feed only provides content in standard definition (4:3) format.

Slogans

• The Best Place for Cartoons (October 1, 1992-June 14, 2004)
• Screwy, Ain't It? (1998-2003)
• You With Us? (1999-2003)
• This is Cartoon Network (June 14, 2004-2006)
• Yes! (April 3, 2006-June 1, 2007)
• Cartoon Network, all summer long. (June 4-September 1, 2007)
• Fall is Just Something That Grown-Ups Invented (September 1, 2007-July 14, 2008)
• We're on it. (secondary slogan; September 1, 2007-July 14, 2008)
• Let's go. (July 14, 2008-May 29, 2010)
• We're showing more than just cartoons. (secondary slogan; 2009-2010)
• CHECK it. (May 29, 2010-2014)
• Are You CN What We're Sayin'? (2014-2017)
• New, New, New, New (2017-2018)
• On Your Cartoon Network (secondary slogan; 2017-present)