Saturday morning cartoons were once a staple of American television, but by the year 2000 they had all but disappeared. Of course, the Internet never forgets. Case in point: Cartoon Network Video -- a free, searchable, ad-supported service that provides hundreds of full-length episodes of classic shows like Dexter's Laboratory, Cow and Chicken, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Johnny Bravo, Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, and The Powerpuff Girls, as well as current offerings and scads of shorter material. Too recent for you? Then give Kids WB Video a whirl -- it does the same thing with the same interface, but for older programs like Looney Tunes, Tom and Jerry, The Flintstones, The Jetsons, The Smurfs, Scooby-Doo, Thundercats, and the original Space Ghost. If you're in the mood to learn (and don't mind some live-action), PBS Kids Video has educational fare such as Arthur, Wishbone, and Zoom. And don't forget about Sesame Street, The Electric Company, Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood, The Magic Schoolbus and Schoolhouse Rock! Now if only we had some Chocolate Frosted Sugar Bombs...
posted by Rhaomi on Sep 22, 2009 - 160 comments

Andrew W.K. (yt): Musician (yt), Motivational speaker (nyt) and now, kids show host (auto-playing video). via
posted by 1f2frfbf on Jun 16, 2009 - 80 comments

Long before there was Adult Swim, there was Cartoon Planet, an odd little show that showed Turner-owned cartoons with surreal vignettes featuring Space Ghost, Zorak and Brak in-between. Soon the old cartoons were dropped in favor of more strangeness from SG and his crew, ostensibly in the form of an afterschool special with regular features like mailbag, story time and educational bits like Learning to Talk Italian. Over time, the sketches got odder and odder. [more inside]
posted by jbickers on Apr 16, 2009 - 72 comments

While Adult Swim is generally regarded as the pioneer of irreverent short-form animation -- especially for 'toons that reimagine past hits -- it wasn't always the king. In fact, the late-night programming block arguably found its birth in a series of short toons and interstitials that ran in the heyday of its daytime alter ego, the venerable Cartoon Network. The brainchild of C.N. Creative Director Michael Ouweleen and Hanna-Barbera chief Fred Seibert, these cartoons reinterpreted the network's properties through stock footage, indie music, and original animation in a wide variety of styles, as well as introducing prototypes of characters that would become some of the most famous in the history of American animation. (warning: monster post inside) [more inside]
posted by Rhaomi on Dec 30, 2008 - 80 comments

Rick Astley and Foster's Home for Imaginary Kids conduct the largest rickroll in recorded history, when you consider how much of America tunes into the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. (And maybe the first live, in-person rickroll with Astley himself?) (SLYT)
posted by WCityMike on Nov 27, 2008 - 87 comments

Newsfilter: Just because you're called "Cartoon Network" dosn't mean you have to show cartoons Look how well MTV has done since they stopped showing music. And what could be more fun then watching reruns of saved by the bell? Have they simply exhausted the supply of cheaply licensable cartoons? Seems like Comedy Central is already starting to abandon Comedy with "Mind of Mencia".
posted by delmoi on Apr 21, 2006 - 109 comments

Futurama is probably coming back.
posted by Protocols of the Elders of Awesome on Jan 5, 2006 - 105 comments

Begun the microseries has... in a very interesting format. Star Wars: Clone Wars will be shown in two sets of ten installments, each three minutes long, which can be viewed on the Cartoon Network's website the day after they are aired. Director Genndy Tartakovsky (of Samurai Jack fame) seems to be doing a good job, based on my impressions of the first episode. Can this series help redeem the Star Wars franchise for the thousands (millions?) who feel cheated by the shoddy prequels?
posted by UKnowForKids on Nov 10, 2003 - 18 comments

Speedy Gonzales Censored? Cartoon Network officials have banished Speedy Gonzales from their day and prime time lineups for fear of offending Mexican Americans, but fans of the Mexican mouse hero are fighting back.
posted by Iberaband on Mar 25, 2002 - 21 comments

Batman vs. Superman. Tonight we find out who wins at the end of the seven hour marathon which started a few minutes back on Cartoon Network. All week long the fans have been voting for their favourites, and from the last two hours of this marathon will be dedicated to the winner. [It's on Cartoon Network in the US.]
posted by riffola on Jan 26, 2002 - 21 comments

Cartoon Network begins its "Adult Swim" programming tonight: Toons aimed at the 18-35 audience. I'm most excited about Cowboy Bebop (Japanese site; English is under construction). (more inside)
posted by jpoulos on Sep 2, 2001 - 26 comments

I'm no longer offended by products being marketed specifically to the Boomers, but the majority of the cartoons being run on Cartoon Network's new channel "Boomerang" totally antedate even the more generous boomer demographic. Hong Kong Phooey? Inch High Private Eye? Those both ran during *my* last seasons of Saturday Morning Cartoondom, and I hung on longer than most of my peers.
Whither art thou, Channel X?
posted by CrazyUncleJoe on Mar 10, 2000 - 9 comments