Cartoon Cartoons

Cartoon Cartoons is a collective name that is used by Cartoon Network for their original series running 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! (later re-titled to The Cartoon Cartoon Show). 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 2004 and met its demise in 2009, with the ending of Ed, Edd n Eddy. Since their heyday, re-runs of the Cartoon Cartoons have continued to air on The Cartoon Cartoon Show (2005 to 2008) and Cartoon Planet (2012 to 2014). Cartoon Network continues to produce new series under the "Cartoon Network Original Series" banner.

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 (having overseen the creation of Nicktoons shortly prior to his departure) prior to joining Hanna-Barbera and would establish Frederator Studios years later.

What a Cartoon!

What A Cartoon! (later known as The What A Cartoon! Show and The Cartoon Cartoon Show) is an American animation showcase series created by Fred Seibert for Hanna-Barbera Cartoons which aired on Cartoon Network. The project consisted of 82 short cartoons, intended to return creative power to animators and artists, by recreating the atmospheres that spawned the iconic cartoon characters of the mid-20th century. Each of the shorts mirrored the structure of a theatrical cartoon, with each film being based on an original storyboard drawn and written by its artist or creator.

The series first aired on February 20, 1995, and the shorts were promoted as World Premiere Toons. During the original run of the shorts, the series was retitled to The What a Cartoon! Show and later to The Cartoon Cartoon Show until the final short aired on August 23, 2002. The project served as the launching point for multiple Cartoon Network series, including The Powerpuff Girls, Dexter's Laboratory, Johnny Bravo, Cow and Chicken, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Mike, Lu & Og, Sheep in the Big City, Whatever Happened to... Robot Jones?, Codename: Kids Next Door, The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy and Megas XLR, as well as Fox's Family Guy.