Old-School CN Nostalgia Thread (1990s)

[Ace Goodheart]

Greetings fellow Toon Zone & CN Forum members! I just registered on TZ this past weekend after having lurked and "tested the waters" for a couple of months now. I now look forward to having some interesting conversations and perhaps meet even more interesting characters here on TZ!

Over the last year, I've been on a "web-wide" search to find as much fans & goodies from the Cartoon Network of old that I could. My latest stop on this journey is here, at the Toon Zone Forums!!!

I consider the '90's (specifically 1992-1999) to be the era of "Old-School Cartoon Network". Others might consider it to be the Pre-Toonami era (1992-1997) as I used to. Some even consider it to range up until 2004. It was during most of this period that CN, in my opinion was really at its peak, as they presented an almost-perfect harmony of action cartoons (both domestic and Japanese, and mostly supplied by its long-running lineage of weekday afternon blocks, from "Super Adventures" all the way to "Toonami"), classic cartoons from the 1930's through the 1980's ("Late Night Black & White", "Looney Tunes", "Tom & Jerry", "The Flintstones", "The Jetsons") and fresh, new programming such as the "What a Cartoon!!!" series (the birthplace of several, subsequent "Cartoon Cartoons" series such as "Dexter's Laboratory", "Cow & Chicken", "Johnny Bravo" and "The Powerpuff Girls"), all of which they highlighted with their quirky, ingenious promos, bumpers and idents, both in "Checkerboard" (October 1992-July 1997) and "Powerhouse" (July 1997-June 2004) formats.

As Cartoon Network approached the new millenium however, many changes occured at the channel that, while seemingly enabling them to become more successful and reach more households, came at the cost of their programming variety and overall identity. Beginning in April of 2000, classic Warner Bros./MGM/Hanna-Barbera programming began to disappear from CN, and instead moved to their then-new sister network "Boomerang", which primarily showcases classic animation just as CN used to in its earliest years. Unfortunately, its premium, ad-free nature and the lack of effort on the part of Turner (parent company of both CN and Boomerang) to promote the channel has prevented Boomerang from reaching many people's households to this day, and in turn has kept classic animation out of the reach of most TV viewers. Also, the corporate shake-ups that affected Turner Broadcasting during the late '90's and early '00's, such as its merger with Time Warner in 1996 and Time Warner's ill-fated merger with AOL in 2001, left CN at the hands of various individuals who have long since steered it in a direction far from its original premise, with one of the main objectives being to remain competitive with CN's more successful rivals, Viacom's "Nickelodeon" and Disney.

While there's no denying that change was inevitable, and that almost all networks steer away from their original purposes, many who were part of the first generation to grow up with Cartoon Network (such as myself) and who have since outgrown its targeted demographic have expressed much displeasure at what the channel has turned into since the early '00's, and how these changes have yet to give the network an upper hand against the Nickelodeon and Disney juggernauts. That's not to say that all of the "new-school" programming on CN in the last couple of years is inferior however, nor does this waxing nostalgia mean that "old-school" CN and its programming was "perfect". Regardless, the now-classic era of '90's Cartoon Network has entertained and inspired many, and has also left them with many memories and re-collections tied to their childhood and adolescence. So, for all of you who fall under this category, and for those who simply wish to remember or find out what "Old-School" Cartoon Network was like, this thread is for you!!!

To help you in your "visit", here are some links and sites that'll be sure to intrigue and entertain you!:

- Cartoon Network's "Ten Years in Sixty Seconds" promo, which aired on their tenth anniversary (October 1, 2002) in celebration of their first ten years:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rd9T6I2aPE

- A compilation of early '90's CN idents, bumpers and promos, done in the "Checkerboard" format that the network followed between 1992-1997:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcZzIK4fWww

This is just my selection of old-school CN clips, but be sure to search for much, much more old-school CN clips scattered throughout YouTube and other video sites such as "Google Video" and "DailyMotion!!! If you're looking for a more organized site to view such goodness however, then there's no better place head to then:

OPERATION TIME CAPSULE
http://optimecapsule.com/

Arguably the best site for old-school Cartoon Network on the 'net. Here, you'll find an organized collection of the majority of classic CN clips acquired and available over the 'net, plus classic programming schedules and press releases. I highly recommend this site.

 

[Marble]

The farthest back I can remember CN UK is when my gran had her old Sky analogue dish The picture was terrible and CN was the only channel it picked up at all <.< At that time, CN was pretty much exactly the same as Boomerang, cept with Dexter.

 

[Zach]

I was about 5 or 6, in fact I was in Kindergarden when I first got CN. That was in 1995 or 6 I believe. Toonami premired and got me hooked on anime (That mainly came when they started showing Gundam Wing), Swat Cats and Freakazoid along with Garfield and Godzilla ruled my weekdays... it was great. I miss ye CN of old.

 

[Ace Goodheart]

Instead of dwelling on the bad (IMO) such as the flaws and problems with CN in recent years, I've decided to reminisce on the good, and that's Old-School Cartoon Network. One time-period that isn't well-documented or documented at all on the net is the first two years of Cartoon Network:

THE BEGINNING: 1992-1994

Cartoon Network as you may or may not know debuted on October 1, 1992, initially as a mere outlet to Turner's recently acquired (and massive) classic cartoon library, made up of Hanna-Barbera, MGM, pre-1948 WB and other misc. cartoons. Original mandate: 24 hours, 7 days a week of cartoons, the first network and premise of it's kind. With a gigantic library such as this you'd figure it'd be a nightmare to get the network & programming up & running, don't you think? But the producers played it smart and ended up killing two birds with one stone with their idea: themed blocks. What they did was repackage their cartoon library into separate themed blocks to be aired throughout the network. Their method appeared to have maintained organization throughout the network and breathe new life into their archaic library by repackaging them into new blocks with fancy names. "Branding" as they and might still call it. (Can't say the latter goal had much of an impact) Each themed block aired a specific type/flavor of cartoon, and few programming ever criss-crossed from block to block. There were various themed blocks during this period, some lasted longer than others or were absorbed into new ones. Here were just some of the early offerings (and sorry if I'm inaccurate, feel free to correct me):

Super Adventures (usually aired from 3-7PM on weekdays): Weekday afternoon block that aired action-oriented cartoons & shorts. A staple on CN ever since day one. Toonami & Miguzi's lineage could arguably be traced as far back as Super Adventures, and likewise one could consider them distant ancestors of the inagural action block of Cartoon Network. CN's action-afternoon franchise timeline is as follows:

Super Adventures/Cartoon Roulette/Boomeraction (1992-early '00's) >>>>>> Afternoon Adventures (spawned off SA and remained on weekday afternoons) (1995-1996) >>>>>> Power Zone (1995-1996) >>>>>>>>>> Toonami (1997-present) >>>>>>>> Miguzi (2004-2007)

When Afternoon Adventures spawned off of SA and became the next action-afternoon block, SA ended up becoming a separate block that only aired 60's H-B action shorts and was relegated to weekends (as "Super Adventures Saturdays and later "Power Zone") & late-nights. AA went on to air more recent action fare on weekday afternoons. SA was later repackaged as "Cartoon Roulette" and aired on Toonami as a "mini-block" during its earlier years. Later on in the early '00's, around the time CN's sister station "Boomerang" launched, "Super Adventures" was renamed "Boomeraction" with pretty much the same selection of programming: '60's-'80's Hanna Barbera/Ruby Spears action shows. "Boomeraction" later moved exclusively to Boomerang and the block of shows seems to have dissolved there in recent years with the decline of Boomerang. When it moved to Boomerang, the "Boomeraction" banner expanded to include a couple of non-HB/RB shows and perhaps some more recent ones, like "Battle of the Planets" (April-September 2004) and "The Pirates of Dark Water".

Toonapalooza (Friday nights/Saturday mornings): A weekend-only block, usually airing on late nights and mornings. Toonapalooza (a spoof on the name of the music festival "Lollapalooza") was a block that aired music-oriented cartoons. Examples include Josie & The Pussycats, Banana Splits, Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kids and The Impossibles.

70's Super Explosion (apparently airing on Wednesdays around 10PM-midnight): Obscure Wednesday-only primetime block that aired equally obscure 70's cartoons. Like the awful Super Globetrotters (IMO) for example.

Sunday Afternoon Mysteries/Mysteries, Inc. (Sunday afternoons at various times before 6-7PM): A Sunday afternoon block that aired mystery/detective-based cartoons such as Inch High, Private Eye, The Chan Clan and a selection of the 10,000 Scooby-Doo clones such as Jabberjaw, Clue Club and many others.

Late Night Black & White (late nights at various times up until [adult swim]'s weekday late-night/encore expansion): The title of this block is almost self-explicable. A late-night block that was the exclusive home to the black & white cartoons from Turner's acquired library. Truly a gem of a block. Sadly,these are one (and the only) group of 'toons which didn't make the transition to Boomerang (until March of 2007 that is).

 

[Zach]

Mystery, Inc was my favorite show on Sunday nights... I loved Jabberjaw...

 

[Ace Goodheart]

(cont.)

Filling in the blanks between CN's themed blocks were the staples of yesteryear which were (and still are) known to everyone such as The Flintstones, The Jetsons, Looney Tunes/Bugs & Daffy & Tom & Jerry which aired during primetime and leftover H-B fare which ruled over mornings & early afternoons in various packages/blocks such as Carrot Top's A.M Mayhem, Cartoon-A-Doodle-Doo & High-Noon Toons.

And that's pretty much what the first 2 years of Cartoon Network's existence consisted of. The library was vast enough to carry CN for a while, and the network was being run on a low-budget so they had to work with what they had and had no money to produce new shows. It wasn't until 1994 and moreso 1995 that new programming would arrive on Cartoon Network, and the rest is history...........

 

[Ace Goodheart]

OLD-SCHOOL GOODIES!


I am as much of a fan of Cartoon Network's old promos, bumpers and layout as i am of the CN of yore. If any of you have such material laying around in your old videotape collection and whatnot, please PM me and let me know so we can talk as I'm DYING to see such old-school goodness once again. I would really appreciate it if that's any consolation.

Anyways, here's some old-school CN goodies that I've managed to scrape up from the bowels of the net. I'm sure some of you will enjoy it.

"The Great Toon Takeover" promo: A semi-early CN promo from around 1995-1996 which truly personified the early days of CN. With low budgets came creativity. You certainly don't see commercials like this on CN anymore. Credit goes to "Tape and Glue", the production company.

http://www.tapeandglue.com/cartoonnet.html

 

[Sailor V]

Wow give us more I'm really into historical tv stuff!

 

[Cartoons90]

I miss the first few years of Cartoon Cartoons, which consisted of shows like Dexter's Lab, Cow and Chicken, The Powerpuff Girls, I am Weasel, Mike, Lu, and Og, Johnny Bravo, Courage the Cowardly Dog, and Ed, Edd n Eddy. I recall around 99 or so when Cartoon Cartoon Fridays had no host, and they just aired the original Cartoon Cartoons one after another. That all seemed to change around 00, when they added more shows and started having cartoon hosts. I also remember when Cartoon Network showed all the classic cartoons. Those were great days. I still like current Cartoon Network, but it was even better then.

 

[Zach]

I miss every single Cartoon Cartoon. I also miss What a Cartoon Show! and watching DBZ eveynight at midnight, when it was near-uncut. (Much like GW was later on at midnight, which I watched it, too.)

 

[Youko Recca]

I was quite partial to the time when Swat Kats and Freakazoid were on daily. Around then was great. But I can't blame things for evolving.

 

[Courage-Bagge]

They DID have hosts in 1999, they were actual humans shot in front of green screens to emphasize who they were. There was a meteorologist who would forecast what show was coming up next, a star-gazer who saw new episodes in the stars, a lottery guy who would announce what you were currently watching in the style of announcing the winning lottery number, and the livestock auctioneer who was seen in bumpers during CCF.

BTW, anyone remember back in 99, where everyday at 3:00, they had that special "Cartoon Cartoon of the Day"?

 

[Matt-a-Tastic]

I dont think it was actually until I was 12 (2002) when I first got it, and then was only for a months trail.

But then a few years later NTL decided to give all there users practally all the channels for no extra cost...

Oh, and I used to watch Dexters Labotary and Cow and Chicken when I was younger on CiTV

 

[Cartoons90]

I remember those segments. I never really thought much of them though, because they were so short. The cartoon host era and current Cartoon Network Fridays host era segments stand out to me more. I remember Cartoon Cartoon of the Day, that was pretty cool. Remember back in 99 when they would show a Cartoon Cartoon Saturday morning block? It was pretty much just another airing of the Cartoon Cartoon Fridays from the night before, without those segments in between.

 

[Kurtman]

I miss both SwatKats and Road Rovers. I also miss the What A Cartoon Show. That had many awesome shorts,especially Phish & Chip bomb squad (That cartoon with the bobcat and shark trying to stop the evil clown) and Gramps (The cartoon with the grandpa telling his kids a story of how he met the president and alien attacked,etc). Then there's the Outer Space Ark episode of Josie & The Pussycats in Outer Space and those 6:00 in the morning children's shows known as Big Bag and Small World with all their foreign preschool cartoons. Freakazoid also was pretty funny. I do miss quite a bit of old cartoons but nowadays I settle with Teen Titans and Krypto The Superdog which I find just as cool as stuff like Road Rovers and Phish & Chip. Oh! Almost forgot the Rupert The Dancing Grouper cartoon that never made it!

 

[TheGLIVEN]

The things I remeber most about old CN were Cow and Chicken, DBZ, and Sailor Moon. Oh! And Tenchi Muyo!


Do you gusy remember that little kids show on Sunday Mornings? Small world or something like that.

 

[Kurtman]

The things I remeber most about old CN were Cow and Chicken, DBZ, and Sailor Moon. Oh! And Tenchi Muyo!


Do you gusy remember that little kids show on Sunday Mornings? Small world or something like that.

I remember Small World. It had all those foreign preschool cartoons. I especially enjoyed the penguin one called "Pingu"!

 

[Natey]

I miss every single Cartoon Cartoon. I also miss What a Cartoon Show! and watching DBZ eveynight at midnight, when it was near-uncut. (Much like GW was later on at midnight, which I watched it, too.)

i do to. Cartoon Cartoons Are the best thing that happened to TV for me! i miss CCF hosting and all that glorious stuff.!

 

[Anthonynotes]

Well, I didn't get to see CN until about 2001 or 2002, probably when I went home to visit family for some occasion-or-other; the cable company didn't carry the channel in the town I went to college in (remember *that*, anyone, of how long it took CN to become a widespread cable channel?), as well as not having cable at all after I moved to a larger city.

These days, of course, I have seen plenty of it, though I currently lack cable...which might change depending on how my current job works out---working for a call center with Time-Warner Cable, which gives free cable as an employee benefit once trainees are permanently hired on. Yes, there's a ton of Time-Warner-conglomerate-themed stuff everywhere---the training rooms are named after Harry Potter and Scooby-Doo characters, and "Mucha Lucha" was mentioned during one training class slide-show item....

For what I miss: the old cartoonish CN bumpers, including the little bits with, say, Mr. Slate "firing" the CN logo or Courage morphing into various CN channel characters. The CGI-city thing/woman reading a static "coming up next" slide feels too generic/bland to me...

 

[loyalheart]

Okay... does anyone remember CN's 'The Cartoon Gang'???

http://dianad.com/downloads/video.php

^^ go down to 'tv interviews' and the first two on the left are TCG clips...
and.....

http://members.aol.com/vanman2677/cg.html

From 'Cartoon Network' to 'American Idol' ...lol

The thing i really miss is them re-airing the classic WB toons of 'Cartoon Network'... =/ That's why i had watched it CN in the first place..