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Cartoon Network history
Cartoon Network company history timeline
When launched on October 1, 1992, the channel was only carried by 233 cable systems.
The network's first exclusive original show was The Moxy Show, an animation anthology series first airing in 1993.
The first series produced by Cartoon Network was Space Ghost Coast to Coast in 1994, but the show mostly consisted of "recycled animation cells" from the archives of Hanna-Barbera, being an ironic deconstruction of a talk show.
In 1995, Cartoon Network launched "Cartoon Network Online" as an America Online exclusive website.
In 1997, Cartoon Network launched a new action block entitled Toonami.
A Day in the Life of Ranger Smith and Boo Boo Runs Wild (1999) were short cartoons featuring new takes on Yogi Bear's supporting cast by John Kricfalusi.
The unrelated series Ed, Edd n Eddy also premiered in 1999, creating a line-up of critically acclaimed shows.
One new original series premiered in 2000: Sheep in the Big City.
On June 18, 2001, 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.
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.
Three new original series premiered in 2001: Time Squad, Samurai Jack, and Grim & Evil.
The first theatrical film based on an original Cartoon Network series, The Powerpuff Girls Movie, was released on July 3, 2002.
The network started to drop the "Cartoon Cartoons" brand from its original programming and ended the Cartoon Cartoon Fridays block on May 16, 2003.
2003 saw the debuts of The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy and Evil Con Carne, both spinoffs of Grim & Evil.
In 2004, Cartoon Network premiered three new original series: Megas XLR, Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, and Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi along with the acquired series Code Lyoko.
On August 22, 2005, Cartoon Network launched a block aimed at the preschool demographic known as Tickle-U; shows on the block included Gordon the Garden Gnome, Yoko! Jakamoko! Toto!, Harry and His Bucket Full of Dinosaurs, Little Robots, Peppa Pig, Firehouse Tales, and Gerald McBoing-Boing.
That show was called Sunday Pants; it first aired on the day of October 2, 2005.
2005 saw the debuts of five more original series: The Life and Times of Juniper Lee, Camp Lazlo, Robotboy, My Gym Partner's a Monkey, and Ben 10.
In 2005, Cartoon Network signed a deal with AMC Theatres for Summer MovieCamp to feature episodes of Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi, Camp Lazlo, The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, Codename: Kids Next Door, and Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends in the big screen.
Two new Cartoon Network original series premiered in 2006: Squirrel Boy and Class of 3000.
On May 2, 2007, Stuart Snyder was named Samples' successor.
On September 14, 2007, the network's look was revamped, with bumpers and station IDs themed to The Hives song "Fall is Just Something That Grown-Ups Invented." 2007 saw the debut of Out of Jimmy's Head, a spin-off of the movie Re-Animated, and the first live-action Cartoon Network series.
On July 14, 2008, the network took on a refreshed look created by Tristan Eaton and animated by Crew972.
Cartoon Network announced at its 2008 upfront that it was working on a new project called The Cartoonstitute, which was headed by animators Craig McCracken as executive producer and Rob Renzetti as supervising producer.
On December 27, 2010, Adult Swim expanded by one hour, moving its start time from 10:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
In 2010, the first series produced by Cartoon Network Studios to be broadcast in high definition was Adventure Time.
ET. In February 2011, Cartoon Network aired its first sports award show Hall of Game Awards, hosted that year by professional skateboarder Tony Hawk.
The following month, March 2012, Cartoon Network aired its first documentary, Speak Up, an anti-bullying campaign featuring a special appearance by President Barack Obama.
The channel launched on July 4, 2012.
On October 1, 2012, Cartoon Network celebrated its 20th anniversary, airing birthday and party-themed reruns of its shows for several days.
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.
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.
On May 20, 2013, Cartoon Network updated its identity by adding new bumpers, graphics, and sounds.
On March 6, 2014, Stuart Snyder was removed as president and COO of Turner's Animation, Young Adults & Kids Media division after a restructure.
On October 21, 2014, Cartoon Network, along with CNN and Boomerang, were taken off-air from US-based TV provider, Dish Network, due to contract disagreements.
On October 22, 2016, AT&T reached a deal to acquire Time Warner for $108.7 billion.
2017 to October 8, 2017, in their New York City location, and moved to their Beverly Hills, California location with showings from October 14 to November 19 of that year.
On January 26, 2018, the network announced plans to launch a new cruise ship, in partnership between Turner Broadcasting and Oceanic Group.
The merger was approved by federal regulators on June 12, 2018, and the merger was completed 2 days later, with Time Warner's name changed to WarnerMedia.
On November 27, 2019, it was announced that Christina Miller would be leaving WarnerMedia at the end of 2019.
On April 7, 2020, it was announced that effective July 1, Tom Ascheim would become President of Warner Bros.
On February 5, 2021, Tom Ascheim stated in an interview with Kidscreen that Cartoon Network would expand its offerings to include series aimed at family audiences, girls, and preschoolers.
On February 15, 2021, Cartoon Network launched a new imaging campaign, developed by the New York City-based Bullpen.
On September 19, 2021, Cartoon Network premiered a new programming block known as ACME Night.
The initial lineup consisted of Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law, Sealab 2021, Cowboy Bebop, The Brak Show, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, and Space Ghost Coast to Coast.
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Cartoon Network competitors
| Company name | Founded date | Revenue | Employee size | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 360 TV | 2010 | $45.0M | 350 | - |
| The Jim Henson Company | 1955 | $12.0M | 50 | - |
| Media Education Foundation | 1991 | $5.0M | 11 | - |
| C3 Presents | 2007 | $7.1M | 322 | 1 |
| Complex | 2002 | $122.6M | 639 | 17 |
| WWE | 1952 | $1.3B | 850 | 19 |
| KCTS 9 | 1954 | $20.6M | 128 | - |
| KDHX | 1987 | $2.6M | 30 | - |
| Secretly Group | 1996 | $7.0M | 85 | - |
| Game Show Network | - | $55.0M | 116 | 3 |
Cartoon Network history FAQs
Zippia gives an in-depth look into the details of Cartoon Network, including salaries, political affiliations, employee data, and more, in order to inform job seekers about Cartoon Network. The employee data is based on information from people who have self-reported their past or current employments at Cartoon Network. The data on this page is also based on data sources collected from public and open data sources on the Internet and other locations, as well as proprietary data we licensed from other companies. Sources of data may include, but are not limited to, the BLS, company filings, estimates based on those filings, H1B filings, and other public and private datasets. While we have made attempts to ensure that the information displayed are correct, Zippia is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of this information. None of the information on this page has been provided or approved by Cartoon Network. The data presented on this page does not represent the view of Cartoon Network and its employees or that of Zippia.
Cartoon Network may also be known as or be related to Cartoon Interactive Group Inc, Cartoon Network and Cartoon Network Studios, Inc.