From 2010 Cartoon Network finally dug itself out of a downward spiral and returned to making cartoons, it's worth noting that Cartoon Network had successfully made a cartoon every year since 1993 except for 2009.
Now we finish the mini guide with today's cartoons. 7 entries today.
1. Adventure Time - 2010
Fantasy epic about a boy and his shape shifting dog in a magical world of princesses, vampires, ice kings and everything awesome.
Verdict: Is well deserving of it's cult status even if some episodes are a bit lacking in content but always entertaining to watch and surprisingly dark in places.
Fact: The second time Nickelodeon has kicked themselves for letting a good cartoon go to their rivals. (The other being Ed, Edd & Eddy) Would you believe they chose Fanboy & Chum Chum over Adventure Time?
2. Regular Show - 2010
The surreal adventures of a group of park keepers which consist of a Blue Jay, a Raccoon, a Yeti, a Gumball Machine, a Lollyman, a small chubby Hulk and a Ghost with a hand on his head.
Verdict: One of the best cartoons on tv today, packed to the brim with 80s & 90s references and surreal humor created from mundane tasks, they even make Milk & Cereal look awesome.
Fact: Mordecai is creator JG Quintel with much of the show representing his college years.
3. Sym-Bionic Titan - 2010
Two alien humanoids and their robot escape to Planet Earth only to followed by the villains that took over their home world, they fight back with a giant mecha called Sym-Bionic Titan.
Verdict: Genndy Tartakovsky's trademark art style is plain to see and the show can easily compete with most anime series (seeing as it was inspired by early mecha anime) but I don't think the world was ready for it or Cartoon Network for that matter.
Fact: They listed the main reason for cancellation was "No toys attached to it" which is a load of crap, they couldn't afford to keep Genndy so they cancelled his project to save money.
4. Robotomy - 2010
Two outsider robots enter a world of murderous robots as they attempt to get through school.
Verdict: Terrible. Someone clearly watched Futurama and said "copy that" not realizing you need John Di Maggio to make any robot series work.
Fact: Shortest cartoon on the Network's history.
5. The Problem Solverz - 2011
A bunch of badly drawn characters solving problems.
Verdict: IT HURTS MY EYES!!!! The psychedelic color scheme really hurts my eyes and I can usually handle it having been an anime fan for years.
Fact: Technical Difficulties Please Wait. (Please note that I am currently on my computer chair in pain holding my eyes after re-watching Problem Solverz)
6. The Amazing World of Gumball - 2011
The Watterson family made up of blue cats, pink rabbits & a talking fish go through day to day life in a world full of advertisement characters in every animation technique possible.
Verdict: A fantastic show with some of the best child voice acting in the business along with some very memorable moments.
Fact: This show is British made. (Finally a cartoon I can be proud of) In fact some of it's writers live only a few miles away from where I live.
Bonus: I say advertisement characters seeing as most of the designs were used by creator Ben Boquelet as part of an advertising project in college.
7. Secret Mountain Fort Awesome - 2011
Five monsters come to Earth to try and live with humans but as with anything to do with this plot, hilarity ensues.
Verdict: Strange.
Fact: Placed on hiatus and eventually cancelled and will be replaced by the show it was originally attached to "Uncle Grandpa"
Bonus: How are Cartoon Network doing now?
While they still give up too easily on some good ideas, while making bad decisions with others and still insist on live action programming, Cartoon Network's powerhouse three of Regular Show, Gumball & Adventure Time keep the channel alive and as long as they keep going with shows like those and keep replaying the older works during the night run, there should be nothing to worry about.
Bonus: The new Cartoons this year - 2013
Quick look at the three latest cartoons coming later in the year.
Steven Universe: Looks like Scott Pilgrim channeling Charlie's Angels.
Uncle Grandpa: Idea is stupid, character is stupid, the whole series looks stupid.
Clarence: Blatant ripoff of Phineas & Ferb.
Yeah only Steven Universe looks interesting.
Welcome to the final generation of Cartoon Network's mini guide, there is one more guide after this one so some context is in order for the reason behind the final generation bit.
Context: These were the last Cartoons on Cartoon Network before someone at the Network decided to drop all the cartoons in favor of live action kid sitcoms in 2009, everyone knows how that turned out.
There are 9 entries this time.
1. Life & Times of Juniper Lee - 2005
Half Chinese pre-teen girl with magical powers passed down through her family fighting against various monsters & demons.
Verdict: If the premise sounds familiar then you've probably watched American Dragon & Kim Possible which is what this show is like, a cross between those two Disney Cartoons, which means it's fairly good but compared to those two Juniper Lee seems a little too perfect.
Fact: In fact the comparisons maybe closer than you think when you consider that both this and American Dragon went through Development Hell, ironically both this and Kim Possible were poorly treated for their third seasons.
2. Camp Lazlo - 2005
A group of zoo animals attend a poorly run summer camp. That's it.
Verdict: Nothing special, most of the humor is stale and suits Nickelodeon more than Cartoon Network.
Fact: Funny I should say that as the guy who made this created Rocko's Modern Life.
3. My Gym Partner's a Monkey - 2005
A boy gets transferred to an all animal school due to mistaken identity. (Sounds like the tamest version of Rosario X Vampire)
Verdict: It's got some decent humor but runs on one joke most of the time.
Fact: The voice actress for main character Adam Lyon featured in Offspring's song "Pretty Fly for a White Guy" as vocals.
4. Squirrel Boy - 2006
A boy and his annoying pet squirrel. That's it.
Verdict: Terrible. Someone took one look at Ren & Stimpy and said "Copy that" not realizing what made that cartoon so popular.
Fact: The creator also did adult cartoon Duckman (Another terrible cartoon)
5. Class of 3000 - 2006
Hip-Hop artist Andre 3000 of OutKast re-imagined as a Music Teacher in a school set in Atlanta Georgia.
Verdict: Better attempt at this than what MC Hammer did in the early 90s.
Fact: Said to be the last of Cartoon Network's works before the vigorous changes to the network started when the Network's leader resigned.
6. Chowder - 2007
A young chef made of a mixture of three animals works at a Catering firm.
Verdict: Forgettable in most places, looks like Garfield if he got a job as a chef.
Fact: The creator is a Spongebob refugee who got his inspiration for this series from Dr Suess.
7. Transformers: Animated - 2007
I think everyone knows what Transformers is.
Verdict: Lowest point of the franchise before the CGI series happened. (Why does CGI ruin everything?)
Fact: While being made by Cartoon Network it didn't even show on the channel in Europe and even back home it ended up on the Hub.
8. The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack - 2008
A boy raised by a talking whale find a pirate starting an adventure in a candy filled world.
Verdict: The lousy color scheme and the stupid characters make this one of the worst cartoons ever made by Cartoon Network.
Fact: Pendleton Ward & JG Quintel worked on this show as well later breaking free to save Cartoon Network two years later.
9. The Secret Saturdays - 2008
A family of scientists save the world. That's it.
Verdict: While inspired by Jonny Quest it looks more like a Nickelodeon show, it's not bad but relies far too much on tried and tested gags.
Fact: The final cartoon of Cartoon Network before this.
Bonus: 2009 the Year we shall not speak of ever again.
As mentioned earlier Class of 3000 was the last show under the Network's old leader, his resignation happened due to a marketing campaign involving Adult Swim cartoon Aqua Teen Hunger Force went wrong when the electric light devices placed around the city of Boston were mistaken for bombs.
Under a new leader Cartoon Network's shows started to disappear one by one until all that was left were shows created between the Bomb scare & 2009, Ben 10 & Ed, Edd & Eddy. In 2007 the Network experimented with live action shows creating the hybrid series Out of Jimmy's Head, then in summer 2009 pretty much every cartoon was scrapped in favor of five live action kid sitcoms to rival Nickelodeon & Disney who were still going strong with their own powerhouse sitcoms Hannah Montana & ICarly just to name two of them.
It was a ratings disaster and by the end of that year even Ed, Edd & Eddy finally left the Network leaving just Ben 10 to pick up what remained of Cartoon Network's dignity, tomorrow I shall reveal what happened a year later when two former Flapjack writers made names for themselves.
Going back in time with the mini guide to the pre-Cartoon Cartoon era as I present to you the TBS Era of Cartoon Network.
Context: Early in Cartoon Network's run it had to rely on TBS for cartoons as well as Hanna Barbara, MGM & Warner Bros.
There are three in this section.
1. The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest - 1996
90s remake of the 60s action cartoon of the same name. Uses early CGI animation for some of it's segments.
Verdict: Enjoyable but doesn't have ever lasting appeal, the CGI segments are surprisingly well done for a 90s cartoon.
Fact: The show had a troubled production run being passed around writers like parcels and fans of the old show just couldn't warm up to Jessie Bannon.
Extra: You know Jonny Quest looks a lot like Ben 10.
2. SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron - 1993
Two fighter pilot cats get court marshaled by their force and ordered to work in a scrapyard where they build a Jet Fighter out of the scrap and return to the battlegrounds as vigilantes fighting the many super villains in the city.
Verdict: This is one of Hanna Barbara's finest, it's interesting to see how much Hanna Barbara can accomplish if they stopped using their pioneering cost cutting techniques and actually spend some money.
Fact: The Turbokat jet fighter is based on a Grumman F-14 Tomcat & Saab 35 Draken Jet Fighters
3. 2 Stupid Dogs - 1993
Misadventures of a big and little dog as they attempt to understand in vain the world around them.
Verdict: A great selection of gags that doesn't tire out too quickly even if the set pieces do tend to repeat themselves.
Fact: Many elements of this show inspired the likes of Cow & Chicken particularly the character Mr Hollywood (The guy who says "BUT ITS WRONG!!!) who is basically the human equivalent of the pantless Red Guy.
Bonus: Secret Squirrel - 1993
Remake of the 60s Hanna Barbara cartoon of the same name attached as the extra cartoon to 2 Stupid Dogs.
Verdict: Nothing special, mildly entertaining.
Fact: The action of having a backup cartoon within the main cartoon is an old Hanna Barbara tradition dating back to Huckleberry Hound where that cartoon introduced Yogi Bear.
Ah Toonami, many can trace their first anime experiences back to the world famous Cartoon Network block but over the years you'll find that not everything they shown seemed to fit the mold, so today looks at the top ten most unusual Toonami shows.
Special Mention: Fairy Tail, wondering why it isn't on Toonami yet.
10. Prince of Tennis
I've never pictured Toonami as one for sports anime, but I'd expect them to pick Hajime no Ippo, Eyeshield 21 or even Inazuma Eleven; Prince of Tennis though is a strange choice.
9. Superfriends
A 70s Hanna Barbara Cartoon about the DC Universe heroes, this show is better suited to Boomerang. The show itself hasn't aged well either.
8. Blue Submarine No.6
This film was the big highlight of the late 90s and played almost as much as Cartoon Network's other films at the time, based on a 60s manga about a Submarine crew attempting to stop a scientist from flooding what's left of the earth, while I have seen the film I barely remember anything of it. So why choose something so obscure?
7. Powerpuff Girls
How the Powerpuff Girls ended up in Toonami is a mystery seeing as it's the only Cartoon Cartoon show to ever show up on the block yet it already had a home on the normal Cartoon Network.
6. Jackie Chan Adventures
Arguably the most successful cartoon about a celebrity that's ever been made, re-imagining Jackie Chan as a cartoon character in a mystical quest to save the world from various Asian artifacts. In all honesty I'd always pictured this show on a different channel.
5. Dai-Guard
Originally picked up by ADV Vision but it baffles me that this was on Toonami and listed under their giant robot special, it wasn't even that popular.
4. Gigantor
Speaking of giant robots this show is OLD! I can't remember if they played the old show or the reboot but this show is ancient, so old that it first broadcast in Black & White.
3. SD Gundam
Very misguided choice considering it's history in the States, I don't wish to remind people of the Doozy Bots.
2. Hamtaro
A show more suited to girls, not that there is anything wrong with that, Cardcaptors & Sailor Moon had huge audience figures, what baffles me about this choice is that there is nothing in Hamtaro that would be considered action or suspense, more like solving basic everyday problems and learning what human life is about, I can't really picture this on the same time slot as the likes of Dragonballz or Gundam Wing.
1. Wulin Warriors
It's a Taiwanese puppet show. It's one of the most famous shows in Taiwan but misguided producers tried to give it a place on Toonami but barely lasted two episodes before the production was cancelled. This was Toonami's lowest point (Other than it's first closure)
The following shows have all appeared and disappeared from Adult Swim, some didn't seem to do well enough to even warrant a series, here is the top 10.
Honorable Mention: Korgoth of Barbaria which got it's own feature in my last post.
10. Lucy the Daughter of the Devil
Lucy is the daughter of the devil but is torn between her father's position as the ultimate evil and college, she's joined by a DJ who is meant to be Jesus. Both are frequently hunted down by church militants.
Fate: Only lasted 11 Episodes.
Verdict: Production Values were awful.
9. Mongo Wrestling Alliance
A family of wrestlers try to restore their honor in the ring but first they must fight off the evil tyrant in charge of the federation.
Fate: Only lasted 10 Episodes
Verdict: Nothing memorable about it.
8. Titan Maximum
A spinoff Voltron spoof of Robot Chicken following the adventures of a space team who defend Titan from attack.
Fate: Creator cancelled after 9 Episodes saying he'd rather work on Robot Chicken
Verdict: Was actually quite entertaining.
7. Mary Shelleys Frankenhole
Dr Frankenstein crossed with time travel segments of Animaniacs done to Nightmare Before Christmas.
Fate: Lasted 20 Episodes.
Verdict: It's okay, nothing special.
6. Minoriteam
A team of ethnic minority superheroes fight against a team of white Caucasian villains. (Gee I wonder why this one didn't last that long)
Fate: Lasted 20 Episodes.
Verdict: I get the joke just not the punchline.
5. 12 Oz. Mouse
A drunken badly drawn mouse tries to make a living doing oddjobs in an attempt to remember his lost past.
Fate: Lasted 21 episodes
Verdict: What the hell is this?
4. Freaknik the Musical
An animated retelling of a Spring Break music Event hosted in Atlanta.
Fate: One TV Special Only
Verdict: It's quite fun, it would be fun to do this to all music festivals.
3. Xavier Renegade Angel
Ummm, Shaman like figure on a permanent drugs trip. (Seriously try describing this show)
Fate: Lasted 20 Episodes
Verdict: I've got nothing.
2. Perfect Hair Forever
A balding man is on a quest to find perfect hair. The show parodies various anime stereotypes.
Fate: Lasted 7 Episodes
Verdict: It's clear from Kappa Mikey that Americans can't parody anime, and this show isn't much better.
1. Cheyenne Cinnamon And The Fabulous Unicorn Of Sugar Town Candy Fudge
(Yes the name is that long) Series about a Pop Princess from Candyland who jumps into Detroit to help solve problems of racism and teen pregnancy with the power of love and teen pop songs
Fate: Didn't make it past pilot
Verdict: Sounds better than it really is.
