Cartoon Network (Johnsonverse)

Cartoon Network (often abbreviated as CN) is an American cable television channel owned by Johnson Industries. It is a part of The Cartoon Network, Inc., a division that also has the broadcasting and production activities of Adult Swim, Boomerang, and Toonami under its purview.

Founded by Sheldon Johnson, Jr., Ted Turner, and Eileen and Albert Bryant (who appointed Betty Cohen as the first president of the network), the channel was launched on October 1, 1992, and primarily broadcasts animated television series, mostly children's programming, ranging from action to animated comedy. It currently runs from 11 a.m. - 8 p.m. ET/PT on weekdays, 6 a.m. - 8 p.m. ET/PT on Saturdays and 6 a.m. - 9 p.m. ET/PT on Sundays. In 2007, Johnson assumed full control of the channel.

Cartoon Network offers an alternate Spanish-language audio feed, either via a separate channel with the English audio track removed as part of a package of Spanish-language television networks sold by subscription providers, or a separate audio track accessible through the SAP option, depending on the provider.

As of March 2021, Cartoon Network is available to approximately 94 million paid television households in the United States.

History
Main article: History of Cartoon Network (Johnsonverse)

In 1987, Johnson Industries purchased animation studio Hanna-Barbera. After the Johnson family regained control of their namesake company in 1991, Sheldon Johnson, Jr. partnered up with Ted Turner (owner of Turner Broadcasting) and Eileen and Albert Bryant (owners of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer) to create a cable network for cartoons. They selected Betty Cohen (then-Senior Vice President of TNT) to devise a network to house these programs. On February 18, 1992, Johnson, Turner Broadcasting, and MGM/UA Communications announced their plans to launch Cartoon Network as an outlet for an animation library. On October 1, 1992, the network officially launched as the first 24-hour single-genre cable channel with animation as its main theme. The continuity announcers would call it "The Cartoon Network," until 1995, when it was simply dubbed Cartoon Network as it is today.

In 1994, Hanna-Barbera's new division Cartoon Network Studios was founded and started production on What a Cartoon! This show debuted in 1995, offering original animated shorts. In 1996, Cartoon Network aired two programs: Big Bag, a live-action/puppet show produced by Children's Television Workshop, and Small World an anthology TV series. Turner Broadcasting System merged with Time Warner, which consolidated/reverted ownership of all the Warner Bros. cartoons. The network could then continue more original productions. MGM/UA divested its shares in Cartoon Network in 2001, though the channel currently has a long-term agreement to carry MGM cartoons. In 2007, Johnson acquired the remaining shares held by Turner, bringing Cartoon Network under full Johnson control.

Programming
Main article: List of programs broadcast by Cartoon Network

Cartoon Network's current original programming includes such shows as The Amazing World of Gumball, Craig of the Creek, Ed, Edd n Eddy, and The Ren & Stimpy Show. The network's original programming is produced at Hanna-Barbera and Cartoon Network Studios, while other shows have either been co-produced with or acquired from other studios, including affiliate Netflix and the formerly-affiliated Warner Bros. Animation.

Over the years, Cartoon Network has aired various Looney Tunes, Merrie Melodies, Johnsontoons, Tom and Jerry and Droopy shorts in constant rotation, dating back to the network's launch in 1992. In its early days, Cartoon Network benefited from having access to a large collection of animated programming, including the libraries of Warner Bros. (Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies), Johnson (Johnsontoons), Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (Tom and Jerry), and Hanna-Barbera (The Flintstones, Scooby-Doo, Snorks). Johnson's ownership of Hanna-Barbera gave the network access to an established animation studio, something its rivals didn't have. Most of these series were removed by 1999 and moved to Boomerang in 2000.

Original series
See also: Cartoon Cartoons

Much of Cartoon Network's original programming originates from the network's in-house studio, Cartoon Network Studios. Beginning as a division of Hanna-Barbera, this studio would produce some of the network's earliest original series, including Dexter's Laboratory, Cow and Chicken, I Am Weasel, Johnny Bravo, and The Powerpuff Girls. Cartoon Cartoons was once the branding for Cartoon Network's original animated television series, but it was seldom used by the network by 2003. The name was eventually discontinued in 2008. Additionally several of the Cartoon Network's original series have been produced by studios other than the network's own in-house studio. Notable examples of this being Ed, Edd n Eddy, Courage the Cowardly Dog, and Codename: Kids Next Door. The name was resurrected by the network in 2021, for a new animated shorts program.

Programming blocks
From 1999 to 2003, Cartoon Cartoon Fridays served as the channel's flagship block, featuring premieres of Cartoon Network original series that fell under the Cartoon Cartoons branding; from 2003 to 2007, the block was renamed to "Fridays" after Cartoon Network began to phase out the Cartoon Cartoons branding. The Toonami block, which originally ran from 1997 to 2008, primarily carried action-oriented series aimed towards an older youth and teen audience, including imported anime series; it was later re-launched under the auspices of Adult Swim in 2008. In 2011, the channel introduced DC Nation, a block that would be focused on series adapted from DC Comics properties.

In September 2021, Cartoon Network introduced the new Sunday-evening block ACME Night–which primarily carries family films and library content, as well as other original series, specials, and television films from Johnson Cartoon Studios, Hanna-Barbera, Warner Bros. Animation, and MGM Animation.

Editing of theatrical cartoon shorts
Cartoon Network has, during its history, broadcast most of the Warner Bros. animated shorts originally created between the 1920s and the 1960s, but the network edited out scenes depicting discharge of gunfire, alcohol ingestion, cowboys and Indians gags, tobacco, and politically incorrect humor. The unedited versions were kept from both broadcasting and wide release on the video market. Coal Black and de Sebben Dwarfs (1943), a politically incorrect but critically well-regarded short, was notably omitted entirely, while The Scarlet Pumpernickel (1950) and Feed the Kitty (1952), both well-regarded, had their finales heavily edited due to violence.

There was media attention in June 2001 over a network decision concerning further omissions from broadcasting. Cartoon Network formerly scheduled a 49-hour-long marathon annually known as June Bugs, promising to broadcast every Bugs Bunny animated short in chronological order. The network originally intended to include 12 shorts for its 2001 airing of the marathon (one of them part of the Censored Eleven list of Merrie Melodies and Looney Tunes cartoons effectively shelved from distribution) that had become controversial for using ethnic and national stereotypes, albeit broadcasting them past midnight to ensure few children were watching, with introductions concerning their historic value as representatives of another time. The network's corporate parent considered it likely that there would be complaints concerning racial insensitivity. This led to all 12 being omitted in their entirety. Laurie Goldberg, vice-president of public relations, defended the decision, stating, "We're the leader in animation, but we're also one of the top-rated general entertainment networks. There are certain responsibilities that come with that."

Toonami
Main article: Toonami

Toonami (a portmanteau of "cartoon" and "tsunami", suggesting a "tidal wave" of animated cartoons) is a brand used for action-oriented programming blocks and television channels worldwide. The original program block launched on Cartoon Network in the United States on March 17, 1997, and primarily aired both American cartoons and Japanese anime. The block would end its original run on September 20, 2008, before it was later revived on May 26, 2012, as a relaunch of Adult Swim's Saturday night anime block. Toonami's current incarnation is similar to that of the "Midnight Run", a special version of the block that originally ran on Saturday nights and was the forerunner for Adult Swim. The block is best known for its branding and aesthetic, including its animated host, a robot named TOM, that was later voiced by Steven Blum.

The Toonami brand was also used internationally for dedicated networks in the United Kingdom (replacing CNX), Asia (in December 2012), India (in February 2015), and France (in February 2016).

Adult Swim
Main article: Adult Swim

Adult Swim (often stylized as [adult swim] or [as]) is the adult-oriented programming brand of Cartoon Network. Originally founded in 2001 as a block for Cartoon Network, it became a standalone channel in 2008. The programs featured on Adult Swim are geared toward a mature audience, in contrast to the all-ages, preteen programming of Cartoon Network. The network broadcasts both animated and live-action shows (including original programming, syndicated 20th Century Fox Television shows, and anime) generally with minimal or no editing for content.

Boomerang
Main article: Boomerang

Boomerang is a brand dedicated to classic and theatrical cartoons aimed towards children 7–13. It was originally a weekend programming block that aired on Cartoon Network from December 8, 1992, until October 3, 2004. On April 1, 2000, Boomerang received a new look and was spun off into its own cable channel.