Cartoon Cartoon Fridays

Cartoon Cartoon Fridays found its roots in Cartoon Network's first original show, Space Ghost Coast to Coast. First aired in 1995, this cartoon talkshow (itself a revolutionary idea) contained a weekly section entitled World Premiere Toon. This was used as a testing ground for the next generation of cartoons that the network had begun ambitiously producing. The first World Premiere Toon was Craig McCraken's The Powerpuff Girls' episode, Meet Fuzzy Lumpkins, and it was very well received. The Powerpuff Girls' success opened the door for other cartoons, each by a different artist, to be shown each following week. These included Johnny Bravo, Sledgehammer O'Possum, George and Junior, Hard Luck Duck, Dino, and Yuckie Duckie. Of these only Johnny Bravo and The PowerPuff Girls would survive.

The success of World Premiere Toon convinced the network to give it its own half hour show, World Premiere Toons: The Next Generation, hosted by Johnny Bravo. Of its cartoons (such as Phish and Chip, Fat Cats, O Ratz, and Mina and the Count), only Dexter's Laboratory and Cow and Chicken made the cut.

In 1996 the show's name was changed to What a Cartoon! and the highly acclaimed Dexter's Laboratory was commissioned as a weekly series. Eventually both Johnny Bravo and Cow and Chicken joined Dexter as a series.

Then, in 1997, the show was yet again renamed, this time to Cartoon Cartoons. It was then that The Powerpuff Girls were finally made into a series, as well as Mike, Lu, and Og (since canceled) and the award-winning Courage the Cowardly Dog.

It wasn't until 1998 that original cartoons were commissioned specifically for the show. For the most part, they became enormous successes. They included Ed, Edd 'n' Eddy, I am Weasel, Sheep in the Big City, and most recently Time Squad, Samurai Jack, and Grim and Evil (the last recently yanked from the show because, quite frankly, it sucked).

In 1999, with enough popular cartoons to pick and choose, the show moved to primetime and was (once again) renamed to its present title, Cartoon Cartoon Fridays. It is now Cartoon Network's flagship show, featuring the creme de la creme of their original series.

Cartoon Cartoon Fridays currently airs 2 showings of 4 cartoons a week during its 4 hour slot. The shows are rotated each week with no discernable reason (unless original episodes are to be premiered). The upcoming week's schedule can be found at http://www.cartoonnetwork.com/tv/schedule.html
(Look at the far left bar).