The Old Cartoon Network Thread

[Drtooth]

I also really miss Cartoon Cartoon Fridays from the early 2000s. I believe it started in 1999. I was in first grade but I don't think I watched its premiere. I had no idea it even existed until maybe 2000 or 2001.

I miss them having special programming on Fridays period. I really wish the Friday action slot was preserved better as of late. Seems anything remotely resembling an action show gets the Saturday Morning just after Adult Swim slot now. Even then, it's just Pokemon, Sonic Boom (which technically counts, I guess) and TF:RID'15. Now, supposedly there's a new Justice League cartoon coming next fall, marking a much needed return of DC characters in not DTV projects.

 

[Pig'sSaysAdios]

I kind of miss getting to see Looney Tunes,the original Scooby Doo and Popeye on a regular basis. Although I can't complain too much as Cartoon Network is the best its been in over twelve years.

 

[D'Snowth]

I got to thinking about COW AND CHICKEN, and how there's one thing improbable about it: Chicken is eleven and Cow is seven, yet they're in the same class at school. Only one episode actually corrects this when Chicken, Flem, and Earl start middle school for the first time and Cow is saddened because she's still in elementary school, but otherwise, Chicken would either already been in middle school, or still in Grade 5 if he was otherwise held back, and Cow would be in Grade 2.

The comic books seemed to correct this though: there's a story involving Chicken ordering a this kit of gadgets to help him cheat on a test, but they all keep malfunctioning on him; he and Cow are shown to be in separate classes in this story, and Red Guy is Chicken's teacher instead of Teacher.

 

[D'Snowth]

Reminscing about Cartoon Cartoon Weekend, I remember how starting with the second annual CCW in 1998, they used that their "pilot" time as well, where they would have special broadcasts for two new What A Cartoon! pilots that would potentially lead to a series: in 1998, we got the MIKE, LU & OG pilot where Og builds Lu a car; then we also got the KENNY & CHIMPY cartoon that was made by the creator of KND (and even featured Professor XXXL as the main antagonist) - that one didn't get a series, but I remember it started popping up on CN again shortly after KND went to series. In 1999 we had the trippy and creepy Star Trek spoof KING CRAB: SPACE CRUSTECEAN, and of course the second Courage pilot about Bigfoot - Courage went to series, King Crab didn't (wasn't that good anyway). Then of course, the entire summer of 2000 had a new pilot each CCF, then finally at the end of the summer was the Big Pick Weekend, where it was narrowed down to three: LONGHAIR & DOUBLEDOME, WHATEVER HAPPENED TO ROBOT JONES?, and THE GRIM ADVENTURES OF BILLY & MANDY; Billy & Mandy won the pick, but Robot Jones eventually went to series later as well, and Longhair & Doubledome got another pilot later, but nothing special. I'm pretty sure 2001 had other pilots as well, such as the pilot for EVIL CON CARNE, and that cartoon about the Indian boy (Swarup, or something like that) and his family living in America and trying to save a sacred cow from their neighbor who was going to slaughter and cook it. I vaguely remember something called THE COMMANDER CORK CARTOON SHOW from either 2002 or 2003.

Getting back to Robot Jones, I guess that one can be lumped with Mike, Lu, Og, and Sheep in CN's hall of shame since it didn't last beyond a second season either . . . I couldn't quite get into it myself, and I'm not entirely sure why: I can't remember if I wasn't impressed with the writing or the premise, or the animation style (which wasn't really great), or what, but I just didn't really give it much thought.

 

[Drtooth]

When it comes to those little pilots, you can really tell which ones wouldn't have worked as a full series. Major Flake being an obvious one. Now, I really did like that cartoon short, but I don't see it being anything to keep the premise of a TV show. I could see it sort of as an anthology type series, but Major Flake constantly being outclassed by the Tony the Tiger stand in (I forget the name) seems a little too much like a depressing mash up of I am Weasel with Gil from the Simpsons in the Baboon role. I'm sure other small cartoons would have come out of that one, like Grim and Evil and Cow and Chicken (before the Weasel cartoons were split up), but it seems that show would have gotten repetitive and kinda depressing. Too much so to survive as a series.

Getting back to Robot Jones, I guess that one can be lumped with Mike, Lu, Og, and Sheep in CN's hall of shame since it didn't last beyond a second season either . . . I couldn't quite get into it myself, and I'm not entirely sure why: I can't remember if I wasn't impressed with the writing or the premise, or the animation style (which wasn't really great), or what, but I just didn't really give it much thought.

Sheep was a show that was too special. It really seemed that even among its peers, it was (to quote a certain Christmas special) a misfit among misfits. It certainly blended in with the other cartoons okay, but I don't think the Bullwinkle only slightly more twisted humor meshed with the target audience, who strangely loved the other twisted humor of the other shows.

Now, I never saw Robot Jones or much of Mike, Lu, and Ogg to really say anything more on their behalf. I've always said that MLO seems like a refugee from Nickelodeon. I mean, it certainly looks like someone trying to ape Klasky Csupo art style. I'd say that it bares unintended similarities with Wild Thornberries (stylistically, anyway), and maybe it came off as trying to be Wild Thornberries to some viewers. That's what I thought when I first saw the characters. Can't say I've seen enough of RJ to make a judgement or know anything about it to make an assumption. Not too much beyond the same maybe it didn't fit in like the other show. Can't even remember how close to "I was a Teenage Robot" in its release to say that it even came that close to being an unintended copy. What I do know is they had an action heroine series that didn't do well because it looked a lot like another action heroine on the Disney channel that was quite popular.

 

[D'Snowth]

I've always said that MLO seems like a refugee from Nickelodeon. I mean, it certainly looks like someone trying to ape Klasky Csupo art style.

IIRC, Klasky Csupo did work on MLO . . . I think, I don't remember exactly. I read somewhere online that there's a lot of controversy surrounding the show over who gets the glory for the show, because I think there were at least two creators - one of whom conceived the show in terms of characters and premise, but the other is the one who actually developed and designed the characters and the overall look of the show, but only one of them (and I believe it was one of the people who worked on TWICE UPON A TIME) really gets any reconition for creating the show.

I also understand that the show was also under criticism like TMNT 1987 was for "writer sexism" as far as Mike and Lu are concerned.

 

[Schfifty]

In 1999 we had the trippy and creepy Star Trek spoof KING CRAB: SPACE CRUSTECEAN, and of course the second Courage pilot about Bigfoot - Courage went to series, King Crab didn't (wasn't that good anyway).

Wait...are you saying that "Courage Meets Bigfoot", the episode paired with "Hotheaded" in Season 1, was originally a pilot before the show aired? I never knew that!

And about WHTRJ?, I wasn't much that into the show as a kid either. I think the art style was a little more crude-looking compared to the other big shows at the time (kind of like the style of that one Dexter's Laboratory episode narrated by a 6-year-old boy). I wasn't a big fan of Robot's voice change later in the show either; while it did give him a more human-like character, I didn't find it as fitting as the original voice (the Apple machine, or whatever program it is).

 

[D'Snowth]

Wait...are you saying that "Courage Meets Bigfoot", the episode paired with "Hotheaded" in Season 1, was originally a pilot before the show aired? I never knew that!

Yep! Ironically though, the promos for it (as well as the King Crab cartoon) included footage from "A Night at the Katz Motel" for some reason.

Come to think of it, I actually remember when the show premiered, "A Night at the Katz Motel" was actually paired with "Night of the Weremole." They did the same with COW AND CHICKEN on the night of its premiere: they paired "Space Cow" with "Orthodontic Police" with the Weasel episode "Law of Gravity."

I think the art style was a little more crude-looking compared to the other big shows at the time (kind of like the style of that one Dexter's Laboratory episode narrated by a 6-year-old boy).

I actually loved that episode - I know it gets a lot of flack, but I got a kick out of it. "You are stoopeed! You are stoopeed! And don't forget, you are stoopeed!" But like I said, yeah, I think the look of the show in terms of design and animation played a factor in why I couldn't really get into it. And you're right, I did forget about the voice change. I remember the Mac voice program thing, because when us kids in school figured it out, we kept messing with it when it would say two pre-programed sentences: "My favorite food is pizza," and "Congratulations you've won the sweepstakes and you don't have to pay any income tax."

 

[mr3urious]

And about WHTRJ?, I wasn't much that into the show as a kid either. I think the art style was a little more crude-looking compared to the other big shows at the time (kind of like the style of that one Dexter's Laboratory episode narrated by a 6-year-old boy). I wasn't a big fan of Robot's voice change later in the show either; while it did give him a more human-like character, I didn't find it as fitting as the original voice (the Apple machine, or whatever program it is).

One scene that was hilarious in that monotone MacinTalk Junior (I believe that is the name) voice was when Robot Jones woke up from a nightmare screaming emotionless. With the voice change to a human actor with a metallic vocal effect, it really didn't have the same impact.

 

[D'Snowth]

PPG wasn't necessarily my thing, but I loved how Mojo Jojo once lampshaded their incredible simplistic design during a promo or commercial or CCF bit or whatever where he remarks that they don't even have hands, "So what is that they are punching me with? Flippers?!"

Then again, I also liked how he lampshaded Courage's sudden drastic cut in dialogue:

MOJO JOJO: You do not even talk!
COURAGE: I do sometimes.