Cartoon Network Nostalgia Thread

[Avaitor]

The City era was when I started to have issues with the network's lineup, but their sets of bumpers and promos were a lot of fun.

I'm definitely a Powerhouse guy, but I'd put City in second in terms of their ads. Checkerboard is probably third, but in hindsight, it was kind of dull in comparison. Not sure where I'd go after that.

[LumRanmaYasha]

Yeah, that was about 2007-ish. Right around the time Out of Jimmy's Head became an actual thing.

Those were some dark days. I don't love the state of the network as it is right now, but even the most jaded nostalgia buffs have to admit; CN's a lot better off now than it was five years ago.

Yeah, those were definitely terrible times for Cartoon Network. I'm so relieved that we have a lineup of mostly good cartoons now, instead of a lineup of mostly mediocre animated and live action fare.

[LumRanmaYasha]

The City era was when I started to have issues with the network's lineup, but their sets of bumpers and promos were a lot of fun.

I'm definitely a Powerhouse guy, but I'd put City in second in terms of their ads. Checkerboard is probably third, but in hindsight, it was kind of dull in comparison. Not sure where I'd go after that.

The City Era is my favorite in terms of packaging because I've always loved it when cartoon characters from different series interacted with each other. Nostalgia aside, I don't think the lineup was anywhere near as good as in the Powerhouse era. I don't remember Checkerboard at all, and I don't like any other packaging of Cartoon Network aside from the Noods. So I'd rank them City, Powerhouse, Noods, myself. I just wish Cartoon Network returned to making more fun, creative bumpers instead of the obnoxious generic ones they have now.

[Avaitor]

I forgot about the Noods!

Those were cute, but I wasn't hot on the worship they got elsewhere. But I'd be lying if I said that I didn't want one myself.

[LumRanmaYasha]

That's actually posted on the tumblr, too, but I'd rather not link to that. Also, doesn't their page look familiar to you? In a zone-ish kind of way?

Oh yeah. They totally stole that backdrop from the Cartoon Network forum at Toonzone. 

[Silverstar]

Favorite branding: Powerhouse/City (tie) and Noods

Favorite schedules/lineups: Powerhouse and City

Least Favorite ads/packaging: "YES!" and "Fall is Just Something that Grownups Invented"

Least Favorite eras: I'd probably say that 2006-2007 was Cartoon Network's lowest point; that's when it became clear that the Powers That Be didn't want CN to be a cartoon channel anymore, that was around the time they started airing movies like School of Rock which had zilch to do with animation and they started with that CN Real bullshit; and that wouldn't have been so bad if the live-action shows they brought in had at least been good, instead of just being kiddie versions of already existing reality and game shows. If we had gotten some decent live-action shows with some actual care and thought put into them like The Aquabats Supershow! I might have been able to deal with LA on Cartoon Network. And of course when Adult Swim took over the airwaves at 9PM, that wasn't great either.

I also wasn't crazy about CN from about 1995 and prior, when the channel was about 90% Hanna-Barbera reruns, and if that wasn't enough, the schedule was mostly just the same HB shows reran over and over in different blocks and packages all across the channel.

The current CN is OK, not great, but OK. I'm not a fan of everything on the channel, but I've never been a fan of any channel's entire schedule from any era. Present-day CN is far from perfect, but the channel hasn't sucked this little in a considerable while.

[Avaitor]

I'm a bigger Hanna-Barbera fan than most, but I definitely think that the channel got progressively better as it added in more and more originals, and peaked around the time that some of their shows had enough episodes to air daily and they got the rights to air virtually all of the Looney Tunes.

That's also around the time that they cut off most of the weaker HB shows, as well as the classic three-hour Toonami block, and you had a channel that almost always had something worth watching on.

[Silverstar]

I'm a bigger Hanna-Barbera fan than most, but I definitely think that the channel got progressively better as it added in more and more originals, and peaked around the time that some of their shows had enough episodes to air daily and they got the rights to air virtually all of the Looney Tunes.

That's also around the time that they cut off most of the weaker HB shows, as well as the classic three-hour Toonami block, and you had a channel that almost always had something worth watching on.

Yeah, don't misunderstand me; I don't hate HB, I'm not the biggest HB fan there is but some of their offerings are OK in small doses. I just felt that the CN of that era was lacking in variety. It doesn't help that CN's parent companies generally only air about 10% of the cartoons they actually own.

I don't want nonstop retro across the board, but some decent classics mixed alongside original premieres is a good balance to me.

I definitely miss the days when I could switch to CN and just leave it there for hours on end.  Sci-Fi Channel (pre-SyFy) and the late Tech TV used to be like that for me too, before the latter was killed and the former fell victim to Network Decay. These days I don't have a good 'refuge channel' that I can leave running and get continuous hours of goodness from.   

[Avaitor]

I'm a bigger Hanna-Barbera fan than most, but I definitely think that the channel got progressively better as it added in more and more originals, and peaked around the time that some of their shows had enough episodes to air daily and they got the rights to air virtually all of the Looney Tunes.

That's also around the time that they cut off most of the weaker HB shows, as well as the classic three-hour Toonami block, and you had a channel that almost always had something worth watching on.

Yeah, don't misunderstand me; I don't hate HB, I'm not the biggest HB fan there is but some of their offerings are OK in small doses. I just felt that the CN of that era was lacking in variety. It doesn't help that CN's parent companies generally only air about 10% of the cartoons they actually own.

I don't want nonstop retro across the board, but some decent classics mixed alongside original premieres is a good balance to me.

I definitely miss the days when I could switch to CN and just leave it there for hours on end.  Sci-Fi Channel (pre-SyFy) and the late Tech TV used to be like that for me too, before the latter was killed and the former fell victim to Network Decay. These days I don't have a good 'refuge channel' that I can leave running and get continuous hours of goodness from.   

Yeah, I know what you mean. I was too young to have watched Cartoon Network from day one and didn't start watching until the mid-90's, but chances are pretty good that I would have become sick of the network in little time if I did. I love Quick Draw McGraw and Jonny Quest and everything, but a channel of nothing but that? I'd end up turning to Nickelodeon or even going outside after a few hours.

And my appreciation of Hanna-Barbera stops somewhere in the early 60's. You won't see me defend Help! It's the Hair Bear Bunch or Dino Boy anytime soon.

[Avaitor]

y'no what [as] should've done this year? Bring back CCF.

I don't care if it's not Friday, but that would have fit in with last year's prank like nothing better. They still own the shows and it shouldn't cost more than bringing TOM back to animate a few of the characters again, so there.

[Kiddington]

This year's attempt was completely uninspired, to say the least. I know Toonami nostalgia is pretty hard to top, but come on. Airing The Room would've been better than this (okay, maybe not, but still).

You know, I should send that idea to DeMarco on Twitter. Hey, you never know; maybe they'd take into account for next year.

[Avaitor]

Yeah, they could've at least got Birdemic or something.

I think they'd probably save the CCF idea for a Friday or something. But it might be hard for them to pick a good lineup, since CN has that rule where none of their shows current;y airing on the main network or Boomerang can go on [as], which is why Jack isn't on Toonami. Still, they might make an exception for one night for a lot of these shows.

[Kiddington]

They could get around it if they really wanted to. After all, they aired DBZ last year, and they completely relinquished the rights to that years ago (along with a few of those other shows as well).

I dunno, I doubt this ever happens. But hey, none of us could've seen Toonami's comeback on the horizon, so I guess you never know.

[Rynnec]

The least they could have done for AF is have another "classic night" where they air old bumpers and programs.

[Nel_Annette]

Maybe I'm just up too late, but I'm finding the giant cat heads hilarious.

*shrugs*