WHAT A CARTOON! / THE WHAT A CARTOON! SHOW

 

WHAT A CARTOON! / THE WHAT A CARTOON! SHOW

(Cartoon Network, February 20, 1995-November 28, 1997)

 

Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Cartoon Network Studios

 
 
           
            Fred Seibert was hired to be the final president of Hanna-Barbera before the studio was completely absorbed into Warner Bros.’ operations. He was tasked with rejuvenating a studio that had largely fallen from grace and keep then-owner Ted Turner—who just wanted its library for his 24-children’s network, Cartoon Network—from shuttering it altogether. That network, subsequently, also needed some new programming to lure in advertisers. Seibert decided to revive an idea he had during his tenure at Nickelodeon he felt wasn’t executed as he intended, which would also get the network repeated publicity and allow the studio to revisit its roots and produce short cartoons like during the Golden Age of animation. Hanna-Barbera would produce 48 short cartoons that Cartoon Network could air every other week, and Cartoon Network could take the most well-received and turn them into full-fledged shows to populate its schedule. Once Turner and Seibert’s boss, Scott Sassa, approved, the studio began searching for talent around the world with the promise that the animators were in charge, not the suits. And, for the first time in the studio’s history, individual creators were allowed to maintain their rights over the material submitted. Over 5,000 pitches were received to fill those 48 slots.

            Initially broadcast under the name World Premiere Toons, each 7-minute cartoon was a product of the original creators’ vision with no executive meddling. Creators from various levels of experience came on board, such as veterans like Don Jurwich, Jerry Eisenberg, David Feiss, Mike Milo, Robert Alvarez and Ralph Bakshi, and newcomers like Genndy Tartakovsky, Craig McCracken, Rob Renzetti, Butch Hartman, Van Partible, Seth MacFarlane and John R. Dilworth. Even founders William Hanna and Joseph Barbera each produced two shorts.

            The first short, Powerpuff Girls, premiered on February 20, 1995, during a special episode of Space Ghost Coast to Coast titled “1^st Annual World Premiere Toon-In”. The show was simulcast on Turner networks TNT and TBS as well as Cartoon Network. Further promotion involved showcasing the shorts at water parks and large municipal swimming pools. The following week, each What a Cartoon! debuted on Sunday nights until an accumulation was repackaged as World Premiere Toons: The Next Generation. They would again be packaged as World Premiere Toons: The Show until the summer of 1996 saw it become The What a Cartoon! Show. The experiment proved successful, turning Cartoon Network into an industry leader by the end of the 1990s and helping to revive television animation. The shorts would continue to air in reruns under various package names, and would lead to the creation of several full series: Dexter’s Laboratory, Johnny Bravo, Cow and Chicken, The Powerpuff Girls, and Courage the Cowardly Dog.