Cartoon Network is about to be 28 years old. For anyone who ever spent the Saturday mornings of their childhood watching the countless series churned out by the television juggernaut, that’s a gut punch of old age. Responsible for shaping (and continuing to shape) the youth of children around the world, Cartoon Network has had many iterations during its meteoric lifespan.
Here’s a brief logo history of the Burbank-based powerhouse.
Launched on October 1, 1992 by Turner Broadcasting Systems, animated content would never be the same. With the many buyouts and acquisitions that have followed since then, it might be difficult to figure out: who exactly owns Cartoon Network?
Turner purchased the animation studio from Hanna-Barbera and Cartoon Network initially served as a “24-hour outlet for classic animation properties“⏤classics like Tom and Jerry, The Flintstones, and Scooby-Doo. In 1993 it began to broadcast its own original series, including shows like Dexter’s Laboratory, Johnny Bravo, and Courage the Cowardly Dog.
As those initial works garnered success, Cartoon Network was able to expand year after year with a rolodex of fantastic animated series too numerous to count. Each appealed to a wide variety of viewers from all walks of life. There was something for everyone on Cartoon Network.
Check out WatchMojo’s definitive list of the “Top 10 Cartoon Network Series of ALL TIME.”
Once in the Turner stable, Hanna-Barbera cartoons were able to have a second life on Cartoon Network’s spin-off channel, Boomerang. Take a look at this Youtube playlist of all the old-school cartoons you forgot existed. Grab a bowl of cereal and enjoy.
While you’re at it, watch the supercut below of all the Boomerang bumpers and commercials played between their daily showtimes. If this doesn’t stir up your nostalgia, nothing will.
For those of you too young to remember Boomerang, ask your parents about the good ol’ days.
Simply put, Cartoon Network is owned by Turner Broadcasting Systems, which is owned by Time Warner and Warner Brothers, which is now owned by AT&T since their purchase of the media conglomerate in 2018.
It’s safe to say that things have changed a great deal since the early days of animated television, and in 2021 Cartoon Network looks a lot different than it did way back when. If anything, Cartoon Network has grown with its viewers, evolving and rebranding as the children it once catered to now have children of their own. This has allowed the company to present itself to a multi-generational audience.
Nothing’s cooler than that. Except maybe Dexter’s Lab.
