In 1995, an animation showcase series was launched with an intent to return creative power to animators and artists. This series was influential for introducing a slew of original Cartoon Network hits and helping revive television animation in the 1990s. How much do you know about this series?

Created by Fred Seibert, What a Cartoon! (later known as The What a Cartoon! Show and The Cartoon Cartoon Show) debuted on February 20, 1995. The shorts were produced by Hanna-Barbera, with some shorts featuring a Cartoon Network Studios production tag to signal they were original to the network. The format for What a Cartoon! was ambitious for its time. Similarly to a theatrical cartoon, each of the shorts would be a product of the original cartoonists’ vision, with no executive intervention. Even the music would be an individually crafted score. 

The first cartoon from the What a Cartoon! project, The Powerpuff Girls in “Meat Fuzzy Lumkins,” made its world premiere during the television special World Premiere Toon-In. The special was hosted by Space Ghost and the cast of Space Ghost Coast to Coast. Along with comic interviews, the special featured a mock contest with the creators of the various cartoons. Every week after the premiere, Cartoon Network showcased a different World Premiere Toons made by a different artist. 

The What a Cartoon! staff had a variety of creators including first timers like Genndy Tartakovsky, Craig McCracken, Rob Renzetti, Butch Hartman, and John R. Dilworth, as well as veterans like Don Jurwich, Jerry Eisenberg, Ralph Bakshi, William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. Bruno Bozzetto, Achiu So, Jerry Reynolds, and Seth MacFarlane also contributed to the series.

The project consisted of 48 short cartoons and served as the launching point for several of Cartoon Network’s most popular programming. This included The Powerpuff Girls, Dexter’s Laboratory, Johnny Bravo, Cow and Chicken, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Mike, Lu & Og, Sheep in the Big City, Whatever Happened to... Robot Jones?, Codename: Kids Next Door, Grim & Evil, and Megas XLR, as well as Fox’s Family Guy.

The What a Cartoon! project and its assorted spinoffs brought Cartoon Network more commercial and critical success, leading to the network becoming an animation industry leader toward the end of the 1990s. To this day, many of the programs launched in part of What a Cartoon! remain among the most popular with Cartoon Network itself continuing to serve as a top resource for all your Sunday cartoon needs.