DMAN re-attempts to talk about every single CN original in existence (Success!)

[dmandagiraffe]

Last time on "DMAN re-attempts to talk about every single CN original in existence", dman talked about what's easily his favorite show in the list. Now all he has to do is fill in the gaps that are left...

 

 

#52: Mighty Magiswords "The Mystery of Loch Mess"

[September 29, 2016]

 

Alright, time to talk about the last remaining show from the period of time where CN was starting to lose my attention. After the complete disaster that was the Powerpuff Girls reboot, this was the next show to premiere. And it's yet another case of a show that I remember being on, but I never actually caught it on TV. However, unlike some of the other shows in this group, I specifically recall going out of my way to avoid this one. It just didn't look like my thing (for reasons that I will soon mention). In the meantime, let's see exactly what happens in this show...there's a lot to cover.

The episode begins with the Warrior (last name) siblings Prohyas and Vambre bored out of their minds and wanting some work to do. After some extreme arm wrestling and having to calm down their pet dragon Grup, the Warriors hear their doorbell ringing. They get excited at the thought of it being a customer, but it's only Hoppus delivering them a message from Princess Zange. Good news, Zange is the one who actually has a job for the Warriors! Over the past few months she's been sending offerings to Loch Mess to keep the peace with the kingdom (and its huge pig guard). Problem is, the delivery people never come back. She entrusts the Warriors with solving the problem, and if they're successful Zange will make them to go-to adventurers for all future missions. Without hesitation, the Warriors accept and start preparing. At Ralphio's House of Swords, Prohyas buys an expensive bacon magisword after Zange tells them the residents of Loch Mess will cool down at the sight of pork products. Then at Slugburger, Prohyas gets overexcited and announces their upcoming mission to their server via microphone magisword. However, this announcement is also overheard by business rivals Morbidia and Gateaux of Witch Way, who believe the mission is better suited for sorcerors like them. So, they plan to go save all the delivery people themselves in the hopes that Zange will make them the priority adventurers instead of the Warriors. Meanwhile, the Warriors have arrived at Loch Mess and are greeted by Hambus, the giant pig guard mentioned earlier. It turns out he has no idea why the delivery people are disappearing either, but he is eager to find out so he offers the siblings a ride to the castle. There, they are introduced to Queen Porcina Pork Loin, and it's quickly discovered that she has been kidnapping all the delivery people so she can keep them as pets. Apparently Porcina isn't too fond of Zange's offerings consisting of various broccolis, but she is much more entertained by said "pets" so she considers them the offerings instead. Realizing that the queen isn't willing to give up her subjects, Prohyas and Vambre use their bacon and tomato magiswords respectively...to no effect on the queen. Porcina responds by sending her other guard pigs to deal with the Warriors, but the siblings are able to use various magiswords to fend themselves off. That is, until they are interrupted by Witch Way, which results in all four adventurers being captured and getting ready to be fed to the Loch Mess Nomster. Thankfully, like with Grup earlier, Prohyas is able to calm down the Nomster with his voice and he becomes obedient. Porcina realizes she doesn't need to kidnap delivery people anymore as the Nomster is already a great pet, so she sets them all free and reinstates her peace with Zange's kingdom...just as long as they stop sending broccoli. Before the Warriors can send the delivery people home, Witch Way beats them to the punch by summoning an escape boat. Fortunately, with the help of the birdcall magisword, the Warriors are able to attract a bird that carries the sorcerors away before they can finish their speech. Back home, Zange congratulates the Warriors on their successful mission, makes them the official adventurers of the kingdom, and gives them a new mission to retrieve a Loch Mess Nomster for herself, as they are apparently very adorable. The end.

Believe it or not, there are still several details I had to leave out of that summary, because boy howdy does this show do a lot in 11 minutes. In fact, I think it's way too much. Remember how months ago I said that OK K.O. was paced too quickly for my liking? Take that pace, multiply it tenfold, and give it a little extra sugar just to be sure. That's this show. There is not a SINGLE moment to breathe in this whole thing. Any jokes that I did like (and there were a few) were instantly drowned out by the next shiny thing that was happening onscreen. Speaking of onscreen, I'm also not a big fan of the character designs here. Sure, considering the period it came from it's not that different, but all the bright colors started to wear on my eyes with time (no, it's nowhere near as bad as Problem Solverz. There's no comparison there). But even with all that said...I didn't hate it. It's not the kind of thing I'll ever visit again, but it was semi-entertaining when I watched it. I wouldn't have enough stamina to get through more than a few episodes in a day, and if I were to guess, its formulas would likely get tiring for me pretty fast. I guess that's where I'm at with this one: hyperkinetic, overexaggerated ambivalence.

 

THE BOTTOM LINE: I think I got hit with the brain-melting magisword, because I can't process any more new information today with everything this show threw at me.

RATING: 5 (leaning on 4.5)/10 (meh)

 

Now, normally I'd link my old talk-about of this show at the bottom of this post, but it seems like SBM has implemented even stricter measures for anonymous browsing because I can't access that thread anymore. Oh well, if you're curious there's plenty of other links earlier on in this topic. Just use one of those to find my old talk-about of this show and you're set. Okay, back to business. You know what to do, Wheel!

 

Spoiler

Ah yes, the spawning grounds.

 

Stay tuned for dman's next talk-about. 5 shows remain...

[4EverGreen]

The show that gave birth to "Dexter's Laboratory", "Cow And Chicken", "Johnny Bravo", "The Powerpuff Girls", "Courage The Cowardly Dog" (and indirectly) "Family Guy" via "Life With Larry".

[dmandagiraffe]

Last time on "DMAN re-attempts to talk about every single CN original in existence", dman talked about Stimulus Overload: The Show. Will today's show help in toning things down?

 

 

#03: What a Cartoon! "Meat Fuzzy Lumkins"

[February 20, 1995]

 

Ah yes, it's time to talk about one of the most important shows in the history of Cartoon Network. The What a Cartoon! Show might not be iconic in of itself, but it cannot be denied how many iconic shows it spawned. Name any CN original from the 90s or early 2000s, and there's a more than likely chance that it got its start on either this show or one of its future iterations. If there's any single show that was most integral in making CN what it was, it's this one. Dexter's Lab, Johnny Bravo, Cow and Chicken, Courage, etc., all of them owe thanks to this little anthology series. But screw all of those, let's talk about the Powerpuff Girls for the third time in this thread!!!

As a sidenote, due to the way this show is structured I'm only covering the first segment of episode one. I have a couple of reasons for this: it's partly because unlike the other anthology shows I covered (The Moxy Show & Sunday Pants) there's not really a unifying theme between these segments, but it's mostly because Wikipedia splits up each episode of this show into lettered segments (not to mention they all aired on different dates), whereas it doesn't do that with the other two shows. So yeah, at least it'll be a short one today.

The episode starts at the Townsville Mall where a jam contest is being held, hosted by the Mayor (who looks quite different than we're used to, also he's not voiced by mah boi Tom) and judged by none other than the titular girls. One of the contestants is Fuzzy Lumkins, the monster hick who puts meat in his jam. Unfortunately for him, the girls dislike his mix and pick a different jam as the winner. Blaming the girls directly for his loss, Lumkins prepares to seek vengeance with the help of his own invention, the Meatgun©. Basically, it's a gun that turns anything it shoots into meat, and he plans to turn the entirety of Townsville into his next meal. Later at Pokey Oaks Kindergarten, the girls get a call from the Mayor informing them of how everything in Townsville is being turned into meat, himself included. The girls speed off to the middle of town and are able to restore the city...somehow. Now the problem is figuring out exactly who committed these heinous acts, and no one in Townsville seems to have the answer. The girls are stumped, but thanks to a quippy talking dog they correctly deduce the identity of the culprit: Fuzzy Lumkins. The girls arrive to stop Lumkins before he can shoot the Townsville Mall, but they have trouble defending themselves from his Meatgun. One beam manages to graze Bubbles' hair, turning one of her pigtails into a drumstick. This causes her to flip out, and she beats up Lumkins in a variety of ways before ultimately shooting him with his own weapon. Ultimately the girls host a barbeque in a recently saved Townsville, but when the Mayor asks why his burger has Lumkins-like diddly-bobs sticking out of it, the girls simply giggle to themselves. The end.

Well, I'm not sure what I expected. If you want to see an early version of what would become one of CN's most beloved shows, here it is! Of course, it's a lot rougher around the edges than the show we're all used to, but there's still good stuff here. My favorite bit has to be during the Bubbles and Lumkins fight scene; inbetween all the violent moments, there's one scene where Lumkins is in the middle of a goofy walk cycle and Bubbles simply trips him with a smile; that part made me chuckle. And the rest of this is fun too, even if it's very obviously a prototype. I can't help but notice the similarities to the actual first episode of the PPG, just replace dogs with meat. That said, I always found Mojo Jojo to be much more fun to watch than Fuzzy Lumkins, but that's me. So yes, while it may pale to its later incarnation, there's still something to get out of these early Powerpuff shorts.

 

THE BOTTOM LINE: What a(n average) Cartoon!

RATING: 7/10 (decent)

 

Man, it looks like there's not an 8/10 or above anthology show in CN's history. I guess KaBlam! and Liquid Television spoiled that genre for me. Oh well, give me another show, Wheel!

 

Spoiler

Hello! Hello!

 

Stay tuned for dman's next talk-about. 4 shows remain...

[4EverGreen]

The show was basically an excuse to have the voice actors for original Starfire and Raven to have MORE comedic interactions with each other! That being said; I still found it to be a fun show!

[dmandagiraffe]

Last time on "DMAN re-attempts to talk about every single CN original in existence", dman talked about the origin point for many loved classics on the network. Today's show is not one of them. I mean it could still be good, but it's not from the What a Cartoon! Show so it's not a classic in that sense. Honestly, I'm struggling to introduce this one, so let's just see what dman has to say already.

 

 

#23: Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi "Dis-Harmony"

[November 19, 2004]

 

So, remember when CN gave the band who sang the Teen Titans theme their own show? Well, if I'm being honest, I can't say I do. There's not much for me to remember from this one. The only bits I do recall are a live-action scene where a janitor plays the drums and the slightly different CN logo at the end. In other words, this show came out right around the time when I was becoming aware of what I watched on television, but not yet fully aware. Who knows what this show holds? Will the music make me lose control? Let's find out!

The episode begins with the titular band finishing up another show, which unfortunately doesn't go too well since the audience is filled with unimpressed yokels. In the backroom, Ami and Yumi lament about their manager Kaz, mentioning that he doesn't know how to book gigs in places where people actually appreciate them. Right on cue, Kaz bursts in and introduces the girls to the winner of their fan contest, Harmony. It turns out she's a full-on obsessive fan, to the point where she knows about every little detail of Ami and Yumi's lives, and has even made puppets in their likeness. Needless to say, the girls are both impressed and creeped out. After they give Harmony small tokens of appreciation, Kaz forces the fan out of the room and the three hit the road. However, their run-ins with Harmony are far from over, as she immediately appears in their dresser wearing bunny pajamas and...sniffing all of their socks. Eugggh. Things only get even more out of hand when Harmony is caught licking Yumi in a photo booth and massaging Ami's feet during a mud bath. Cue a montage of the girls trying to escape their #1 fan, but failing every time. Even when traveling to the moon they aren't safe! The girls ultimately assign the problem of dealing with their stalker to Kaz, since he got them into this mess. But upon hearing Kaz singing the show's theme song in the trailer, Harmony becomes obsessed with him instead, and he runs off in terror. Though initially relieved, Ami and Yumi comically regret their decision instantly and run outside of the trailer to get their #1 fan back. The end.

Well...that certainly was an episode of Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi! I won't mince words here; this one didn't do it for me. I don't hate it, but there's nothing here that gives me much of a reason to return to it. It gets some points for the occasional funny bits (see the image above), but any good will that brings is canceled out by how lackluster the animation is. The backgrounds are often blank, the characters are rarely expressive, no character design stands out if you exclude the main cast, I could go on. I can see why some of those elements would make other people fans of this show, but it just wasn't my bag. Overall, I consider this one mediocre. I'm not one to dismiss all celebrity cartoons as media that only exists to build up the egos of their protagonists (just look at my Class of 3000 post), but this one feels just like that. Pass.

 

THE BOTTOM LINE: Bye Bye, Puffy AmiYumi. You will be missed, but it won't be by me.

RATING: 5/10 (meh)

 

We're approaching the homestretch here, folks! Let's see what the Wheel says is next on the docket...

 

Spoiler

Well, what's so secret about it? HUH?!?

 

Stay tuned for dman's next talk-about. 3 shows remain...

[4EverGreen]

This is going to SUCK!!!! Honestly, the only GOOD thing that came out of THAT show was that it ended up introducing the SUPERIOR in every way "Uncle Grandpa"! (Look it up...or don't, I REALLY don't care either way!)

[dmandagiraffe]

Last time on "DMAN re-attempts to talk about every single CN original in existence", dman talked about one of the most bizarre (yet forgettable) ideas for a show the network put out in the mid-2000s. Today's show is also bizarre, but certainly harder to forget...

 

 

#44: Secret Mountain Fort Awesome "Teleport-A-Potty"

[August 1, 2011]

 

Before Uncle Grandpa came around, this was the first show that Pete Browngardt created for Cartoon Network. And if you thought that former show that I covered back in 2019 was too zany and weird, HOOOOO boy it's nothing compared to this one. When this show came out, I heard almost nothing but bad things about it. And at the time, I agreed. My experience watching this show is a very similar one to that of The Problem Solverz: I saw one episode on television, and that was enough to make me nope out on the whole show. Of course, that was almost a decade and a half ago, and my opinions on shows I previously hated have changed over that time. Heck, a good portion of the internet seems to have warmed up to the aforementioned Uncle Grandpa, discovering the show wasn't as bad as most made it out to be. That only leaves the question of whether or not this show deserves the same treatment! Will it be awesome? ...or should it have remained secret?

The episode begins a group of monsters (apparently called "Disgustoids") ordering pizza. Hmm...sounds familiar. Anyways, we have Festro (the big purple one), Gweelok (the green one with serious acne), Slog (the one that looks like it's covered in pubic hair), Dingle (the pet vaguely resembling a dog), and The Fart (you guessed it, the one that's made of butts). Since the Disgustoids live underground, their pizza never arrives. This sends Festro into an overly long monologue about how he wishes they lived in a world where pizza was easily accessible, and just in time Gweelok reveals his newest invention: the teleport-a-potty. So, all the Disgustoids cram themselves in and begin the search for a world where pizza grows on trees. They encounter dimensions filled with vibrant color, flying babies, and sentient rollerskates, but none of them have pizza. The next dimension appears to look no better, and things take a turn for the worse when Festro finishes doing his business in the teleport-a-potty and flushes. This causes the teleport-a-potty to activate with no one inside, effectively stranding the Disgustoids. Before Gweelok can chew Festro out, the group discovers the world they're in is one where monsters rule over humans. Bad news, the leader of this domain is Helmethead, a monster who wants nothing to do with these outsiders. While the Disgustoids await certain death in his dungeon, Gweelok mentions that their only chance of getting home is if they find another toilet, since he can then modify it into another teleport-a-potty. Good news, a group of humans arrive to rescue the monsters and they take them to their human leader. The leader telepathically tells them that there is only one toilet in the land, but it was stolen by Helmethead and is still in his possession, leaving all the humans weak since they haven't been able to relieve themselves in a long time. But a prophecy foretells that a monster from another dimension will grant the humans use of the toilet once more...and said monster from the prophecy looks an awful lot like Festro. Realizing he will never eat pizza again if they don't get the toilet, Festro agrees to help. He assembles an army of humans and his fellow Disgustoids, but he immediately gets eaten by one of Helmethead's soliders. While the remaining Disgustoids engage in battle with Helmethead's army, Festro is able to burst through the solider that ate him once he is inside Helmethead's castle. The two engage in some cartoony shenanigans, and Helmethead reveals he's also been keeping fresh pizza stuck to his massive head under his helmet (which is actually an oven). Festro defeats Helmethead by eating all the pizza, and this summons the rest of the Disgustoids to the toilet. Before Gweelok can fully modify the toilet however, the humans gather round to use the toilet. The Disgustoids quickly jump into the bowl, except for Festro, who can't move due to all the pizza he ate. Despite not saving any slices for them, the Disgustoids still help him escape from the dimension...right after all the humans drop their pants. Festro then says he's fine never seeing a pizza again, before we zoom out and see the Disgustoids have now landed in a dimension that is nothing but a pizza floating in outer space. The end.

Well, that was a lot. What even were all those words I typed in that paragraph? It kinda just went in one ear and out the other. I guess I'll start by saying this: like Uncle Grandpa, it's not as bad as I thought it was going to be. There are a few decently humorous moments here (Festro saying "don't leave me hanging" immediately cutting to everyone hanging in a dungeon was amusing) when I expected there to be none. But don't get me wrong, overall this was still pretty damn bad. I thought this show was going to be 2/10 levels of horrid, but it did manage to surprise me...if only barely. First, I cannot get past the art style of this show. It's saying something that the humans are even more unpleasant to look at than the actual Disgustoids. Second, outside of those few moments I mentioned, most of the jokes are duds. I don't find monsters rambling on and on about pizza that funny, sorry guys. To add on to that, the show moves at such an insane pace that any joke that does land doesn't get its full impact in. Also, the whole thing is WAY too out there for me. It feels like an Adult Swim show with even less maturity and even more drugs involved. I can see this one having appeal in a "so bad, it's good" kind of way, but as for me, this is one trip that I'll be fine with never going on again. 

THE BOTTOM LINE: SECRET MOUNTAIN FORT AWFUL!!!!!!!!!!! shhhhhhh

RATING: 3 (leaning on 3.5)/10 (straight bad)

 

And the penultimate show that the Wheel will spin is...

 

Spoiler

No, I will not be talking about the lesbians episode. Or will I?

 

Stay tuned for dman's next talk-about. 2 shows remain...

[4EverGreen]

One of the last two cartoon shows (along with its spin-off, "I.M. Weasel") that Hanna-Barbera Productions was completely involved in from its inception, until the show was ended. Honestly, how either Hanna-Barbera Productions OR Cartoon Network was ever able to get THAT show past the censors is BEYOND me! I'm interested to see how this review plays out.

[dmandagiraffe]

Last time on "DMAN re-attempts to talk about every single CN original in existence", dman talked about the most unappealingly unhinged show the network ever put out. Today's show is also unhinged, but nowhere near as unappealing. Will dman end up liking it more?

 

 

#06: Cow and Chicken "Field Trip to Folsom Prison"

[July 15, 1997]

 

For our penultimate talk-about, it looks like we're looking at one of the most out there shows to come out of early Cartoon Network. In fact, you could make an argument that Cow and Chicken is the most 90s CN show there is, and that's not just because it didn't make it to the turn of the millennium. We'll get to that discussion in a bit. Anyways, what is my experience with this show? As I alluded to in my I Am Weasel post, there's barely anything there. I definitely saw it on Boomerang one time, but I don't even remember what the episode was about, whereas I clearly remember the Weasel episode I watched being the body swap one. Technically I do remember an episode of this show (this one), but that's only because I covered this on the SBM thread before it hit the shitter. But it never hurts to fully refresh my memory!

The episode starts with Cow, Chicken, and the rest of their classmates on a bus to the infamous Folsom Prison. Though Chicken initially starts the ride sitting next to Cow, he quickly tires of her and sits with humans Flem and Earl to get hyped for the visit. Once they reach the prison yard, Chicken steals a jumpsuit and starts acting like one of the prisoners. But right afterwards, the prisoners (along with Chicken) are sent back inside, leaving one stray prisoner with the opportunity to pose as Chicken and escape. Luckily for the prisoner (Red), no one catches on to the fact that he isn't really Chicken, especially not Cow. While Chicken is loving the prison life, Cow is loving her playtime with Red. But eventually, she comes to a realization: Chicken never spends any time playing with her, so she hasn't been spending time with the real Chicken. Knowing what she must do, she turns into Supercow and rushes to take Red back to prison via bicycle. Meanwhile at said prison, Chicken starts a ruckus in the cafeteria and as a result he is sent to the warden's office. The warden just so happens to be Red Guy (the cartoony devil, not the same as the prisoner), and Chicken finally confesses to not being Red. R. Guy responds by taking Chicken to the yard and announcing to the prisoners that he has been wrongly imprisoned. Since none of them spoke out about this injustice, he sends them all to solitary confinement along with Chicken, and it doesn't look like it's going to end well for him. Thankfully, Supercow arrives right on time to swap Chicken out for Red, and the two siblings ride home. In the end, Chicken thanks Cow for saving him, Mom and Dad (real names and also human) praise Chicken for his honesty about being sent to prison, and they all eat pork butts and taters for dinner, along with some milk to drink. The end.

When I said earlier that this show felt like the most 90s thing CN did, there was one particular reason I had for saying that: this feels like an early Nicktoon on Cartoon Network. Some Nickelodeon shows from the 90s like Ren & Stimpy and Rocko's Modern Life were well known for their crude sense of humor. Most shows on CN are funny, entertaining, and sometimes a bit mean, but there has never been a CN show this crude before or since this one. Even David Feiss's other show for the channel is tame compared to Cow and Chicken. But is it as good as either of those Nick shows I mentioned? Well, I certainly wouldn't put it above Rocko; that one's an all-timer. I don't really know where it would stand next to Ren & Stimpy though, and given all the crap surrounding that show I don't care enough to find out. Though one thing's for sure, and that's that this show is nowhere near as iconic as those two. In fact, some people have even declared it as a rip-off! I don't have a say in the matter personally, so I'll just go ahead and say I still enjoyed my time with this show. Feiss's animation is a delight on the eyes as usual, other than Tartakovsky's shows he might have my favorite visual style on the network. The jokes here are also pretty good, especially Chicken losing his beak and the prisoners immediately dropping a fight to play jump rope. Other than that, I have pretty much the same thoughts here as I did to I Am Weasel. It may have its flaws, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

 

THE BOTTOM LINE: Crude humor can only get you so far, but there's enough spice here to just make up for it. Dig in!

RATING: 7 (leaning on 7.5)/10 (decent)

 

As mentioned earlier, I posted a talk-about for this show back in the SBM thread days, but once again I can't access it. Whatever, there's several links to that thread throughout this one, you can find it. Anyways, not like it's a surprise, but reveal the FINAL SHOW to us, Wheel...!

 

Spoiler

I'm scared.

 

Stay tuned for dman's last talk-about. 1 show remains...

[4EverGreen]

Might be the most UNFAIRLY over-hated show by Cartoon Network that they have ever made! That show ACTUALLY won an Emmy! And it had TWO TV movies made for it! Would any show that was criticized as much as THEY were possibly have ANY of THAT if they were actually as BAD as so many people CLAIMED that they were?! I highly DOUBT that!

[dmandagiraffe]

Last time on "DMAN re-attempts to talk about every single CN original in existence", dman talked about the show with the cow and the chicken. Today, things come to an end as he talks about the show with the boy, the monkey, and several other animals that I'm too lazy to mention. 

 

 

Well, looks like we've finally arrived at the last show on the list! And it's none other than...

#27: My Gym Partner's a Monkey "Inoculation Day"

[December 26, 2005]

 

This show premiered just one day after Christmas, huh? That's fitting for the time of year we're currently in. Oh God, this show's almost 20 years old...sorry, where was I? Right, the show about animals going to school. My brother and I watched this one a TON back in the day, and I remember holding it in similar high regard as I did with Camp Lazlo. I played the flash platformer game dozens of times, I knew all the words to Animal School Musical, for a good while "PRETTY PRETTY SHINY SHINY" was in constant use of my everyday speech, I could go on with this one. That all said, it's been years since I've even touched this show and, I'll be honest, this is the show I'm the most worried about revisiting in this entire thread. Almost no one brings up this one nowadays, and if they do it's practically always in a negative light. So, will my childhood obsession win out, or will this gym partner be a total bust? Let's change our last names to Lion and find out for ourselves.

The episode starts with a wide selection of animal students on a bus (sounds familiar, doesn't it?), but we specifically focus on Jake Spidermonkey (it's fitting that Tom Kenny gets one last appearance here) and Adam Lyon. Jake spends the whole bus ride being annoying, leading Adam to say that he's glad he's not a monkey, a statement that certainly isn't foreshadowing anything! The bus then arrives at Charles Darwin Middle School, where Principal Pixiefrog announces that it's inoculation day, AKA the day where every student gets their mandatory vaccination shot. While Nurse Gazelle is shooting down various students in the halls with a blowgun, Jake expresses his great fear of getting shots, right before he is caught in the crosshairs of the blowgun himself. As Jake tries to run away, Gazelle sets the blowgun into hi-tech mode. However, since Adam gets in the way, she accidentally ends up hitting him with the blowdart instead of Jake. Jake then goes on about how glad he is that he didn't get hit, but it doesn't matter anyway, because while he's rambling Pixefrog secretly gives him his shot and he doesn't feel a thing. No, the real problem here is that the monkey booster that Adam got is likely to cause an adverse reaction in humans, and surprise, that's exactly what happens. Adam feels itchy, he craves bananas, he swings on a vine, and before we know it he's fully turned into a monkey. Realizing the potential consequences of this situation, Pixiefrog gathers the school faculty to brainstorm ways to turn Adam back into a human. It's then that Gazelle reveals she has an antidote for the booster, which she hasn't revealed until now due to her tiny peanut brain. Anyway, they all trust Jake to lead them to Adam...after he walks them in circles around the same school block for hours, of course. Jake finally leads them into the restroom where, sure enough, Adam appears as apparently all monkeys feel the constant need to desire their butts in the mirror. Before Gazelle can shoot him, another problem arises: due to her miniscule brain, she can't distinguish between Adam and his mirror reflection, and she ends up shooting the mirror. As the faculty tries to run away, Adam picks up Pixiefrog, runs outside, and starts climbing Ingrid Giraffe's neck King Kong style. While Jake climbs her neck in an attempt to put a stop to this, some protestors from the rights group B.A.A.A. (Because All Animals Are Amazing...yes I know that's four A's just go with it) show up and are horrified by the scene. Gazelle gets ready to aim another shot, but due to Jake making his way up, she once again cannot distinguish the two monkeys from each other. She gets it wrong again, but Jake is able to deflect the antidote with his tail and send it into Adam instead. Adam is cured, Pixiefrog is set free, the protestors go for a burger, and Jake makes various butt jokes to everyone's unamusement, including mine. The end.

Well, if the ending of that summary didn't give it away, this show hasn't aged well in my eyes. Like, at all. I'll start with the good: the joke about the school's insurance and the jab at PETA were both mildly funny, and the animation isn't bad by mid-2000s standards. And...that's it. Everything else here is either mediocre, or painful to watch. The biggest problem by far is Jake; a character who is annoying, brainless, unfunny, and has zero redeeming qualities whatsoever. It's unfortunate, but Tom Kenny's final appearance in this thread is by far his worst. Speaking of unfunny, that's how every joke in this show lands other than the very few I mentioned above. It gives me the same vibe as Squirrel Boy, although this show still has a leg up because a few funny gags are better than none! Man, I can't believe I liked this one as a kid...actually, yes I can. From the perspective of five-year old me, a show that's this shit would be my shit. One last thing I want to mention- the editing of the background music is bizarre. Songs will not fit the mood at all, some will just suddenly cut at random points, hell, when the episode ends the music that's playing just fades out with NO sense of conclusivity. It doesn't really affect the show itself, but it's too strange for me to not mention. Before I wrap this talk-about up, I want to stress that I don't think that this show is terrible. Whenever Jake is not on screen, it's just a mediocre show. But the mediocre parts aren't what stick out, especially when Jake is one of two main characters. Even this show featuring giraffe and snake students can't put it in my good graces. What a shame.

 

THE BOTTOM LINE: I learned something important today at animal school: not everything I enjoyed as a kid will hold up with time.

RATING: 4/10 (not good)

 

And...that's everything! After seven years, I have finally talked about EVERY SINGLE CN ORIGINAL IN EXISTENCE (before 2018)! However, I feel unsatisfied going out on a sour note like this, so now is the time where I reveal that I'm not fully done with this thread yet. You see, I haven't been giving all of these shows ratings for no reason. Over the next few days, I'm going to find out how all these toons stack up against each other. Then I'll make a post revisiting the worst 10, and then one more post going over the best 10 along with revealing the full ranking. That way, this thread can end in a more positive fashion. But before we get to that point, we have to go through hell. Will you join me in seeing the worst of what CN has to offer? Because I can't bear to do this alone...

 

Stay tuned for the worst list. I'm betting the show dman just talked about will make an appearance!

[dmandagiraffe]

Merry (late) Christmas! This seems like the right time to post this, don't you agree?

It's been an interesting year for many reasons, but regarding my side of things...yeah, there's still many reasons for interest there, too. Though if there's one thing I especially didn't see myself doing, it was spontaneously reviving this dead thread where I talked about some of my favorite cartoons growing up, plus a bunch of other shows. Unfortunately for me, I will not be covering the good parts today. I know how much people get a kick out of complaining about media (not to mention seeing others do it), so that's exactly what I'm going to deliver! This is your gift, SBC! Are you ready to see the worst of what "the best place for cartoons" has to offer? If not, then...I guess you can just close the tab now? But if you are ready, let our journey down (unwanted) memory lane begin!

 

DMAN's top 10 WORST Cartoon Network originals

Spoiler

10. Summer Camp Island
Well...this is an odd place to start. I should clarify: even though this list is a bottom 10, I don't think every show here is bad. CN's selection is so consistent to me that there's only a handful of shows that can truly reach that tier, and entries 10, 9, and 8 on this list are shows that I had mixed opinions on, and they were just unlucky enough to end up on the list. Case in point, this show. I like the concept, I like Oscar as a character, but I just can't get down with the setting involving the living, breathing...well, everything. Also, and I didn't mention this the first time, I'm not huge on the art style of this show. It feels overly soft and gave me the feeling that I was too old to be watching this, and to be completely fair, I am. The camp was worth a shot, but I'll be fine if I never come back.

Spoiler

9. Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi
And here's a show that went in one ear and out the other, leaving no strong impression whatsoever. I had almost nothing to say in the talk-about, and that hasn't really changed here. There's nothing screamingly awful about it and it delivers the occasional funny joke, but it's also visually uninspired, reeks of self-promotion, and was a bit too dull for my taste. That said, it's still saved from being the most boring show in the bottom 10. We'll get there when we get there...

Spoiler

8. Mighty Magiswords
Unlike the previous entry, I definitely can't say that this one bores me. How can I be bored when I'm constantly being bombarded with some new shiny thing or gag happening onscreen? This has to take the cake as CN's most overstimulating show, and I am not a fan. I love good comedy as much as the next guy, but as someone on the spectrum you can only throw so much at me at once before my brain clocks out. Even then, I wouldn't exactly call this good comedy (it's decent at best), but it still fares better than some shows later on this list...

Spoiler

7. My Gym Partner's a Monkey
Now we've arrived at the most recent show I talked about. We've also made it to properly bad terrritory. Considering how much I loved this one as a kid, revisiting it was shocking to say the least. It's not the worst thing ever (there are six more spots, after all), but this has to be the one that stings the most. I can't say I'm surprised though; a show this stupid and immature would've been right up the child me's alley. I do think that mid-2000s CN gets a bit too much of a bad rap, but if the people who are criticizing that period have this show specifically on their mind, I can't blame them. I'd also give them the pass if they were thinking of a certain other show from around this time, which we'll undoubtedly be seeing soon. 

Spoiler

6. Mike, Lu & Og

Ah yes, the most boring show to ever exist. It's not the kind of thing that will annoy you or make you angry, but it will make you wonder why you're not spending your time watching something better (or watching a Klasky-Csupo show for that matter, which this show was clearly trying to emulate the style of). It's so pointless that I don't even want to spend more time talking about it. Just remember this: if you ever have insomnia, watch this show. It's the perfect cure for that and literally nothing else.

Spoiler

5. Secret Mountain Fort Awesome
Oddly enough, out of all the shows on this list, this is the one I'd most recommend you watch. It's on such a level of insane, surreal, and grotesque that has to be seen to be believed. Even if all the grossout humor wasn't my thing, there isn't very much here for me to appreciate otherwise. The artstyle is too unappealing, the jokes don't hit enough, the characters (well, maybe just Festro) are a bit too unlikeable, etc. Put it all together, and you get a show that I, personally, really don't like. But there's got to be people out there that get more out of this than I do, hence why I say you should watch it, even if ironically.

Spoiler

4. Squirrel Boy
Now, let's talk about a show with almost zero redeeming qualities! Even though this show managed to come out around the same time as the aforementioned MGPaM (a show that I was addicted to, mind you), I barely watched this one at all. And neither did anyone else it seems, because its run ended by the next year after it began airing. Good news, all we lost out on was one of the most annoying CN shows ever. Rodney sucks, Andy isn't much better, and there's still one giant flaw: this show isn't funny. By GOD, it isn't funny. If you're a comedy show and you can't even have good jokes, then you deserve to be off the air within a year, which is exactly what this show got. The only saving grace I can think of for this one is that it didn't ruin a property I was already fond of...

Spoiler

3. Ben 10 (2016)
...oh no. It looks like we're at this point in the list now. As you may have seen throughout this thread, I have a rather complicated history with the Ben 10 franchise. I loved the original, but my attention trailed off more and more with every following series, bottoming out at this show. I didn't even give this one a chance back in the day; the visuals combined with the internet's reaction were all I needed to know it was shit. And surprise, after a more in-depth viewing that impression didn't change. Giving a dramatic action show a comedic element is one thing, making it completely juvenile is another. If it were a choice between this and Teen Titans Go, I'd take TTG in a femtosecond. I hate this show both as a concept and as what it stands for. And yet, it is possible to sink even further from here...

Spoiler

2. The Powerpuff Girls (2016)
This and the previous entry are of a very similar breed, but this one gets the edge for a few reasons. One, this show is screamingly bad. Even though I only watched it on television once, I constantly heard about the most recent controversial thing surrounding it throughout the years it was airing. The fact that the Jared Shapiro incident even happened at all is unbelievable...and disgusting. Two, and this is a lot more personally relevant, this is the show that made me give up on CN. Other shows that debuted after it might've been good, but I care about them a lot less than the shows that aired before this one because it was just that bad. Not to mention that covering this show in this very thread killed off a lot of my motivation to continue. God, I hate it so much. How do you even get worse than this? I mean, the only way that's possible is if you make a show that tries to physically harm its audience...look, if the #1 spot isn't obvious at this point I don't know what to tell you.

Spoiler

1. The Problem Solverz
I didn't even rewatch this one for a screenshot. This show doesn't deserve it. In fact, I don't even think it deserves to be mentioned alongside every other show on this list, let alone this thread. Any show that causes headaches just by looking at it should not be on television AT ALL, and yet this one got five whole months in. Supposedly, no one had an epileptic fit connected to this show, which is a goddamn miracle if true. But even if I ignore all the flashing colors and consant movement happening onscreen, this show is still fucking horrible and deserving of the #1 spot. The comedy sucks, the characters suck, the writing sucks, the concept sucks, it is one of those rare perfect storms where everything about it sucks. I knew that this was bad even when I was a kid, and that sentiment has only gotten stronger with time. It is, without exaggeration, one of the worst things I've ever seen. And now that this list is over, I never have to think about it again. DO. NOT. WATCH.

 

Thank Old Man Patrick that's over with. Good news, CN has a lot more good shows than bad ones! Bad news, that's going to make it a lot harder to narrow down the shows that will be on the best list. Can't wait to see which ones are going to make it? Neither can I! You can expect the list to come out not long after the start of 2026. Oh yeah, and I'm also going to put the full show ranking in that post too. How exciting! In the meantime, I'm going to binge more of the new Gumball episodes that came out, which is definitely not a way of hinting towards one show that will make it on the list!

 

Stay tuned for the best list. The end is upon us!

[dmandagiraffe]

Happy 2026! It looks like I'm starting the new year by finally ending a long-time project of mine...

Well, it's been quite the ride. After talking about 57 different shows to come out of Cartoon Network, I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. There may have been a few downs in this thread, but there were way more ups, and that's what I'm going to be celebrating today. To close out this thread (and as a birthday gift to myself), I'm going to revisit my ten favorite shows that I've talked about over the past seven years. These are very the kinds of cartoons that made me want to do this thread in the first place, and whether I've known them since childhood or only got around to them recently, each one of them holds a special place in my heart. So let's quit dawdling and go out on a high note! Here's the ACTUAL best of what "the best place for cartoons" can deliver! 

 

DMAN's top 10 BEST Cartoon Network originals

Spoiler

10. Adventure Time
I mean, come on. This show almost singlehandedly saved the network from the CN Real era and defined a decade of animation; it better be damn good. And it is! Its humor, atmosphere, and overarching story were all well done, allowing the show to become one of the longest-running on the channel. That said, I don't think it's perfect. This show lost my attention around season 6, and upon further watching there may have been good reason for that. But that early stretch along with the last few seasons are still more than enough to make the whole thing worth it. Put all these elements together, and you'll find there's a very clear reason for why this show stuck around as long as it did. 

Spoiler

9. Ed, Edd n Eddy
Speaking of long-runners, let's take another look at one of the funniest shows to come out of CN! I tend to not be a fan of "meaner" shows, but this is a rare case where that formula actually works. How, you say? Because, Kanker sisters excluded, no character has the upper hand over any other. Every character who acts like a jerk eventually gets what their karma owes them, and by the end of most episodes the playing field has been leveled. Sure, some moments are a bit too cruel for me, and not every episode ends in the best way, but this show's comedic sense is so strong that I don't even mind at that point. Absolutely one of the best things to come out of early CN, even if I'd never show it to my theoretical children.

Also, this show ended up at #9 in both the overall and best lists. There's a funny coincidence for ya!

Spoiler

8. The Amazing World of Gumball
I guess I was alluding to this one in my last post. Whatever, you shouldn't be surprised at this show being on here. It's an extremely creative and imaginative show, both literally and visually. Not only that, it's really funny. Whether it's old, new, well or poorly aged, this show will take anything and poke fun at it. On top of that, the Wattersons are a delight to follow, dysfunctional as they may be. I'm glad this one came back in recent years so it can finally get the conclusive ending it deserves. Hopefully it sticks the landing this time!

Spoiler

 

7. Class of 3000
And now for what might be the most unexpected entry on this list! This show hit me like a TRUCK when I watched it for this thread. I had heard good things about it, but what I didn't expect was for it to be one of the coolest shows to come out of the network. Its unique visual style is one thing, but the consistent delivery of earworms through its music is another. It is André 3000's cartoon after all, so it makes perfect sense that the songs are this good. And on top of all that, it still manages to be hilarious. It's a shame that this one went so soon, and it's also a shame that no other CN show will ever replicate this one's specific brand of awesome. I'm still happy with what we got though, and "Philly Phil Come Home" will continue to never leave my head. 

Spoiler

6. Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends
Apparently, people started hating on this show when I wasn't looking. How is that even possible? Then again, it has been years since I've seen this one, so I gave some episodes rewatches and...nah, I still love this one. I understand that a lot of people don't jive with Bloo's character, but just like in EEnE, 95% of the time he gets some pushback for his actions. He's a jerk, but the show isn't trying to hide it. Even discounting that, the rest of the cast is fun to watch and I love seeing the antics they all get into. Along with that, it's one of the only shows I've ever seen successfully execute repetitive humor, thanks in part to the visuals. And at the end of the day, in terms of evoking that childlike sense of wonder, nothing beats this one! Also Destination Imagination still slaps; I could watch that one for weeks on end. 

Spoiler

5. Courage the Cowardly Dog
Out of all the original Cartoon Cartoons, this one has to be my favorite. And you want to know the crazy part? I have no childhood nostalgia for this one, because I wasn't allowed to watch it! I mean it makes sense, this is partly a horror show after all, but now you know I'm not biased when I say this show is amazing. All the horror elements are well done of course, but one thing I didn't expect out of this show was for it to be one of the most heartfelt in the bunch. Inbetween all the scares, there are a lot of touching moments in this one. For every terrifying episode like King Ramses' Curse or The House of Discontent, there are episodes like The Mask or Last of the Starmakers which are packed with such raw emotion. Don't miss out on this one like I did. It might not have been my choice, but still.

Spoiler

4. Sym-Bionic Titan
This show deserved so much better than what it got. Everyone already knows this, but I had to restate it because it bears repeating. For 20 episodes, we had one of the most gripping and interesting stories ever put into a cartoon, and then it just disappeared. It really is the greatest tragedy in the network's history that we didn't get more, because this show excelled at almost everything it did. The action scenes are spectacular, the characters are multidimensional (sometimes literally), the visuals are a treat for the eyes, and there's even a touch of humor for good measure. Not every cartoon needs a toy license, especially not one that's as mature as this one, dammit. Overall a fantastic show. It may be in vain, but I'm still holding on to the hope that we'll get to see it again someday. 

Spoiler

3. Regular Show
Yep, this one gets the honor of being my favorite of the big three CN shows from the early 2010s. Adventure Time and Gumball may have been great, but Regular Show is the only one that I stuck around with for virtually its entire run. When you have a show that's this funny, relatable, and completely off-the-wall, it's no wonder that I got so much mileage out of it. Not only that, the show introduces some plot elements later on and they all manage to fit in! Even with its miniscule dips in quality, I still love this one all the way through. There's even an argument to be made that this has one of the most iconic finales out of any show on the network, if not animation in general. And when the rest of the show is just as great, it's not hard to see why I put it this high up. YEA-YUH!!!

Spoiler

2. Samurai Jack
If you told me this was your favorite show of all time, I wouldn't even bat an eye. Like I said, Sym-Bionic Titan is fantastic, but this is Genndy Tartakovsky's true masterwork. No other show on this list reaches a level of pure artistry like this one does. Its visuals are breathtaking, its worldbuilding is immaculate, and the show has a great respect for its audience. It's crazy to think that a show like this even aired on CN at all, but it did. Though I'm pretty sure even the network knew how special this one was, because it wasn't labelled as a Cartoon Cartoon despite airing during the period when those were still being made. No, this was something else, and they knew damn well it was. I know the "ANIMATION IS CINEMA" mindset is poked at a lot nowadays, but in this case it's true. It is, without a doubt, the best original property that CN ever put out.

But if I'm being honest, in my heart of hearts I must admit there's still one show I love more.

Spoiler

1. Chowder
Okay, look. Samurai Jack may just be the greatest cartoon to ever exist, but Chowder is my favorite cartoon of all time. If it didn't end up topping this list, I'd be lying to myself. I loved this show when I was a kid, and I still love it today. It may not be highbrow or mature, but it perfected the one thing I care about most in animation: the funny. This show never fails to make me laugh, let alone put a dumb smile on my face. It even beats out SpongeBob in that regard! Not to mention, the artstyle of this show is really cool. Everything from the static clothing patterns, to the stop motion animation, and even the puppets, all fit right in to the vibe of the show. And oh my god, the fourth wall breaks. It's the most well-known aspect of the show for a reason, being that they're all amazing. The fact that they got the actual voice actors to hold a car wash to raise enough money for their respective cartoon counterparts...tells you all you need to know, really. I could go on and on about this one, so if you want more blabbering from me, just check out my post on in earlier in this thread. For always bringing me joy whenever I need it the most, Chowder is my favorite show that has ever been made. You don't know what you're missing.

 

And...for real this time...that's everything! I want to say thanks to everyone who joined me for this entire thread, even with the years-long gap inbetween. It's been one heck of a ride, but now with it looking like my life is finally about to get back on track, it's the perfect time for these talk-abouts to come to an end. I've talked about some of the best things I've ever seen, some of the worst, and even discovered a few hidden gems. Even in its more milquetoast moments, writing for this project has been a ton of fun. I don't know if I'll ever do something like this again in the future, but if I do you can bet it'll be right here on SBC. Alright, I think that's all I have to say. Good night, and check ya later. 

 

Thank you for sticking with us for all these years. Up next, King of the Hill!

 

THE FULL RANKING:

Spoiler

1. Chowder (10)
2. Samurai Jack (9+)
3. Regular Show (9)
4. Sym-Bionic Titan (9)
5. Courage the Cowardly Dog (9)
6. Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends (9)
7. Class of 3000 (9-)
8. The Amazing World of Gumball (8+)
9. Ed, Edd n Eddy (8+)
10. Adventure Time (8+)
11. The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack (8+)
12. Megas XLR (8+)
13. Ben 10 (2005) (8+)
14. The Powerpuff Girls (1998) (8)
15. Codename: Kids Next Door (8)
16. Johnny Bravo (8)
17. Dexter's Laboratory (8)
18. Space Ghost Coast to Coast (8)
19. Whatever Happened to... Robot Jones? (8)
20. Sheep in the Big City (8)
21. Robotomy (8)
22. The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy (8-)
23. Clarence (8-)
24. We Bare Bears (8-)
25. Time Squad (8-)
26. The Secret Saturdays (7+)
27. Camp Lazlo (7+)
28. Cow and Chicken (7+)
29. I Am Weasel (7+)
30. Craig of the Creek (7+)
31. Grim & Evil (7+)
32. Star Wars: The Clone Wars (7)
33. Steven Universe (7)
34. The Life and Times of Juniper Lee (7)
35. Generator Rex (7)
36/37/38. Ben 10: Alien Force/Ultimate Alien/Omniverse (7)
39. What a Cartoon! (7)
40. Apple & Onion (7)
41. Mixels (7)
42. Transformers: Animated (7-)
43. OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes (6+)
44. Evil Con Carne (6+)
45. Sunday Pants (6)
46. The Moxy Show (6)
47. Uncle Grandpa (6-)
48. Summer Camp Island (5+)
49. Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi (5)
50. Mighty Magiswords (5-)
51. My Gym Partner's a Monkey (4)
52. Mike, Lu & Og (4)
53. Secret Mountain Fort Awesome (3+)
54. Squirrel Boy (3)
55. Ben 10 (2016) (2+)
56. The Powerpuff Girls (2016) (2)
57. The Problem Solverz (1)