There’s no denying that Cartoon Network has had a bunch of classic cartoons air on their station. My childhood is riddled with talking animals and quirky characters, all thanks to the amazing ideas brought to me by this timeless home for child fun.
At this moment, think about your favorite Cartoon Network shows. Whether you consider the classics like Courage the Cowardly Dog your favorites or the newer shows for this generation of children like Uncle Grandpa, I’m sure there is at least one fact about the show that you had no idea about.
This list is comprised of just a handful of those tricky little facts that we failed to see. No matter how much of a fan you are, there is bound to be something you don’t know about your favorite cartoon characters. I am determined to make your mouth drop at least once before you get to the end of the list. Don’t believe me? We’ll see.
Before we get started, here are a few facts about Cartoon Network. Cartoon Network first launched on October 1, 1992, which is super weird because it seems so much older than 25 years. When it first launched, Cartoon Network broadcasted cartoons 24 hours a day. It kind of does this now, but you can say that the sister network, Adult Swim, puts a break in Cartoon Network’s broadcast. Okay, now let’s get to the REAL JUICY facts. Read on, fellas!
27 No, They Aren’t Sick
Have you ever wondered why the Ed boys from Ed, Edd, n Eddy have blue tongues? I always thought it was because the creators just wanted to do some sort of unique color scheme to make their characters stand out a bit more, but no, that’s not it at all.
Apparently, the creators wanted to draw blue tongues to represent how much candy they ate as a child. After all, our commonly named friends are always trying to get their hands on those mouth-watering jawbreakers any chance they got. So, it makes sense that their tongues would be blue all the time. However, it doesn’t make sense that they still have a mouth full of teeth, or a mouth consumed by painful cavities, for that matter.
26 Bust A Move!
Wouldn’t it be great to solve all of your conflicts with a simple dance routine? How awesome would that be? Well, our powerful crystal gems in Steven Universe do just that. All of the fighting moves the gems do are based on dance moves from various styles of dance.
Next time you watch an episode of Steven Universe, check out how they fight.
Garnet’s dance moves are based on a style called “Waacking.” Go ahead and look it up, because I also had no clue what it was. Pearl, however, has a fighting style based on ballet, which makes a lot of sense because she has the body of a ballerina and she wears a tutu all the time. I always thought the way they fought was a bit weird. Huh, go figure!
25 Half Man, Half Candy
Despite the fact that his name is “Pops,” I never knew what this slender, pink character was. I always had a clue, but it was never confirmed for me… UNTIL NOW! This goofy, big head fellow is indeed a lollipop. Weird, right? What’s even weirder is the fact that he has currency in the form of lollipops.
Pops can be so dimwitted sometimes, that he probably doesn’t even realize that he is giving out money that is based on who he is. He especially doesn’t realize that people aren’t fond of getting paid in hard candy. That’s not how the world works, my friend. We aren’t children! There you have it, Pops from Regular Show is a giant, talking, mustache wearing lollipop.
24 No Hand Up My Back
The Amazing World of Gumball features a lot of unique characters and art styles you wouldn’t find anywhere else. Two characters that stand out a little more than the rest are the Robinsons.
Despite being inspired by The Muppets, our grumpy husband, and wife, Mr. and Mrs. Robinson, aren’t real puppets.
Their animation and movement are all done by clever CGI that the creators used to give them that real puppet feel. I guess the next time I watch Gumball I’ll have to pay attention to the Robinsons and see if I can tell that they are just animated, since, I can see clearly now. Oh, and by the way, I apologize for the super creepy photo I chose for this paragraph. I thought I’d spice things up a bit to get your attention. Did it work?
23 Good Morning!
If you’ve had the time to take a look at the wacky show, Uncle Grandpa, you’d see that kids have a different form of comedy than people of my generation (I’m 23, by the way). I say this because Uncle Grandpa is so out there with his goofy antics. Plus, this fanny pack wearing grandpa (or uncle, I don’t know) rides a Bengal tiger who shoots rainbows out of his butt! I don’t get the concept, but kids find it hysterical. Which is why Cartoon Network used Uncle Grandpa to welcome the younger viewers bright and early. Uncle Grandpa says good morning no matter what time of day it is. This guy doesn’t care if the sun is up or if it’s setting, he just loves to yell out good morning to everyone.
22 We Gotta Find A New House!
One of my favorite cartoons from Cartoon Network was Codename Kids Next Door. I was always into shows that had some type of action and this show was there to keep me entertained for hours.
Have you ever wondered why the group was given this unique name?
The creator of Codename Kids Next Door, Tom Warburton, pitched another show to Cartoon Network before the success of Kids Next Door. The first pitch was Kenny and the Chimp. It was rejected. Thus, the trouble-making Kids Next Door were born. They were originally thought of as a bunch of kids that lived next to Kenny, thus the name. However, the first title of the show was just Kids Next Door, the “Codename” part was added because there was a rival network developing a show named Pigs Next Door.
21 Ooh, She Wants To Meet Up!
If there’s anything I’ve learned from watching cartoons, its that the creators have a lot of leeway to squeeze as many adult-themed concepts and jokes into their shows. If you’re not paying attention, these jokes will immediately fly over your head. That holds true to Cartoon Network’s We Bare Bears, who is no stranger to these jokes.
Our little fluffy friends are pretty well versed in pop culture. They will sometimes dress in jean jackets and they use smartphones to take selfies whenever they can. Apparently, that’s not all their doing with their phones either. Panda, the second oldest bear, uses an app called “Yo Date” to, you guessed it, get a date. This app is a parody of the popular dating app, Tinder. Panda just wants to give out some of those cute bear hugs, is all.
20 He’s Actually A Girl?!
Dexter’s Laboratory is one of Cartoon Networks classic shows that help gives them their identity. During the time when Dexter’s Laboratory was on the air, it had the highest ratings of any other cartoon around that time. Our short, red-haired super genius is actually voiced by two different voice actors.
And, get this, they are both women.
I had no idea that was the case. In the first two seasons, Dexter was voiced by Christine Cavanaugh until she retired in 2001. After that, Dexter was voiced by Cand Milo until the show’s end in 2003. Christine Cavanaugh has also voiced Chuckie from Rugrats who is another male character. Its safe to say that Christine has managed to completely disguise her feminine qualities when doing a voice. Well done!
19 Women Actually Love This Guy
Johnny Bravo was one of Cartoon Network’s original shows. This blonde, sunglasses wearing, Elvis impersonator was an immediate hit for fans. The one thing I remember about Johnny, over all else, is the fact that he sucked when it came to getting women. Almost every episode you would see him getting hit in the face by a woman he said the wrong thing to. It’s funny because Johnny thinks he’s so smooth, but he just gets rejected constantly.
When the creator of Johnny Bravo pitched his show to board there were some mixed feelings. All the women in the room laughed, while all the men almost turned down the show. I’m not a woman so I don’t know what the big deal is about this guy. Whatever it is, though, women seem to love him.
18 Bring Back Teen Titans!
Teen Titans has to be the best show made on Cartoon Network. Teen Titans was the perfect teenage comic show on TV at the time and it kept many people hooked. Despite having high views and ratings, Teen Titans was still canceled 2006. Anyway, let me swallow my heart-ache and move on to the facts.
Have you noticed how there are two different songs that are played during the intro of the show?
There’s a Japanese version and an English version, and there IS reasoning behind that. When an episode that is about to be aired is more comical, it will feature the Japanese version while episodes that are more serious will feature the English version.
17 Let’s Light One Up, Barney
We should all know who The Flintstones are unless you live under a rock or something. Why do you have The Flintstones on a list of Cartoon Network shows, Curry? Well, it’s because The Flintstones are a part of the Cartoon Network sister station, Boomerang, which is cleverly named because the network is “going back” to old cartoons from the past.
Did you know that our two friends Barney and Fred are cavemen who smoke cigarettes? Gasp! Yeah, and it wasn’t because the creators wanted to give them a little more style either. Back when advertising for cigarettes on television was still legal, The Flinstones was sponsored by a company named Winston Cigarettes.
16 Those Big Beautiful Eyes
Have you ever wondered why the Powerpuff Girls looked so different from the rest of the people who lived in Townsville? Well, they were created from an odd mixture of ingredients, so that could have something to do with it. Anyway, the creator based Blossom, Buttercup, and Bubbles on the paintings of Margaret Keane. Does that name ring a bell? She’s the woman who always draws children with big cold eyes that look as if they’re peering directly into your soul.
The Powerpuff Girls are missing fingers, and it’s not because the creator just didn’t want to include them.
Actually, when Craig Mccracken first drew the Powerpuff Girls, he drew them an inch tall, and when he went to re-draw them with fingers, it looked weird and clunky. He decided it would be best to leave them with little powerful nubs!
15 It Wasn’t Just A Future Thing
Samurai Jack was one of the best shows to premiere on Cartoon Network. Created by Genny Tartakovsky, Samurai Jack was adored by fans and went on to win 6 Emmy nominations. Samurai Jack is about a Samurai who is sent to the future by an evil Demon named Aku right before he was slain. If you ever watched the show, you would notice that there are a lot of robots in the future, but they aren’t there for the reason you think.
As you may already know, Cartoon Network is aimed at a younger audience, and having a show with a skilled Samurai is sure to raise a bunch of red flags… or blood. So, Tartakovsky decided to add robots to the show as a way to cut down on the violence. Good thing too, because robots actually go well with the whole premise of the show.
14 Stop And Smell The Roses
When Clarence was created, the writers wanted to go for a bit of realism with its characters and story plots. If you haven’t noticed, Clarence and all of his pals look unique in their character design. This isn’t because the artists wanted to come up with the whackiest looking characters they could possibly come up with. It’s because they wanted to shift the paradigm from the traditional Hollywood look of the “perfect” person and embrace the corkiness of each individual.
You may have also noticed that Clarence isn’t rich.
Clarence spends most of his time with friends, doing a number of fun outdoor activities. This is because the writers wanted to make a character who didn’t need the luxury of money to have fun. Clarence can be dropped off in any room and still enjoy every second of it.
13 Yes, She Has Eyes…
The Kanker Sisters are gross. I know that’s a mean way to start this paragraph, but they are. They chase the Ed boys around. They never stop! No matter how much they get turned down, they continue to chase. I think the grossest of them all is Lee Kanker, you know, the one who has her eyes covered up all the time. I bet you never saw her eyes before, have you? She does have a set of eyes… in fact, she has three!
Yes, she has three eyes. Gross, right? If the Eds didn’t want to talk to her before, they definitely wouldn’t want to now. What type of mutation did she go through to make this possible? Well, I guess it’s safe to say that she will never stop. And she certainly has an unfair advantage.
12 No, He’s Not Albino…
Regular Show features a bunch of unique characters in their main cast. We’ve got a gumball machine as a boss, and Mordecai and Rigby who are a blue jay and a raccoon. Each character is different in their own way. Skips is no different. At first glance, he looks like an ape, but I’ve got news for you…
Skips is actually a Yeti.
Go figure! I had no clue this was the case at first and I bet many people make the assumption that he’s an ape as well. Look at his little feet and his huge upper body. I think the creators were just trying to mess with the fans. The voice actor for Skips also thought the same thing, but when he was informed that Skips was actually a yeti, he completely revamped his voice.
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10 I’m More Like Panda…
The bear brothers in We Bare Bears have an established hierarchy, which can be easily seen by the way they are stacked when walking around San Fransisco. Grizzly is on top, while panda is in the middle and Ice Bear is at the bottom.
This stack is because of their age. Grizzly is the oldest, Panda is the second oldest, and Ice Bear is the youngest out of the three. If you notice, Grizzly has the most control over what the bears do most of the time, just like most older brothers try to do when their younger siblings. In one instance, the bears are trying to make a decision, and Grizzly pulls out a spin wheel. All three bears are on the spin wheel, but Grizzly’s name takes up a third of the wheel, while Panda gets a lot less, and Ice Bear gets the least.
9 Even Though She Looks Fragile, She’s The Strongest!
Nicole Watterson from The Amazing World of Gumball looks like your typical mom. She’s loving, caring, and she loves her 3 children and dimwitted husband. Just like most moms, she is able to tolerate a lot of crap from the family. But sometimes, their antics are just a bit too much for her to handle.
In these moments, Nicole lets out her inner rage and goes on a rampage.
It’s hard to believe that inside that skinny, petite body, there could be so much unused ferocious strength. I think that’s the case with a lot of mothers. They wake up the giant within when their young ones are in danger or if their young ones are being an uncontrollable nuisance. Whatever the cause is, Nicole is definitely the strongest person to inhabit the Gumball universe.
