Classic Origins
Dexter from Dexter’s Laboratory was originally voiced by a woman—Christine Cavanaugh, who also voiced Chuckie from Rugrats.
Dee Dee’s full name is actually Deidre—though it’s rarely mentioned in the show.
Johnny Bravo was inspired by Elvis Presley, James Dean, and Michael Jackson’s dance moves.
Cow and Chicken’s parents are never shown above the waist—a nod to adult mystery in cartoons.
Ed, Edd n Eddy is the longest-running original Cartoon Network series, airing from 1999 to 2009.
Double D (Edd) is the only Ed who never takes off his hat in the series.
Courage the Cowardly Dog was originally a short called The Chicken from Outer Space, which got an Oscar nomination.
Muriel from Courage the Cowardly Dog was voiced by Thea White, who came out of retirement to play her.
The creators of Powerpuff Girls originally titled it Whoopass Girls in its pilot episode.
Mojo Jojo’s design was inspired by traditional Japanese supervillains and anime aesthetics.
Voice Actor Surprises
- Tara Strong, who voiced Bubbles in The Powerpuff Girls, also voiced Raven in Teen Titans.
Tom Kenny, the voice of the Mayor in Powerpuff Girls, is also SpongeBob SquarePants.
Kevin Michael Richardson, who voiced the Joker in The Batman, also voiced a talking toaster in Chowder.
Grey DeLisle voiced both Mandy in Billy & Mandy and Azula in Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Jeff Bennett voiced Johnny Bravo, Dexter’s Dad, and many background characters across CN shows.
John DiMaggio voiced Bender in Futurama and Jake the Dog in Adventure Time.
Billy’s high-pitched laugh in Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy was improvised.
Clancy Brown, the voice of Lex Luthor and Mr. Krabs, appeared as the voice of Long Feng in Avatar.
The voice actor of Gumball changed multiple times because the child actors kept hitting puberty.
Keith Ferguson voices Blooregard in Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends and Lord Hater in Wander Over Yonder.
Behind-the-Scenes Secrets
- The animation style of Ed, Edd n Eddy was intentionally rough to mimic hand-drawn cartoons.
Courage the Cowardly Dog used 3D animation for horror scenes to increase tension.
Chowder was supposed to be a cooking apprentice, but his love for food made him a gluttonous wildcard.
Teen Titans combined American and Japanese animation styles to appeal to both demographics.
Foster’s Home backgrounds were digitally painted with watercolors to give a nostalgic vibe.
The color schemes of The Powerpuff Girls were chosen to represent stereotypical “girl” colors—but flipped to show power.
Codename: Kids Next Door characters were named after their numerical code, not real names, to maintain secrecy.
Samurai Jack’s long pauses and silence were used to reflect old samurai films.
Ben 10 was almost canceled after its original pilot failed to impress test audiences.
Regular Show was originally an adult-oriented pitch before being retooled for Cartoon Network.
Crossover & Multiverse Madness
- Billy & Mandy had a crossover with The Kids Next Door in “The Grim Adventures of the KND.”
Samurai Jack briefly appears in The Powerpuff Girls as a background character.
Ben 10: Omniverse references Secret Saturdays and Generator Rex as part of the CN multiverse.
OK K.O.! Let’s Be Heroes featured a crossover episode with Steven Universe, Teen Titans Go!, and Ben 10.
Mojo Jojo and Aku were paired as villains in promotional CN bumpers in the early 2000s.
In Crossover Nexus, characters from dozens of CN shows joined forces to battle an evil glitch.
Ed, Edd n Eddy appeared in the CN 20th Anniversary Party bumpers along with almost every character from 1990s-2010s.
Adventure Time and Regular Show nearly had an official crossover, but it was scrapped late in development.
Villainous connects to several CN universes through easter eggs and subtle cameos.
Foster’s Home includes hidden characters from other CN series drawn in the background crowd shots.
Weird But True
- Eduardo from Foster’s Home was inspired by a mix between Frankenstein’s monster and a bull.
Johnny Bravo once had a crossover with Scooby-Doo and Weird Al Yankovic in the same episode.
The KND Moonbase was designed to look like a giant crescent wrench.
Samurai Jack‘s entire fifth season was developed nearly 13 years after the original series ended.
Mandy from Billy & Mandy smiles only once—when the universe is completely reset.
Courage the Cowardly Dog had a banned episode featuring a dead fetus sculpture—aired only once.
Adventure Time has an in-universe card game called Card Wars, which became a real-world tabletop game.
The Powerpuff Girls once fought a literal booger monster in an episode titled “Boogie Frights.”
Chowder breaks the fourth wall constantly, even having characters walk off-screen into the real world.
The original Ben 10 creators planned to kill off Grandpa Max early on but changed the storyline after fan feedback
Hidden Inspirations
- Steven Universe was heavily inspired by Rebecca Sugar’s real-life brother.
Ice King’s tragic backstory in Adventure Time mirrors mental illness and memory loss.
Craig of the Creek drew inspiration from classic kid adventures like Hey Arnold! and The Sandlot.
Gumball’s setting, Elmore, is named after the real Elmore Junior High attended by creator Ben Bocquelet.
Kevin from Ed, Edd n Eddy was inspired by 80s high school bullies from films like The Breakfast Club.
Samurai Jack‘s minimalist style was influenced by classic Japanese brush painting.
The Grim Adventures borrows from Beetlejuice and Addams Family in tone and humor.
The Powerpuff Girls villain Him was based on a blend of Satan, drag culture, and Tim Curry’s Rocky Horror character.
Foster’s Home’s Wilt is inspired by Michael Jordan—note his jersey number and sportsmanship.
Clarence from Clarence is partially based on the showrunner’s childhood experiences with innocence and awkwardness
Character Firsts & Milestones
- Blossom was the first Powerpuff Girl to be created in Professor Utonium’s experiment.
Jake the Dog was the first magical character to be shown in Adventure Time.
Four Arms was the first alien Ben transformed into in the original Ben 10 series.
Raven was the first Teen Titans member to face her own father in a full arc.
Steven is the only half-human, half-Gem hybrid in Steven Universe.
Number One (Nigel Uno) was the first KND operative revealed to be bald.
Dexter was one of Cartoon Network’s first breakout original characters in 1996.
Mac from Foster’s Home was the first human character introduced in the show.
BMO from Adventure Time is the first gender-fluid character in the CN lineup.
K.O. from OK K.O.! was CN’s first superhero whose powers evolve based on emotion.
Network History Trivia
- Cartoon Network launched on October 1, 1992, with The Great Piggy Bank Robbery airing first.
Dexter’s Laboratory was the first Cartoon Cartoon original series.
The Cartoon Cartoon Fridays block helped launch iconic shows like Courage and Johnny Bravo.
Toonami introduced many CN fans to anime, airing Dragon Ball Z and Sailor Moon.
Cartoon Planet with Space Ghost was one of the network’s first original comedy blocks.
CN Real was a short-lived experiment to move toward live-action content—it bombed with fans.
The Powerpuff Girls was Cartoon Network’s first Emmy-nominated original show.
Adult Swim launched in 2001 on the same channel but after-hours, changing the tone of late-night animation.
The CN City bumpers from the mid-2000s are some of the most beloved channel branding promos ever.
CN Studios was formed as a separate entity from Hanna-Barbera in the late 1990s to create more original content
Fan-Favorite Moments
- Adventure Time’s “I Remember You” is widely considered the most emotional CN episode ever.
Ed’s “Butter Toast” line became a meme long before memes were mainstream.
Steven Universe Future surprised fans with its dark emotional themes.
Mojo Jojo once recited an entire monologue without taking a breath in “Mojo Jojo’s Rising.”
Billy & Mandy’s “Little Rock of Horrors” musical episode is a fan-favorite for its catchy tunes.
Ben 10’s Alien X episode showed just how powerful and dangerous his aliens could be.
Gumball’s “The Choices” episode shocked fans by giving Nicole Watterson an emotional backstory.
Regular Show’s finale featured a cosmic war—and fans cried over Pops’ sacrifice.
When Samurai Jack finally reunited with Ashi in Season 5, fans celebrated a decades-long arc.
Kevin from Ed, Edd n Eddy yelling “DORKS!” became one of the most iconic catchphrases in CN history.
Legacy and Cultural Impact
- The Powerpuff Girls are credited with redefining what girl-led superhero shows could look like.
Adventure Time inspired a new generation of animated shows like Over the Garden Wall and Steven Universe.
Teen Titans became a gateway for many young fans into superhero culture.
Ben 10 is one of the most merchandised CN franchises, with over $4 billion in toy sales.
Courage the Cowardly Dog remains one of the most frequently cited shows in horror-animated fan circles.
Steven Universe helped push LGBTQ+ representation in kids’ cartoons.
Gumball is considered one of the most experimental and visually bold shows on CN.
Foster’s Home introduced themes of imaginary friends as coping mechanisms.
Regular Show’s cult status among college students showed CN’s cross-generational appeal.
Cartoon Network’s original character legacy—Dexter, Blossom, Johnny, Eds—helped define the Golden Age of 90s animation.
