Cartoon Series - Content

Content

In general, a cartoon is a piece of art, usually developed for humorous intent. This usage dates to 1843 when Punch magazine applied the term cartoon to satirical drawings in its pages. Since, the cartoon, and later the cartoon series, has been used for comedy. However, animated programs have fallen into other genres such as the action / adventure series (for example, Speed Racer and G.I. Joe).

The 1980s and 1990s was a renaissance of the cartoon children's television series and adults. Various broadcast networks and media companies began creating television channels and formats designed specifically for airing cartoon series. Companies that already had these types of formats in place began to revamp their existing models during this time. Examples of these are:

• Cartoon Network
• Fox Kids
• Kids' WB!
• UPN Kids
• Nickelodeon
• Nicktoons (United States)
• Toon Disney
• Boomerang
• One Saturday Morning
• The Animation Station
• Cartoon Quest
• Nick Jr.
• USA Action Extreme Team
• USA Cartoon Express
• CBS Kidshow (1980–2000)
• ABC's Saturday Morning (1955–1999)
• CBBC

During the 1990s more mature content than those of traditional cartoon series began to appear more widely extending beyond a primary audience of children. These cartoon series included The Simpsons, Beavis and Butt-head, King of the Hill, Duckman, and South Park. The series ReBoot, which began as a child friendly show, shifted their target age group to ages 12 and older, resulting in a darker and more mature storyline.