What a Cartoon!, on Cartoon Network
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So um... this was an anthology or "showcase" series, which started in February 1995, according to Wikipedia. That was several months before I ever had cable or satellite, so I wouldn't have been aware of it until some time later. It has also gone under the names "World Premiere Toons," "The What a Cartoon! Show," and later "The Cartoon Cartoon Show." The overwhelming majority of cartoons that aired potential pilots during the show's run (which ended in 2002, I guess) never became series, themselves, but several did. (I have no idea how many cartoons I saw on this show, but probably not many. And I don't know if I'd remember any that I did see, aside from the ones that actually became series.) Um... so like, this series I guess aired on different days over the course of its run. And shows based on pilots from this series came to be known as "Cartoon Cartoons," which I tend to think of as airing as part of Cartoon Cartoon Fridays, though that didn't happen until a bit later, I guess. (There would eventually be Cartoon Cartoon series that didn't originate on this show, but I think most of them got their start here.) I also want to mention The Big Pick, a contest in summer 2000 and 2001 in which viewers got to pick new series from various pilots. (There would be other such contests under other names, in other years, I believe.)

Anyway, the very first cartoon on this show, in 1995, was "Meat Fuzzy Lumkins," which led to the series The Powerpuff Girls. (I'm sure I saw the original cartoon short before I saw the PPG series, but I now have no idea how long before. It could have been as early as fall of 1995, or as late as the same day the series premiered in 1998.) Other cartoon series that got their start on "What a Cartoon!" included Dexter's Laboratory, Johnny Bravo, Cow & Chicken, "Courage the Cowardly Dog," Grim & Evil (winner of Big Pick 2000), "Whatever Happened to Robot Jones," Sheep in the Big City, Codename: Kids Next Door (winner of Big Pick 2001), "Low Brow" (which led to Megas XLR), and "Mike, Lu, & Og" (which I barely remember, but I wasn't interested in it). Also, apparently, there was a short called "Larry & Steve," which led to FOX's Family Guy (sort of). I don't know if I saw that one; more likely it's one of the countless things I didn't see. But anyway... while it's likely that I wouldn't have cared for most of the shorts that aired as part of "What a Cartoon!", and probably I didn't even see all the shorts that led to series of which I became a fan, I can't help but think, in retrospect, that this was a pretty cool show, and now I wish I'd watched it regularly. Or that I could get it on DVD, or see reruns, or something. But I guess it's not that important to me. At least I can say I'm really glad this series existed, whether I watched much of it or not.