Cartoonito (American programming block)

{{short description|Former American children's programming block}}

{{About|the American programming block|international feeds and the brand as a whole|Cartoonito}}

{{Infobox television channel

| name = Cartoonito

| logo = Cartoonito - Logo 2021.svg

| launch_date = {{Start date and age|2021|9|13}}

| closed_date = {{end date and age|2025|5|23}}{{Cite news |last=Felt |first=Klein |date=2025-05-23 |title=Warner Bros. Just Shut Down a Beloved TV Brand |url=https://thedirect.com/article/warner-bros-tv-brand |access-date=2025-06-02 |language=en}}

| picture_format = 1080i HDTV
(downscaled to letterboxed 480i for the SDTV feed)

| network = Cartoon Network

| country = United States

| language = {{Plainlist|

English
Spanish (with SAP)

}}

| area = Nationwide

| key_people = {{Plainlist|

Michael Ouweleen (president)

}}

| owner = Warner Bros. Discovery Networks

| parent = The Cartoon Network, Inc.

| webcast =

| website = {{URL|https://www.max.com/channel/cartoon-network}}

| headquarters = Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.

| sister_channels = {{collapsible list|

}}

| availability_note =
{{small|(daytime programming block of Cartoon Network)}}

| online_chan_1 = YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV

}}

Cartoonito (also known as Cartoonito on Cartoon Network) was an American weekday morning programming block on Cartoon Network and a content hub within the Max streaming service that launched on September 13, 2021 and shut down on May 23, 2025.{{Cite web |last=Milligan |first=Mercedes |date=August 16, 2021 |title=Cartoonito Pre-K Block Debuts Sept. 13 on HBO Max & Cartoon Network |url=https://www.animationmagazine.net/tv/cartoonito-pre-k-block-debuts-sept-13-on-hbo-max-cartoon-network/ |publisher=Animation Magazine}}{{cite web |last=Valentine |first=Evan |date=May 23, 2025 |title=Cartoon Network Ends Major Programming Block |url=https://comicbook.com/anime/news/cartoon-network-cartoonito-shut-down/ |access-date=May 28, 2025 |publisher=ComicBook.com}} It aired series aimed at children aged 2 through 6, and was the first dedicated preschool block to air on Cartoon Network in over fifteen years.

History

=Background=

In 1996, Cartoon Network created a Sunday morning block of preschool programs, consisting of Big Bag a live-action/puppet television program by the Children's Television Workshop, Small World, an anthology of foreign children's shows. Big Bag and Small World moved to the 11:00 a.m. ET hour on weekday mornings in 1998 before moving back to Sunday mornings later that year. After Big Bag and Small World left Cartoon Network's lineup in 2001 and 2002 respectively, an unbranded preschool block on weekday mornings consisting of Baby Looney Tunes, Pecola, Sitting Ducks, and Hamtaro was created during the 2002-03 television season.

On August 22, 2005, Cartoon Network debuted Tickle-U, the network's first official attempt at weekday-morning preschool programming block. The block aired from 9 to 11 a.m.{{cite web |date=22 August 2005 |title=Cartoon Network Unveils 'Tickle U.' |url=https://www.foxnews.com/story/cartoon-network-unveils-tickle-u |access-date=8 April 2018 |publisher=Fox News |agency=Associated Press}}{{cite web |author=Linn, Susan |date=15 August 2005 |title=Cartoon Network's "Tickle U" Is No Laughing Matter; CCFC Urges Families to Stay Away From New Preschool Programming |url=http://www.commercialfreechildhood.org/cartoon-network%E2%80%99s-%E2%80%9Ctickle-u%E2%80%9D-no-laughing-matter-ccfc-urges-families-stay-away-new-preschool |access-date=8 April 2018 |publisher=Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood |archive-date=July 8, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170708022901/http://www.commercialfreechildhood.org/cartoon-network%E2%80%99s-%E2%80%9Ctickle-u%E2%80%9D-no-laughing-matter-ccfc-urges-families-stay-away-new-preschool |url-status=dead }} and featured a mix of domestic and foreign-imported series, with interstitial segments hosted by two CGI characters: a red butterfly-like creature named Pipoca (voiced by Ariel Winter) and a yellow rabbit-like creature named Henderson (voiced by Tom Kenny).

Programs on Tickle-U included Warner Bros. Animation's Firehouse Tales (its sole original series), Canadian co-productions Gerald McBoing-Boing and Harry and His Bucket Full of Dinosaurs (with Teletoon and Treehouse TV), and British series Gordon the Garden Gnome, Little Robots, Peppa Pig and Yoko! Jakamoko! Toto!, some of which were re-dubbed for American audiences. The block was criticized by the CCFC, for its marketing strategies.{{Cite web |date=2017-07-08 |title=Cartoon Network's "Tickle U" Is No Laughing Matter; CCFC Urges Families to Stay Away From New Preschool Programming {{!}} Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood |url=https://commercialfreechildhood.org/cartoon-network%E2%80%99s-%E2%80%9Ctickle-u%E2%80%9D-no-laughing-matter-ccfc-urges-families-stay-away-new-preschool |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170708022901/https://commercialfreechildhood.org/cartoon-network%E2%80%99s-%E2%80%9Ctickle-u%E2%80%9D-no-laughing-matter-ccfc-urges-families-stay-away-new-preschool |archive-date=8 July 2017 |access-date=2021-02-18}}{{Cite web |last=Tribune |title=Network hopes to help develop preschoolers' sense of humor |url=https://www.eastvalleytribune.com/get_out/network-hopes-to-help-develop-preschoolers-sense-of-humor/article_5ca943f4-6171-50b7-a954-bb8a4abc6508.html |access-date=2020-12-17 |website=East Valley Tribune |date=October 25, 2005 |language=en}} Tickle-U ended on January 13, 2006; some of its programs still aired on Cartoon Network until 2007 and in the United Kingdom on the native Cartoonito channel.

=Launch=

On June 14, 2021, Cartoonito's YouTube channel uploaded videos featuring new idents of the block's programs (which included Esme & Roy, Mush-Mush & the Mushables, Care Bears: Unlock the Magic, and Love Monster), and a newsletter was announced, with a new banner and avatar on the Cartoonito YouTube Channel in July.{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrFslqncMIdjD2WfB6pAcEg|title=Cartoonito - YouTube|website=www.youtube.com}} A trailer for the block was released on July 29, 2021.{{Cite web|title=YouTube|url=https://www.youtube.com/|access-date=2021-07-30|website=www.youtube.com|language=en}}{{cite news | url=https://www.awn.com/news/cartoonito-debuts-program-trailer-and-sneak-peek-clips | title=Cartoonito Debuts Program Trailer and 'Sneak Peek' Clips | work=Animation World Network | date=July 29, 2021 | accessdate=August 21, 2021}}

=Scheduling=

The block, originally eight hours in length between 6:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. ET/PT weekdays and two hours (6:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. ET/PT) on weekends, premiered on September 13, 2021 with an episode of Baby Looney Tunes.{{cite web|last=Milligan|first=Mercedes|url=https://www.animationmagazine.net/tv/cartoonito-pre-k-block-debuts-sept-13-no-hbo-max-cartoon-network/|title=Cartoonito Pre-K Block Debuts Sept. 13 on HBO Max & Cartoon Network|publisher=Animation Magazine|date=August 16, 2021|accessdate=August 19, 2021}} From there, the block would lose time due to viewer and ratings feedback, with the 1:00 p.m. hour returning to Cartoon Network on November 16 of the same year, then the noon hour on December 20. The weekend schedule was entirely discontinued on January 29, 2022, followed by the 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon block two days later.{{Cite web|title="Cocomelon" Joins Cartoon Network's Cartoonito Block – Nickandmore! News|date=January 27, 2022 |url=https://www.nickandmore.com/news/cocomelon-joins-cartoon-networks-cartoonito-block/|access-date=2022-02-03|language=en-US}}

Through the summer of 2022, the block ended at 11:00 a.m. until the resumption of the academic year on September 5. A month later on October 3, the 6:00 a.m. hour was abandoned for Cartoon Network content, leaving it as a four-hour block going into 2023. It underwent two additional cuts, with 2½ hours removed on March 13 with a new 9:00 a.m. endtime, then another half-hour cut on February 19, 2024, resulting in the block airing for only an hour between 7:30 a.m.–8:30 a.m. until its end on May 23, 2025.{{Cite web |last=Schedules |first=CN News/ |title=CN News Schedules |url=https://twitter.com/cnschedules/status/1528532751900676096?lang=en |access-date=2022-10-07 |website=Twitter |language=en}}

Programming

Cartoonito featured co-productions and acquired programming, in addition to original series exclusive to the program block on Cartoon Network. Cartoonito's lineup included Bugs Bunny Builders, Batwheels, and Jessica's Big Little World; with Sesame Street exclusive to Max.

Related services

class="wikitable" style="width:100%; background:#fff;"

style="color:white;"

! style="background:darkRed;" |Service

! style="background:darkRed;" |Description

style="text-align: center; width:200pt;" |Cartoonito on Demand

|A video-on-demand service, which launched concurrently in 2021, and was available to most subscription-based providers. The service offers select episodes of Cartoonito programming seen on Cartoon Network.

style="text-align: center; width:200pt;" |Cartoonito App

|An online mobile app based on the Cartoonito website.

style="text-align:center; width:200pt;" |Max

|A subscription video-on-demand hub that launched on Max.{{Cite press release |date=February 17, 2021 |title=WarnerMedia Kids & Family to Debut Cartoonito, New Preschool Programming Block Based on Humancentric Learning to Launch this Fall on Cartoon Network and HBO Max |url=https://pressroom.warnermedia.com/us/media-release/cartoon-network-9/warnermedia-kids-family-debut-cartoonito-new-preschool-programming-block-based |access-date=February 25, 2021 |website= |publisher=WarnerMedia |language=en}}

International

Since its inception in the United States, Cartoonito rebranded across European territories through various nations and regional feeds. Following its global reintroduction in 2021, the brand has expanded to regions such as Latin America, Africa, and several Asia-Pacific countries.{{Cite press release |date=February 17, 2021 |title=WarnerMedia Kids & Family to Debut Cartoonito, New Preschool Programming Block Based on Humancentric Learning to Launch this Fall on Cartoon Network and HBO Max |url=https://pressroom.warnermedia.com/us/media-release/cartoon-network-9/warnermedia-kids-family-debut-cartoonito-new-preschool-programming-block-based |access-date=February 25, 2021 |website= |publisher=WarnerMedia |language=en}}