Cartoon Network Studios

Background

Cartoon Network Studios is a production studio located in Cartoon Network's West Coast headquarters of Burbank, California, which serves as the network's first animation studio division to provide original programs for the network since 1994.

1st Logo (April 28, 1996-November 28, 1997)

Nicknames: "The Checkerboard", "The CN Checkerboard", "The Dexter's Laboratory Logo"

Logo: We see the 1992-2004 Cartoon Network logo on a white screen, with an extra checkered row reading "STUDIOS". Copyright info is below. A few seconds later, Dexter bursts out of the logo in his robot, looking back and forth afterward.

Variants:

A longer version, seen only on the season one finale of Dexter's Laboratory, has Dee Dee dancing by and touching the O's causing them to flip around briefly, before the "Dexter" variant animates as normal.
Another variation has just the still logo without Dexter or any animation and a small bold text reading "S T U D I O S" in small spaced-out letters. This version has a byline reading "a division of Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc." underneath, and under that is a Turner byline.
Some episodes of What-a-Cartoon! have a blue, red, or yellow background instead.

FX/SFX: None for the original version, but Dexter bursting out in the "Dexter" variant.

Music/Sounds: None for the original version, but sound effects that correspond with the logo in the "Dexter" variant.

Music/Sounds Variants:

On later 1996-1997 episodes of What-a-Cartoon!, the still logo variant (with the "STUDIOS" text) is seen with the audio from the 1994-1999 H-B All-Stars "Comedy" logo.
On the What-a-Cartoon! episode "Tales of Worm Paranoia", the logo has the audio from the 1997-2002 H-B logo (which ironically was first heard on another episode called "Zoonatiks") playing instead.
On the still version, it's silent.

Availability: Rare. The still version can be seen on reruns of The Cartoon Cartoon Show (formerly The What-a-Cartoon! Show) and earlier season 1 episodes of Dexter's Laboratory (with the Dial M for Monkey segment). The "Dexter" variant appears on later season 1 episodes of Dexter's Laboratory (with The Justice Friends segment).

Editor's Note: This logo is not for the Cartoon Network Studios that the rest of the page covers but rather merely a label for CN original content produced by Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc., but was scrapped a little over a year later and reverted back to Hanna-Barbera branding until the studio shuttered in 2001.

2nd Logo (June 9, 2000-July 20, 2001, June 3, 2006)

Nicknames: "The CN Factory Building", "The CN Checkerboard II"

Logo: On a red background, we see the original Cartoon Network Studios factory building. Under it is the 1992 Cartoon Network logo with "STUDIOS" inside of the black rectangular shape.

Trivia: The logo was designed by Dexter's Laboratory and Samurai Jack creator Genndy Tartakovsky.

Variants:

On My Freaky Family and IMP Inc., an AOL Time Warner byline appears below.
There is another variant where "CARTOON NETWORK STUDIOS" is written in a white Impact font. There is no byline below.

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: None. In other cases, a sound byte from a pilot is heard. On the Codename: Kids Next Door pilot "No P in the OOL", it appears to be a punch and a grunt.

Availability: Ultra rare. The earliest logo first appeared on the Evil Con Carne pilot and the Codename: Kids Next Door pilot "No P in the OOL". The first variant with the byline was seen on pilots for My Freaky Family and IMP Inc.. The second variant appeared on the failed Korgoth of Barbaria pilot on Adult Swim.

Editor's Note: This logo was the first official CN Studios logo, utilized in 2000 when the studio opened the same year. The logo resembles the Williams Street logo as well, which also may explain its reappearance on Korgoth of Barbaria, although it hasn't appeared on any other [adult swim] programming produced by CN Studios, probably due to the obscurity of this rather odd and unrecognizable logo.

3rd Logo (June 8, 2001-March 31, 2012)

Nicknames: "The CN Checkerboard III", "The Grungy Checkerboard"

Logo: There are two variations for this logo:

Over a white background, a green laser goes to the right, revealing a blinking, grungy 1992 Cartoon Network logo via a wipe effect, causing it to stop blinking. The laser then goes to the left, and reveals the text "STUDIOS" in the same grunge style. Then, the laser disappears.
We see the same logo from the standard variant already formed, in the center of the screen (with most of the letters shaking, most visibly the "W"). The logo splits in two, with walls on each side of it, causing the letters to stop shaking. Then, one of the custom animations plays in the box (see "Variants"), and the logo then closes itself. Sometimes, this variant would have a black background instead of the usual white one.

Variants: See this page for variants.

Bylines:

2001-2003: The custom logos for the shows during the early years featured the byline "An AOL Time Warner company.".
2003-2005: The Powerpuff Girls and Star Wars: Clone Wars variants feature the byline "A TimeWarner Company". Black background versions say "A Time Warner Company"

Trivia: This logo appeared on the end credits for the 2005 Billy & Mandy episode "Guess What's Coming to Dinner?" (as a sticker on the dumpster, but the "STUDIOS" is absent) and the title card for the 2014 Clarence episode "Pilot Expansion".

FX/SFX: Whatever the animation in the variation is.

Music/Sounds: The sound effects in the variation. In the standard one, it's either a laser sound or the outro of the end theme (as on Whatever Happened to... Robot Jones?).

Music/Sounds Variants:

On CN shows that premiered up to 2005 and had the alternate version of this logo, there are slideshow projector clicking noises (the same noises used in Bill Nye the Science Guy) for the opening & closing of the logo, as well as the sound of an old film projector when the logo is open.
On some shows that premiered after 2005 with this logo, there are no clicking/projector noises.
Chowder has the sounds of a cash register opening and closing as the logo opens and closes.
The first 2001 episode of Dexter's Laboratory (when former show artist Chris Savino took over production) had the custom Dexter logo, but with the audio from the 1997 Hanna-Barbera logo playing over it (with the weird laugh at the end). This was most likely due to a plastering error.
Seasons 1-2 episodes of The Life and Times of Juniper Lee and season 1 episodes of Evil Con Carne feature a one-liner from the episode.
On the Star Wars: Clone Wars miniseries, a Hanna-Barbera sound effect is heard.
On The Flintstones: On the Rocks, the logo is silent.
On seasons 1-2 and some season 3 episodes of Ben 10, the sounds of the Omnitrix is heard throughout the logo.
On season 1 episodes of Adventure Time, when the logo opens, a creaky door open sound is heard. When it closes, a slam is heard, though cut off by the 1999 Cartoon Network Productions logo. On the Latin American Spanish dub, Finn and Jake are not heard.

Availability: Common. The standard version was first seen on the premiere of Time Squad and appears on Transformers: Animated (Hub Network (now Discovery Family) airings cut this out, though), Whatever Happened to... Robot Jones?, early episodes of The Life and Times of Juniper Lee, Ben 10, Evil Con Carne, and A Johnny Bravo Christmas. However, the standard version also appeared on the first airing and 2011 Blu-ray Disc of Firebreather (the future airings of said movie have the next logo below). Some of the variations during the Cartoon Cartoons-mid 2000's era were rare and hard to find because the shows that they were on are hardly reran nowadays, until the debut of HBO Max. The variants from the final two seasons (and the movie) of The Powerpuff Girls, the last season of Johnny Bravo, the final two seasons of Dexter's Laboratory, Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, Camp Lazlo, the first four seasons of Samurai Jack, and Ben 10 are seen on Boomerang when they are reran. The still version appears on The Flintstones: On the Rocks, episodes 5-9 of Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law and Star Wars: Clone Wars. However it only remained on Ben 10: Ultimate Alien, while other shows like Adventure Time and Generator Rex started using the next logo starting in their 2nd seasons. Amusingly, this logo is retained on Star Wars: Clone Wars on Disney+. Don't expect this logo to be on Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi, though.

Editor's Note: A clever idea for a logo. The animations in the logo gives the show preceding it some sort of identity. However, the version with the AOL Time Warner byline appears to look rushed and lazy.

4th Logo (September 6, 2010-May 19, 2015)

Nicknames: "The Three Squares", "The 3-Squared Diagonal Line", "The CN Diagonal Squared Line"

Logo: Against a black background with a grid of barely visible lines, we see three squares drop down forming a diagonal line (the blue square dropping to the bottom, turning white and bounces once. The pink square sliding in from the left and turning white. And the yellow-orange square zooming in and turning white). Then a fourth square opens showing a different clip of the show's characters (depending on each show). As the grid fades out, the words "CARTOON NETWORK" wipes in and "STUDIOS" slides in from the right and pushes the text causing it to shake briefly forming the words, "CARTOON NETWORK STUDIOS". Then the clip in the fourth square turns white.

Trivia: This logo was made to fit with the 2010 "CHECK it 1.0" re-brand. It also appeared on the 2014 Uncle Grandpa episode "Viewer Special", in scene where Uncle Grandpa holds a character storyboard of him to restore his normal self.

Variants: See this page for variants.

FX/SFX: The squares forming a diagonal line, the animation of the show's clip in the fourth square.

Music/Sounds: A four note double bass theme based on the CHECK it jingle used on Cartoon Network since the 2010 rebrand.

Music/Sounds Variants:

On Sym-Bionic Titan, there is a techno robotic version of the four note theme.
On Tower Prep, the TV pilot movie of Level Up, Ben 10: Omniverse, the Powerpuff Girls special "Dance Pantsed" and the Over the Garden Wall pilot "Tome of the Unknown", the four note theme is in a different style.
On The Problem Solverz, it's the short version of the show's ending theme.
On Level Up and Incredible Crew, it's the finishing theme of the episode.

Availability: Common. It debuted on Regular Show and was used during its first four seasons and the S5 episodes, "Laundry Woes" and "Terror Tales of the Park III". It was also used on seasons 2-5 of Adventure Time, seasons 2-3 of Generator Rex, and the shows, as well as The Problem Solverz, Sym-Bionic Titan, Tower Prep, and Secret Mountain Fort Awesome. This is plastered over with the Cartoon Network Productions ripple on some episodes of Regular Show and Sym-Bionic Titan on iTunes and CN Video. It also appeared on the TV movie, Firebreather (except for the first airing and 2011 Blu-ray Disc which have the standard version of the previous logo). However, it might be intact on the Blu-ray and DVD release of said movie. DVD releases of Adventure Time and Regular Show also have the logo intact. It also makes a surprise appearance on The Powerpuff Girls special "Dance Pantsed". Its last appearance was on the Over the Garden Wall pilot "Tome of the Unknown". It appears on shows produced by Alive and Kicking, Inc., Cartoon Network Studios' live-action production company, as they do not use their own logo. Don't expect this logo to be on Robotomy.

Editor's Note: Not well liked when this logo first made its debut. However, it still has concepts shared with the previous logo.

5th Logo (May 21, 2013-)

Nicknames: "The CN Checkerboard IV", "The Grungy Checkerboard II", "The New Grungy Checkerboard", "The Return of the Checkerboard"

Logo: On a white background, we see a reworked version of the 2001 Cartoon Network Studios logo, which features the 2010 version of the Cartoon Network "Checkerboard" logo (which uses the current Cartoon Network font). Also, the word, "STUDIOS" is smaller and is spaced-out.

Trivia: Like the previous logo, this logo was made to fit the 2013 "CHECK it 3.0" re-brand.

Variants: See this page for variants.

FX/SFX: Same as the 3rd logo.

Music/Sounds: Usually none or the tail-end or the closing theme of the show. Some shows use a whoosh when the logo opens and closes.

Music/Sounds Variants:

On Adventure Time and Uncle Grandpa, the previous logo's theme is used.
On 2014 episodes of Ben 10: Omniverse, there are different sounds that are heard whenever Ben hits the Omnitrix.
On Regular Show: The Movie and late 2014/15 and newer Regular Show episodes, the logo does not have the tail end of the closing theme.
On the first two episodes of the Long Live the Royals miniseries, the closing theme is in place of the usual sounds and FX.
Some shows may have their sounds and FX combined with the closing theme.
On the OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes episode "OK A.U.! Alternate Universe", the H-B sound effects are reversed.
On the OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes episode "Thank You for Watching the Show", the H-B sound effects are quieter. Plus, the sounds at the Cartoon Network Studios office are heard.

Availability: Current. It was first seen on the Clarence 2014 pilot that was first released online on 21 May 2013, and then the sneak peak of Uncle Grandpa on August 30th. It also appears on Regular Show (along with its in-credit variant starting with "The Postcard") and Adventure Time since season 5 (the former starting with "Silver Dude" and the latter starting with "Love Games"), Steven Universe, Mixels (shorts outside the U.S. and on the specials), Ben 10: Omniverse (starting with "Something Zombozo This Way Comes"), Clarence, the second and final season of Black Dynamite, Over the Garden Wall, We Bare Bears, Mighty Magiswords (the TV series), The Powerpuff Girls (2016 reboot), Ben 10 (2016 reboot), the final season of Samurai Jack, OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes, and might be seen on other Cartoon Network Studios made shows in the future. Also appeared at the end of Regular Show: The Movie. With the new logo being introduced in January 1, 2022 upon the premiere of We Baby Bears, this logo's days could be numbered.

Editor's Note: A continuation of the 2001 logo, using elements from either the previous logo (clips used from the show), or letting the creator's mind run wild with special animatics (similar to the 2001 variant).

6th Logo (January 1, 2022-)

Nicknames: "The CN Checkerboard V", "Inverted Checkerboard", "Checkerboard Box"

Logo: On a background from the preceding show, we see a new version of the Cartoon Network "Checkerboard" logo with inverted colors, more rectangular squares, and weirdly spaced letters in a black box with "STUDIOS" below it, all set in Eagle Black. The logo flips to reveal an animation (varies by show) that plays before flipping back to the logo. During this, the background flips to show more backgrounds from the preceding show before ending on a cream background.

FX/SFX: The logo flipping, the animation in the box, the background flipping.

Music/Sounds: A little rift that syncs with the logo animation. The end theme could also be used.

Availability: Brand new. This was first spotted in print on a post on Cartoon Network's Instagram account on December 14, 2021, and officially made its on-screen debut with We Baby Bears. As of now, it is used alongside the 2013 logo.

Editor's Note: A nice change of pace from the previous logo format, though the weird spacing and inverted colors of the iconic checkerboard logo may turn people off.