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For part two of the April anniversaries, we have a very special lineup this time around, as three of these shows all have some important legacy to Cartoon Network.

Premiering on the 15th in 1994, Space Ghost Coast to Coast was actually the first original series fully produced by Cartoon Network, being loosely based on the pre-existing Hanna Barbera cartoon, Space Ghost, and being greenlit out of a desire for animated programming that would appeal to more older crowds. The show starred the titular superhero hosting a comedy talk show in where he would interview live-action guest stars, mistaking them to be superheroes, all while his enemies Zorak and Moltar were forced to work on the show as punishment for their past crimes. This series pretty much spearheaded the creation of the late night Adult Swim block, with many series airing on that time slot either being influenced by its dry yet surreal brand of humour, such as Aqua Teen Hunger Force and Sealab 2021, or straight up having spun off from it, such as The Brak Show and Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law.

Following that is Ben 10: Alien Force, first premiering on the 18th in 2008. Lead under the creative direction of Dwayne McDuffie, known mainly for being one of the co-founders of Milestone Media comics and a writer on Justice League Unlimited, this show saw the Omnitrix wielding hero from the original show having grown into his teen years and being faced with the responsibility of gathering a team of heroes and uncover an alien invasion conspiracy. The series was notable for being much more mature compared to its predecessor, being more open to tackle darker themes and taking steps to flesh out the world Man of Action had created. Around the time it came out, I had already been in love with the original Ben 10. Its sequel series however, while not perfect, ultimately cemented the franchise as having a special place in my heart with its more emotionally impactful storytelling and how human the characters felt. It also in my opinion had the most air tight lineup of new transformations, with some of them like SwampFire and Echo Echo being among my absolute favourites.

Season 3 of Alien Force however is often marked by fans as the point where executive meddling started to affect the series’ writing quality. This trend would continue into the next series, Ultimate Alien, which was more or less tonally the same and ironically premiered the same month on the 23rd in 2010, thus I consider it more of an extension to what I like to call the “Dwayne McDuffie” era of the franchise.

But there was another series that aired on the very same day. One that shared many of the same staff and even had a crossover special with Ben 10. Generator Rex takes place in a world turned upside down thanks to a freak explosion scatters DNA altering nano-robotics into the atmosphere, which subsequently and randomly mutate all living creatures into violent monsters called E.V.O.s (short for “Exponentially Variegated Organisms”). Over the five years following this event, an unlikely hero and solution to the problem is found in Rex Salazar, an amnesiac teenager who wields the ability to control his active nanites to create bio-mechanical weapons from his body and, more importantly, deactivate other nanites inside people and reverse the effects of their mutation. Working under the military organisation Providence alongside his mentor, Agent Six, Rex works to protect innocent civilians and cure all E.V.O.s, all while uncovering the hidden truth of his past and butting heads with an nefarious group called the Pack, lead by the mysterious Van Kleiss. Though the series never as popular in mainstream or lucrative in merchandise sales as it’s aforementioned older brother in action programming, it has managed a devoted cult following and is appreciated by viewers who grew up with it to this day.

Lastly, there’s Dexter’s Laboratory, which aired on the 28th in 1996 and followed the exploits of the titular child prodigy as his scientific exploits lead to him butting heads with his meddling older sister, Dee Dee, and archival of equal intellect, Mandark, all while trying to keep his lab and inventions a secret from his parents. Interspliced between these adventures were also supplementary segments in The Justice Friends, showcasing a team of three superheroes in sitcom-esque antics, and Dial M for Monkey, which focused on Dexter’s pet lab monkey leading a secret double life as an agent for Global Security. When looked at in a vacuum, the show is conceptually relatively simple and is generally good for some light hearted entertainment. When looking at it in a historical context however, the series is incredibly important for launching the careers of many cartoon veterans from Genndy Tartakosky and Rob Renzetti to Craig McCracken and Butch Hartman, its critical acclaim and positive reception with general audiences also helping to properly put Cartoon Network on the map and define the thick outlined, geometric style that would become prevalent around the early 2000s.

That was a long but enlightening look into history. There’s still two more months to catch up on from here, though thankfully the summaries for them look to be more brief.

Cartoon-Network-Birthdays-of-January-and-February
Cartoon-Network-Birthdays-of-March
Cartoon-Network-Birthdays-of-April-Part-One
Cartoon-Network-Birthdays-of-May
Cartoon-Network-Birthdays-of-June
Cartoon-Network-Birthdays-of-July-Part-One
Cartoon-Network-Birthdays-of-July-Part-Two
Cartoon-Network-Birthdays-of-August-Part-One
Cartoon-Network-Birthdays-of-August-Part-Two
Cartoon-Network-Birthdays-of-September
Cartoon-Network-Birthdays-of-October
Cartoon-Network-Birthdays-of-November-Part-One
Cartoon-Network-Birthdays-of-November-Part-Two
Cartoon-Network-Birthdays-of-November-Part-Three
Cartoon-Network-Birthdays-of-December

Description
For part two of the April anniversaries, we have a very special lineup this time around, as three of these shows all have some important legacy to Cartoon Network.

Premiering on the 15th in 1994, Space Ghost Coast to Coast was actually the first original series fully produced by Cartoon Network, being loosely based on the pre-existing Hanna Barbera cartoon, Space Ghost, and being greenlit out of a desire for animated programming that would appeal to more older crowds. The show starred the titular superhero hosting a comedy talk show in where he would interview live-action guest stars, mistaking them to be superheroes, all while his enemies Zorak and Moltar were forced to work on the show as punishment for their past crimes. This series pretty much spearheaded the creation of the late night Adult Swim block, with many series airing on that time slot either being influenced by its dry yet surreal brand of humour, such as Aqua Teen Hunger Force and Sealab 2021, or straight up having spun off from it, such as The Brak Show and Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law.

Following that is Ben 10: Alien Force, first premiering on the 18th in 2008. Lead under the creative direction of Dwayne McDuffie, known mainly for being one of the co-founders of Milestone Media comics and a writer on Justice League Unlimited, this show saw the Omnitrix wielding hero from the original show having grown into his teen years and being faced with the responsibility of gathering a team of heroes and uncover an alien invasion conspiracy. The series was notable for being much more mature compared to its predecessor, being more open to tackle darker themes and taking steps to flesh out the world Man of Action had created. Around the time it came out, I had already been in love with the original Ben 10. Its sequel series however, while not perfect, ultimately cemented the franchise as having a special place in my heart with its more emotionally impactful storytelling and how human the characters felt. It also in my opinion had the most air tight lineup of new transformations, with some of them like SwampFire and Echo Echo being among my absolute favourites.

Season 3 of Alien Force however is often marked by fans as the point where executive meddling started to affect the series’ writing quality. This trend would continue into the next series, Ultimate Alien, which was more or less tonally the same and ironically premiered the same month on the 23rd in 2010, thus I consider it more of an extension to what I like to call the “Dwayne McDuffie” era of the franchise.

But there was another series that aired on the very same day. One that shared many of the same staff and even had a crossover special with Ben 10. Generator Rex takes place in a world turned upside down thanks to a freak explosion scatters DNA altering nano-robotics into the atmosphere, which subsequently and randomly mutate all living creatures into violent monsters called E.V.O.s (short for “Exponentially Variegated Organisms”). Over the five years following this event, an unlikely hero and solution to the problem is found in Rex Salazar, an amnesiac teenager who wields the ability to control his active nanites to create bio-mechanical weapons from his body and, more importantly, deactivate other nanites inside people and reverse the effects of their mutation. Working under the military organisation Providence alongside his mentor, Agent Six, Rex works to protect innocent civilians and cure all E.V.O.s, all while uncovering the hidden truth of his past and butting heads with an nefarious group called the Pack, lead by the mysterious Van Kleiss. Though the series never as popular in mainstream or lucrative in merchandise sales as it’s aforementioned older brother in action programming, it has managed a devoted cult following and is appreciated by viewers who grew up with it to this day.

Lastly, there’s Dexter’s Laboratory, which aired on the 28th in 1996 and followed the exploits of the titular child prodigy as his scientific exploits lead to him butting heads with his meddling older sister, Dee Dee, and archival of equal intellect, Mandark, all while trying to keep his lab and inventions a secret from his parents. Interspliced between these adventures were also supplementary segments in The Justice Friends, showcasing a team of three superheroes in sitcom-esque antics, and Dial M for Monkey, which focused on Dexter’s pet lab monkey leading a secret double life as an agent for Global Security. When looked at in a vacuum, the show is conceptually relatively simple and is generally good for some light hearted entertainment. When looking at it in a historical context however, the series is incredibly important for launching the careers of many cartoon veterans from Genndy Tartakosky and Rob Renzetti to Craig McCracken and Butch Hartman, its critical acclaim and positive reception with general audiences also helping to properly put Cartoon Network on the map and define the thick outlined, geometric style that would become prevalent around the early 2000s.

That was a long but enlightening look into history. There’s still two more months to catch up on from here, though thankfully the summaries for them look to be more brief.

Cartoon-Network-Birthdays-of-January-and-February
Cartoon-Network-Birthdays-of-March
Cartoon-Network-Birthdays-of-April-Part-One
Cartoon-Network-Birthdays-of-May
Cartoon-Network-Birthdays-of-June
Cartoon-Network-Birthdays-of-July-Part-One
Cartoon-Network-Birthdays-of-July-Part-Two
Cartoon-Network-Birthdays-of-August-Part-One
Cartoon-Network-Birthdays-of-August-Part-Two
Cartoon-Network-Birthdays-of-September
Cartoon-Network-Birthdays-of-October
Cartoon-Network-Birthdays-of-November-Part-One
Cartoon-Network-Birthdays-of-November-Part-Two
Cartoon-Network-Birthdays-of-November-Part-Three
Cartoon-Network-Birthdays-of-December