25 Years of Cartoon Network; Top 10 Classic Shows

Cartoon Network celebrated is 25th anniversary on October 1, 2017. While they've had a hefty lineup of shows over the past 25 years, the network's best years can be narrowed down to a set of eight years - 1996 - 2004. Let's take a moment to appreciate Cartoon Network's best 10 original programming during that time.

NOTE: This list is according to the viewers' ratings.

10. Sheep in the Big City (November 17, 2000 – April 7, 2002)

Sheep in the Big City was created by Mo Willems for Cartoon Network. The show centers on a runaway sheep, Sheep, in his new life in "the Big City". It also features several unrelated sketches and shorts, similar to The Rocky & Bullwinkle Show and The Fugitive. With an emphasis on more "sophisticated" (in particular, literal) humor, using multiple forms of rhetoric from the characters to the plots, it was more popular with older audiences. It was also unusual in featuring many comic references to film-making and television broadcasting. At the time, the premiere of Sheep in the Big City was the highest-rated premiere for a Cartoon Network original series.

The pilot episode of the series was aired on August 18, 2000. The popularity of the pilot convinced the network to order a half-hour series, which ran for two seasons from 2000 to 2002, with 13 episodes in each season.

9. Codename: Kids Next Door (December 6, 2002 – January 21, 2008)

Codename: Kids Next Door was created by Tom Warburton for Cartoon Network. The show centers on the adventures of five children who operate from a high-tech tree house, fighting against adult and teen villains with advanced 2×4 technology. Using their codenames (Numbuh 1, Numbuh 2, Numbuh 3, Numbuh 4, and Numbuh 5), they are Sector V, part of a global organization called the Kids Next Door.

The series came about as the result of a viewer's poll by Cartoon Network. It ran from 2002 to 2008, with six seasons and 78 episodes. It also had two television films, Operation: Z.E.R.O. aired in 2006, and the series finale Operation: I.N.T.E.R.V.I.E.W.S., aired in 2008.

8. Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends (August 13, 2004 – May 3, 2009)

Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends was created by Craig McCracken for Cartoon Network. The series, set in a world in which imaginary friends coexist with humans, centers on an 8-year-old boy, Mac, who is pressured by his mother to abandon his imaginary friend, Bloo. After Mac discovers an orphanage dedicated to housing abandoned imaginary friends, Bloo moves into the home and is kept from adoption so long as Mac visits him daily. The episodes revolve around Mac and Bloo as they interact with other imaginary friends and house staff and live out their day-to-day adventures, often getting caught up in various predicaments.

The show first premiered on Cartoon Network on August 13, 2004, as a 90-minute television film. On August 20, it began its normal run of twenty-to-thirty-minute episodes on Fridays, at 7 pm. The series finished its run on May 3, 2009, with a total of six seasons and seventy-nine episodes.

Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends premiered as the last classic cartoon on Cartoon Network which can be put under this list.

7. The Powerpuff Girls (November 18, 1998 – March 25, 2005) Reboot (April 4, 2016 – present)

The Powerpuff Girls was created by Craig McCracken for Cartoon Network. The show centers on Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup, three girls with superpowers, as well as their father, the brainy scientist Professor Utonium, who all live in the city of Townsville. The girls are frequently called upon by the town's childlike and naive mayor to help fight nearby criminals using their powers.

The series made its official debut as a Cartoon Cartoon on November 18, 1998, with the final episode airing on March 25, 2005. A total of 78 episodes were aired in addition to two pilot shorts, a Christmas special, and a feature film. In addition, a tenth anniversary special was made in 2008. A CGI special was also made in 2014 without McCracken's input.

A reboot of the series of the same name premiered on April 4, 2016, in the United States and is still on air.

6. Johnny Bravo (July 14, 1997 – August 27, 2004)

Johnny Bravo was created by Van Partible for Cartoon Network. The show centers on the title character, a muscular and boorish young man who tries to get women to date him, though he is usually unsuccessful. He ends up in bizarre situations and predicaments, often accompanied by celebrity guest characters such as Donny Osmond or Adam West. Throughout its run, the show was controversial for its adult humor, pop culture references, and sly adult-oriented jokes.

The series premiered on July 14, 1997. The series was renewed for a second season in 1999, during which Partible left and the show was retooled under the direction of Kirk Tingblad. In 2003, Partible returned to the series for a fourth season, restoring it to its original format and style. It ended on August 27, 2004, with a total of four seasons and 67 episodes.

5. The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy (June 13, 2003 – October 12, 2008)

The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy was created by Maxwell Atoms for Cartoon Network. The show centers on two children named Billy—a slow-witted boy—and Mandy—the cynical best friend—who, after winning a limbo game to save Billy's pet hamster, gain the mighty Grim Reaper as their best friend in eternal servitude and slavery.

Billy & Mandy was a spin-off of Grim & Evil, along with Evil Con Carne. The show ran from June 13, 2003 to November 11, 2007, but a spin-off film titled Underfist: Halloween Bash aired on October 12, 2008. In addition to the episodes, three movies, two special episodes, and nineteen shorts were made.