What is Nicktoons Network?
Nicktoons is the branding that Nickelodeon uses for its original cartoons, debuting in 1991 with the premieres of Rugrats, Doug, and The Ren & Stimpy Show. As the years went on, the Nicktoons brand spawned popular series such as Rocko’s Modern Life, Hey Arnold!, CatDog, and (of course) SpongeBob SquarePants.
On May 1, 2002, Nickelodeon gave its animated library its own 24-hour home with the launch of Nicktoons TV. The service was originally part of Viacom’s “MTV Digital Suite”, a collection of channels exclusive to digital cable providers. By 2004, however, Nicktoons TV would be added to both DirecTV and Dish Network’s lineups.
Though Nicktoons TV at first focused on Nick-produced content, starting in 2004 the channel began to acquire cartoons from outside studios. This programming expansion led into 2005, when in September, the channel was relaunched as Nicktoons Network.
From this point onward, Nicktoons Network placed a heavy emphasis on imported content (Edgar and Ellen, Martin Mystery, The Secret Show) and its own originally-produced programs (Kappa Mikey, Making Fiends, Speed Racer: The Next Generation). The channel also created various programming gimmicks and blocks for these series, including BattleMart, Laser Awesome, and Three-Headed Monster. Furthermore, newer Nicktoons from Nickelodeon continued to be added in the years ahead.
On September 28, 2009, Nicktoons Network was renamed Nicktoons and introduced a new logo, as part of Nickelodeon’s larger rebrand. The new bumpers featured the new Nicktoons logo being deconstructed and reassembled in many different ways.
In the coming years, Nicktoons’ programming skewed towards the action genre, with series such as Digimon, Dragon Ball GT & Z Kai, Hero Factory, LBX, Monsuno, NFL Rush Zone, Voltron Force, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Zevo-3, and more.
September 2014 saw the debut of NickSports, a primetime block that featured sports-themed programming centered around the NFL, MLB, and NASCAR. NickSports also hosted new episodes of the Nicktoons original series Wild Grinders.
Since 2015, the Nicktoons channel has begun to resemble Nickelodeon in terms of programming, airing repeats of its live-action content and simulcasting other major events, much like its sister channel TeenNick.
