Cartoon/Comic in UK

One of the most popular forms of television entertainment is the cartoon. We all remember our favorite cartoon, the one that made us laugh, the one that we still quote, or the one that's the easiest to draw in a notebook! Television has brought fun and laughter to our living rooms, and given artists across the country an opportunity to show off their talents!

According to World Book, a cartoon is, "a drawing or series of drawings that tells a story or expresses a message". When it comes to television cartoons, the message is usually a funny or happy one that makes people feel good after they watch. They may make us laugh or cringe, especially when the coyote falls over the cliff again, but mostly they make us want to watch more of our favorite characters. There is a lot of work that goes into making a television cartoon. Artists, computer graphic specialists, producers and directors all work collaboratively to create what we see on the TV screen. Cartoons like "Superman" and "Batman" and "Mickey Mouse" have been around for many years, and others like "Fairly Odd Parents" and "As Told By Ginger" are more recent.

.

The first televised cartoon was Popeye the Sailor. Popeye the Sailor was introduced in 1956. By 1965, it was seen on almost 200 television stations, and had grossed over 20 million dollars! This cartoon stayed popular throughout the 1960's and 1970's. WPIX-TV introduced Popeye the Sailor to the public in 1956 and was the number one rated show in it's timeslot. Other stations all said the same.

Although cartoons have been around for centuries, animated, moving pictures have only been around for several decades. One partnership, Hanna-Barbera, is celebrating six decades of cartoon making! They are famous for their very first TV cartoon, "Tom and Jerry", plus countless others. If "The Flintstones", Jetson's", "Yogi-Bear", and "Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?" sound familiar, then the names Hanna and Barbera have proven their talents.

Another famous cartoon franchise is Bugs Bunny and the Looney Tune gang. Perhaps the names Mel Blanc or Friz Freleng sound familiar. Mel Blanc was the voice of Bugs, as well as so many other Looney Tune characters. Friz was the director who made sure that the cartoons were put together perfectly, making Bugs one of the most popular television characters ever! Bugs has been in the movies and has even won an Academy Award!!

Today's cartoons are mostly found on Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, and The Disney Channel, as well as the Saturday morning line up on CBS. Some of today's more popular shows are Spongebob, Hey Arnold, Dora the Explorer, and Chalk Zone.