Before a cartoon premieres on television, a pilot is produced in order to get network or audience approval. This episode establishes the look and feel of the show, setting the pace for every entry to follow. If the pilot is picked up, a full series is ordered and viewers are graced with the results on their TV screens. Some of these episodes end up spawning beloved franchises while others never make it past the initial pilot stage and wind up being rejected.
Cartoon Network is home to some of the most beloved and remembered cartoons across television. Many of those popular shows like Dexter's Laboratory and The Powerpuff Girls started out as animated shorts on the showcase series What a Cartoon!, which was later renamed The Cartoon Cartoon Show. The network has continued this practice in some form or another throughout its later years, and the studio regularly posts animated shorts online to gauge viewer interest. There are many pilots throughout the studio's history that ended being rejected, and a lot of these had serious potential. With that in mind, let's look at Cartoon Network pilots that deserved a full series.
A Kitty Bobo Show
Cartoons revolving around a group of 20-somethings living in the city just couldn't catch a break in the early 2000s. Mission Hill, MTV's Downtown and Clerks all ended prematurely in their first season, and the same can be said about A Kitty Bobo Show. Created Kevin Kaliher and Meaghan Dunn, Kitty Bobo revolved around the titular character trying to prove how cool he was to his friends. The pilot episode, "Cellphones," depicted Bobo parading his new phone around much to the annoyance of his friends.
The pilot aired as part of Cartoon Network's Big Pick marathon, and Kitty Bobo came in second place behind Codename: Kids Next Door, which was ultimately picked up by the network. In 2005, Kaliher pitched a revised version of the pilot to Disney with younger versions of the characters but to no avail. Kitty Bobo was definitely a show ahead of its time and its humor was a lot more subdued compared to its energetic contemporaries. The pilot had some serious potential too, and the problems of cellphones depicted in the single episode are still relevant almost twenty years later.
Plastic Man
In a world populated by numerous Batman cartoons and films, the 2006 Plastic Man pilot seems like an oddity. The pilot episode, "Puddle Trouble," was directed by notable artist Andy Suriano and was commissioned by Warner Bros Animation and Cartoon Network. The 10-minute short was a brilliant work of animation with humor kinda reminiscent of The Tick animated series. Spongebob voice actor Tom Kenny does the voice for Plastic Man, he brings a lot of life to this seemingly limitless character.
Sadly, Cartoon Network passed on the pilot and it was never officially aired on the channel, though the episode was released as part of the Plastic Man: The Complete Collection DVD. A cartoon series starring Plastic Man might have been a hard sell for the network compared to more recognizable heroes like Batman and Superman. Fortunately, Tom Kenny got to reprise his role as Plastic Man in Batman: The Brave and the Bold and in the DC Nation shorts.
3 Dog Band
If 3 Dog Band looks sort of familiar to you that's because the creator Paul Rudish practically drew your childhood. Rudish wrote and did the storyboards for many of the shows on Cartoon Network, including Dexter's laboratory, The Powerpuff Girls and Samurai Jack. 3 Dog Band was a pilot created as part of The Cartoonstitute, a failed spiritual successor to What a Cartoon!. The pilot episode, "Get Together," followed a trio of dogs with contrasting musical tastes preparing for a gig at an exclusive nightclub.
3 Dog Band is an electrifying cartoon with a sense of humor and design reminiscent of early Cartoon Network shows. It's a shame a full series wasn't ordered, just imagine the kind of music that would've been produced for each episode. Cartoon Network had already canceled its previous animated musical show Class of 3000, and this show could've been its answer to Phineas and Ferb.
Danger Planet
Danger Planet, created by Derek Drymon, was another animated short from the short-lived Cartoonstitute. The pilot, which was originally released in 2009, features an arcade machine and a forklift robot stranded on an alien planet trying to protect a baby.
The episode is an enjoyable short and the robots trying to protect a human baby in this dangerous alien environment is an exciting premise. Cartoon Network passed on the pilot, yet strangely enough, a recolored version of the pilot was released in 2016. A trademark was also filed, and rumors have been circulating that Danger Planet is going to be made into a series.
Verne on Vacation
Verne on Vacation was a mini-pilot created by Sylvain Marc and produced by Cartoon Network Studios Europe. The pilot is about a boy named Verne who yearns to be an explorer. He is spending his holidays at his grand parent's farm and goes exploring with his friends Gaston the robotic pig and Horace the magic merman.
Despite being a little under 3 minutes, Verne on Vacation is packed full of vibrant colors, visual gags and fun. The pilot even went on to win the 2010 Pulcinella award for Best TV Pilot. Verne was then optioned for a feature-length TV special, but just as Marc started work on a treatment for the story and developed a bible for the film, the studio making the project was shut down.
Welcome to My Life
Released in 2015, Welcome to My Life was an animated short created by Elizabeth Ito. The short follows the life of a monster named Douglas, better known by his friends as T-Kesh. Douglas's life and his experiences at school are detailed through the style of a documentary.
Welcome to My Life is an engaging animated short to watch, and it's unbelievable how this wasn't made into a series or movie. The whole premise of following a monster as he goes about his day traversing a regular human school is such a palatable idea. The short was released online through Cartoon Network's YouTube channel, amassing over 4 million views. With the popularity of the online short, it feels like it's only a matter of time until Cartoon Network revives this pilot.
Jammers
Jammers is an interesting pilot, to say the least. Created by Lizzy Hickey, the short follows the life of a middle school age girl named Carol and her friends, Jeremy and Danny, as they try to get dates for the school dance. Carol is also aided by a figment in her subconscious named Lil' Carol, a floating representation of herself.
Jammers is a nonsensical but fun animated short. Casey Alexander the creative director behind Uncle Grandpa worked alongside Hickey to create this pilot and a lot of that same surrealist humor shows through the work. While Jammers isn't for everyone, a show like this definitely could have found a place on Adult Swim with its unique sense of humor and weird energy.
Trick Moon
Created by Geneva Hodgson, Trick Moon is an animated short that was released online on Cartoon Network's Youtube channel. The short follows the adventures of royal wolf siblings Trickshot and Pocket as they protect the moonstone and their older brother the Prince from the evil of Dr. Bleak and his minions.
Trick Moon is almost assuredly going to be made into a full series. The short was released recently, and the fan support it has garnered is unreal. Hodgson was a storyboard artist and later supervising director behind OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes and that influence is clear when you watch this pilot. With all the missteps in the past, Cartoon Network would be silly to pass on this pilot.