Toonami ad breaks during the CN era were kinda comical

[TheMisterManGuy]

I've been watching a handful of compilation videos of commercial breaks that aired on Cartoon Network, particularly Toonami during the early 2000s. And one thing that stuck out to me was how disparate they can be. Of course, you've got your usual toy, doll and sugary cereal commercials. But then you get something like this...

Tekken 4 commercial during Dragon Ball Z.

It's not an M rated game or anything. But semi-violent T rated fighting game doesn't seem like the most kid friendly thing you could advertise on an after-school cartoon show. There's also plenty of other examples...

Somber Coca-Cola ad after a toy dog commercial.

Anti-Smoking PSA right after Chuck E Cheese's.

PG-13 comedies after Frosted Flakes.

Of course, Toonami always tended to skew older than the rest of CN's daytime programming, so it wasn't a surprise advertisers wanted to capitalize on that. But it's still always funny to see edgy teen/young adult geared ads running alongside kids' toy and candy commercials.

 

[Golden Geek]

It was relatively common to see ads for PG-13 movies on kids' channels when I was growing up. (Does anyone else remember the Burger King Twilight commercials with the two elderly women charging each other over Team Edward vs. Jacob?)

Of course, I also think advertisers knew Toonami skewed a little older.

 

[TheMisterManGuy]

It was relatively common to see ads for PG-13 movies on kids' channels when I was growing up. (Does anyone else remember the Burger King Twilight commercials with the two elderly women charging each other over Team Edward vs. Jacob?)

Of course, I also think advertisers knew Toonami skewed a little older.

True. But I found it odd that PG-13 films were heavily advertised on kids channels, yet Teen rated video games weren't, at least, not nearly as much. I think Cartoon Network during this era was the only exception.

Even outside of Toonami, CN ran a lot of adult ads for coffee, gum, and cleaning products alongside typical children's ads. This was pre-Adult Swim too mind you.

 

[JMTV]

It maybe laughable in hindsight, but it works because back then Cartoon Network was at it’s best geared towards all ages. So the advertisers knew they can advertise their products for dual audiences so they can make more profits…

Until Adult Swim came along, and the advertisers just saw CN as Kids WB TV lol

Whatever. It is what it is.

CN ran a lot of adult ads for coffee, gum, and cleaning products alongside typical children's ads.

Yeah, CN are still doing that to this day. Recently, I saw CN advertising insurance companies, Swiffers ads, and travel agencies ads. No sugary cereal commercials anywhere anymore. Sure, they got toy ads here and there, but no where near as prevalent as it was a decade or two ago.

 

[Silverstar]

Recently, I saw CN advertising insurance companies, Swiffers ads, and travel agencies ads. No sugary cereal commercials anywhere anymore. Sure, they got toy ads here and there, but no where near as prevalent as it was a decade or two ago.

Cereal mascots in general are becoming an endangered species. Lately the few cereal mascot ads I've seen have been on channels like Food Network and ESPN, and the characters now interact with pro athletes and entire families rather than just kids. It's a far cry from what it was 15 or 20 years ago.

Kid-focused ads are rare these days since kids aren't watching that much TV anymore. Advertisers are now zeroing in on the young adult/general family audience since they're the ones who still watch TV regularly. However, to @JMTV's point, this could turn out to be a blessing in disguise, as this demographic shift could be what finally gets WBD to stop aiming Cartoon Network squarely at kids. Running ads for all audiences means increased profits.

 

[mqg96]

This is something I noticed as well! Networks like Nickelodeon or Toon Disney back in that time stuck with younger kid oriented ads only, whether it was cereal ads, toys, E rated games and movie ads for kids no further than PG….


but Cartoon Network was always more edgier with its programming including Toonami… but still suitable enough where kids can still watch and enjoy (along with teens & adults)…. so they did a mix of ads for all ages. Could be a 1-800 ad for a CD/cassette tape, AOL internet or Dove washing soap lol. I’m pretty sure during late night hours before adult swim existed there would be commercial breaks with only adult ads.

 

[JMTV]

Cereal mascots in general are becoming an endangered species. Lately the few cereal mascot ads I've seen have been on channels like Food Network and ESPN, and the characters now interact with pro athletes and entire families rather than just kids. It's a far cry from what it was 15 or 20 years ago.

Yeah, times sure does change, doesn't it?

However, to @JMTV's point, this could turn out to be a blessing in disguise, as this demographic shift could be what finally gets WBD to stop aiming Cartoon Network squarely at kids. Running ads for all audiences means increased profits.

Hopefully.

I’m pretty sure during late night hours before adult swim existed there would be commercial breaks with only adult ads.

Or in some cases, having Cartoon Network kids ads during Adult Swim, which is a rarity.

 

[Silverstar]

This is something I noticed as well! Networks like Nickelodeon or Toon Disney back in that time stuck with younger kid oriented ads only, whether it was cereal ads, toys, E rated games and movie ads for kids no further than PG….


but Cartoon Network was always more edgier with its programming including Toonami… but still suitable enough where kids can still watch and enjoy (along with teens & adults)…. so they did a mix of ads for all ages. Could be a 1-800 ad for a CD/cassette tape, AOL internet or Dove washing soap lol. I’m pretty sure during late night hours before adult swim existed there would be commercial breaks with only adult ads.

Yeah, that's why I've always liked Cartoon Network a little more than Nick. CN was kid-friendly, sure, but it always had this edge to it, like you could watch CN with your younger sibling(s) and not roll your eyes and feel like you're watching something for babies.

 

[JMTV]

Yeah, that's why I've always liked Cartoon Network a little more than Nick. CN was kid-friendly, sure, but it always had this edge to it, like you could watch CN with your younger sibling(s) and not roll your eyes and feel like you're watching something for babies.

YES!!! That's what I love about Cartoon Network! I said this before, and I'll say it again.: Animation is beloved by all ages, and they target all ages.

I really miss that.

 

[Zorak Masaki]

I remember around 1996, TV Guide gave a "jeers" to Cartoon Network airing an ad for the "Living in the 90s" cd (yes, a best of the 90s cd that early in the decade) that included clips of the songs "I Touch Myself" and "Sex Me".

 

[TheMisterManGuy]

This is something I noticed as well! Networks like Nickelodeon or Toon Disney back in that time stuck with younger kid oriented ads only, whether it was cereal ads, toys, E rated games and movie ads for kids no further than PG….


but Cartoon Network was always more edgier with its programming including Toonami… but still suitable enough where kids can still watch and enjoy (along with teens & adults)…. so they did a mix of ads for all ages. Could be a 1-800 ad for a CD/cassette tape, AOL internet or Dove washing soap lol. I’m pretty sure during late night hours before adult swim existed there would be commercial breaks with only adult ads.

Yeah, ad breaks on other kids' channels like Nickelodeon, Fox Kids, etc. during this time tended to be much more homogeneous. Cartoon Network meanwhile would run sexy shampoo ads right after a Hot Wheels commercial like it was nothing. Pre-Adult Swim days of CN were pretty wild.

 

[JMTV]

Yeah, ad breaks on other kids' channels like Nickelodeon, Fox Kids, etc. during this time tended to be much more homogeneous. Cartoon Network meanwhile would run sexy shampoo ads right after a Hot Wheels commercial like it was nothing. Pre-Adult Swim days of CN were pretty wild.

I know right?! And I LOVE it!!!!

 

[J'onn J'onzz]

Kids WB here aired a ton of extremely dark PSAs on Saturday mornings. They would often air PSAs about kids finding their parents’ guns and murdering each other, parents sobbing about their kids ODing on drugs, victims of the Iraq war, smokers with destroyed voices, etc… a lot of these PSAs were pretty disturbing to me as a kid and even when I go back and watch them on VHS some of them still creep me out. Most of these subjects would be too taboo for the actual shows to tackle, though Static Shock did have a “very special episode” about school shootings.

 

[Rynnec]

It's not an M rated game or anything. But semi-violent T rated fighting game doesn't seem like the most kid friendly thing you could advertise on an after-school cartoon show.

Nah man, back in the day every kid in the playground knew about Tekken. Hell, since this was back when arcades were still fairly common, it wasn't rare for even the Playstation-less kids to have played Tekken, and since it wasn't really a "forbidden fruit" game the way GTA and Mortal Kombat were and it's arguably even less violent than Y7 Dragon Ball Z (airing a Tekken commercial during DBZ is also all kinds of fitting).

Though now that you mention it, I do remember CN having a lot of edgier ads during that era, even after Adult Swim was a thing. I certainly remember this somewhat risque Nestea commercial airing during Toonami in the summer of '02. My dad even questioned what we were watching when the caught it. Same with the one promoting Charlie's Angels (though thankfully I don't recall my parents walking in during that one).

They also aired commecials for M-rated games after 10pm too, but I don't recall if they always aired during AS since this was well before AS was nightly, so these very well could have aired during The Midnight Run. Resident Evil Code Veronica, Metal Gear Solid 2, and that scary as hell Silent Hill 2 commercial were ones I distinctly remember during this time.

Speaking of MGS, Moltar reviewing the first MGS during afterschool hours. This may be the only M-rated game reviewed during the CN era.

 

[J'onn J'onzz]

Nah man, back in the day every kid in the playground knew about Tekken. Hell, since this was back when arcades were still fairly common, it wasn't rare for even the Playstation-less kids to have played Tekken, and since it wasn't really a "forbidden fruit" game the way GTA and Mortal Kombat were and it's arguably even less violent than Y7 Dragon Ball Z (airing a Tekken commercial during DBZ is also all kinds of fitting).

Though now that you mention it, I do remember CN having a lot of edgier ads during that era, even after Adult Swim was a thing. I certainly remember this somewhat risque Nestea commercial airing during Toonami in the summer of '02. My dad even questioned what we were watching when the caught it. Same with the one promoting Charlie's Angels (though thankfully I don't recall my parents walking in during that one).

They also aired commecials for M-rated games after 10pm too, but I don't recall if they always aired during AS since this was well before AS was nightly, so these very well could have aired during The Midnight Run. Resident Evil Code Veronica, Metal Gear Solid 2, and that scary as hell Silent Hill 2 commercial were ones I distinctly remember during this time.

Speaking of MGS, Moltar reviewing the first MGS during afterschool hours. This may be the only M-rated game reviewed during the CN era.

There is also a review of MGS VR Missions by TOM1.

 

[TheMisterManGuy]

Nah man, back in the day every kid in the playground knew about Tekken. Hell, since this was back when arcades were still fairly common, it wasn't rare for even the Playstation-less kids to have played Tekken, and since it wasn't really a "forbidden fruit" game the way GTA and Mortal Kombat were and it's arguably even less violent than Y7 Dragon Ball Z (airing a Tekken commercial during DBZ is also all kinds of fitting).

Yeah. I guess that because T-rated games were almost never advertised on other major kids networks (in comparison to PG-13 movies at least) that it seems kinda out of place. Nickelodeon almost never ran ads for Teen rated games in comparison.

There were also ads for Tekken Tag Tournament running on CN in 2000 during DBZ.

Though now that you mention it, I do remember CN having a lot of edgier ads during that era, even after Adult Swim was a thing. I certainly remember this somewhat risque Nestea commercial airing during Toonami in the summer of '02. My dad even questioned what we were watching when the caught it. Same with the one promoting Charlie's Angels (though thankfully I don't recall my parents walking in during that one).

It was back in the era when Cartoon Network was aimed more at a psychographic (Cartoon fans) than a strict age demographic. So they mixed in a bunch of teen/adult ads with the usual kids' ads. Seeing something like Bounce fabric freshener or an edgy commercial for Snickers or gum juxtaposed against ads for toys and kids meals will always be funny to me.

 

[aegisrawks]

It maybe laughable in hindsight, but it works because back then Cartoon Network was at it’s best geared towards all ages. So the advertisers knew they can advertise their products for dual audiences so they can make more profits…

Until Adult Swim came along, and the advertisers just saw CN as Kids WB TV lol

Whatever. It is what it is.

Yeah, CN are still doing that to this day. Recently, I saw CN advertising insurance companies, Swiffers ads, and travel agencies ads. No sugary cereal commercials anywhere anymore. Sure, they got toy ads here and there, but no where near as prevalent as it was a decade or two ago.

Kids WB had a lot of edge, it wasnt Cartoonito.


EDIT: In case the video wont work, its the famous Jimmy episode of Static Shock, where a kid brings a gun to kill a bully and Virgil's best friend gets shot.

 

[JMTV]

Kids WB had a lot of edge, it wasnt Cartoonito.


EDIT: In case the video wont work, its the famous Jimmy episode of Static Shock, where a kid brings a gun to kill a bully and Virgil's best friend gets shot.

Never saw Static Shock, but I’ll take your word for it.

But yeah, I really miss the time when networks used to have a edge to it and just weren’t taking down to their audience.

 

[Checkerboard]

Yeah, that's why I've always liked Cartoon Network a little more than Nick. CN was kid-friendly, sure, but it always had this edge to it, like you could watch CN with your younger sibling(s) and not roll your eyes and feel like you're watching something for babies.

One hour you have Tom and Jerry Kids, the other Flintstones, a few hours later you have Swat Kats and a few hours after that Looney Tunes... yeah.

I mean...

 

[TheMisterManGuy]

More CN/Toonami ad weirdness

TimeSplitters 2 followed by Lego Harry Potter

Honda Element right after Lego Harry Potter

Jet Set Radio Future right after Digimon toys

Man, CN just didn't give a crap back then, lol.