Cartoon Index

The database of cartoon series includes every animated series that has been broadcast on a television network or been released as a series of theatrical short films in the United States from the beginning of film animation to the present. Original series available from subscription based streaming services are also included. You can create a filtered search using the form below.

Animated series included in the list consist of at least three individual episodes using the same title. Animated feature films, one-shot specials, direct-to-video releases, and other assorted miscellany aren’t included. Motion comics and stop-motion animation also fall outside the scope of the list. The following definitions explain the additional information fragment as it applies to relevant titles.

• Anthology Series: A show consisting of past episodes or short films from more than one original series that share a common theme, but are otherwise unrelated.
• Compilation Series: A show consisting of two or more segments with different titles that together form a single show. For example, The Yogi Bear Show contained the segments Yogi Bear, Snagglepuss, and Yakky Doodle. The titles for both The Yogi Bear Show and Yogi Bear appear under the same year: one representing the compilation show, and the other the segment. Most early cartoon series followed this format.
• Rerun Series: A show that replays episodes of a series that has already ended its original broadcast run. The title of the rerun series must be different from that of the original show to be listed.
• Segment: A series with its own title, shown alongside other titled series as part of a single, larger show. “Show-within-a-show” segments are treated as individual segments if they have their own storyline, removed from the action of the show’s primary segment.
• Showcase Series: A program devoted to showing a variety of original animated segments that would, by themselves, be considered standalone films and not part of a series.
• Theatrical Shorts: Animated short films originally produced for the theater (mostly prior to the 1960s) and shown as a precursor to the main feature — e.g., Looney Tunes, Tom & Jerry, Silly Symphonies, etc.

Anthology series, compilation series, rerun series, and showcase series are only included if at least roughly half the show is devoted to animation. A show’s individual, animated segments are included, even if the program they are part of is not.

Foreign-made series that were broadcast in the United States are listed under the date they were first broadcast in the USA, with the series title followed by the original foreign broadcast date/airdate (OFA) in parenthesis — if the two dates are different.