Cartoon Planet

It Smells Like Cartoon Planet!
"One day I ran into this big shot TV guy I know/He says I'm really desperate, would you like to host a show?"
—Space Ghost in the show's Expository Theme Tune.

A Spin-Off of Space Ghost Coast to Coast, or, what happened when the creative team behind said show was given free rein with the Turner cartoon library. Cartoon Planet was a mix of songs, sketches, and clips of older shows, described by head writer Pete Smith as "a cross between The Sonny and Cher Show, The Electric Company, and recess at the Richard M Nixon School for Wayward Boys". The show starred Space Ghost, Zorak, and Brak in the same character interpretations shown in Space Ghost Coast to Coast: Space Ghost as the egotistical blowhard host, Zorak his long-suffering (and evil) foil, and Brak as a loveable "half-lobotomized" simpleton. The characteristics of Brak in Cartoon Planet and banter between him and Zorak were the inspiration for their portrayal on The Brak Show.

An example of Too Good to Last and Keep Circulating the Tapes, as it lasted only 22 episodes and due to copyright hangups will never be released on DVD.

In 2012, Cartoon Planet was relaunched on Friday night, playing some of Cartoon Network's original "classic cartoons" as they call them, as a part of the network's 20th anniversary. Zorak and Brak return as hosts.

Tropes used in Cartoon Planet include:
  • And Your Little Dog, Too: Attempted on Space Ghost when Zorak tried to teach Brak how to be evil. It didn't work out so well.
  • Anti-Humor: Whenever Brak would do stand-up, his jokes would end this way.
  • Batman Cold Open: Several episodes would begin with a sketch, entirely without context, before displaying the short intro song and logo.
  • The Calls Are Coming From Inside the House: Spoofed in a segment of "Brak's Tales of Suspense".
  • The Cameo: Count Floyd from The Completely Mental Misadventures Of Ed Grimley would show up via Stock Footage.
  • Credits Gag: The credits are unusual in that only the crew member's first names are used. Some of the names even featured gags; composer Eddie Horst was always listed as "Eddie the Horse", Mike Lazzo was listed as "The Mayor of Cartoon Planet" and Keith Crofford was listed as "The Chief of Police". Additionally: "Thanks For Watching the Credits".
  • The Ditz: Brak.
  • Foreshadowing: Adult Swim once aired a "Where Are They Now" style bump. The last one featured Brak, Zorak, and Moltar planning a revival of Cartoon Planet. Cartoon Planet would come back on March 31, 2012.
  • Fourth Wall Mail Slot: In the "Mail Bag Day" segment.
  • Fun with Foreign Languages: The "Learning to Talk Italian" segments.
  • Go-Karting with Bowser: Or, rather, hosting a TV show with Zorak.
  • Keep Circulating the Tapes: Some segments were included on The Brak Show DVDs, but the copyrighted footage/music was replaced. If a complete series set was ever made of Cartoon Planet, it's pretty much a guarantee that it will be in edited form.
  • Large Ham: Space Ghost.
  • Lethal Chef: Brak, his segment "Cooking With Brak" usually gets cancelled because his recipes get everyone sick.

Brak: "Hey, what's the big deal? So a few people got a tummyache!"
Space Ghost: "Tummyache? The whole crew lost all feeling in their arms and legs!"

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