Johnny the Oval

"Johnny the Oval" is an American television animated series produced by Cartoon Network. It is also the first Cartoon Cartoon. The series premiered as a "sneak peek" in May 1986 and it officially premiered on September 15, 1986. After a show's classic, it was re-used in 2003. The show offically ended on April 27, 2010. It is the long-running Cartoon Network animated series.

Plot
Johnny is an 14-year old oval boy who pranks his 6-year old sister and plays with his best friend, Sammy. He is sometimes clumsy and lives with his parents. He's in 8th grade at Ovalsburg High School.

Production
Stephen Hillenburg was inspired by one of the drawings of a little lady. After drawing her short, he decided to draw a tall guy, Johnny. Production begun in late 1985. In June 2000, the show was cancelled for 3 years but it came back in the summer of 2003. In 2008, the series was originally going to end but Genndy Tartakovsky and Stephen Hillenburg decided to work on 4-minute episode season. Voice actress Tara Strong confirmed on Twitter in May 2010 that the show has ended production.

Casting
Christine Cavanaugh (died 2014) voices Johnny Lukeson Oval from seasons 1-4 until she retired from voice acting in late 2001. After Cavanaugh's retirement, Devon Starr took over as the new voice from season 5 onwards. Alison Moore voices Johnny's little sister Holly Lukeson from season 1-4 until she is no longer interested in voice acting and Andrea Libman took over as the new voice from season 5 onwards as well. Nicole Dove and Tom Kenny voices Johnny's parents respectively. Bill Faggerbake voices Johnny's grandfather. Tara Strong voices Sammy and Tommy. Ashleigh Ball voices Timmy and Jimmy. Dave Lib voices Johnny's class teacher Mr. Morry. Kath Soucie voices Johnny's girlfriend Lucy.

Main characters

 * Johnny the Oval (voiced by Devon Starr)
 * Holly the Oval (voiced by Andrea Libman)
 * Johnny's Mum (voiced by Nicole Dove)
 * Johnny's Dad (voiced by Tom Kenny)
 * Johnny's Grandfather (voiced by Bill Faggerbake)
 * Sammy the Oval (voiced by Tara Strong)

Recurring characters

 * Jimmy the Oval (voiced by Ashleigh Ball)
 * Timmy the Oval (voiced by Ashleigh Ball)
 * Tommy the Oval (voiced by Tara Strong)
 * Lucy the Oval (voiced by Kath Soucie)
 * Mr. Morry (voiced by Dave Lib)

Episode Guide
Main Article: Johnny the Oval episodes

The first season premiered on May 28, 1986 with the series and concluded on June 7, 1990. The second season on October 1, 1991 and concluded on December 3, 1994. The third season premiered on September 15, 1995 and concluded on July 8, 1997. The fourth season premiered on January 17, 1998 and concluded on June 16, 2000 with the original series. After a cancellation, the fifth season premiered on August 1, 2003 and concluded on January 29, 2005. The sixth season premiered on November 20, 2005 and concluded on January 10, 2008. After a two-year hiatus, the seventh and final season premiered on February 25, 2010 and concluded on April 27 the same year with the series.

US

 * TBS (1986-1991)
 * Cartoon Network (1992-2014)
 * Boomerang (2007-)

UK

 * Cartoon Network (1993-2005) (Airs on the Cartoon Cartoons block until 2014)
 * Toonami (2006)
 * Cartoon Network Too (2006-2013)
 * Booomerang (2006-2015)

Australia

 * Cartoon Network (1999-2007; 2014-)
 * Cartoon Network (2009-2014)

Canada

 * Teletoon (1998-2007)
 * YTV (2008-)

France

 * Boomerang (2001-present)
 * Cartoon Network (1995-2008)

Italy

 * Cartoon Network (1994-present)
 * Boomerang (2008-2013)

Africa

 * Cartoon Network (1994-2006)
 * Boomerang (2011-present)

Spain

 * Cartoon Network (1996-present)

Video games

 * Juggling Fun (August 10, 2002) (GBC)
 * Sliding Fun (March 2, 2003) (GBA)
 * Cooking Challenge (September 21, 2005) (GBA)
 * Cartoon Network Racing (December 8, 2006) (DS/PS2)
 * Casino Night and Sky Day Adventure (May 6, 2007) (PS2/PSP/Wii/DS)
 * Sports Fun (March 20, 2008) (DS)
 * Legends of Evil Circles and Squares (April 30, 2009) (Wii/PS2/DS/X360)
 * Sir John-a Lot (October 29, 2009) (PS2/X360)
 * Boxing Madness (February 4, 2010) (XBLA)
 * Driving Dash and Demolition (November 14, 2010) (Wii/X360)
 * Driving and Snowboarding (September 22, 2011) (Wii/PS3/X360)
 * Cartoon Network Punch Time Explosion (April 18, 2012) (3DS/PS3/X360)
 * Cartoon Network Backlot Party (TBA 2015) (3DS/Wii)

VHS and DVD releases
VHS and DVDs were released from 1991-2013.
 * Barrel of Fun (June 3, 1991)
 * Building Houses (July 16, 1992)
 * Johnny the Chef (August 24, 1993)
 * Johnny's Video (December 28, 1994)
 * Johnny's Camera (November 7, 1995)
 * Johnny's Birthday (February 13, 1996)
 * Johnny's Long Journey (May 1, 1997)
 * Johnny the Superhero (October 15, 1997)
 * Adventures with Johnny the Oval (February 25, 1998)
 * Johnny and the Lost Ball (November 17, 1998)
 * Johnny's Biggest Video Ever (June 26, 1999)
 * Johnny's Favourites (April 4, 2000)
 * Johnny's 2nd Big Video (January 11, 2001)
 * Johnny the Oval Forever (August 7, 2003)
 * Johnny's Bouncy Fun (May 5, 2004)
 * Johnny the Snowboarder (September 3, 2004)
 * Johnny at the Wedding Party (November 6, 2004)
 * Smelly Johnny (March 2, 2005)
 * Johnny's Car Academy (January 20, 2006)
 * Johnny at the Toy Shop (September 18, 2006)
 * Johnny the Musician (April 12, 2007)
 * Johnny's Coolest Adventures (October 8, 2007)
 * Cartoon Network Christmas (December 28, 2007)
 * Johnny's 27th Anniversary (Johnny's Scrapbook) (November 17, 2008)
 * Johnny's Platinum Collection (May 5, 2010)
 * Season 1 (September 30, 2010)
 * Season 2: Vol 1 (January 15, 2011)
 * Season 2: Vol 2 (May 11, 2011)
 * Season 3: Vol 1 (August 19, 2011)
 * Season 3: Vol 2 (November 8, 2011)
 * Season 4: Vol 1 (December 26, 2011)
 * Season 4: Vol 2 (June 12, 2012)
 * The Very Best of Johnny the Oval (August 23, 2013)
 * Johnny the Oval To the Rescue (November 30, 2013)

Toys
Toys were first made from Mattel in 1998. McDonald's gave toys in November 2006. The Lego toys were made from 2004 to early 2009.

Comics
In 2001, the comics were created by Titan Magazines until it stopped in late 2013 in the UK. However, Panini announced there will be more magazines in 2015. In the US, they were released by IDW in 2014.

Books

 * Johnny the Adventurer (1997)
 * Johnny the Superhero (1998)
 * Colouring Book (1999)
 * Wrestling Challenge (2003)
 * Johnny's Rock Concert (2004)
 * Shiver Me Shapers (2005)
 * Million Dollars for Sandwiches and Pizzas (September 2006)
 * Beach Blanket Bondos (August 2007)
 * Go Back to Work (September 2008)
 * Ballet at Johnny's House (July 2009)
 * Shape and None (2010)
 * Johnny and Friends at Golf (2010)
 * Bug Wars (2013)

Awards

 * Annie Awards - Best Voice - Christine Cavanaugh (1993)
 * Annie Awards - Great Actress - Christine Cavanaugh (1996)
 * Annie Awards - Outstanding Actress - Tara Strong (1997)
 * Golden Globe Award - Best Voice Actor - Dee Bradley Baker (1998) (Won)
 * Emmy Award - Outstanding Director - Aaron Springer (2000)
 * Annie Award - Best Guest Star - Lauren Bacall (Ep. Father's Day Episode) (2001) (Won)
 * Emmy Award - Best Actor - Tom Kenny (Ep. Johnny Finishes the Job) (2004) (Nominated)
 * Annie Award - Outstanding Achievement of Directing - Stephen Hillenburg (2005)
 * Emmy Award - Best Actress - Nicole Dove (2006) (Won)
 * Annie Award - Outstanding Achievement of Acting - Grey DeLisle (2007) (Nominated)
 * Golden Globe Awards - Brad Pitt - Great Voice Actor (2008) (Won)
 * Emmy Awards - Outstanding Achievement of Artist - Tom King (2008) (Won)
 * Annie Awards - Best Voice Actor - Devon Starr (Ep. Mission Shapepossible) (2009) (Won)
 * Annie Awards - Best Voice Actress - Tara Strong (Ep. Mission Shapepossible) (2009) (Nominated)

The Johnny the Oval Show
Stephen Hillenburg and Genndy Tartakvosky created a spin-off originally called Johnny the Oval's Comedy but its The Johnny the Oval Show and production began in the summer of 2007. When the show went on hiatus, it premiered on premiered on February 23, 2008 on Cartoon Network at 4pm. After first season ended, the show creators had to work on Season 7. The show first ended in April and the 2nd season of the spin-off premiered on May 27 and ended on July 17 with the series in 2010. After it ended, the show aired re-runs from September 2012 until May 2014. Jeff Bennett is the narrator of the show.

US

 * Cartoon Network (2008-2010; 2012-2014)

UK

 * CN Too (2008-2012)
 * Boomerang (2008-2010; 2012)

Canada

 * YTV (2009-2013)
 * Cartoon Network (2014-present)

Australia

 * Cartoon Network (2008-2013)

Africa

 * Cartoon Network (2009-2011)
 * Boomerang (2011-2013)

Italy

 * Cartoon Network (2008-2011)
 * Boomerang (2012)

Spain

 * Cartoon Network (2008-2014)

France

 * Boomerang (2009-present)