Cartoon Medley is a compilation album produced by Kid Rhino and Atlantic Records for Cartoon Network and released on July 6, 1999. First unveiled in early 1999, it serves as a collection of songs from the channel's programs and anthological series, including those from Hanna-Barbera and others like Cow and Chicken and The Powerpuff Girls. In addition to the material, the album also includes six downloadable games and features for the listener. Critically, Cartoon Medley was awarded three out of five stars by AllMusic while "The Powerpuff Girls (End Theme)" was singled out by Billboard's Moira McCormick for being a "breakout" track.[1]
Background and release
Serving as a collection of television theme songs and music from Cartoon Network's programming, Cartoon Medley is presented as a fake TV dinner meal. The CD's cover advertises containing "Flaky fried Cow and Chicken, Space Ghost-Zorak-Brak veggies, and [a] Yogi gelatin treat".[2] The project was first unveiled in the fourth volume of Film Score Monthly in 1999,[3] before being released on July 6, 1999, by Kid Rhino, the children's label of Rhino Entertainment, along with Atlantic Records as both a CD and a cassette tape.[4][5][6] Bonus features on the CD-ROM include six downloadable games and children's activities, such as liner notes including the lyrics to the corresponding tracks and samples of video games featured on Cartoon Network's official website.[2]
While creating the compilation album, Cartoon Network's Vice President of Off-Channel Commerce, Jamie Porges, imagined having more material than just the title songs from television series. Long-time fan Craig McCracken, creator of The Powerpuff Girls and storyboard artist for Dexter's Laboratory, enlisted the help of Scottish band Bis in order to record material; together, they co-created the "End Theme" specifically for The Powerpuff Girls.[1] As part of an advertisement campaign for Cartoon Medley, individuals were able to access Cartoon Network's official website and listed to snippets of album tracks "Boo Boo, Baba, Dee Dee", "The Powerpuff Girls", and "Josie & the Pussycats".[7]
AllMusic rated the collection three out of five stars.[8] Additionally, Moira McCormick from Billboard considered "The Powerpuff Girls (End Theme)" as the main "breakout track" among the album.[1]
^ abcdeCartoon Medley (CD liner notes). Various artists. Kid Rhino. 1999. R2 75693.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Kendall, Lukas (1999). "Rhino". Film Score Monthly. 4. Lukas Kendall: 6. Archived from the original on February 17, 2017. Retrieved February 12, 2017.