The Big Pick is a former annual competition that aired as part of Cartoon Cartoon Fridays on Cartoon Network. It showcased a series of animated pilots that could be chosen by the viewing audience to become a new Cartoon Network series. The audience could vote either by calling a special phone number or voting online at CartoonNetwork.com and winning prizes such as video game consoles.
2000[]
During Cartoon Cartoon Weekend, lasting from August 25-27, 2000, the audience would vote from three of the top-rated pilots that debuted during the summer starts Friday at 7:00pm, either by phone or online at CartoonNetwork.com
On August 27, 2000, the Mayor of Townsville announced that The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy won the most votes and would become a new series. The new series of shorts debuted within the series Grim & Evil on August 24, 2001.
Despite not winning, Whatever Happened to Robot Jones? would premiere as a series a year later, albeit short-lived and with little to no support from Cartoon Network.
2001[]
During the Cartoon Cartoon Fridays Big Pick Weekend, lasting from August 24-26, 2001, the audience would choose from one out of ten pilots, and whichever pilot garnered the most votes would become a series.
- Captain Sturdy (Pick by Muriel)
- Yee-Haw and Doo-Dah (Pick by Larry 3000)
- Imp, Inc. (Pick by Mayor of Townsville)
- My Freaky Family (Pick by Johnny Bravo)
- Major Flake (Pick by Dexter)
- Utica Cartoon (Pick by Ed)
- The Kids Next Door (Pick by Edd)
- Swaroop (Pick by Otto)
- Ferret and Parrot (Pick by Courage)
- Kitty Bobo (Pick by Bubbles)
On August 26, 2001, the votes were tallied, and I. M. Weasel announced that The Kids Next Door had won. The series Codename: Kids Next Door premiered on December 6, 2002.
The Cartoon Cartoon Big Pick Show[]
As part of the event, Cartoon Cartoons characters voiced their own opinions about which cartoon should win the poll.
| Star | Cartoon Cartoon Short | Guest Star(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Dexter (Dexter's Laboratory) | Major Flake | Princess Morbucks |
| Johnny Bravo (Johnny Bravo) | My Freaky Family | Lu and Edd |
| Mayor of Townsville and Sara Bellum (The Powerpuff Girls) | IMP Inc. | Buttercup |
| Grim Reaper and Hector Con Carne (Grim and Evil) | Mina and the Count | Butch |
| Ed (Ed, Edd n Eddy) | Utica Cartoon | Eddy, Edd, and Chicken |
| Mojo Jojo (The Powerpuff Girls) | Captain Sturdy | Blossom, Dee-Dee, Courage, I.R. Baboon, Him, and The Red Guy |
| Courage and Eustace (Courage) | King Crab | Muriel, Professor Utonium, Dexter's Mom and Dad, and Bunny Bravo |
| Otto Osworth (Time Squad) | Ferret and Parrot | Major Glory, Valhallen, The Infraggable Krunk, and Monkey |
| Lu and Lancelot (Mike, Lu & Og) | Prickles the Cactus | Mike and Og |
| Cow (Cow and Chicken) | Lost Cat | Sheep, General Specific, and Private Public |
| Larry 3000 (Time Squad) | Yee Hah & Doo Dah | Buck Tuddrussel, Robot Jones, and Bubbles |
| Bubbles (The Powerpuff Girls) | Kitty Bobo | Boomer, Blossom, Otto Osworth, Larry 3000, and Buck Tuddrussel |
| Edd (Ed, Edd n Eddy) | Sheep in the Big City | Ed, Eddy, Johnny Bravo, Chicken, Bubbles, I.R. Baboon, and Grim |
| Mandark (Dexter's Laboratory) | Swaroop | Mojo Jojo, Lenny Baxter, and Carl Chryniszzswics |
| I.M. Weasel and I.R. Baboon (I Am Weasel) | Longhair and Doubledome | The Gangreen Gang, Chicken, Bubbles, Ed, Eddy, Billy, Johnny Bravo, and Grim |
| Brick and Boomer (The Powerpuff Girls) | The Kids Next Door | Bubbles and Rolf |