Fred Seibert, who became president of Hanna-Barbera Cartoons in 1992, pitched Cartoon Network on a project of 48 short cartoons, arguing it gave 48 chances to succeed or fail even though it would cost twice as much as a normal series.

Hanna-Barbera received over 5,000 pitches from a diverse range of creators worldwide for only 48 available slots in the project.

For the first time in Hanna-Barbera's history, individual creators were allowed to retain rights and earn royalties on their creations, a practice most of the industry initially scoffed at.

Seibert's concept was heavily influenced by Looney Tunes, and he was personally taught how Golden Age cartoon shorts were made by William Hanna, Joseph Barbera, and veteran animator Friz Freleng.

John Kricfalusi, creator of The Ren & Stimpy Show, acted as an informal mentor to Seibert and was the first person he called when scouting new talent for the project.

Ralph Bakshi's contributed short, Malcom and Melvin, was considered too risqué to be broadcast.

It has been rumored that John Kricfalusi was slated to direct new Yogi Bear-themed What a Cartoon! shorts through his studio Spümcø.

Seth MacFarlane's short Larry and Steve featured prototype characters that would later evolve into his hit series Family Guy.

To promote the shorts in 1995, Cartoon Network's marketing team created 'Dive-In Theater,' screening the cartoons poolside at water parks and municipal swimming pools on large 9-by-12-foot movie screens.

Dexter's Laboratory was voted the most popular short in 1995 and became the first What a Cartoon! short to spin off into its own series in 1996.

Wind-Up Wolf and Hard Luck Duck were the last cartoon shorts ever directed and produced by Hanna-Barbera co-founder William Hanna.