In the beginning, there were the Flintstones, and it was good.Prime-time TV seemed like as good a place as any forfeature-animated programs.

Then came the Simpsons, and it was even better.

Now, in the new millennium, Adult Swim on Cartoon Networkrepresents the next generation of cartoons appealing to a moremature age group.

“It’s cool to be able to relate to the cartoons. It’s like beinga little kid again. It’s funny,” said Lauren Lane, a masscommunication junior.

Lane watches Adult Swim two to three times a week. Her favoriteshow, “Aqua Teen Hunger Force,” is an original program created forAdult Swim.

Adult Swim is Cartoon Network’s block of animated series thatwas launched in September 2001 aimed specifically at the 18 to 34year-old demographic that Lane represents, said Jim Babcock, aspokesman for Cartoon Network.

Even though one-third of Cartoon Network’s viewing audience hasbeen over 18 years old since its inception, the network wanted tocreate a solid audience of younger viewers before creating a lineupof more adult-oriented programing.

But, Cartoon Network has featured “Space Ghost: Coast to Coast,”a late-night talk show program with an animated host and liveguests targeted at adult viewers, since the network’s creation in1994, Babcock said.

Now that Cartoon Network has established itself, the Adult Swimprogramming block has not only taken off, but found a unique nicheamong its audience, Babcock said.

“We have become habit-forming for lovers of adult animation,”Babcock said.

These adult-animation enthusiasts include college studentsacross the country, which makes up the largest part of theaudience, Babcock said.

Babcock cites word-of-mouth advertising in large part of theirprogram’s popularity.

“We’ve never had a huge marketing budget … what we did wasstart out slow, modestly and let a buzz begin to build about it,”Babcock said.

A grassroots program, in which Adult Swim employs collegestudents on campuses in order to plan events and promote theprogramming, also helps with the public awareness of AdultSwim.

Cartoon Network is not the first to create an animated lineup tocater to adults.

“The Simpsons,” another popular animated program, ishistorically the most popular show on the Fox Network, said ScottGrogin, the Vice President of Corporate Communications for the FoxBroadcasting company.

In fact, “Family Guy,” one of the more popular shows in theAdult Swim lineup, was originally on the Fox Network, but wascancelled twice, Grogin said.

“Family Guy” is scheduled to reappear in the Fox prime-timelineup in 2005 with all-new episodes, thanks largely to DVD sales,which reached nearly one million sold almost immediately, Groginsaid.

“Cartoon Network has done a wonderful job with Adult Swim …but, on a broadcast network, the numbers they generate would begrounds for almost immediate cancellation,” Grogin said.