The Checkerboard era was the very first Cartoon Network era. It began at the launch of the network on October 1, 1992 and ended in the United States on July 15, 1997. It was succeeded by the Powerhouse era. The era was named, by fans, both for the black and white Cartoon Network logo that resembled a checkerboard and for its bumpers, which featured tiles of characters featured on the network in a checkerboard pattern.