Cartoonito is a British pay television channel which targets children between the ages of 3 and 6. It is run by Warner Bros. Discovery under its International division. Unlike Cartoon Network and Boomerang, Cartoonito doesn't have a +1 timeshift in the UK. The channel is available in high definition on Sky Stream and Virgin Media.
On 14 August 2006, Turner Broadcasting System Europe announced they would launch a new pre-school-oriented strand for Cartoon Network Too known as Cartoonito, which would launch on 4 September, running from 6:00AM to 3:00PM.
On 2 May 2007, Turner announced that they would expand Cartoonito to a full-time network on 24 May 2007. This allowed Cartoon Network Too to merge and replace Toonami, allowing the full Cartoonito channel to launch in the ex-Cartoon Network Too slot.
On 24 May 2007, at 3:00 AM, Cartoonito launched as a standalone channel on Sky channel 619, just after the old version of Cartoon Network Too closed at 7:00 PM the previous day. The channel was broadcast from 3:00 AM until 7:00 PM and originally timeshared with Turner Classic Movies 2 (later became Turner Classic Movies +1 after 13 August 2013).
On 28 August 2009, it was announced that a Cartoonito block would air on Boomerang from 9:00 AM-10:30 AM on school-term weekdays beginning in September. The block aimed to introduce the Cartoonito brand to viewers who had never seen the programmes the channel offered.
On 1 March 2010, it was announced that Cartoonito would be added to Virgin Media by April. The channel was added on 25 March and by May had become the most widely distributed pre-school pay network in the United Kingdom. The addition to Virgin Media also saw a change in its broadcast hours, from 3:00 AM until 7:00 PM to 4:00 AM until 8:00 PM.
On 26 October 2013, Cartoonito was launched on BT TV, and Cartoonito launched on Plusnet in May 2015. On 15 December 2016, Cartoonito was added to TalkTalk.
During the premiere of Daisy & Ollie in the UK, Cartoonito shifted its aspect ratio to 16:9 widescreen on 1 November 2017. The channel moved to a full 24 hour schedule on 15 January 2018. On 2 March 2018, the channel was announced for a rebrand with an updated website. The logo remained the same, with the only difference being that the eyes were changed from purple to black.
On 1 February 2022, the channel rebranded with the new 2021 logo and bumpers. Following the rebrand, a Cartoonito strand launched on its sister channel Cartoon Network, airing weekdays from 9:00AM until 10:00AM (was briefly extend to end at 11:00AM from Spring until the Summer of 2022).
On 1 October 2023, the channel transitioned to utilising the same style of promos as Discovery's free-to-air channels, although it remains a pay network.
On 27 September 2024, an HD simulcast of the channel launched on Virgin Media alongside Boomerang HD, replacing the SD feed on the service.