The Arrow era was the fifth era of Cartoon Network in European territories (United Kingdom and Ireland, Italy, France, Germany, Spain, Poland, CEE, RSEE, Nordic, Netherlands and Turkey). It began on May 24, 2007 (exactly one year before the CW4Kids debuted in the USA), replacing the City era. Two years later, this era was also debuted on April 14, 2009 for RSEE and Turkey feeds, with the different branding and bumpers. It ended on September 27, 2010 with the CHECK it look replacing it in the United Kingdom, and two months later, on the rest of the countries using it.

Oddly enough, the idents (produced by Pesky, who made The Amazing Adrenalini Brothers) normally had nothing to do with the arrows theme and were essentially just short sketches that formed the logo. These included:

1. Dentist: A dentist notices a girl has broken teeth, fixes them with a drill, turning them normal (and looking like the CN logo)

2. Jack in the Box: 2 funny creatures pop out of a jack in the box, they get tangled and the boxes fall over, forming the logo

3. Bunnies: A black bunny and white bunny bash themselves with a mallet in a squash and stretch manner (squishing then reverting to normal instantly), This gets faster untill they turn into the logo, (with the iconic dizzy/birds flying over head gag thrown in for good measure)

4. Parachute: 2 skydiving daredevil’s parachute forms the logo (one of the daredevils fall to the ground, the other lands perfectly)

5. Transformers: 2 fighting mech robots turn into the logo

6. Moon: A man on the moon plants seeds, hoping for trees, but gets the logo instead

7. Cliff: 2 flying jets fly past a cliff with the logo carved into it

8. Balloons: 2 monkeys bounce on a inflater, behind then a balloon with the logo inflates and bursts, leaving them humiliated

9. Diving: A man dives, while juggling and having a cup of tea, Judges give him a score with the logo

There are more idents (and a few show specific ones, such as Johnny Test being turned into several characters from other shows (e.g Ed, Ben 10, etc), before turned to normal, but with his T-shirt turned into the logo) and from May 2010 the idents actually started using arrows, this only lasted till September when the look ended. Odd how the idents were just a “creative ways to form the logo 101” session
The Arrow era of Cartoon Network in European territories was indeed an intriguing phase, where the branding was more about creativity and fun rather than sticking strictly to the theme suggested by its name. The various idents you mentioned highlight the imaginative approach taken during this era, with each one providing a humorous or whimsical scenario that ultimately culminated in the formation of the Cartoon Network logo.

What’s particularly interesting is how the idents often involved slapstick or surreal humor, such as in the sketches with the bunnies or the malfunctioning parachutes. This style was very much in keeping with the tone and brand identity Cartoon Network was known for at the time, which often embraced unconventional and quirky humor. This approach also resonated with the channel’s audience, who were accustomed to a lineup of animated shows with unique, offbeat storytelling.

The fact that the idents didn’t heavily rely on the “arrow” theme but were instead purely focused on creative visual storytelling is a testament to Cartoon Network’s willingness to experiment with their visual branding during this period. This era represents a time when the network was transitioning and setting the stage for what would come next, with the CHECK it look taking over in late 2010, bringing a more unified and cohesive brand identity across the board.

Overall, this period in Cartoon Network’s history is fondly remembered for its inventive and playful approach to branding, allowing the network to maintain its reputation as a leader in animated entertainment creatively packaged for its young audience. CN Too kept using the look till 2012,