“Adventure Time.” “Gravity Falls.” “Steven Universe.”

After years of “adult” cartoons like “Family Guy” and “American Dad” being the go-to animations for teens, the future of teen-oriented cartoons has finally appeared. And it is pastel.

In 2008, “Adventure Time” started a wave of a different style of broadcasted cartoons. Its creators reported that they had never expected such unprecedented success. Following “Adventure Time” four years later was “Gravity Falls,” a show that managed to garner the spot of Disney’s #1 animated series, according to a 2015 statistic from tvbythenumbers.com.

One year after came “Steven Universe,” a show featuring a pudgy part-alien boy and his super-powered female guardians. “Steven Universe” took the top spot for daytime viewing among young boys but also proved extremely popular with teens.

What do these shows have in common? First, a distinctly mature way of dealing with family, drama and everyday life. Second, a surprisingly large teenage audience.

“It was unlike any cartoon I had ever seen before,” Rob Sorcher, the man who originally approved “Adventure Time” to go on the air, said in a 2013 interview with “Time” magazine.

“Rolling Stone” magazine called “Adventure Time” a show that “connects in the deepest way with children, teens and adults alike” in a 2014 article. Magazine “Variety” noted the “older aud” of “Gravity Falls.”

In addition to their large teenage demographics, these shows share some common writers and supervisors, according to tvbythenumbers. The trend came full circle when Pendleton Ward, creator of “Adventure Time,” created “Bravest Warriors.” The show hosted exclusively online by Cartoon Hangover, an online cartoon channel devoted to older audiences.

Cartoon Hangover, despite not appearing on regular television, perhaps shows the new cartoon trend best. “Bravest Warriors” chronicles the adventures of four teenagers saving aliens using “the power of their emotions.” A new popular show on the online network is “Bee and Puppycat” featuring an adult woman as the protagonist in a stark departure from cartoon norms.

“Adventure Time” and the shows that followed set a precedent for very adult themes being combined with upbeat adventures and unashamedly cheerful, colorful animation styles. This new model is appealing to increasingly large audience.

Hopefully a trend that will go beyond the tiny circle currently contributing to it, a trend that will sweep up the networks and teens, into a cartoon revolution.

So what’s next?