There were animated interpretations of the song, but these came later:
* 1963: An animated short film based on the song was made by Terrytoons for the "The Peter, Paul and Mary Show."
* 1970: A second animated short film, titled "Puff, the Magic Dragon," was created by Hanna-Barbera Productions.
* 1978: A 30-minute animated special, "Puff the Magic Dragon," featuring the song and new material, was produced by Filmation.
So, while "Puff the Magic Dragon" is famous and has been adapted into animation, it wasn't the first TV cartoon. The first TV cartoon is generally considered to be "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," which aired in 1937 as a series of short films.