The end of Saturday Mornings

[dannavy85]

I guess it was made official this week that the Saturday morning cartoon is past history now. Some of us grew up during good times didn't we? Up at 5 or 6 am with our cereal and toys watching Super-friends or Speed Racer or Devlin?

The big three networks made the Saturday morning cartoons a big deal in the 1970's, they'd put on a big Friday evening show for the coming season, wasn't it awesome?



What today's kids miss out on.

[Anime Girl]

I remember when CBS used to run a few Nick cartoons in about early 2000's. I used to be OBSESSED with Hey Arnold at the time, and was always glad to see it on Saturday mornings (I didn't have cable, so I either had to watch it then, or at Grandma's house, if it happened to be on.) I may have seen Sailor Moon somewhere, but I forget where. And PBS Kids used to have a Book Worm Bunch block on Saturday morning, they'd play cartoons based off of books (like George Shrinks). And as recent as last year, I'd used to be able to watch the classic YuGiOh episodes I loved, but I heard THAT'S done with as well. -_-

[Tetsuwan Penguin]

Saturday morning cartoons go back a LOT further than the '70's. I remember as a kid in the 50's waking up and turning on the TV set. Sometimes I got up early enough to catch the test pattern as the station had just fired up the transmitter for the day (who remembers when TV stations went off the air in the very early morning to change tubes and perform other maintenance?) One of the first programs on the air in the morning was "the modern farmer" (In NYC?) and Jon Gnagy's "learn to draw". Then the kiddie shows came on, Crusader rabbit was an early cartoon show. Then came hour after hour of Loony toons, and the early Hanna and Barbara toons such as "Ruff and Ready" or "Huckleberry Hound" Different stuff, but the same audience.

[jeffbert]

You are old, aren't you, Tetsuwan Penguin? I vaguely remember Saturday morning cartoons, Pink Panther (& PP Flakes), The Funny Company, The Space Kiddettes, & the Andersons' Super Marionation: Stingray, FB XL5, etc., but other than those, not much from the '60s. Most of the others were afternoon /after school on UHF, which we could not even receive until early 1970s.

Oh, I have d1 of SCHOOLHOUSE ROCK, & so far, nothing but the grammar rock are the least bit familiar.

[Tetsuwan Penguin]

Well I DO remember Supercar, FB-XL5, etc. (I recently purchased the Supercar DVD box set). Yes some of the HB stuff was afternoon after school. IIRC Astro Boy was in that time slot as well!

[Shiyonasan]

It is definitely sad, but with 24-hour cable cartoon channels and the internet with streaming services, it was inevitable that Saturday morning cartoon blocks would come to end. Not to mention the FCC requiring some educational programming on Saturday mornings beginning in the '90s.

I mostly remember watching Kids' WB as a kid in the late '90s and early '00s, with cartoons like Jackie Chan Adventures, Animaniacs, Freakazoid, Static Shock, and others. Those were good times.

I remember when CBS used to run a few Nick cartoons in about early 2000's.

I had forgotten about that! I remember seeing ads for that back in the day.

[Earthshine]

I remember hearing about this news last week on the news, that Saturday Morning cartoons would be history. They explained that the decision was made because cable networks have cartoons being played all day so the novelty is "pointless"

I'm going to miss this tradition though, I remember in the early 1990s I think it was ABC that played three straight hours of Looney Toons from I think 7 to 10. I remember having a tradition where I'd watch Looney Toons on one channel then switch it over to another channel that played X-Men, Tailspin and some other cartoon that I can't remember the name. Keep in mind that I was 5

[fafner]

We hadn't Saturday morning cartoons here in Europe, instead we had Sunday morning cartoons. Can't say how they are doing these days though, I stopped watching them long ago, when I decided the cartoons they were showing were becoming completely uninteresting

[jeffbert]

Anyone remember Kukla, Fran, & Ollie, ABC After School Specials, The Point or The Red Balloon?

[Tetsuwan Penguin]

Kukla, Fran, & Ollie certainly. I don't think I watched the others.
How about Space Ghost and Johnny Quest?

There was one story that I thought was from space ghost that I remember. If it wasn't space ghost then where the heck was it from? It involved the development of an 'ion engine' to propel a ship faster than light. They tested it beyond the orbit of Pluto (for safety) and IIRC it was space ghost that piloted the ship.