{{Short description|Genre of television programming}} {{Use American English|date=October 2024}} "'''Saturday-morning cartoon'''" is a colloquial term for original animated series and live-action programming typically scheduled on Saturday and Sunday mornings in the United States on the "Big Three" television networks. The genre was a tradition broadly ranging from the mid-1960s to mid-2010s,<ref name=wp93014/> with its popularity declining over time due to changing cultural norms, increased competition from formats available at all times, and heavier media regulations.<ref>{{cite book |title=Kids' TV Grows Up: The Path from Howdy Doody to SpongeBob |last=Holz |first=Jo |publisher=McFarland |year=2017 |isbn=978-1-4766-6874-1 |location=Jefferson, NC |pages=73–171}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.awn.com/animationworld/disappearance-saturday-morning |title=The Disappearance of Saturday Morning |last=Raiti |first=Gerard |website=Animation World Network |date=April 30, 2003 |access-date=2024-03-20}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2021/05/the-rise-and-fall-of-saturday-morning-cartoons/ |title=The Rise and Fall of Saturday Morning Cartoons |last=Moss |first=Charles |website=The Saturday Evening Post |date=May 20, 2021 |access-date=2024-03-20}}</ref> In the last years of the genre's existence, Saturday-morning and Sunday-morning cartoons were primarily created and aired on major networks to meet "educational and informational" (E/I) requirements. Minor television networks, in addition to the non-commercial PBS in some markets, continued to air animated programming on Saturday and Sunday while partially meeting those mandates.<ref>{{cite news |title=Pied Piper Of Cable Beguiles Rivals' Children |work=The New York Times |date=October 29, 1996 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/10/29/arts/pied-piper-of-cable-beguiles-rivals-children.html?scp=49&sq=Felix%20the%20Cat&st=cse |access-date=August 21, 2010 |last=Mifflin |first=Lawrie}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author=Carlsson-Paige |first1=Nancy |last2=Levin |first2=Diane E. |date=30 April 1990 |title=Mutant Ninja Turtles, Profits, and Children |url=https://www.csmonitor.com/1990/0430/elevin.html |journal=The Christian Science Monitor}}</ref>

In the United States, the generally accepted times for these and other children's programs to air on Saturday mornings were from 8:00&nbsp;a.m. to approximately 1:00&nbsp;p.m. Eastern Time Zone. Until the late 1970s, American networks also had a schedule of children's programming on Sunday mornings, though most programs at this time were rebroadcasts of Saturday-morning shows that were already out of production.<ref>{{cite web |last=McFarland |first=Melanie |date=September 14, 2002 |title=Saturday-morning TV gets ready to rumble |url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/20020914/kidshows14/saturday-morning-tv-gets-ready-to-rumble |access-date=June 9, 2014 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=It's Saturday Morning, Dude, Time for TV |work=The New York Times |date=January 5, 1997 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/01/05/tv/it-s-saturday-morning-dude-time-for-tv.html?scp=6&sq=Beetlejuice%20cartoon&st=cse |access-date=August 12, 2010 |first=Neil |last=Strauss}}</ref> In some markets, some shows were pre-empted in favour of syndicated or other types of local programming.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Television: trouble in toontown |magazine=Time |date=November 25, 1996 |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,985595,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101029213422/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,985595,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 29, 2010 |access-date=August 12, 2010}}</ref>

==History== {{See also|Children's programming on NBC|Children's programming on the American Broadcasting Company|Children's programming on CBS}} ===1950s–60s: Early years=== After the Paramount Decree broke up block booking practices, in the 1950s, animation production began shifting from theatrical shorts to television animation. Jason Mittel argues that by the end of the 1960s, this shift to television also unintentionally shifted popular understandings of animation. With the rise of the Saturday morning cartoon block, Mittel observes that animation transformed from "a mass-market genre with so-called 'kidult' appeal and became marginalized into the kid-only Saturday morning periphery."<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Mittel |first=Jason |url=https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/9781136481642 |title=Prime Time Animation |publisher=Routledge |year=2003 |isbn=9781136481642 |editor-last=Carol A. Stabile |editor-first=Carol A. |location=London |pages=35 |language=en |chapter=The Great Saturday Morning Exile: Scheduling cartoons on television's periphery in the 1960s |doi=10.4324/9781315015545 |editor-last2=Harrison |editor-first2=Mark}}</ref> Until 1963, the Saturday morning programming block across all three major networks consisted primarily of telecasts of older cartoons made for movie theaters, reruns of animated series originally broadcast in prime time or reruns of younger skewing live-action television series such as ''My Friend Flicka'' or ''Sky King''.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/clarion-ledger/32306881/ |title=Saturday Morning Television Programs |newspaper=The Clarion-Ledger |date=December 5, 1964 |page=13 |access-date=2024-06-23}}</ref><ref name="Lenburg">{{cite book |last1=Lenburg |first1=Jeff |title=The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons |date=1999 |publisher=Checkmark Books |isbn=0-8160-3831-7 |access-date=March 26, 2026|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780816038312/page/18/mode/2up |pages=1–17}}</ref>

===1960s: Rise of original programming=== Beginning with the 1963–64 television season, CBS took the first steps in setting up Saturday morning programming block made up of two hours of back-to-back animated series. The block consisted of acquired programs ''Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales'' and ''The Quick Draw McGraw Show'' after the two had been seen in first-run syndication and pairing them with returning series ''The Alvin Show'' and ''Mighty Mouse Playhouse''.<ref name= "Lenburg"/> The block attracted major sponsorship from Kellogg's and General Mills which in turn led to CBS expanding the Saturday morning schedule to three hours with the addition of ''Linus the Lionhearted'' and a repackage of ''Tom and Jerry'' shorts presented as ''The Tom and Jerry Show''.<ref name= "Lenburg"/>

During the 1966–67 television season, then head of CBS' daytime programming Fred Silverman recognized the viewership attraction of cartoons and restructured the programming block around 4 and a half hours of back-to-back animated series which saw CBS take first place in the ratings.<ref name="ArtofHB">{{cite book |title=The Art of Hanna-Barbera: Fifty Years of Creativity |date=October 30, 1989 |last=Sennett |first=Ted |publisher=Studio |pages= |isbn=978-0670829781}}</ref><ref name= "Lenburg"/> As a result of the season's success, the slot across all three networks for the remainder of the 1960s would be dominated by superhero and action cartoon series, influenced by the success of ''Space Ghost'' and ''The New Adventures of Superman''.<ref name=Illustency>{{cite book |last1=Erickson |first1=Hal |title=Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 |date=2005 |edition=2nd |publisher=McFarland & Co |isbn=978-1476665993 |page=811}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=1968-04-06 |title=Saturday morning television programs, including ''Space Ghost'' and similar cartoons. |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-wichita-eagle-sat-am-1968/147673261/ |access-date=2024-06-23 |newspaper=The Wichita Eagle |page=20}}</ref><ref name= "ArtofHB"/>

At the time, the practice with networks ordering animated series was to order a batch of episodes and air them over the course of a predetermined cycle.<ref name="Woolery">{{cite book |last1=Woolery |first1=George W. |title=Children's Television: The First Thirty-Five Years, 1946-1981, Part 1: Animated Cartoon Series |date=1983 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=0-8108-1557-5 |url=https://archive.org/details/childrenstelevis0000wool/page/230/mode/2up |accessdate=14 March 2020 |page=231}}</ref> CBS and ABC would typically order an average of 16 episodes to run six times over the course of two years, while NBC's orders were characterized by 13 episode batches to run 4 times over the year in order to cover the 52 week television schedule.<ref name= "Woolery"/> The price per episode for these half-hour series ranged anywhere from $48,000 to $62,000 with networks engaging in competitive bidding for the series which would remain the standard practice for these shows into the seventies.<ref name= "Woolery"/> Despite the success experienced by these cartoons, they were heavily criticized by parents for their violence.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/democrat-and-chronicle/125892430/ |title=Protests Rise over TV Cartoons |newspaper=Democrat and Chronicle |date=December 3, 1967 |page=184 |access-date=2024-06-23}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.supermanhomepage.com/tv/tv.php?topic=episode-guides/t-tnaos |title=''The New Adventures of Superman:'' Episode List|website=SupermanHomepage.com|access-date=February 6, 2014}}</ref><ref name= "ArtofHB"/>

===1970s: Regulatory changes=== By 1968, concerns about television violence came more to the forefront of social and political discourse in the wake of the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy.<ref name= "Lenburg"/> The increased scrutiny of television violence in the wake of increased political scrutiny and social aversion to violence on television led to the networks adopting internal censors, who would sit in on writing sessions and veto any violent or suggestive content.<ref name= "Lenburg"/> This approach by the networks was criticized by animation industry veterans such as Walter Lantz and Friz Freleng, who felt the connection between cartoon violence and real life violence was dubious. Others such as Norman Maurer detailed frustrations with outlandish concerns of the censors, such as having to change a scene from ''Josie and the Pussycats'' due to concerns from CBS that having the characters hide in a plate of spaghetti to hide from a monster would lead to kids putting their pet cats in spaghetti.<ref name= "Lenburg"/>

By 1972, most action programming had been removed from the Saturday-morning slot, following pressure from parents' lobbying groups such as the Action for Children's Television (ACT).<ref name="NYT">{{Cite news |last=Gent |first=George |date=1972-01-13 |title=Networks Say They Eliminated Most Violent Children's Shows |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1972/01/13/archives/networks-say-they-eliminated-most-violent-childrens-shows.html |access-date=2022-08-24 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> These groups voiced concerns about the presentation of commercialism, violence, anti-social attitudes and stereotypes in Saturday-morning cartoons.<ref name="NYT" /> By the 1970s, these groups exercised enough influence, especially with the U.S. Congress and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), that the television networks felt compelled to impose more stringent content rules for the animation houses.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_g1epc/is_tov/ai_2419101063/pg_3/?tag=content;col1 |title=Saturday-Morning Cartoons |access-date=July 30, 2022 |encyclopedia=St. James Encyclopedia of Pop Culture |first=Paul |last=Pogue |year=2002 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120710144540/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_g1epc/is_tov/ai_2419101063/pg_3/?tag=content;col1 |archive-date=July 10, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Toy-based TV: effects on children debated |work=The New York Times |date=February 3, 1986 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/02/03/arts/toy-based-tv-effects-on-children-debated.html |access-date=August 10, 2010 |first=Peter |last=Boyer}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Controversy About Toys, TV Violence |work=The New York Times |date=December 12, 1985 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/12/12/garden/controversy-about-toys-tv-violence.html |access-date=August 10, 2010 |first=Glenn |last=Collins}}</ref> Fred Silverman, who at the time was head of CBS' daytime programming and brought about many of these action-oriented cartoons with his "superhero morning" initiative, refuted the claims that ACT and parental concerns were the deciding factor in the decline of these shows and instead said that ratings for superhero cartoons in general had begun to slip by the end of the 1960s and that declining ratings were a greater deciding factor than parental advocacy groups for causing these series to be phased out.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.supermanhomepage.com/tv/tv.php?topic=episode-guides/t-tnaos |title=''The New Adventures of Superman:'' Episode List|website=SupermanHomepage.com|access-date=February 6, 2014}}</ref><ref name= "ArtofHB"/><ref name="AnimationHistory">{{cite book |last=Perlmutter |first=David |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aa0zAwAAQBAJ |title=America Toons In: A History of Television Animation |publisher=McFarland |year=2014 |isbn=9781476614885}}</ref> In 1978, the Federal Trade Commission was openly considering a ban on all advertising during television programming targeting preschoolers, and severe restrictions on other children's program advertising, both of which would have effectively killed off the format; the commission ultimately dropped the proposal.<ref>{{cite news |last=Brown |first=Les |date=March 19, 1978 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1978/03/09/archives/tv-cartoons-face-dim-future-girding-for-change-contracts-can-be.html |title=TV cartoons face dim future |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=April 26, 2015}}</ref>

The networks were encouraged to create educational spots that endeavored to use animation or live-action for enriching content,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times-act-impact-on-satu/134525541/ |title=Children's TV: Little by Little it's Getting Better |newspaper=The Los Angeles Times |date=September 29, 1974 |page=448 |access-date=2024-06-23}}</ref> including the ''Schoolhouse Rock!'', ''Time for Timer'' and ''The Bod Squad'' series on ABC which became fondly-remembered television classics, while CBS had the ''Bicentennial Minutes'' and their long-running children's oriented news series, ''In the News''. In Canada concurrently, the National Film Board of Canada produced a roughly equivalent domestic series called ''Canada Vignettes'' and their successors the ''Heritage Minutes'', although they were intended to be aired throughout the usual broadcast day. With the 1970s came a wave of animated versions of popular live-action prime time series as well, mainly with the voices of the original casts, such as ''Star Trek: The Animated Series'', as well as imitations of the highly successful ''Scooby-Doo''<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-tribune-upi-article-fall-1974-saturd/136599802/ |title=TV Kiddie Shows Abound |newspaper=The Tribune |date=April 14, 1974 |page=22 |access-date=2024-06-23}}</ref> combining teen characters and talking animals with supernatural mystery stories.

===1980s: Deregulation and toyetic programs=== By 1982, under President Ronald Reagan, the FCC had loosened programming and advertising regulations.<ref>{{cite news |last=Mauro |first=Tony |date=1982-01-12 |title=Rules Died after Reagan elected |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/statesman-journal/109373830/ |access-date=2024-06-23 |newspaper=Statesman Journal |page=15}}</ref> One of the earliest first cartoons to take advantage of this deregulation push was Hanna-Barbera's ''Pac-Man'' which was the first cartoon to be based on a video game and its success leading to the era of "half-hour toy commercials", starting with ''He-Man and the Masters of the Universe'' and continuing with such series as ''The Transformers'' and ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles''. These were heavily criticized by ACT, but were nevertheless successful.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=100 Defining Moments in Video Games|magazine=Game Informer|date=August 2001|issue=100|pages=51}}</ref><ref name="HBPacMan">{{cite book |last=Browsh|first=Jared Bahir|year=2022|orig-year=first published 2022|title=Hanna-Barbera: A History |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-1476675794}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/fort-worth-star-telegram/80956797/ |title=30-minute Commercials |newspaper=Fort Worth Star-Telegram |date=June 7, 1987 |page=98 |access-date=2024-06-23}}</ref> As well, several more lighthearted series appeared, popularized by Hanna-Barbera's ''The Smurfs'' and Jim Henson's ''Muppet Babies''.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-baltimore-sun-youcanfindgoodshow/26397067/ |title=You can find good shows for kids Saturday morning |newspaper=The Baltimore Sun |date=September 28, 1985 |page=45 |access-date=2024-06-23}}</ref> These included series based on popular video games, such as ''Saturday Supercade''.<ref>{{cite news |last=Hastings |first=Julianna |date=1983-09-06 |title=What's new for kids on TV Saturday morning |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/democrat-and-chronicle-saturday-morning/77952056/ |access-date=2024-06-23 |newspaper=Democrat and Chronicle |page=14}}</ref>

Beginning in the late 1980s, networks commissioned new series based on legacy properties that would appeal to nostalgia and to a whole family audience, including ABC's reviving the ''Scooby-Doo'' franchise with ''A Pup Named Scooby-Doo''<ref>{{cite news | last = Roush | first = Matt | date = September 8, 1988 | title = On ABC: Portrait of Scooby as a young dog | url = https://www.proquest.com/docview/306108370 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160304230602/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/USAToday/doc/306108370.html | newspaper = USA Today | page = 3D | archive-date = March 4, 2016 | id = {{ProQuest|306108370}} | url-status = live }}</ref><ref name="Daniel">{{cite news |date=June 21, 1988 |title=Here's what's coming for the kids this fall |url=http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=zuhVAAAAIBAJ&pg=6954%2C4914499 |newspaper=The Register-Guard (Oregon) |page=7A |via=Google News Archive |series=Highlights }}</ref> and commissioning ''The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh'' from The Walt Disney Company, both series being major successes.<ref name="Daniel" /><ref>{{cite news |last=Winfrey |first=Lee |date=September 16, 1988 |title=ABC hoping Pooh can pull more than honey out a jar |url=http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1876&dat=19880916&id=CqgeAAAAIBAJ&pg=6729,251354 |work=Spartanburg Herald-Journal |publisher=Knight Ridder |page=A9 |via=Google News Archive}}</ref> The move was largely driven by the adoption of the people meter, which ABC believed that younger children could not operate and which ABC blamed for the network's poor viewership with its younger-skewing lineup featuring the likes of ''The Little Clowns of Happytown''.<ref name="KidsLoveTube">{{cite news |last=Harmetz |first=Aljean |date=June 7, 1988 |title=Kids Like Tube, But Tune Out Networks |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1988/06/07/kids-like-tube-but-tune-out-networks/ |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |quote=Do you think I'll keep putting those programs on the air? Little Clowns of Happytown, which is specifically for children under 6, has been canceled because it can't generate the people-meter numbers. |agency=New York Times News Service}}</ref> CBS likewise focused its content on established properties, bringing the comic strip ''Garfield'' (which had produced a number of successful specials already) to Saturday morning with what would become the long-running ''Garfield and Friends'' and pairing the show with live-action children's series hosted by fictional characters originally created for adult audiences, Pee-wee Herman (''Pee-Wee's Playhouse'') and Ernest P. Worrell (''Hey Vern, It's Ernest!'').<ref name="Daniel" />

===1990s–2000s: Continued popularity, outsourcing, and signs of decline=== Despite increased competition from cable television networks (such as Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, and Disney Channel),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-75761403.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131106075359/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-75761403.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 6, 2013 |title=Nick Retains Saturday Crown |work=Broadcasting & Cable |date=June 18, 2001 |access-date=October 30, 2013}}</ref><ref name=variety2002>{{cite news |url=https://variety.com/2002/tv/news/kid-skeds-tread-on-joint-strategy-1117873477/ |title=Kid skeds tread on joint strategy |last=Bernstein |first=Paula |date=September 29, 2002 |work=Variety |access-date=July 14, 2018 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=awn/> Saturday-morning and weekday cartoon blocks continued to remain popular in the 1990s and 2000s. Examples included Disney's Disney Afternoon in syndication, Fox's Fox Kids, ABC's One Saturday Morning<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://variety.com/1998/tv/news/abc-kids-block-tops-fox-on-saturday-1117470615/|title=ABC kids block tops Fox on Saturday|last=Katz|first=Richard|date=May 8, 1998|work=Variety|access-date=July 14, 2018|language=en-US}}</ref> (later ABC Kids),<ref>{{cite web |title=The Walt Disney Company 2003 Annual Report |url=https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/app/uploads/2015/10/2003-Annual-Report.pdf |website=thewaltdisneycompany.com |publisher=The Walt Disney Company |access-date=8 July 2023}}</ref> UPN's UPN Kids (later Disney's One Too),<ref name="vty">{{cite news |author=Chris Pursell |date=July 19, 1999 |title=Mouse brands UPN kidvid |url=https://variety.com/1999/tv/news/mouse-brands-upn-kidvid-1117743063/ |access-date=June 5, 2022 |work=Variety}}</ref> CBS's CBS Saturday, The WB's Kids' WB, and Amazin' Adventures (later Bohbot Kids Network) in syndication.

From 1992 however, the "Big Three" traditional major networks and their affiliates began replacing their Saturday-morning animated programming with weekend editions of their morning news programs,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-idaho-statesman-channel-7-to-offer-w/146427313/ |title=Channel 7 to offer weekend morning newscasts |newspaper=Idaho Statesman |date=March 17, 1992 |page=27 |access-date=2024-06-24}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/argus-leader-kelo-expands-morning-show/122112469/ |title=KELO expands morning show, KDLT adds "In Focus" |newspaper=Argus Leader |date=August 30, 1997 |page=9 |access-date=2024-06-24}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.newspapers.com/article/the-morning-call/141519961/ |title=Saturday Morning television guide |newspaper=The Morning Call |date=October 17, 2004 |page=160 |access-date=2024-06-24}}</ref> and live-action teen-oriented series.<ref>{{cite news |last=McFarlin |first=Jim |date=1992-09-19 |title=Merrie Melodies and More! NBC replaces cartoons with fare for teens |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-journal-news-merriemelodiesandmor/7285447/ |access-date=2024-06-24 |newspaper=The Journal News |page=15}}</ref> Multiple factors contributed to the change, among them an increasingly competitive market fueled by the multi-channel transition,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/25/business/media/25kidstv.html?_r=1 |title=Fox Ends Saturday-Morning Cartoons |work=The New York Times |date=November 25, 2008 |access-date=October 2, 2009}}</ref><ref name=variety2002>{{cite news |url=https://variety.com/2002/tv/news/kid-skeds-tread-on-joint-strategy-1117873477/ |title=Kid skeds tread on joint strategy |last=Bernstein |first=Paula |date=September 29, 2002 |work=Variety |access-date=July 14, 2018 |language=en-US}}</ref> a boom in first-run syndicated content<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/09/19/business/the-media-business-nbc-considers-scrapping-saturday-cartoons.html |title=The Media Business; NBC Considers Scrapping Saturday Cartoons |last=Boyer |first=Peter |work=The New York Times |date=September 19, 1988 |access-date=September 10, 2013}}</ref> and the introduction of home video and video games; increasing restrictions on advertising, educational content mandates<ref name="wp93014">{{cite news |last=Sullivan |first=Gail |date=September 30, 2014 |title=Saturday morning cartoons are no more |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/09/30/saturday-morning-cartoons-are-no-more/ |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://archive.today/20150926160202/http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/09/30/saturday-morning-cartoons-are-no-more/ |archive-date=2015-09-26 |access-date=October 2, 2014 |newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref> and a boom in fully-animated educational content on public television such as ''The Magic School Bus'' and ''Arthur'';<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/12/08/arts/pbs-to-widen-children-s-programming.html |title=PBS to Widen Children's Programming |work=The New York Times |date=December 8, 1993 |access-date=May 10, 2026}}</ref> and broader cultural changes stemming from an increase in no-fault divorces and the end of the post-World War II baby boom.<ref name="awn">{{cite web |last=Reito |first=Gerald |title=The Disappearance of Saturday Morning |url=http://www.awn.com/articles/disappearance-saturday-morning |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140114200425/https://www.awn.com/animationworld/disappearance-saturday-morning |archive-date=2014-01-14 |access-date=October 2, 2009 |work=Animation World Network}}</ref><ref name=wp93014/><ref name="Chicago">{{cite news |last=Harmetz |first=Aljean |date=June 7, 1988 |title=Kids Like Tube, But Tune Out Networks |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1988/06/07/kids-like-tube-but-tune-out-networks/ |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |agency=New York Times News Service}}</ref> Attempting to pair the newscasts with the remaining cartoons was largely unsuccessful because the two program formats drew widely different audiences that did not lend themselves to leading in and out of each other, leading to viewership oddities (such as NBC's children's block having an average viewership age of over 40 years old).<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://variety.com/2003/tv/news/adults-discover-kiddie-programs-1117880923/ |title=Adults 'Discover' kiddie programs |date=23 February 2003}}</ref><ref name="deadline-ctaads">{{cite web |last=Robb |first=David |date=June 20, 2016 |title=Preteen Saturday Morning Kids Shows Abandoned By Broadcast Networks |url=https://deadline.com/2016/06/kids-tv-shows-saturday-mornings-fcc-loophole-advertising-1201774658/ |access-date=June 26, 2016 |website=Deadline Hollywood}}</ref>

In North America, the debuting ''Pokémon'' franchise quickly rose to success. By December 1998, the ''Pokémon'' anime had become the highest-rated syndicated children's show during the weekdays.<ref>{{Cite web | first=Dustin | last=Dinoff | title=North American Pokemon penetration imminent | website=Kidscreen | date=1 January 1999 | url=https://kidscreen.com/1999/01/01/24089-19990101/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120926014907/https://kidscreen.com/1999/01/01/24089-19990101/ | archive-date=26 September 2012 | url-status=live}}</ref> This attracted the attention of two media companies: Warner Bros., co-owner of The WB channel; and Saban Entertainment/Fox Family Worldwide, owners of the Fox Kids channel. A bidding war ensued between the parties, which was won by Warner Bros.<ref>{{Harvp|Dockery|2022|p=55–56}}.</ref> On 13 February 1999, ''Pokémon'' launched on the Kids' WB national television block. The debut episode became the most watched premiere in Kids' WB's history.<ref>{{Cite web | first=Josef | last=Adalian | title='Pokemon' powers Kids' WB | website=Variety.com | date=21 February 1999 | url=https://variety.com/1999/tv/news/pokemon-powers-kids-wb-1117491518/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200522173551/https://variety.com/1999/tv/news/pokemon-powers-kids-wb-1117491518/ | archive-date=22 May 2020 | url-status=live}}</ref> The success of ''Pokemon'' and the wider phenomenon of “Pokemania” in general led other children's blocks adopting similar series to ride the coattails such as ''Digimon'' on Fox Kids or ''Monster Rancher'' on the Bohbot Kids Network.<ref name="PokemaniaKS">{{Cite web | first= Andrea | last= Haman | title=Anime newcomers vie to replicate Pokémania | website=Kidscreen | date=November 1, 1999 | url=https://kidscreen.com/1999/11/01/27115-19991101/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240707063851/https://kidscreen.com/1999/11/01/27115-19991101/| archive-date=July 7, 2024| url-status=live}}</ref> The success of these acquired anime series was such that they were favored over legacy series such ''The Avengers: United They Stand'' which despite possessing the Marvel Comics branding was delayed in release so ''Digimon'' could be given a spot on the Saturday morning schedule.<ref name="PokemaniaKS" /> By January 2002, Fox had retired their in house Fox Kids Saturday morning block (citing loss in ratings to Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, and Kids WB) and leased the time slots to ''Pokemon'' licensee 4Kids Entertainment to air acquired licensed content similar to the ''Pokemon'' and ''Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters'' they had provided to Kids WB.<ref name="4KidsFoxVar">{{cite news |url=https://variety.com/2002/tv/news/4kids-buys-4-hours-from-fox-kids-1117858752/|title= 4Kids buys 4 hours from Fox Kids |last=Bernstein |first=Paula |date=Jan 18, 2002 |work=Variety |access-date=July 14, 2018 |language=en-US| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150909025459/https://variety.com/2002/tv/news/4kids-buys-4-hours-from-fox-kids-1117858752/| archive-date=September 9, 2015| url-status=live}}</ref>

===2010s: Last years and discontinuation=== By the mid-2010s, all of the major American networks had shifted to live-action documentary programs. These were ostensibly targeted at teenagers to meet the educational mandates but less likely to cause a clash with the newscasts, as the programming was genericized as much as possible to resemble reality television programming for general audiences found on most cable networks (or in the case of ''Dr. Chris: Pet Vet'', general reality programming from overseas re-edited to comply with American mandates). This documentary programming also benefited from having less restrictive rules for advertising compared to programming targeted to children. In the United States, The CW continued to air non-E/I cartoons until September 27, 2014, with the closure of the Vortexx block.<ref name=wp93014/>

As of 2026, Univision and MeTV are the only two commercial broadcast networks to still broadcast animated programming within a Saturday morning timeslot through their respective ''Planeta U'' and ''Saturday Morning Cartoons'' blocks. On May 1, 2024, Weigel Broadcasting announced a partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery to launch a new 24/7 spin-off animation network called MeTV Toons. The network launched on June 25, 2024 and is dedicated to broadcasting classic animation programming from the 1930s to the 2010s, following a similar format to the formative years of WBD's Cartoon Network and Boomerang.

== Legacy == This era continues to be satirized and paid homage to in popular culture. Bobby Russell's "Saturday Morning Confusion," which encapsulated the cartoons of the early 1970s ("Popeye and Bluto, Batman and Bozo"), would be a top-40 hit and Russell's biggest hit as a performer.<ref name="ClassicSongOfTheDay">{{cite web |last= |first= |title=“Saturday Morning Confusion” (Bobby Russell) – Classic Song of the Day |url=https://classicsongoftheday.com/saturday-morning-confusion-bobby-russell/ |website=Classic Song of the Day |date= |access-date=January 18, 2026}}</ref> In the 1990s, many Generation Xers were nostalgic for the Saturday-morning cartoons of the 1970s and 1980s.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Burke |first1=Timothy |last2=Burke |first2=Kevin |year=1998 |title=Saturday Morning Fever: Growing up with Cartoon Culture |location=New York |publisher=St. Martin's Griffin |isbn=0-312-16996-5 |url=https://archive.org/details/saturdaymorningf00burk}}</ref> One such example was the tribute album ''Saturday Morning: Cartoons' Greatest Hits'' (1995), where Saturday-morning cartoon themes such as ''Scooby-Doo'' and ''Fat Albert'' were covered by alternative rock artists.<ref>{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r229385}}</ref><ref name="AltPressRev">{{Cite magazine |last=Stegall |first=Tim |date=May 1996 |title=Music Reviews |magazine=Alternative Press |volume=10 |issue=94 |pages=88–89}}</ref> The Netflix animated series ''Saturday Morning All Star Hits!'' parodies the mid-1980s to early 1990s era of Saturday-morning animation, such as ''Thundercats'', ''Care Bears'', ''ProStars'', and ''Denver, the Last Dinosaur''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Radulovic |first=Petrana |date=2021-12-10 |title=Kyle Mooney's Netflix show Saturday Morning All Star Hits! is a specific nostalgia rush |url=https://www.polygon.com/22826878/saturday-morning-all-star-hits-netflix-impression |access-date=2024-12-22 |website=Polygon |language=en-US}}</ref> The science fiction animated series ''Futurama'' also spoofed 1970s and 1980s Saturday-morning cartoons in the episode "Saturday Morning Fun Pit".<ref>{{Cite web |first=Max |last=Nicholson |url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/07/18/futurama-saturday-morning-fun-pit-review |title=Futurama: "Saturday Morning Fun Pit" Review |date=July 18, 2013 |website=IGN |publisher=j2 Global |location=San Francisco, California |language=en-US |access-date=December 22, 2016}}</ref>

==See also== {{Portal|Animation|Television}} * Weekday cartoon * Animation in the United States in the television era * Modern animation in the United States * Lists of United States network television schedules – includes articles on Saturday morning children's programming schedules among the major networks * List of weekday cartoons * Saturday morning pictures * Saturday morning preview specials * History of animation

==References== {{Reflist|30em}}

==External links== {{wiktionary|Saturday-morning cartoon}} * {{cite web |url=http://www.awn.com/articles/disappearance-saturday-morning |title=The Disappearance of Saturday Morning |last=Raiti |first=Gerard |publisher=Animation World Network |date=April 30, 2003 |access-date=January 10, 2016}} * [http://tviv.org/Saturday_Morning_1967_Grid_(USA) Saturday-morning grid of 1967, year of debut of ''Fantastic Four'' and ''Spider-Man''] * [http://www.tvparty.com/sat.html TV Party presents the schedules and program profiles for every series the networks broadcast on Saturday Mornings from the mid-Sixties all through the Seventies.] * [http://www.encyclopedia.com/article-1G2-3409002175/saturday-morning-cartoons.html St. James Encyclopedia of Pop Culture: Saturday Morning Cartoons] * {{cite web |url=http://www.current.org/1994/06/goal-ready-learn-engage-kids-parents |title=Goal for Ready to Learn: engage kids and parents |last=Everhart |first=Karen |publisher=Current.org |date=June 6, 1994 |access-date=January 10, 2016}}

{{Cartoons on Television}} {{KidsTVBlocksUS}} {{Children's programming on NBC}} {{Children's programming on CBS}} {{Children's programming on the American Broadcasting Company}} {{Kids' WB}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saturday Morning Cartoon}} Category:1960s neologisms Category:Children's television in the United States Category:History of animation History of children's television programming in the United States Category:Saturday mass media Category:Television terminology Category:Youth culture in the United States Category:Surrealism