Saturday Morning Cartoons

Remember when the big 3 network were the only real networks and Saturday mornings were filled with cartoons? Before cartoon network, yes 20-somethings there was TV before that time, the only real option for cartoons came on Saturday mornings. Fox, WGN, and TBS offered some weekday afternoon programming that was kid friendly in the afternoon hours but this is even pre-fox and right about the time that WGN and TBS became superstations.

Saturday mornings would begin at either 7 or 8 a.m. in the central time zone depending on the network. I can actually remember wanting to get up early so I could catch my favorite cartoons. Do you recall the Smurfs, Snorks, Shirt Tales, Hulk Hogan's Rock n Roll Wrestling, or Richie Rich? Most of these can now be found on Boomerang or Cartoon Network now.

I looked up "1980's Saturday Morning Cartoons" and found 2 websites that took me back. The first one, http://www.inthe80s.com/saturdays.shtml shows the spring and fall Saturday network schedules. I don't remember a Fonzie or a Laverne & Shirley cartoon but is on the ABC schedule for '81 and '82. Fall of 1982, ABC, Pac-Man! Awesome cartoon! Included the ghosts, Ms. Pacman, Baby Pac and whole town of Pac people and Pac pets. Instantly become appointment TV for a 7 yr old. Amazing what you can retain in the vast depths of your mind, I swore there was a Dukes of Hazzard cartoon and there it is. 1983 on CBS, sadly it only lasted one year.

The second sight, http://www.80scartoons.net/ is like an encyclopedia for '80's cartoons. Some of the highlights of the A-Z list were California Raisins(1989), Dennis the Menace(1985-86), Muppet Babies(1984-92) and TMNT(1987-90, 90-96 in syndication). I had forgotten about Q-Bert as a cartoon. I referenced it in the video game post but had forgot it was on TV in 1983. Bugs Bunny & Looney Toons were a Saturday staple and got bounced to different time slots but was always on the air. Scooby Doo pretty much stuck in some capacity as well.

In 1984 Kids Incorporated introduced the first live action kids show that was for kids by kids. We had Sesame Street on weekdays and we had Captain Kangaroo but this wasn't a variety show it was a scripted sitcom. It introduced us to to Stacy Ferguson(Fergie, Black Eyed Peas), Mario Lopez, and later Jennifer Love Hewitt. It was usually slotted in late morning and led into regular network programming, its time slot signified the end of cartoons for the morning it actually meant the beginning of the end for all Saturday AM cartoons.

In 1986 Pee Wee's Playhouse premiered, the success of Pee Wee meant everyone wanted in on live action. By 1988 ABC only had 2 hours of animation, the rest was live action. When Saved by the Bell debuted in 1989 cartoon were on life support. They could be found on various channels and at any time of the day and were no longer unique to Saturday mornings. By 1990 live action shows that catered to tweens filled the morning lineup and eventually networks got away from the younger audience altogether.

Saturday morning cartoons, MTV music video's and General Mill's Frankenberry and BooBerry cereal, the dinosaurs of my childhood.