Kids Desert Saturday-Morning TV Shows

The Internet Movie Database ^

[Drew68]

Kids Desert Saturday-Morning TV Shows

Over the past twenty years, the audience of kids for Saturday-morning network cartoon shows has plummeted from more than 20 million to fewer than two million, even while the children's population of the country has increased by 10 percent, according to the Animation World website.

Reasons include several factors ranging from the rising divorce rate, with parents deciding to spend more "quality time" with their kids on weekends, to the rising popularity of cable TV.

As a result, Animation World observed, "network cartoons are left struggling to make money, while advertisers remain befuddled without a mainstream channel to promote new toys and products to children."

[Drew68]

Article from Animation World Magazine can be found online here:

The Disappearance of Saturday Morning

FYI, Article is quite an in-depth and lengthy read.

[My2Cents]

They're all out playing soccer on Saturday mornings.

[Luna]

Bugs Bunny is deeply saddened.

[Petronski]

Today's cartoons SUCK....what with the three frames per second 'animation' and the mushy PC story lines and the neutered violence and the cynical product tie-ins...who WOULD watch? Kids are smarter than that.

[DannyTN]

Reasons include several factors ranging from the rising divorce rate, with parents deciding to spend more "quality time" with their kids on weekends, to the rising popularity of cable TV.

Reason #1: They just aren't funny or entertaining anymore. They are all politically correct, violence free, programs devoid of any semblance of humor and pushing products and ideology. Those shows would bore a deserted island castaway even after he had been stranded for 20 years.

[kms61]

Clearly a case of massive cartoon piracy. Don't worry, the RIAA is on the case. We've got to make an example of all these scofflaw children

/sarcasm

[Porterville]

The only animation worth watching is on Wednesday at 10:00 on Comedy Central

[Hawkeye's Girl]

With most kids having access to Cartoon Network and Nick, this should not surprise anyone.

[The Green Goblin]

Twenty-five years ago, Saturday morning TV was the only time a kid could watch cartoons (aside from the rare trip to see Disney animated features etc.). Now, kids can and do watch them every day of the week...

[Dan from Michigan]

The only cartoons with any edge anymore are the old Bugs Bunny Warner Bros shows.

The rest are weak and whimpy.

[TomB]

I agree. Most of the cartoons on Saturday mornings are garbage.

Thinking back, I started thinking about how, when I was young (early '70s), each network would have a prime time preview, usually the Friday nite before, of their new cartoons for the fall season. I always remember being SO excited about seeing all the new cartoons, but then being bummed because it meant school would be starting.

Anybody else remember those preview shows?

[TomServo]

The only cartoons with any edge anymore are the old Bugs Bunny Warner Bros shows.

Ya beat me to it. In addition - I'd like to add Tom and Jerry (and none of the newer stuff either).

[Drew68]

and the mushy PC story lines...

I haven't watched Saturday morning cartoons in years.

Seems though, I remember hearing about a cartoon that Ted Turner produced --something about "Captain Planet and the Planeteers" which was one of the most PC-Ran-Amok endeavors ever.

Wonder if it is still being made?

[Drew68]

The only animation worth watching is on Wednesday at 10:00 on Comedy Central

I fully agree. "South Park" sticks it to liberals the way few other programs can.

[Hawkeye's Girl]

No, although you can catch it late at night on Cartoon Network sometimes.

Yes, it was pure PC propaganda with 4 non-American kids telling the American kid how his country was ruining the environment every week.

[Dan from Michigan]

Classic. GI Joe was another of my favorites(gasp! Guns!). Also Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - probably the last cartoon I really watched, although I still occassionaly catch a Tom and Jerry or Bugs/Sylvester/Coyote(Gasp! More guns) one if there's nothing else on.

[ladylib]

The kiddies probably think that if they have to put up with the PC crapola at school, they'll be damned if they're going to put up with more of it on their free time.

[SerpentDove]

The trend is toward half-assed storylines accompanied by kids' heads that are shaped weird. The weirder the better, evidently.

What a waste of time and...I was going to say talent.

[Paul Atreides]

I remember, a few years ago, when they announced that they were going to change the format of Tom and Jerry from being adversaries to being friends who go on adventures. I knew, when I read that, that it wouldn't last long. It didn't. I remember also when Spielberg made the Tiny Toons and during one of the episodes, Babs Bunny stated that part of her name was Rodham (I don't remember how they worked that one out). I didn't care about watching them anymore after that crap. It's bad enough that they stopped General Halftrack's leering at Miss Buxley, in Beetle Bailey.

[CyberCowboy777]

Last 'new' cartoon I really enjoyed was "The Tick".

Though Animaniacs was okay - Pinky and the Brain carried it.

"Batman - The Animated Series" was pretty good but fell off with Batman and Robin.

I buy old GI Joe cartoons for my boys to watch and have the entire Tick series on VCD. My brother has most of "Batman - The Animated Series" on VHS.