TLW's Children's TVscope™ (Children's TV Historyscope) |
By T.L. Winslow (TLW), the Historyscoper™ |
© Copyright by T.L. Winslow. All Rights Reserved. |
Original Pub. Date: Oct. 7, 2015. Last Update: Oct. 30, 2018. |
Westerners are not only known as history ignoramuses, but double dumbass history ignoramuses when it comes to children's TV history. Since I'm the one-and-only Historyscoper (tm), let me quickly bring you up to speed before you dive into my Master Historyscope.
In 1928 the Golden Age of American Animation begins in the U.S. (ends 1969), seeing the emergence of animated shorts featuring Betty Boop, Tom and Jerry, Mickey Mouse, Bugs Bunny, Donald Duck, Goofy, Porky Pig, and Woody Woodpecker, and full-length animated films incl. Walt Disney's "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs", "Pinocchio", "Fantasia", "Dumbo", and "Bambi".
On Apr. 19, 1930 Hugh Harman (1903-82) and Rudolf Carl "Rudy" Ising (1903-92) of Warner Bros. release Sinkin' in the Bathtub (B&W), which features Bosko, the Talk-Ink Kid, becoming the first in the animated Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies series (ends 1969), which launches hit chars. incl. Beans the Cat (1935), Porky Pig (1935), Daffy Duck (1937-), Bugs Bunny (1940), Elmer Fudd (1940), Tweety (1942) and Sylvester (1945), Pepe Le Pew (1945), Yosemite Sam (1945), Foghorn Leghorn (1946), Marvin the Martian (1948), Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner (1949), Granny (1950), Speedy Gonzales (1953), Witch Hazel (1954), and the Tasmanian Devil (1954); color is introduced in 1942; the name Looney Tunes is inspired by Walt Disney's "Silly Symphonies"; too bad, Harman and Ising leave Warner Bros. in 1933, and they hire new dirs. incl. Tex Avery, Friz Feleng, Bob Clampett, and Chuck Jones; the main voice actor is Mel Blanc; in 1942-64 Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies are the most popular animated shorts in movie theaters; the last release is "Injun Trouble" (1969); in 1960 they begin to air on TV, starting with "The Bugs Bunny Show" (1960-2000), "The Porky Pig Show" (1964-7),, "The Road Runner Show" (1966-73), "The Merrie Melodies Show" (1972), "Merrie Melodies Starring Bugs Bunny & Friends" (1990-4), "Tiny Toon Adventures" (1990-5), "Taz-Mania" (1991-5), "The Plucky Duck Show" (1992), "The Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries" (1995-2002), "Bugs 'n' Daffy" (1995-8), "Baby Looney Tunes" (2001-5), "Duck Dodgers" (2003-5), "Loonatics Unleashed" (2005-7), "The Looney Tunes Show" (2011-14), and "New Looney Tunes" (2015-).
On Aug. 9, 1930 sex bomb flapper teenie girl Betty Boop debuts in Max Fleischer's "Dizzy Dishes", #7 in his Talkartoon series, based on flapper Helen Kane and/or Clara Bow, starting out as a French poodle, with her floppy ears turned into hoop earrings, and her poodle nose turned into a female button nose; in 1932 she co-stars with Cab Calloway (1907-94) and His Orchestra in Minnie the Moocher, which sells 1M copies, which is turned into a Betty Boop Cartoon, which ends up getting banned for suggesting interracial sex?; in Aug. 1932 she stars in Stopping the Show, the start of her own film short series; in 1933 she cameos in "Popeye the Sailor"; in 1932 she stars in "Boop-Oop-a-Doop" as a circus high wire performer who turns on the ringmaster, who tries to take her boop-oop-a-doop away; too bad, the Production Code of 1934 makes her turn into a spinster housewife or career girl with a more modest dress and personality; in 1934-7 King Features Syndicate pub. a Betty Boop comic strip; in 1955 her 110 cartoon shorts from 1932-9 are first televised.
In 1933 Max Fleischer's animated short film series Popeye the Sailor (Paramount Pictures) debuts, based on the comic strip char. created by Elzie Crrisler Segar (1894-1938) in 1929, becoming the most popular of the 1930s; in 1941 Fleischer Studios is renamed Famous Studios; the 231 cartoons debut on TV in 1956.
On Oct. 13, 1947 the children's puppet show Kukla, Fran and Ollie debuts on WBKB in Chicago, Ill., moving to WNBQ in Chicago on Nov. 29, 1948, and NBC-TV on Jan. 12, 1949, airing Mon.-Fri. at 6:00-6:30 p.m. Central Time (until May 1, 1957), starring Frances Helen "Fran" Allison (1907-89), and Punch and Judy-type puppets Kukla, Oliver J. "Ollie" Dragon, Madame Oglepuss, Beulah Witch, Fletcher Rabbit, Cecil Bill (who speaks "tooie talk"), Col. Crackie, Dolores Dragon et al.
On Dec. 27, 1947 The Howdy Doody Show (originally the Puppet Playhouse) (the first network weekday children's show) debuts on NBC-TV (until Sept. 24,1960), produced in Rockefeller Center, Studio 3A in New York City, selling people on the future of TV; "Say, kids, what time is it? It's Howdy Doody time!"; Howdy Doody has 48 fernticles, er, freckles on his face, one for each U.S. state, and he and his twin bro' Double Doody were born on Dec. 27, 1941; show founder and host "Buffalo Bob" Smith (Robert Emil Schmidt) (1917-98) is the voice; Smith's sidekick is mute seltzer bottle and bicycle horn-wielding Clarabell the Clown, first played by Robert James "Bob" Keeshan (1927-2004) (until 1952); other chars. incl. Chief Thunderthud, of the Ooragnak (Kangaroo backwards) Tribe, known for the greeting "Kowabonga", Princess Summerfallwinterspring (Judy Tyler), J. Cornelius Cobb, Sir Archibald the Explorer, The Featherman, Ugly Sam (Dayton Allen), and Pierre the Chef (Dayton Allen); it is shown in color starting in 1955. On Sept. 24, 1960 "The Howdy Doody Show" (begun 1947) ends, with its final episode showing tearful mute Clarabell the Clown, played by "Honey Dreamers" singing group member Lew Anderson (1922-2006) breaking his act to speak the show's final words "Goodbye, kids" - millions of U.S. baby boomers learn a lesson about reality?
In 1949 the children's Sat. morning variety series Children's Theater debuts on WNBT (later WNBC) in New York City (until June 1961), created by radio announcer Raymond "Ray" Forrest (Feuerstein) (1916-99), pioneering how to encourage children to become good citizens.
On Sept. 19, 1952 the B&W syndicated TV series Adventures of Superman debuts for 104 episodes (until Apr. 28, 1958); George Reeves (1914-59) plays Superman/Clark Kent, Phyllis Coates (1927-) (1st season) and Noel Darleen Neill (1920-2016) play his girlfriend Lois Lane; John Hamilton (1887-1958) plays his boss Perry White, and Jack Edward Larson (1928-2015) plays cub reporter Jimmy Olsen; goes color in 1955; "Faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, able to leap tall buildings with a single bound. Look! Up in the sky! Is it a bird? Is it a plane? It's Superman!"; watch intro.
In Feb. 1953 The Romper Room TV show for Baby Boomer children debuts in Baltimore, Md. on station WBAL-11 (until Sept. 1994); starting in Apr. it features Nancy Claster (nee Goldman) (1915-97), wife of the producer as Miss Nancy, who trains hosts for franchised versions in 160 U.S. cities; "I have to go potty, and I'm doing it right now"; watch intro.
In 1953 Oklahoma City, Okla.-born Gayla Rienette Peevey (1943-) releases her hit song I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas on Columbia Records, after which the Oklahoma City Zoo raises $3K to purchase baby hippo Matilda (1951-98).
On Oct. 3, 1955 (Mon.) the children's series Captain Kangaroo debuts on CBS-TV (until Dec. 8, 1984), starring Robert James "Bob" Keeshan (1927-2004), who played Clarabell the Clown on The Howdy Doody Show, Hugh "Lumpy" Brannum (1910-87) as Mister Green Jeans and Mr. Bunny Rabbit (operated by Cosmo Allegretti), all living in Treasure House; watch intro.
On Oct. 3, 1955 (Mon.) the children's variety show The Mickey Mouse Club debuts on ABC-TV (until 1959); Mouseketeers incl. Annette, Bobbie, Cheryl, Cubby, Darlene, Doreen, Karen, Sharon, Tommy, and adults (Moosketeers) Roy Williams (1907-76) (Big Moosketeer) ("300 lbs. of walking pixie") (a personal friend of Walt Disney, who came up with the idea of putting mouse ears on hats), and MC James Wesley "Jimmie" Dodd (1910-64) (Musical Moosketeer), composer of the theme "The Mickey Mouse Club March"; Latvian-Lithuanian descent physicist Julius Sumner Miller (1909-87) plays Professor Wonderful; watch intro.
On Dec. 10, 1955 The Mighty Mouse Playhouse debuts on CBS-TV for ? episodes (until Sept. 2, 1967), about a superhero mouse that was debuted by Terrytoons for 20th Cent. Fox in 1942 as Super Mouse; theme song is by Mitch Miller; watch intro.
On Oct. 3, 1957 (Thur.) Walter Lantz's animated series The Woody Woodpecker Show debuts on ABC-TV for ? episodes (until Sept. 25, 1958), featuring Woody Woodpecker, Andy Panda, Chilly Willy, and Inspector Willoughby, going into syndication until 1965, followed by 26 new episodes on NBC-TV on Sept. 12, 1970-Sept. 2, 1972, and replays of old cartoons on Sept. 11, 1976 to Sept. 3, 1977; watch intro.
On Oct. 16. 1958 the British children's show Blue Peter debuts on BBC-TV (until ?), named after the British Navy's Blue Peter flag, which is raised when a ship is about to leave; presenters incl. Yvette Paula Fielding (1968-), who becomes their youngest presenter at age 17.
In 1958 after MGM shuts down its cartoon studio, where they produced 114 episodes of Tom and Jerry since 1940, William Denby "Bill" Hanna (1910-2001) and Joseph Roland "Joe" Barbera (1911-2006) set up their own film studio to produce TV cartoon series hits, starting with Huckleberry Hound and Friends (1958-61), Quick Draw McGraw (1959-62), The Flintstones (1960-66), Yogi Bear (1961-88), The Jetsons (1962-3), and Scooby-Doo (1969-).
On Oct. 2, 1958 the Hanna-Barbera animated series The Huckleberry Hound Show debuts for 69 episodes in syndication (until Dec. 1, 1961), introducing Yogi Bear and Boo Boo (voiced by Daws Butler), and Pixie and Dixie and Mr. Jinks, after which Yogi Bear spins-off on Jan. 30, 1961 and is replaced by Hokey Wolf and Ding-A-Ling; in 1960 it becomes the first animated program to receive an Emmy Award; watch intro.
On Mar. 9, 1959 the animated syndicated TV series Clutch Cargo ("television's first comic strip") debuts for 52 episodes, becoming a surprise U.S. hit, starring the voice of Richard Cotting as writer-pilot Clutch Cargo, who travels around the world in a 1929 Bellanca C-27 Airbus on dangerous assignments with his young ward Spinner and pet dachshund Paddlefoot; Hal Smith voices Clutch's friend Swampy; features Syncro-Vox, which superimises real human mouths on the cartoon chars.; the last episode features the soundbyte "I still see Big X"; watch intro.
In Sept. 1959 the Hanna-Barbera animated series The Quick Draw McGraw Show debuts in syndication for 45 episodes (until 1962), starring the voice of Daws Butler, who also voices his sidekick debuty Baba Looey (a Mexican burro) and his bloodhound Snuffles; another segment features Butler voicing the dachshund Augie Doggie, and Doug Young voicing his father Doggie Daddy, and a 3rd segment features cat and mouse detectives Super Snooper and Blabber Mouse, both voiced by Butler; watch intro.
On Nov. 19, 1959 the animated TV series The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show (Rocky and His Friends), created by J. Troplong "Jay" Ward (1920-89) and his childhood friend Alexander Hume "Alex" Anderson Jr. (1920-2010) (nephew of Terrytoons creator Paul Terry), and writer William John "Bill" Scott (1920-85) (voice of Mr. Peabody the supergenius dog and George of the Jungle) debuts on ABC-TV (until June 27, 1964 after switching to NBC-TV in 1961), starring 'Rocky the Flying Squirrel and Bullwinkle the Moose, who fight bad spies Boris Badenov and Natasha Fatale; supporting segments incl. "Dudley Do-Right", "Fractured Fairy Tales", and "Peabody's Improbable History" (by "Hazel" creator Ted Key); it switches to color in 1961; after moving back to ABC-TV in 1964, it is cancelled within a year, then goes into syndication, becoming a perennial hit; watch intro.
On June 20, 1960 The Bozo Show debuts on WGN-TV in Chicago, Ill. (until July 14, 2001), starring Robert Lewis "Bob" Bell (1922-97) as Bozo the Clown, Ray Rayner (Raymond M. Rahner) (1919-2004) as Oliver O. Oliver from Puff Bluffy, Ky., becoming the most popular and successful locally-produced children's show in TV history; watch.
On Sept. 30, 1960 (Fri.) Hanna-Barbera's animated prime time TV series The Flintstones debuts on ABC-TV (until Apr. 1, 1966), about "modern" working class Stone Age couple Fred and Wilma Flintstone in Bedrock and their friends Barney and Betty Rubble, becoming the most successful animated network series until "The Simpsons" in 1989; later babies Pebbles Flintstone and Bamm-Bamm Rubble make their debut; during the end credits pet saber-toothed cat Baby Puss throws Fred out of the house; watch intro.
On Oct. 1, 1960 (Sat.) The Shari Lewis Show debuts on NBC-TV (until Sept. 28, 1963), replacing "The Howdy Doody Show", starring Bronx, N.Y.-born ventriloquist Shari Lewis (Phyllis Naomi Hurwitz) (1933-98) and her sock puppets Lamb Chop, a 6-y.-o. sheep with a New York accent, Hush Puppy, Charlie Horse, and Wing Ding, a black crow, which she later drops.
On Oct. 2, 1960 (Sun.) Warner Bros.' half-hour animated anthology series The Bugs Bunny Show debuts on ABC-TV (until Sept. 2000 after switching to CBS-TV in 1967-73 and 1975-85), featuring "Looney Tunes" and "Merrie Melodies" cartoons; in 1962 it switches to Sat. mornings; watch intro.
On Oct. 15, 1960 (Sat.) the animated series King Leonardo and His Short Subjects debuts on NBC-TV for 102 episodes (until Sept. 28, 1963), about King Leonardo of Bongo Congo and his asst. skunk Odie O. Cologne; his rival is his maneless beatnik brother Itchy Brother, who works for Biggie Rat with the help of evil German inventor Prof. Messer and Odie's sister Carlotta; watch intro.
On Nov. 7, 1960 (Mon.) the animated series Mister Magoo debuts on NBC-TV for 130 episodes (until Aug. 28, 1961), starring Jim Backus as nearsighted wealthy short Quincy Magoo, who refuses to admit his sight problem but always lucks out and gets out of every predicament; watch intro.
On Jan. 30, 1961 Hanna-Barbera Productions' animated series The Yogi Bear Show debuts in syndication for 33 episodes (until Jan. 6, 1962), starring Yogi Bear (voiced by Daws Butler, who tries to impersonate Art Carney), "smarter than the average bear", who lives in Jellystone Park and likes to steal picnic baskets, and his sidekick Boo-Boo Bear (voiced by Don Messick), who try to evade Ranger Smith (voiced by Don Messick); Yogi's babe is Cindy Bear (voiced by Julie Bennett); features the segments "Snagglepuss" and "Yakky Doodle"; watch intro.
On Sept. 27, 1961 Hanna-Barbera Productions' animated series Top Cat debuts on ABC-TV for 30 episodes (until Apr. 18, 1962), starring Top Cat ("T.C.)", leader of a gang of alley cats in Hoagy's Alley in Manhattan, N.Y. incl. Fancy-Fancy, Spook, Benny the Ball, Brain, and Choo Choo; watch intro.
On Oct. 4, 1961 the animated series The Alvin Show debuts on CBS-TV for 26 episodes (until Sept. 12, 1962), starring Alvin the Chipmunk and his friends Simon and Theodore, along with their manager David "Dave" Seville; features the segment "Clyde Crashcup"; watch intro.; on Sept. 17, 1983 the sequel Alvin and the Chipmunks debuts on NBC-TV for 102 episodes (until Dec. 1, 1990); watch intro.
On Sept. 3, 1962 Hanna-Barbera Productions' animated series Wally Gator debuts on ABC-TV for 52 episodes (until Aug. 30, 1963), starring Cajun alligator Wally Gator (voiced by Daws Butler, who is trying to impersonate Ed Wynn), and Mr. Twiddle the Zookeeper (voiced by Don Messick); watch intro.
On Sept. 8, 1962 Terrytoons' animated series Deputy Dawg debuts on CBS-TV for 34 episodes (until May 25, 1963), about Fla. deputy sheriff Deputy Dawg (voiced by Dayton Allen), and "varmints" Muskie Muskrat, Moley Mole, Possible Possum, Ty Coon, Vincent van Gopher, and Pig Newton; watch intro.
On Sept. 23, 1962 Hanna-Barbera Productions' animated series The Jetsons animated series debuts on ABC-TV for 24 episodes (until Mar. 17, 1963), becoming its first color program; George and Jane, Judy and Elroy, Astro the dog, and Rosie the robot maid in Orbit City in 2062; 40-y.-o. George works a typical 2-day 2-hour workweek for boss Cosmo Spacely, owner of Spacely Space Sprockets, whose competitor is H.G. Cogswell of Cogswell's Cosmic Cogs; Rosie is the ultimate development of the vacuum cleaner?; watch intro.
On Sept. 28, 1963 (Sat.) the animated series Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales debuts on CBS-TV for ? episodes (until Sept. 3, 1966) as a sequel to "King Leonardo", starring Tennessee Tuxedo the Penguin (voided by Don Adams) and his best friend Chumley the Walrus (voiced by Bradley Bolke), who live at the Magapolis Zoo run by dir. Stanley Livingstone (voiced by Mort Marshall) and his asst. Flunky (voiced by kenny Delmar) after being discovered by Stanley at the South Pole, fighting gangster Rocky Maninoff (voiced by Jackson Beck), who orders the "bo-bos" what to do at the point of his "violin"; watch intro.
In 1963 The New Casper Cartoon Show debuts on ABC-TV (until 1964), based on the Harvey Comics cartoon char. Casper the Friendly Ghost, incl. Windy the Good Little Witch, the Ghostly Trio, Spooky the Tuff Little Ghost, and Nightmare the horse; voices are performed by Norma MacMillan and Bradley Bolke.
In 1963 Filmation Associates' B&W animated series Rod Rocket debuts in syndication for 130 episodes, starring boy Rod Rocket and his best friend Joey (both voiced by Sam Edwards), who are sent by Prof. Argus (voiced by Hal Smith) to explore space in their spaceship Little Argo, where they encounter two bumbling Soviet cosmonauts; watch.
On Jan. 14, 1964 the Hanna-Barbera Productions' animated series The Magilla Gorilla Show debuts for 31 episodes (until 1964), about bow tie and suspenders-wearing Magilla Gorilla, who lives in Melvin Peebles' pet shop where nobody wants to buy him while he consumes his bananas; features Punkin' Puss, Mushmouse, Ricochet Rabbit, and Droop-a-Long, along with the Peter Potamus Show; after customers purchase him at discount prices then soon return him, each episode ends with "We'll try again next week"; watch intro.
On Sept. 18, 1964 (Fri.) the animated sci-fi Hanna-Barbera series Jonny Quest (based on the 007 flick "Dr. No") debuts on ABC-TV for 26 episodes (until Mar. 11, 1965), starting out a hit then getting canceled after one season, when it goes into syndication and going the "Star Trek" route of continued popularity until new episodes are produced in 1986; watch intro.
On Sept. 18, 1964 (Fri.) the B&W series The Addams Family, created by David Levy (1913-2000) based on The New Yorker cartoons of Charles Samuel "Chas" Addams (1912-88) about a socially superior family of ghouls debuts on ABC-TV for 64 episodes (until Sept. 2, 1966), starring mustachioed cheeky-grinning John Allen Astin (1930-) as Gomez Addams, Carolyn Sue Jones (1930-83) as his wife Morticia, Kenneth Patrick "Ken" Weatherwax (1955-) as pudgy son Pugsley, Lisa Loring (1958-) as daughter Wednesday, former child star John Leslie "Jackie" Coogan (1914-84) as Uncle Fester (known for lighting lightbulbs by putting them in his mouth), Blossom Rock (1895-1978) (Edith Marie Blossom MacDonald) as Grandmama, 6'9" Theodore Crawford "Ted" Cassidy (1932-79) as harpsichord-playing butler Lurch (known for the soundbyte "You rang"), and Felix Anthony Silla (1937-) as Cousin Itt, who all live at 0001 Cemetery Lane (inspired by Westfield, N.J.); while the series is running, the snooty New Yorker mag. refuses to pub. any new Addams Family cartoons; not to be outdone in the Baby Boomer prime time horror comedy market, on Sept. 24 CBS-TV debuts an alternate blue-collar B&W version, The Munsters for 70 episodes (until May 12, 1966), starring Frederick Hubbard "Fred" Gwynne (1926-93) as Frankenstein lookalike Fred Munster, Yvonne De Carlo (1922-2007) as his catatonic wife Lily Munster, Al Lewis (1923-2006) as aging vampire Grandpa, Butch Patrick (Patrick Alan Lilley) (1953-) as the son Eddie, Beverley Owen (nee Ogg) (1937-) (for the first 13 episodes, after which she leaves to get married), and Patricia Ann "Pat" Priest (1936-) as "ugly" (beautiful) daughter Marilyn, who all live at spooky 1313 Mockingbird Lane, and think they're as normal as everybody else.
On Oct. 4, 1964 the children's animated series Stingray debuts for 39 episodes (until June 27, 1965), starring Troy Tempest, filmed in "Supermarionation"; watch intro.
On Sept. 14, 1965 (Tues.) the wacky sitcom My Mother the Car debuts on NBC-TV for 30 episodes (until Apr. 5, 1966), starring Dick Van Dyke's brother Jerry Van Dyke (1931-) as atty. David Crabtree, whose dilapidated 1928 Porter touring car turns out to be haunted by his deceased mother Gladys (Ann Sothern); it later is touted as the worst TV sitcom of all time, although if it had been targed only to kids it might have been called one of the best kiddie shows of all time?; watch intro.
On Sept. 25, 1965 (Sat.) the animated series The Beatles debuts on ABC-TV for 39 episodes (until May 9, 1969), depicting the Beatles in their moptop-and-suit look, with each episode named after a Beatles song, and the story based on the lyrics with the tune played sometime during the episode; the voices of John and George are provided by Solomon Hersh "Paul" Frees (1920-86), and the voices of Paul and Ringo are provided by John Lancelot Blades "Lance" Percival (1933-2015); watch intro.
On Oct. 2, 1965 the Hanna-Barbera Productions' animated series Atom Ant debuts on NBC-TV for 26 episodes (until Aug. 31, 1968), who works for the inept police to catch bad guys incl. Ferocious Flea and Prof. Von Gimmick while shouting "Up and at 'em, Atom Ant!"; watch intro.
Speaking of tongue-in-cheek? On Jan. 12, 1966 the tongue-in-cheek series Batman, starring Walla Walla, Wash.-born Adam West (William West Anderson) (1928-2017) (after Lyle Waggoner is passed over) as Batman the Caped Crusader, and Burt Ward (Bert John Gervis Jr.) (1945-) as Robin the Boy Wonder debuts on ABC-TV for 120 biweekly episodes (until Mar. 14, 1968) (weekly in the 3rd and last season); disgraced TV game show host Jack Barry plays a newsman in the debut episode; recurring villains incl. Cesar Julio Romero Jr. 91907-94) as the Joker, Oliver Burgess Meredith (1907-97) as the Penguin, Frank John Gorshin Jr. (1933-2005) as the Riddler, and Julie Newmar (Julia Chalene Newmeyer) (1933-) as the Catwoman; too bad, although popular, it's too expensive to make, and loses money, ending in cancellation; the Batusi dance becomes a craze - he said one billion, not one batman with a burt ward?
On Sept. 9, 1966 (Fri.) the non-campy Batman alternative The Green Hornet debuts on ABC-TV for 26 episodes (until July 14, 1967), featuring the cool Green Hornet Theme by Al Hirt, and starring Van Zandt Williams (1934-) as Britt Reid AKA the Green Hornet, and chopsockey star Bruce Lee (Lee Jun-fan) (1904-73) as his sidekick Kato.
On Sept. 9, 1967 (Sat. a.m.) the animated series George of the Jungle debuts on ABC-TV for 17 episodes (until Dec. 30), produced by Jay Ward and Bill Scott of "The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show", based on the story of Tarzan and a cartoon depiction of Mr. Universe George Eiferman; each episode features segments of the cartoons "Tom Slick" and "Super Chicken"; "George, George, George of the Jungle,/ Strong as he can be./ Watch out for that tree!"; watch intro.
On Feb. 19, 1968 the daytime children's show Mister Rogers' Neighborhood debuts on PBS (until Aug. 31, 2001), starring Fred McFeely Rogers (1928-2003) (who started the show in 1963 in Toronto, Ont., Canada as "Misterogers", followed on May 25, 1967 on WQED Pittsburgh), becoming famous for beginning each show with the song It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood and asking "Won't you be my neighbor?" while donning a sweater and changing into sneakers, then talking to the Land-of-Make-Believe puppets; watch intro.
On Sept. 7, 1968 the hour-long Hanna-Barbera live action-animated variety program The Banana Splits Adventure Hour debuts on NBC-TV for 31 episodes (until Sept. 5, 1970), with costumes and sets designed by Sid and Marty Krofft, sponsored by Kellogg's Cereals; watch intro.
On Sept. 14, 1968 (Sat.) as a fitting touche to the anti-materialistic Woodstock crowd, The Archie Show debuts on CBS-TV for 17 episodes (until Aug. 30, 1969), featuring the fictional rock band The Archies, who go on to have a string of hits that launches the Bubblegum Music craze (ends 1972). Their biggest hit is Sugar, Sugar, sung by Ron Dante (Carmine Granito) (1945-), released on July 26, 1969, which becomes the #1 single of 1969 in the U.S. and U.K. After the show folds in one season, it spawns Sat. morning spinoff shows until 1978. In 1969 Dante also has a hit with Tracy under the name The Cuff Links. Watch intro.
On Sept. 6, 1969 (Sat.) the children's TV program H.R. Pufnstuf, by Montreal, Canada-born brothers Sid Krofft (Cydus Yolas) (1929-) and Marty Krofft (Moshopopoulos Yolas) (1937-) debuts on NBC-TV for 17 episodes (until Dec. 27, 1969), about a friendly dragon mayor on Living Island who finds a lost boy named Jimmy (Jack Wild), whose friend Freddie is a talking golden flute, and who ends up fighting wicked witch Wilhelmina W. Witchiepoo (Billie Hayes), who rides on the Vroom Broom, complete with steering wheel; the opening theme tells the entire story.
On Sept. 13, 1969 (Sat.) the Hanna-Barbera Productions animated series Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?, created by Joe Ruby and Ken Spears debuts on CBS-TV (until 1976, then ABC-TV until 1986), about Mystery Inc. teenies Fred Jones (blonde) (Frank Welker), Daphne Blake (redhead) (Indira Stefanianna Christopherson), Velma Dinkley (brunette) (Nicole Jaffe), and Norville "Shaggy" Rogers (brunette) (Casey Kasem), who solve allegedly supernatural creature mysteries with their talking brown Great Dane Scooby-Doo (Don Messick) after traveling in their Mystery Machine, a psychedelic flower power van, becoming a giant hit, with a 65% audience share; the theme song is by Austin Roberts; watch theme.
On Nov. 10, 1969 the Children's Television Workshop's educational daytime TV program Sesame Street debuts in the U.S. on PBS-TV (until ?), starting a rev. in childhood learning by teaching preschoolers letters and numbers and inculcating racial tolerance; producer Joan Ganz Cooney (1929-) is backed by the Ford Foundation, Carnegie Corp., and the U.S. Office of Education; Jim Henson's Muppets debut, incl. Kermit the Frog, Oscar the Grouch, Big Bird, the Cookie Monster, Bert and Ernie (named after chars. in the 1946 film "It's a Wonderful Life"), and Grover; Big Bird is designed by Kermit Ernest Hollingshead Love (1916-2008), known for designing the 28-ft. marionette giant for Don Quixote (1965); Kermit the Frog is named for Henson's childhood friend Theodore Kermit Scott Jr. (1936-2008); Kermit's theme song is (It's Not Easy) Bein' Green, by Joseph Guilherme "Joe" Raposo Jr. (1937-89); the series goes on to reach an audience of 235M in 85 countries; James Earl Jones (1931-) is the first guest celeb.; in 1979 Saudi Arabia bans the Muppets because Miss Piggy violates their halal food code; watch intro.
On Sept. 12, 1970 the Sat. morning animated series Josie and the Pussycats debuts for 18 episodes (until Jan. 2, 1971), based on the Archie Comics series about an all-girl pop-rock music band that tours the world and gets into adventures, incl. lead singer Josie, bubble-headed blonde drummer Melody, and intelligent tambourinist Valerie (first female black char. in a Sat. morning cartoon show), along with cowardly mgr. Alexander Cabot III, his conniving sister Alexandra, her cat Sebastian, and muscular roadie Alan; the girls wear leopard print leotards complete with long tails and ears; the opening theme is always played over a chase scene a la The Beatles and The Monkees; on Dec. 5 the album Josie and the Pussycats is released, featuring Cathy Douglas, Patrice Holloway, and Cherie Jean Stoppelmoor, later known as Cheryl Ladd.
On Sept. 11, 1971 the Sat. morning animated cartoon series The Jackson 5ive debuts on ABC-TV for 23 episodes (until Oct. 14, 1972), featuring two Jackson 5 hits per show; on Sept. 19 the Jackson 5's first TV special Goin' Back to Indiana airs, with guests Diana Ross, Bill Cosby, Tommy Smothers, and Bobby Darin; watch intro.
On Sept. 9, 1972 the animated series Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids debuts on CBS-TV for 110 episodes (until Aug. 10, 1985), set in North Philly, starring the voice of Bill Cosby as Fat Albert, James "Mushmouth" Mush, and himself; watch intro.
On Jan. 6, 1973 ABC-TV debuts David McCall's Schoolhouse Rock! series for 64 episodes (until Mar. 31, 2009), starting out with 41 3-min. animated segments designed to teach academic subjects, accompanied by original songs incl. "Three Is a Magic Number" and "Multiplication Rock" - only teaching kids to expect to learn without cracking books?
On Sept. 8, 1973 Hanna-Barbera Productions' Goober and the Ghost Chasers debuts on ABC-TV for 16 episodes (until Aug. 30, 1975), about a group of spook-chasing teenies and their Afghan Hound (?) Goober, who use their Apparition Kit to determine the genuineness of ghosts; Goober has the power to become invisible when scared by ghosts and his closest human companion is reckless rather than cowardly; the Partridge Kids star in the first 11 episodes, voiced by the regular cast members; watch intro.
On Sept. 8, 1973 Star Trek: The Animated Series debuts on NBC-TV for 22 episodes (until Oct. 12, 1974), featuring the voices of the original cast of Star Trek: TOS, giving Trekkies a new fix; watch intro.
On Sept. 6, 1975 the animated series The Tom and Jerry Show, based on the 1940 Hanna-Barbera chars. debuts on ABC-TV for 16 episodes (until Dec. 13), turning them into best friends, yawn; watch intro.
On Sept. 13, 1976 after U.S. TV network execs reject it, The Muppet Show, produced by Miss.-born "Muppetmaster" James Maury "Jim" Henson (1936-90) debuts on ITV for 120 episodes (until Mar. 15, 1981), starring Kermit the Frog, Cookie Monster, and Miss Piggy, going into syndication in the U.S. and reaching 235M viewers in 100 countries; the first guest star is Juliet Prowse, about whom Kermit the frog comments "She probably took a big chance coming on with a lot of farm animals"; watch intro.
On Dec. 1, 1977 Pinwheel Network, the precursor to Nickelodeon Channel (Apr. 1, 1979) for children's cartoons debuts on cable.
On Mar. 1, 1980 the children's TV series Strawberry Shortcake debuts for 50 episodes (until 1983), designed in 1977 by Am. Greetings employee Muriel Fahrion for greeting cards; her cat is named Custard; Strawberry Shortcake Toys are marketed by Kenner; watch intro.
On Sept. 12, 1981 (Sat.) Hanna-Barbera Productions' animated series The Smurfs debuts on NBC-TV for 256 episodes (until Dec. 2, 1989), based on the Belgian comic series created by Peyo, featuring Papa Smurf, and Nanny Smurf and their 99 kids, incl. Brainy Smurf, Hefty Smuf, Jokey Smuf, Chef Smurf, Pansy Smurf, Baby Smurf, Dreamy Smurf, Greedy Smurf, Harmony Smurf, Vanity Smurf, Marco Smurf, Tracker Smurf, Sneaky Smurf, Spy Smurf, Stinky Smurf, Smurfette, Grouchy Smurf, Lazy Smurf, Angel Smurf, Natural Smurf, Clumsy Smurf, Natural Smurf, Natural "Nat" Smurfling, Slouchy Smufling, Snappy Smurfling, Enchanted Omnibus, King Gerard, Grako (The Magic Fountain), Father Time, Woody, Azrael, and Chorhydris (My Smurfy Valentine); watch intro.
On Dec. 4, 1982 the animated series Inspector Gadget debuts in syndication for 86 episodes (until Feb. 1, 1986), about an incompetent cyborg police inspector (voiced by Don Adams) with an unlimited number of gadgets he summons with the shout "Go Go Gadget" to fight Dr. Claw's M.A.D.; watch intro.
On Sept. 12, 1983 the animated series G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero debuts in syndication for 95 episodes (until Nov. 20, 1986), created by Ron Friedman based on the Hasbro toy line and Marvel Comics series, produced to sell the toys; watch intro.
In May 1984 Kevin Brooks Eastman (1962-) and Peter Alan Laird (1954-) pub. Teen-Age Mutant Ninja Turtles, a B&W comic book about radioactive "mutigant" turtles Donatello, Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Raphael, who were trained by a rat sensei in the art of ninjutsu, and live in the sewers of New York City, battling crime while hiding from society; takes off after a UPI story turns on Playmates Toys, who in 1988 licenses Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Toys, reaching $1B in sales by 1990, along with a CBS-TV show that debuts on Dec. 28, 1987 for 193 episodes (until Nov. 2, 1996)) and a 1990 film that does $250M box office; watch intro..
On Sept. 13, 1986 (Sat.) Pee-Wee's Playhouse debuts on CBS-TV on Saturday mornings for 46 episodes (until July 27, 1991), starring has-to-be-Jewish Paul Reubens (Rubenfeld) (1952-) (the reductio ad absurdem of the Beatles?), featuring cool props incl. Magic Screen, Chairy, Conky the Robot, Pterry the Baby Pteranodon, and Jambi the Genie (played by John Paragon) (known for the soundbyte: "Mecca lecca hi, mecca lecca lo, meeca hiney ho"), along with cool regulars incl. Miss Yvonne (played by Lynne Marie Stewart), Reba the Mail Lady (played by S. Epatha Merkerson), Captain Carl (played by Phil Hartman), and Cowboy Curtis (played by Laurence Fishburne); the theme song is sung by Cyndi Lauper; originally aimed at kids, it becomes an adult and cult favorite also, spawning a line of Pee-Wee's Playhouse Toys; too bad, his arrest in July 1991 in Sarasota, Fla. in a porno house causes CBS to stop airing the super-popular reruns; "I know you are, but what am I?"; watch intro.
On Apr. 5, 1987 (Sun.) Fox Broadcasting Co. makes its prime-time TV debut by airing the sex-drenched family comedy saga Married... With Children for 262 episodes (until June 9, 1997), created by Michael G. Moye and Ron Leavitt (based on "The Life of Riley" and "The Honeymooners"), about an atypical dysfunctional white Chicago family, starring Edward "Ed" O'Neill (1946-) (who is selected over Sam Kinison and Michael Richards) as poorly hygiened women's shoe salesman daddy Al Bundy (who once scored 4 TDs in a single game for Polk H.S. and won a college scholarship, then became another victim of the Bundy Curse and lost it, ending up working at Gary's Shoes in New Market Mall) ("Hooters hooters, yum yum yum, hooters hooters, on a girl that's dumb"), redhead Stiletto-heel-wearing inbred hillbilly spawn Katey Sagal (1954-) (after Roseanne Barr turns it down) as Margaret "Peggy" Bundy (nee Wanker), Christina Applegate (1971-) as gorgeous-but-dumb-and-promiscuous blonde daughter Kelly "Pumpkin" Bundy, and David Anthony Faustino (1947-) as intelligent unpopular girl-crazy Budrick Franklin "Bud" Bundy (named after Budweiser beer), who all live at 9764 Jeopardy Lane, Chicago, Ill. (phone #555-2878); they are named after wrestler King Kong Bundy, not serial killer Ted Bundy; Amanda Bearse (1958-) as Marcy D'Arcy (Rhoades), David Gene Garrison (1952-) (1987-90), andTheodore Martin "Ted" McGinley (1958-) (1991-7) play their Yuppie neighbors; it then airs The Tracey Ullman Show for 88 episodes (until May 26, 1990), which launches the animated series The Simpsons (which debuts as its own show on Dec. 17, 1989 for ? episodes until ?), showing each show 3x each, betting on the lower moral standards than the big three networks have attracting an audience; after suburban Detroit housewife Terry Rakolta organizes a viewer and sponsor boycott, Married With Children becomes a top 20 hit, giving the U.S. its new role model in a totally dysfunctional family that is satisfied with a life not worth living; Homer Simpson makes the word D'oh popular; watch intro.
On Sept. 18, 1987 the animated series DuckTales debuts on Toon Disney for 100 episodes (until Nov. 28, 1990), starring Scrooge McDuck and his grandnephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie; it is rebooted on Aug. 12, 2017 (until ?); watch intro.
On Sept. 15, 1990 the animated environmentalist series Captain Planet and the Planeteers, created by Ted Turner and Barbara Pyle debuts on TBS for 113 episodes (until Dec. 5, 1992), followed by the Hanna-Barbera sequel "The New Adventures of Captain Planet" on Sept. 11, 1993 until May 11, 1996, starring the voice of David Coburn as Captain Planet, Whoopi Goldberg and Margot Kidder as Gaia, LeVar Burton as Kwame (Earth), Joey Dedio as Wheeler (Fire), Kath Soucie as Linka (Wind), Janice Kawaye as Gi (Water), and Scott Menville as Ma-Ti (Heart), who fight the Eco-Villains incl. Hoggish Greedly (Ed Asner), Verminous Skumm (Jeff Goldblum, Maurice LaMarche) (Toxics Ring), Duke Nukem (Dean Stockwell, Maurice LaMarche)(Super Radiation Ring), Dr. Blight (Meg Ryan, Mary Kay Bergman) (Hae Ring), Looten Plunder (James Coburn, Ed Gilbert) (Deforestation Ring), Sly Sludge (Martin Sheen, Jim Cummings) (Smog Ring), and Zarm (Sting, David Warner, Malcolm McDowell); watch.
On Aug. 11, 1991 the animated series Doug debuts on Nickelodeon for 117 episodes (until Jan. 2, 1994, moving to Disney on Sept. 7, 1996 until June 26, 1999), about introverted 11-y.-o. Douglas Yancey "Doug" Funnie of Bluffington, who has a crush on Patti Mayonnaise; watch intro.
On Aug. 11, 1991 the animated series The Ren & Stimpy Show debuts on Nickelodeon for 52 episodes (until Dec. 16, 1995), created by Chicoutimi, Quebec, Canada-born Michael John Kricfalusi (1955-) (AKA John K.), about the emotionally unstable chihuahua Ren and the good-natured dimwitted cat Stimpy, going on to get in trouble with the network for its adult humor, which only makes it more popular with audiences?; watch intro.
On Aug. 11, 1991 the Rugrats animated series debuts on Nickelodeon for 172 episodes (until June 8, 2004), created by Arlene Klasky, Gabor Csupo, and Paul Germain, about toddlers Tommy, Chuckie, Phil, Lil, and Angelica; watch.
On Sept. 8, 1991 the animated series Darkwing Duck debuts on the Disney Channel for ? episodes (until Dec. 5, 1992), a parody of "The Shadow", about Darkwing Duck (Jim Cummings) and his pilot Launchpad McQuack (secret identity of Drake Mallard) (Terry McGovern), and his adopted daughter Gosalyn Mallard (Christine Cavanaugh); "I am the terror that flaps in the night"; watch intro.
On Oct. 1, 1992 the Cartoon Network (CN), founded by Betty Cohen (1956-) debuts as a subsidiary of the Turner Broadcasting System (TBS), aimed at children ages 7-15, with mature content during the late night daypart Adult Swim, reaching 94M subscribers by Jan. 2016.
On Aug. 28, 1993 the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers TV series debuts on Fox TV for 145 episodes (until Nov. 27, 1995), produced by Egyptian-born pro-Israel Israeli-Am. billionaire Haim Saban (1944-), based on the Japanese TV series "Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger", set in Angel Grove, Calif. about two astronauts who discover a container from outer space and release evil alien sorceress Rita Repulsa after 10K years of confinement, planning on conquering Earth, causing wise alien sage Zordon and his robotic asst. Alpha 5 to select five "teenagers with attitude" to save it, incl. Jason Lee Scott, Kimberly Hart, Zack Taylor, Trini Kwan, and Billy Cranston, giving them super powers +and colossal Zord assault machines, which can combine into the Megazord; spawns the film "Mighty Morphon Power Rangers: The Movie" (1995), plus a line of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Toys; watch.
On Sept. 5, 1993 the Sun. morning Hanna-Barbera animated series 2 Stupid Dogs debuts on TBS for 26 episodes (until May 15, 1995), featuring Big Dog and Little Dog, voiced by Brad Garett and Mark Schiff; the backup segment "Super Secret Secret Squirrel" is also shown; watch.
On Sept. 11, 1993 the Hanna-Barbera animated series SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron debuts on TBS for 23 episodes (until Jan. 6, 1995), set in Megakat City, populated by man-cats, about the Enforcers paramilitary law enforcement agency, which fires Chance "T-Bone" Furlong and Jake "Razor Clawson" for disobeying the orders of Cmdr. Feral while pursuing villain Dark Kat, causing them to hide below the military salvage yard and build a bunch of equipment incl. the Turbokat jet fighter, the Cyclotron motorcycle, the TurboMole underground vehicle, the HoverKat, and the ThunderTruck; watch intro.
On Sept. 13, 1993 the Warner Bros.-Amblin Entertainment animated series Animaniacs, created by Tom Ruegger, debuts on Fox Kids, changing to The Wb in 1995 (until Nov. 14, 1998), becoming a variety show with short skits and a large cast of chars.; "It's time for Animaniacs/ And we're zany to the max/ So just sit back and relax/ You'll laugh till you collapse/ We're Animaniacs"; "Dot is cute/ And Yakko yaks/ Wakko packs away the snacks/ While Bill Clinton plays the sax/ We're Animaniacs"; watch intro.
On Oct. 24, 1994 the animated TV series Gargoyles (Buena Vista Television) debuts for 78 episodes (until Feb. 15, 1997), about nocturnal creatures from medieval Scotland in modern-day New York City that turn to stone during the day, protecting the city at night; the voiceovers feature several actors from the "Star Trek" franchise incl. Marina Sirtis, Jonathan Frakes, Michael Dorn, Kate Mulgrew, Brent Spiner, Avery Brooks, Colm Meany, LeVar Burton, and Nichelle Nichols.
On Sept. 9, 1995 the animated series Freakazoid!, created by Bruce Timm and Paul Dini debuts on The WB for 24 episodes (until June 1, 1997), about geeky 16-y.-o. Dexter Douglas of Harry Connick H.S. near Washington, D.C., who turns into manic insane superhero Freakazoid after typing a secret key sequence into his computer; watch.
On Sept. 9, 1995 the animated series Pinky and the Brain debuts on The Web for 65 episodes (until Nov. 14, 1998), produced by Steven Spielberg, about two genetically-engineered mice living in Acme Labs located in a major U.S. city under a suspension bridge who are always plotting to take over the world, becoming the first animated TV series presented in Dolby Surround; "One is a genius, the other's insane"; "They're laboratory mice, their genes have been spliced"; watch intro..
On Mar. 24, 1996 the animated sci-fi series Dexter's Laboratory, created by Genndy Tartakovsky debuts on Cartoon Network for 78 episodes (until Dec. 10, 1999), about boy genius Dexter, who battles his sister Dee Dee to keep her out of his secret basement lab, and fights rival neighbor genius Mandark; it is revived on Nov. 16, 2001 to Nov. 20, 2003; watch intro.
On July 15, 1997 the Hanna-Barbera animated series Cow and Chicken debuts on Cartoon Network for 52 episodes (until July 24, 1999), about siblings Cow and Chicken , who fight scammer Red Guy, all voiced by Charlie Adler; season two episode "Buffalo Gals" features carpet-munching biker lesbians Munch Kelly et al.; "Momma had a chicken, momma had a cow/Dad was proud, he didn't care how"; watch; on June 10, 1999 I Am Weasel spins off for 79 episodes (until 2000); watch intro.
On Dec. 16, 1997 the Seizure Episode of Pokemon is shown on Japanese TV, causing 385 kids to have seizures, blindess or a combo.
On Apr. 4, 1998 the animated series CatDog debuts on Nickelodeon for 68 episodes (until June 15, 2005), about interspecies conjoined brothers Cat (voiced by Jim Cummings) (cultured) and Dog (voiced by Tom Kenny) (fun-loving), who live in Nearburg; villains incl. tailless blue mouse Winslow T. Oddfellow, the Greaser Dogs Clifford Maurice "Cliff" Feltbottom, Shriek DuBois, and Ignatius "Lube" Catfield-McDog, Rancid Rabbit, and Eddie the Squirrel; watch.
On Nov. 18, 1998 the animated series The Powderpuff Girls, created by Craig McCracken debuts on the Cartoon Network for 78 episodes (unti Mar. 25, 2005), about super sisters Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup, and their brainy scientist father Prof. Utonium in Townsville, who are called upon by the naive mayor to fight crime; watch.
On Jan. 4, 1999 the animated series Ed, Edd n Eddy debuts on Cartoon Network for 69 episodes (until Nov. 8, 2009), about three suburban preteenies who live in a cul-de-sac in Peach Creek, and try various schemes to purchase jawbreakers, becoming a hit with a peak audience of 31M households in 120 countries, becoming the network's longest-running original series; watch.
On Jan. 25, 1999 the animated TV series Dilbert debuts on UPN for 30 episodes (until July 25, 2000), based on the Scott Adams comic strip, starring the voices of Daniel Stern as Dilbert, Chris Elliott as Dogbert, Gordon Hunt as Wally, and Larry Miller as Pointy-Haired Boss; watch.
On Jan. 31, 1999 the animated sitcom series Family Guy debuts on Fox Network for ? episodes (until Nov. 9, 2003, then May 1, 2005-), created by Seth Woodbury MacFarlane (1973-), about the dysfunctional Griffins family of Quahog, Providence, R.I., consisting of parents Peter and Lois, children Chris, Meg, and Stewie, and talking dog Brian; Peter Griffin is based on a security guard at Rhode Island School of Design, who "could read a phone book and make me laugh" (MacFarlane); watch.
On Mar. 28, 1999 the futuristic sci-fi animation series Futurama debuts on Fox-TV for 140 episodes (switching to Comedy Central in 2008) (until Sept. 4, 2013), produced by Matt Groening, about New York City pizza delivey boy Philip J. Fry, who is cryogenically frozen for 1K years and hires on with Planet Express, an interplanetary delivery co.; watch intro.
On Sept. 9, 1999 the Canadian animated series Yvon of the Yukon debuts on YTV and APTN for 52 episodes (until Nov. 22, 2005), starring Drew Reichelt as French explorer Yvon Duchame, who voyages to Canada for Louis XIV, is knocked overboard, and frozen for 300 years until a sled dog owned by Tommy Tukyuk (Kirby Morrow) pisses on it, after which he settles in Upyermukluk, Yukon, "the hottest cold town in the Arctic, midway between Shivermetimbers and Frostbottom Falls"; watch intro.
On Nov. 12, 1999 after the 1996 pilot "The Chicken from Outer Space" is nominated for an Oscar, the Hanna-Barbera animated horror series Courage the Cowardly Dog debuts on Cartoon Network for 52 episodes (until Nov. 22, 2002), about pink fraidy-cat dog Courage (Marty Grabstein), who lives near Nowhere, Kan. with Muriel and Eustace Bagge, fighting horror chars. incl. zombies, demons, monsters, mad scientists, and aliens along with fortune-telling chihuahua Shirley the Medium; watch intro.
On Nov. 12, 1999 the animated series Mike, Lu & Og debuts on Cartoon Network for 52 episodes (until May 27, 2001), about female Manhattan foreign exchange student Mike, self-appointed island princess Lu, and boy genius Og; watch intro.
On Nov. 17, 2000 the animated series Sheep in the Big City debuts on Cartoon Network for 26 episodes (until Apr. 7, 2002), sheep Sheep, who flees his farm to avoid Gen. Specific and Pvt. Public of the Secret Military Org., which wants him for its Sheep-Powered Ray Gun, ending up enjoying life in the Big City, hooking up with hot Swanky the Poodle while avoiding Lisa Rental, sheep-hating Lady Richington (owner of Swanky), who wields a stainless steel wig; watch intro.
On June 8, 2001 the animated series Time Squad, created by Dave Wasson debuts on Cartoon Network for 26 episodes (until Nov. 26, 2003), set in the year 100M C.E., when there are "no wars, no pollution, and bacon is good for your heart", from which the time cops, incl. Beauregard "Buck" Tuddrussell (Rob Paulsen), robot Lawrence "Larry" 3000 (Mark Hamill) ("time is like a rope"), and Otto Osworth (Pamela Adlon) travel back in time to correct the course of history, meeting up with Julius Caesar, Kubla Khan (a comic book collector), Leonardo da Vinci, Montezuma, the Am. Founding Fathers, Abraham Lincoln, Sigmund Freud et al.; watch intro.
On Aug. 10, 2001 the animated series Samurai Jack, created by Genndy Tartakovsky debuts on Cartoon Network for 62 episodes (until Sept. 25, 2004, then Mar. 11-20, 2017), about samurai Jack, who travels back in time to fight evil shape-shifting demon Aku; watch intro.
On Aug. 24, 2001 the animated series The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy debuts on Cartoon Network for 86 episodes (until Oct. 12, 2008), about children Billy and Mandy, who win a limbo game to save Billy's pet hamster and gain the Grim Reaper as their best friend in eternal servitude and slavery; watch intro.
On Dec. 6, 2002 the animated series Codename: Kids Next Door, created by Tom Warburton debuts on Cartoon Network for 78 episodes (until Jan. 21, 2008), about five kids (Numbuh 1, Numbuh 2, etc.) operating from a hi-tech treehouse fighting bad guys with advanced 2x4 technology; watch.
On July 19, 2003 the animated series Teen Titans debuts on the Cartoon Network for 65 episodes (until Jan. 16, 2006), based on the DC Comics chars. Robin (Scott Menville), Starfire (Hynden Walch), Cyborg (Khary Payton), Raven (Tara Strong), and Beast Boy (Greg Cipes); watch intro.
On May 1, 2004 the animated series Megas XLR, created by Jody Schaeffer and George Krstic debuts on Cartoon Network for 26 episodes (unti Jan. 15, 2005), about slacker mechanic Coop and his best friend Jamie, who find the Megas (Mechanized Earth Guard Attack System) mecha robot from the future in a N.J. junkyard and soup it up with a classic muscle car head, naming it XLR (Extra Large Robot), defending Earth from the evil Glorft along with original pilot Kiva; watch intro.
On Mar. 3, 2006 the animated series Wonder Pets, created by Josh Selig debuts on Nickelodeon for 62 episodes (until Sept. 3), using the photo-puppetry animation style, accompanied by a 10-member live orchestra, about the Wonder Pets, led by Linny the Guinea Pig (Sofie Zamchick), incl. Turtle Tuck (Teala Dunn), Ming-Ming Duckling (Danica Lee) et al.; watch intro.
On May 28, 2006 the animated series Squirrel Boy, created by Everett Peck debuts on Cartoon Network for 52 episodes (until Sept. 27, 2007), about Rodney the Squirrel (Richard Steven Horvitz) and his owner Andy (Pamela Adlon), Andy's father Bob (Kurtwood Smith), and his mother Lucille (Nancy Sullivan), who fight archenemies Kyle (Billy West) and his parrot Salty Mike (Carlos Alazraqui); watch intro.
On Nov. 3, 2006 the animated series Class of 3000, created by Andre 3000 of Outkast debuts on Cartoon Network for 28 episodes (until May 25, 2008), about superstar jazz-blues music teacher Sunny Bridges (Andre 3000) and his students at Westley School of Performing Arts in Atlanta, Ga.; watch intro.
On Jan. 31, 2007 the 2007 Boston Mooninite Panic in Boston, Mass. sees a guerrilla marketing stunt by the Turner Broadcasting System to advertise the Cartoon Network show Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters (about a talking milkshake, box of fries, and meatball) cause Boston authorities to overreact and throw anti-terrorist forces into action at a cost of $750K, pissing them off and causing them to arrest Peter Berdovsky (1979-) and Sean Stevens (1978-) on trumped-up charges, vowing to go after Turner; the stunt involved placing magnetic light packages with pictures of "mooninites" Ignigokt and Err flipping the bird on public property in 10 U.S. cities; the whole thing was openly blogged on the Web, and if the stupid Boston authorities had only checked before calling out the troops?; on Feb. 5 Turner Broadcasting and the ad agency agree to pay $2M in damages; on Feb. 9 James D. "Jim" Samples Jr. (1963-), head of the Cartoon Network (since Aug. 22, 2001) resigns; the film is released on Apr. 13, doing $5.5M box office on a $750K budget.
On Aug. 20, 2007 the live action-puppet children's TV show You Gabba Gabba!, created by Christian Jacobs and Scott Schultz debuts on Nickelodeon for 55 episodes (until Nov. 12, 2015), about five toys come-to-life and their friend DJ Lance Rock; watch intro.
On Sept. 14, 2007 the live action-animated series Out of Jimmy's Head, based on the 2006 film "Re-Animated" debuts on Cartoon Network for 20 episodes (until May 29, 2008), starring Dominic James as 13-y.-o. Jimmy Roberts, who receives a brain transplant from a famous cartoonist, giving him the ability to communicate with animated char., and fights the cartoonist's son Sonny Appleday (Matt Knudsen), who is trying to get his father's brain back; Tinashe Kachingwe plays Robin Wheeler; watch intro.
On Nov. 2, 2007 the animated series Chowder, created by C.H. Greenblatt debuts on Cartoon Network for 49 episodes (until Aug. 7, 2010), about a 10-y.-o. chubby purple cat-bear-rabbit hybrid (Nicky Jones) who serves as the apprentice of Chef Mung Daal (Dwight Schultz), dealing with his insatiable appetite; watch intro.
On Mar. 15, 2010 the supernatural fantasy children's TV series Dead Gorgeous (originally "Dead Normal") debuts on BBC2 for 13 episodes (until Apr. 21), about the Ainsworth sisters Rebecca (Melissa Howard), Sophie (Poppy Lee Friar), and Hazel (Alexandra Coppinger), who died in a carriage crash along with their nanny in Victorian England, are given another chance at life by the ghost council, and return 150 years later as Living Ghosts, becoming baffled by modern life; watch intro.
On Apr. 5, 2010 the animated series Adventure Time, created by Pendleton Ward debuts on Cartoon Network for ? episodes (until ?), about young Finn the Human (Jeremy Shada) and his best friend and adoptive brother Jake the Dog (John DiMaggio), a shape-shifting dog, living in the post-apocalyptic Lan of Ooo along with Princess Bubblegum (Hynden Walch), the Ice King (Tom Kenny), Marceline the Vampire Queen (Olivia Olson), BMO (Niki Yang) et al.; watch intro.
On Jan. 14, 2011 the animated series Lego Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu, created by Michael Hegner debuts on Cartoon Network for ? episodes (until ?), about Sensi Wu and his four teenie ninja students Kai (Fire), Jay (Lightning), Zane (ice), and Cole (Earth) taking on his corrupted brother Lord Gamadon, ruler of the Underworld, who wants to acquire the Four Golden Weapons (Sword of Fire, Scythe of Quakes, Nunchucks of Lightning, and Shurikens of Ice); watch intro.
On Jan. 14, 2011 the British children's dramedy Sadie J debuts on CBBC for 36 episodes (until Mar. 27, 2013), starring Georgia Lock as Sadie J, "the only girl in a boy's world", her dad Steve, his apprentice Keith, her brother Danny, his best friend Jake, and their dog Roger; watch intro.
On May 3, 2011 the animated series The Amazing World of Gumball, created by Ben Bocquelet debuts on Cartoon Network for ? episodes (until ?), about 12-y.-o. blue cat Gumball Watterson and his best friend and adoptive brother Darwin the goldfish, who attend middle school in Elmore, combining family and school shows and becoming known for switching animation styles between episodes; watch intro.
On Mar. 3, 2012 after the live action film Green Lantern debuts on June 15, 2011, the animated DC Comics series Green Lantern: The Animated Series debuts on Computer Network for 26 episodes (until Mar. 16, 2013), about Hal Jordan (Josh Keaten) and his partner Kilowog (Kevin Michael Richardson), who fight the Red Lanterns and the AI consciousness Aya (Grey DeLisle); too bad, both are flops; watch intro.
On May 28, 2012 the comedy series The High Fructose Adventures of Annoying Orange, based on Dane Boedigheimer's and Spencer Grove's Web series "The Annoying Orange", debuts on Cartoon Network for 60 episodes (until Mar. 17, 2014), about the Fruit Gang (real fruit with human eyes and mouths) incl. Orange (Dane Boedigheimer), Pear (Dane Boedigheimer), Passion Fruit (Justine Ezarik), Midget Apple (Dane Boedigheimer), Marshmallow (Dane Boedigheimer), Grapefruit (Robert Jennings) ("large and in charge"), Apple (Harland Williams), Coconut (Tom Kenny), Peach (Felicia Day), Guava (Tom Kenny), and Ginger (Felicia Day), who fight Broccoli Alien Overlord (Rob Paulsen); Toby Turner plays human Nerville, an employee at Daneboes Fruit Store, the only human who can talk to them; watch intro.
On May 21, 2013 the animated series Steven Universe, created by Rebecca Sugar (first female CN show creator) debuts on Cartoon Network for ? episodes (until ?), about young half-Gem Steven Universe (Zach Callison), who lives with the Crystal Gems (survivors of a great interstellar empire) incl. Pearl (Deedee Magno), Garnet (Estelle), and Amethyst (Michaela Dietz) in Beach City on the Delmarva Peninsula on the U.S. East Coast, protecting humanity from monsters; watch intro.
On Sept. 2, 2013 the animated series Uncle Grandpa debuts on Cartoon Network for 153 episodes (until June 30, 2017), about Uncle Larry Grandpa (Peter Browngardt, Pendleton Ward), who is the uncle-grandpa and brother-dad of every child and adult on Earth, and visits children's houses every day to help them through problems; he drives an RV, wears a beanie, likes to eat inedible objects (books et al.), has a red talking fanny pack named Belly Bag (Eric Bauza) (his best friend, containing his laser hammer), anthropomorphic dinosaur named Mrs. Gus (Kevin Michael Richardson), a photo cutout of Giant Realistic Flying Tiger he rides around on, and vain bragging talking pizza slice Pizza Steve (James Stevens) (Adam DeVine) ("I'm like a modern-day Thomas Einstein except a brazillion times better"); Aunt Grandma likes to show up and cause trouble; watch intro.
On Oct. 14, 2013 the comedy children's series The Thundermans, created by Jed Spingarn debuts on Nickelodeon for ? episodes (until ?), about a family with super powers who try to pass in Hiddenville, starring Chris Tallman as father Hank, Rosa Blasi as mother Barb, Kira Kosarin as Phoebe, Jack Griffo as Max, Addison Riecke as Nora, and Diego Velazquez as Billy;
On Apr. 9, 2014 the animated series The Tom and Jerry Show, based on the 1940 Hanna-Barbera chars. debuts on Cartoon Network for ? episodes (until ?); watch intro.