# Apparently yesterday was the last day that cartoons were aired on Saturday mornings on broadcast TV **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 28, 2014, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-yesterday-was-the-last-day-that-cartoons-were-aired-on-saturday-mornings-on-broadcast-tv/699793 "2014-09-28T18:40:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2014, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-yesterday-was-the-last-day-that-cartoons-were-aired-on-saturday-mornings-on-broadcast-tv/699793/1 "2014-09-28T18:40:02Z")
The end of an era! I guess kids can watch cartoons pretty whenever they want these days, so it’s not a big deal, but when I was a kid, that was pretty much it for us! That and the occasional prime-time Peanuts special. The new cartoons in September helped me and my sister alleviate the despair of going back to school… [http://www.toonzone.net/2014/05/exclusive-traditional-saturday-morning-programming-ends-fall-saban-brands-pulls-plug-vortexx/](http://www.toonzone.net/2014/05/exclusive-traditional-saturday-morning-programming-ends-fall-saban-brands-pulls-plug-vortexx/) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2014, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-yesterday-was-the-last-day-that-cartoons-were-aired-on-saturday-mornings-on-broadcast-tv/699793/2 "2014-09-28T19:37:33Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > The end of an era! Wiki [sez](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astroblast_(TV_series)) Astroblast is _“an American 2D CGI animated series”_ that _“will begin airing on NBC Kids Saturday morning programming block, October 4, 2014.”_ ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2014, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-yesterday-was-the-last-day-that-cartoons-were-aired-on-saturday-mornings-on-broadcast-tv/699793/3 "2014-09-28T19:38:28Z")
I remember watching Saturday morning kids’ programs back in the '50s, but I guess a lot of them were live-action shows like _ **Sky King** _ and _ **Roy Rogers** _. The first morning cartoon series I remember is _ **The Jetsons** _; I’m sure I watched _ **Rocky and Bullwinkle** _, _ **Top Cat** _, _ **The Flintstones** _, and _ **Jonny Quest** _ mostly in the late afternoon or evening. They really were the best; the ones that started coming out in the late '60s were lame even to my 10-to-12-year-old mind. (I _loathed_ _ **The Archie Show** _!) _ **ST: TAS** _ was the only thing I watched on Saturday mornings in the '70s. I won’t even mention the '80s, when cartoons started to be based on the products they were pushing, had the crappiest possible writing and animation, and subjected little kids to non-stop blaring rock music. No wonder so many adults are all but brain-dead today! ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2014, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-yesterday-was-the-last-day-that-cartoons-were-aired-on-saturday-mornings-on-broadcast-tv/699793/4 "2014-09-28T20:03:05Z")
Saturday morning cartoons! Awesomeness, when I was a kid. (And don’t get me started on Schoolhouse Rock!) I can still sing a bunch of the theme songs. When my husband (Andy L) was a kid, one morning his brother woke him up yelling, “It’s quarter after 9! We’re missing the Saturday cartoons!” They raced to the TV. Turns out it was 2:45 a.m. His brother hadn’t learned to tell time very well yet. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2014, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-yesterday-was-the-last-day-that-cartoons-were-aired-on-saturday-mornings-on-broadcast-tv/699793/5 "2014-09-28T20:16:23Z")
The only ones I really liked were the Warner Brothers repackagings of their old theatrical cartoon. But I’d watch everything else anyway: mainly Hanna Barberra dreck “Uh-oh Chango!”). At the very end of the morning, Kukla Fran & Ollie would come on for us bitter-enders with live action foreign kids movies, but that was often when Dad’s sports started. The local channels would play the stuff on weekdays after school that the networks turned their noses up at, which was sometimes pretty good: original Fleischer Popeyes, surrealistic Felix the Cat, and Rocky & Bullwinkle. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2014, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-yesterday-was-the-last-day-that-cartoons-were-aired-on-saturday-mornings-on-broadcast-tv/699793/6 "2014-09-28T20:17:34Z")
So what else are the Dull Four going to run on early Saturday mornings? “Waffles - The Reality Show!” or more infomercials? ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2014, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-yesterday-was-the-last-day-that-cartoons-were-aired-on-saturday-mornings-on-broadcast-tv/699793/7 "2014-09-28T20:25:14Z")
> [@Slithy\_Tove](#): > > The only ones I really liked were the Warner Brothers repackagings of their old theatrical cartoon. They sure don’t make 'em like this anymore: [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdVseljx2UU) Still one of the best TV themes ever! :o ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2014, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-yesterday-was-the-last-day-that-cartoons-were-aired-on-saturday-mornings-on-broadcast-tv/699793/8 "2014-09-28T21:52:38Z")
Every network shows college football on Saturday mornings anyway. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2014, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-yesterday-was-the-last-day-that-cartoons-were-aired-on-saturday-mornings-on-broadcast-tv/699793/9 "2014-09-28T21:56:02Z")
So, are you saying that Saturday morning cartoons will _Animal’s voice_ “Go bye bye.” _Animal’s voice_? ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2014, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-yesterday-was-the-last-day-that-cartoons-were-aired-on-saturday-mornings-on-broadcast-tv/699793/10 "2014-09-28T22:01:39Z")
> [@Slithy\_Tove](#): > > The only ones I really liked were the Warner Brothers repackagings of their old theatrical cartoon. That was the cream of the crop, that’s for sure. ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2014, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-yesterday-was-the-last-day-that-cartoons-were-aired-on-saturday-mornings-on-broadcast-tv/699793/11 "2014-09-28T22:04:22Z")
> [@Slithy\_Tove](#): > > The only ones I really liked were the Warner Brothers repackagings of their old theatrical cartoon. But I’d watch everything else anyway: mainly Hanna Barberra dreck “Uh-oh Chango!”). Hey, I \*liked \*the Splits! And _Danger Island_ was goofy fun. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2014, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-yesterday-was-the-last-day-that-cartoons-were-aired-on-saturday-mornings-on-broadcast-tv/699793/12 "2014-09-28T22:56:42Z")
I remember Saturday morning cartoons starting as early as 8 AM (I think they were still “local” cartoons, though – rebroadcasts of _Crusader Rabbit_ (great stuff that was originally made by Jay Ward, before he did Rocky and Bullwinkle, although most of the ones I saw were post-Ward) or the abysmal _Dodo – the Kid from Outer Space_. But soon enough the networks started running huge lineups of cartoons that filled the day from 9 AM until after 1 PM. A lot of it was wholly forgettable (who remembers _The Beagles_? or the Lone Ranger\* cartoon?) A lot opf it was recycled from prime time stuff (_The Jetsons_, _Johnny Quest_). They did rerun a lot of WArner Brothers classics, but they also made some new stuff (a lot of the Road Runner cartoons that ran on Saturday weren’t Chuck Jones originals – and you could tell). They reran MGM’s _Tom and Jerry_, too. Those were highly variable. The 1940s one were great, but some of the later ones were of abysmal quality. And there were the endless variations on superheroes. And Wacky Races and its spinoffs. And the occasional Gary and Sylvia Anderson “Supermarionation” show like _Fireball XL-5_. They started scaling back when the Baby Boomers bump passed, but there were still Saturday cartoons for the Boomers’ own babies after that. It’s hard to believe it’s completely gone. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2014, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-yesterday-was-the-last-day-that-cartoons-were-aired-on-saturday-mornings-on-broadcast-tv/699793/13 "2014-09-28T23:03:53Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > I guess kids can watch cartoons pretty whenever they want these days, so it’s not a big deal, but when I was a kid, that was pretty much it for us! Actually, it’s only the kids _whose parents have cable_ who can still watch cartoons when they like; the ones who _don’t_ have cable can’t. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2014, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-yesterday-was-the-last-day-that-cartoons-were-aired-on-saturday-mornings-on-broadcast-tv/699793/14 "2014-09-28T23:53:03Z")
Huh. I thought these were gone years ago. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2014, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-yesterday-was-the-last-day-that-cartoons-were-aired-on-saturday-mornings-on-broadcast-tv/699793/15 "2014-09-28T23:56:39Z")
I loved Saturday morning cartoons in the 80s. We also had cartoons after school on weekdays. ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2014, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-yesterday-was-the-last-day-that-cartoons-were-aired-on-saturday-mornings-on-broadcast-tv/699793/16 "2014-09-29T00:03:38Z")
What the hell is _Tree-Fu Tom_, then? NBC still has that, and _Make Way for Noddy_. Not exactly _He-Man and the Masters of the Universe_, but a last gasp I suppose. ---
**Author:** ![Erdosain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/erdosain/32/7284_2.png) [@Erdosain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Erdosain)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2014, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-yesterday-was-the-last-day-that-cartoons-were-aired-on-saturday-mornings-on-broadcast-tv/699793/17 "2014-09-29T00:08:32Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > Actually, it’s only the kids _whose parents have cable_ who can still watch cartoons when they like; the ones who _don’t_ have cable can’t. PBS has cartoon programming all day until 6:00 pm when BBC News starts. You have to be quick with the channel changer because they usually lead with someone on their knees in an orange jumpsuit. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2014, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-yesterday-was-the-last-day-that-cartoons-were-aired-on-saturday-mornings-on-broadcast-tv/699793/18 "2014-09-29T00:10:27Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > Actually, it’s only the kids _whose parents have cable_ who can still watch cartoons when they like; the ones who _don’t_ have cable can’t. Or kids who’s parents have an internet connection. ---
**Author:** ![nevadaexile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb8c5e/32.png) [@nevadaexile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nevadaexile)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2014, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-yesterday-was-the-last-day-that-cartoons-were-aired-on-saturday-mornings-on-broadcast-tv/699793/19 "2014-09-29T00:56:55Z")
Since every cartoon ever made is either on YouTube,torrents,cable Netflix or on DVD, the need for Saturday morning cartoons has been steadily dropping for the 10-15 years. Along with an aging population, this day was coming sooner rather than later. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2014, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-yesterday-was-the-last-day-that-cartoons-were-aired-on-saturday-mornings-on-broadcast-tv/699793/20 "2014-09-29T01:01:34Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > And the occasional Gary and Sylvia Anderson “Supermarionation” show like _Fireball XL-5_. Yes! I remember watching _ **Supercar** _ on Saturday mornings in what must have been the summer of 1963. :o [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-yesterday-was-the-last-day-that-cartoons-were-aired-on-saturday-mornings-on-broadcast-tv/699793.md?page=2)