What in the HELL happened to Saturday morning cartoons???

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I've noticed watching Saturday morning cartoons with my 5 year old daughter in the morning that there is nothing but crap on the main network channels (CBS, NBC, ABC, etc). This had been a tradition in homes across the US since the 1960s. You get this crap like Cookie Jar TV, more damn news shows, and other garbage. When I was a kid in the 1980s we had the Smurfs, Spiderman, Thundercats, Transformers, Looney Tunes, and countless of awesome cartoons. There was nothing like it or ever will be. On Wikipedia they gave reasons for the decline and I think the one thing that pisses me off the most is "Increasing regulation of children's programming content, including educational requirements and advertising restrictions, which limited the creative options for such shows". I've noticed that the cartoons today they always have to be lecturing you. The government is sticking their noses in things yet again that they have no business sticking their noses into.

Decline (Wikipedia) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturday_morning_cartoon

The decline of the timeslot began in the late 1980s for a variety of reasons, including:
The rise of first run syndication animated programs, which usually had a greater artistic freedom, and looser standards (not mandated by a network) such as G.I. Joe, Transformers, ThunderCats and He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.[9]
Increasing regulation of children's programming content, including educational requirements and advertising restrictions, which limited the creative options for such shows.
An overreliance on common tropes, which, although it has been common since the early days of animation, became more pronounced by the 1980s; many of the longstanding Saturday morning franchises that had aired since the 1960s were beginning to age and decline in popularity.
The rise of cable TV channels like Nickelodeon, Disney Channel, and Cartoon Network which provided appealing animated entertainment throughout the week at nearly all hours, making Saturday morning timeslots far less important to viewers and advertisers. Cable channels also have the additional advantage of being beyond FCC content regulations, meaning they do not have to abide by educational or advertising regulations. Currently, there are at least ten channels specializing in kids programming.[10] This development notwithstanding, cable networks directed at children have used the Saturday morning time slot as its version of prime time for its animated series; Cartoon Network (with an action-oriented Saturday morning block), Nickelodeon (with the "Morning of Premieres") and Disney Channel (with "Toonin' Saturdays") have emphasized their Saturday morning cartoon programming.
The increase of VHS and DVDs which allow children to watch cartoons anytime.
Increased awareness of childhood obesity and lethargy which was centered around Saturday morning cartoons.
The proliferation of the commercial toy or toyline-oriented animated program in the 1980s also led to advocacy group backlash and a decline in such programming. Many of these programs implemented public service messages at their conclusion to address these criticisms.
Increased popularity of video game consoles and, by the late 1990s, the World Wide Web.
Many of the same networks that often showed Saturday morning cartoons began airing similar programs in the afternoons during the weekdays, usually when most children were out of school already. This practice has been discontinued as of late, but it was common throughout the 1990s.
An increase in children's participation in Saturday activities outside the home.[11]
The success of live action Saturday morning programming for kids and teens (such as NBC's Saved by the Bell) which led to the development of more live action shows and teen programming, squeezing out cartoons.
For more details on this topic, see Teen NBC.
The gradual loss of most of the American companies which were at one time, iconic and prolific producers of children's television shows. For example: Filmation, Hanna Barbera, Ruby-Spears, Sunbow Productions, DIC Entertainment, Saban Entertainment, Marvel Productions, and Rankin/Bass, all of which are now either defunct or now non operating subsidiaries of larger companies. Other noted producers such as Sid and Marty Krofft, while not officially defunct, are much less active in recent years due to their advanced age.
Beginning in the late 1990s, the offshoring of animation production to other countries. Currently, one of the leading producers of Saturday morning cartoon programming is Canada's Nelvana, a division of Corus Entertainment. The earlier popularity of imported Japanese animation such as Robotech also contributed to this.
Beginning in the late 2000s, decisions by breakfast cereal companies and fast food restaurants to reduce their advertising to children. Breakfast cereals were a major advertiser on Saturday morning cartoons; however, nutrition advocacy groups criticized the companies for advertising cereals with high sugar content and low nutritional value, leading to groups such as Kellogg's and Quaker Oats to either stop or scale back their advertising to children. Similar pressures on fast-food restaurants' high-calorie meals (along with the denouement of the Burger Wars) led advertisers such as McDonald's and Burger King to pull back their advertising toward children.

I have old recorded VHS tapes of shows I enjoyed back then that I am putting onto DVD. If I had a kid, Id expose him/her to what I watched instead of the crap that is on now.

When I was a kid in the 60s the cartoons rocked! I looked forward to Saturday mornings with a bowl of cereal on the floor in front of the tv, all week long. We had the Pink Panther, Tom and Jerry, Buggs Bunny, Fat Albert, Land of the Lost (live action show about dinosaurs), Scooby Doo, and then on PBS they showed all five Sesame Street, Electric Company, Mr Rogers, and Zoom (the original ones). After that the painting guy came on. With the hair.

I can still see reruns of the old cartoons on something like Nick or Cartoon Network, I'm sure, but they have lost their magic for me.

My kids grew up in the 90s and they watched Rugrats, Little Bear (I liked Little Bear), Gullah Gullah Island, Barney (I hate Barney), Rocket Power, As Told By Ginger, Hey Arnold, Doug, Arthur, etc etc. I liked some of them. Because I was usually nursing one baby or rocking a toddler off to nap, then the next toddler, I ended up watching them every day too.

Now though, my youngest is 15 and they like King of the Hill, Futurama, South Park, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, American Dad, Family Guy (I love Family Guy, especially Stewie and Brian the dog).

I sort of like those prime time cartoons, but I think they should take it to the next level. They need to make a cartoon, weekly hour long drama. Something like a medical drama or a police procedure show. Instead of drawing it like the other prine time cartoons, they should draw it real. There is a commercial out, I can't remember if it's for insurance or a stock trading company, but it looks almost like they are drawing over live action. Do you know the one I'm talking about? The characters are simply talking about their experience with their respective companies and one of them recommends the sponsor. I think it should be drawn like that. Total drama, and if there is humor at all, it should be subtle like on the other prime time dramas. I would watch it.

Sorry to go off topic. I don't know what happened to the cartoons. I guess with each generation they have younger creators who they feel are in touch with the next younger generation. For a long time, they were all drawn by the same bunch I think, weren't they? People in their 40s and 50's and up? I guess they want to be cutting edge or something.

Ooooh, "Cutting Edge" - that could be the name of the cartoon drama!! !! It could be a medical show about surgical residents. Cutting Edge referring to both the surgeons and the new format for drama!

I've had entirely too much coffee I think.

Sorry about your bad cartoon experience. I have a whole set of Power Rangers tapes you can have if that helps

Frances

(Thread moved from Autism discussion to Television, Film, and Video)

Yeah. Pity on the Saturday morning cartoons.

I don't have tv per se. We don't get reception without cable and cable is just expensive, repetitious and full of commercials. I have Netflix so I can watch old cartoons anytime without commercials. KB loves Netflix.

I miss the 90s.

Sadly Australia follows suit to America in everything..
Same here we barely have any good Saturday morning cartoons...

I was also a kid in the 1960's. On weekday mornings and afternoons, there was local programming for kids with Popeye, Looney Tunes, Gumby, Roger Ramjet, and Davy and Goliath (religious propaganda). Sometimes I watched Captain Kangaroo or one of the Canadian shows we could pick up, sometimes in French. In the afternoon there was Batman and sometimes Superman. It was a BIG DEAL to sit down and watch TV for 30 minutes.

The Cartoon Network still features programming like what you and I grew up with - not all of is must have a message or be educational. Most of it is just plain, dumb entertainment.

Hek when I was a kid in the 90's cartoons were awesome. Cartoon Network showed both classic cartoons like Looney Tunes and Scooby Doo along with some original cartoons that were pretty awesome like Courage the Cowardly Dog, Ed, Edd, n Eddy, and Johnny Bravo. Nickelodeon in the 90's also had their awesome cartoons such as The Rugrats, Hey Arnold, and Angry Beavers.

I don't really watch those channels anymore because they show nothing but crap, which is why I'm trying to find my favorite cartoons on DVD now. Even though I'm a young adult I still enjoy the good cartoons.

The Wikipedia article mentions something that, in my eyes, was an improvement to the traditional Sat-Morn timeslot programming for cartoons: the coming of 24/7 cartoon/kids networks like Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon Channel, etc. I remember when, here in the Netherlands, Fox Kids first started, sharing a channel with Fox Holland/Veronica, and programming kids shows, primarily cartoons, from 6 in the morning to 6 in the evening. I was absolutely blown away. This was in 1999 when I was already 12. Shortly afterwards, Cartoon Network moved from being a pay-per-view channel to being included in the local cable package of channels, and Nickelodeon debuted on Dutch TV. It was cartoon Valhalla for me.

Now I'm not certain what children watch these days, as I stopped watching cartoons at the tender age of 18 . But I've sometimes caught more recent stuff like 'Avengers', 'Atomic Betty', 'Transformers Prime' etc... And, at least here in the Netherlands (I don't know about the US) they still seem to air a pretty cool mix between comedy and action toons. Most I see is that the look and the style has changed, but I consider that a good thing in general. Imagine that kids would be watching the same cartoons generation after generation.

Oh, and just for the heck of it, I'm just itching to post a nostalgic trip down memory lane with a couple of my favourite old Sat-Morn action toon intros I was going through on YouTube the other day (not embedding, for the sake of post size):

Dinoriders

Ring Raiders

Galaxy Rangers

C.O.P.S.

Transformers

Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles

Most Saturday morning cartoons now
are rushed, overrated, and suck.

I can't believe I had forgotten about Captain Kangaroo! I loved that show! Where I lived it came on in the mornings, and I used to watch it in the summer and on days I was home sick. I'm sure I watched it back before I started Kindergarten too.

Do you remember the original Zoom?

What about "Disco Break" in the afternoons after school during the 70s? That couple that came on for 15 minutes and showed a new dance step every day? And the After School Specials too!

Where I lived they would show reruns of I Dream of Jeannie, Gilligans Island, The Brady Bunch, The Partridge Family, Andy Griffith, and Mayberry RFD every day after school. I rarely got to watch Andy and Mayberry, because the grownups like the news you know.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qh2sWSVRrmo[/youtube]
I blame Helen Lovejoy.

Cartoons will always be a special interest to me. I remember getting up at 6 am and watching Saturday morning cartoons until noon in the 90s. Now they just have the news and infomercials on Saturday mornings. It kind of took the excitement out of Saturdays. Now Saturdays are for sleeping in. I have Netflix now, so I guess I can watch cartoons anytime, but it's not the same.

I've pretty much given up on modern cartoons, as they're annoying, don't make much sense, and are done on the cheap

For example, I tuned in to the last 15 minute of Disney/Pixar's Bolt last night on the Disney Channel. After the credits for that movie rolled, they ran a promo for new Mickey Mouse cartoons that will be premiering on Saturday. If Walt were still alive, he'd be horrified on how badly drawn his most famous character has become. It looks WORSE than the current version of Teen Titans running on Cartoon Network! It looks even worse than the Gene Deitch produced Tom and Jerry's of the Late '50 and early '60. Even the Hanna-Barbera stuff of the '60's look better than this!

I guess this goes to prove that money talks and bull**** walks. No one really gives a damn anymore about artistic quality and storytelling, just throw some CGI at the public and they'll be happy.