This Is SO wrong

FOX eliminates Saturday morning cartoons for infomercials.

After terminating a deal with 4Kids, an independent producer of children’s programming, the Fox network closed down its Saturday morning block of cartoons on Monday, and became the first major broadcast network to agree to sell a part of its schedule to producers of infomercials.

Fox executives said that children’s programming was simply no longer viable on network television — mainly because of competition from cable channels.

Goddamn! Some of Kid Various' fondest memories of childhood emanate from spending 5 hours in front of the TV on Saturday mornings watching Bugs Bunny, Scooby Doo, the Superfriends, Land of the Lost, Sigmund and the Sea Monsters, Grape Ape, Hong Kong Phooey, Magilla Gorilla, Underdog, etc. etc. etc.

The highlight of his week. That welcome respite from the drudgery of school. When the weekend was new and you had two whole days stretched out before you. Kid Various can sing the whole preamble to the Constitution because of Saturday morning cartoons!



As the years went by, and most cartoons became less and less humorous entertainment and more and more extended toy commercials (we're talking to YOU G.I. Joe!) there were still nuggets of great art out there. Kid Various spent his young adult Saturdays gleefully recovering from alcohol poisoning with The All New Adventures of Mighty Mouse, Pinky & The Brain, Batman: The Animated Series.

Alas, it is all going away. And with it, another piece of our common culture.

We weep for the children who will wake up on those bright Saturday mornings of freedom - to greeted by the Thigh-Master^TM.