A weekday cartoon is the colloquial term for the animated series programming that was typically scheduled on weekday mornings and afternoons in the United States on many major television networks and in broadcast syndication since the 1960s.
History
1960s and 1970s Weekday cartoons began as far back as the early 1960s on commercial independent station in the major American media markets. On such stations, cartoon blocks would occupy the 7–9 a.m. and the 3–5 p.m. time periods, with some stations (such as WKBD-TV and WXON (now WMYD) in Detroit, MI) running cartoons from 6–9 a.m. and 2–5 p.m. In smaller markets, network affiliate sometimes filled the 3 or 4 p.m. hour with such programming. In the 1970s, additional independent stations signed on running such programming (such as WUAB in Cleveland, Ohio; WXNE-TV (now WFXT) in Boston, Massachusetts; WKBS-TV, WTAF-TV (now WTXF-TV) and WPHL-TV in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania). The programs were distributed on various television stations (many of which were independent stations) through broadcast syndication. A number of these weekday cartoons, especially the early staples such as Colonel Bleep, Batfink and Clutch Cargo, were serials that aired in daily, five-minute segments (as opposed to the standard half-hour format typical of most other cartoons today). A glut of such shows were produced in the late 1950s and through the 1960s, then syndicated continuously for the next two decades. These programs were usually distributed to local stations to air within their locally produced children's program showcases – which in addition to animated shorts, also included games, locally produced or franchised costumed characters (the best known example being Bozo the Clown), and entertainment to form a variety show. This program model slowly died out during the 1980s.
1980s In the 1980s, independent stations signed on in many mid-sized and small markets. This market was meant for made-for-television cartoons which had grown as a result. Many of these stations started running cartoon blocks on weekdays as early as 6 in the morning and as early as two in the afternoon. There were some stations that had aired cartoons as late as 6 p.m. on weekdays. Most large and mid-sized markets had at least two local stations running such programming in the 6 to 9 a.m. and the 2:30 to 5 p.m. timeslots. Some markets had as many as three. Traditionally, the local stations had been airing reruns of either old theatrical cartoons or TV cartoons produced for the nationwide channels. However, this was soon to change as producers realized the potential of selling their cartoons directly to the independent stations. The first cartoon series to be produced for first-run syndication were He-Man and the Masters of the Universe and Inspector Gadget, both premiering with 65 half-hour episodes in the autumn of 1983. The 1981 Action for Children's Television made it permissible for animated series to be used to promote toylines and merchandise, and the many series that were created as a result would come to define much of the landscape of mid-1980s children's cartoons. He-Man and the Masters of the Universe kickstarted this trend, and was followed in subsequent years by properties such as G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, The Transformers, ThunderCats, My Little Pony, and Voltron. The regulations on children's television programming in the United States was instrumental in ending this practice and setting limits to the amount of advertising time which were allocated to children's programs. Currently, any advertisement for a tie-in product within the show, elsewise the entire program will be classified automatically as a violating half-hour infomercial according to the FCC's definition, even if one second of a show's character or reference is seen in an advertising; this clause in Children's Television Act puts the station at risk of paying large fines should the program violate this rule. In 1987, The Walt Disney Company tried its luck at syndication, through its animation production unit Walt Disney Television Animation; DuckTales premiered that September, experiencing major success and eventually lasting for 100 episodes. The success of DuckTales paved the way for a second series two years later, Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers. In 1989, the two shows aired together as part of a syndicated daily block called The Disney Afternoon. In 1991, Disney added another hour to the block; The Disney Afternoon ran until August 29, 1997, when it was replaced by an unnamed block on September 1, 1997, until 1999, which was then replaced by Disney's One Too (a spinoff of ABC Saturday morning block Disney's One Saturday Morning) – and Disney's One Too had only lasted for four years on UPN and syndication, until it had discontinued in 2003. Since then, there are only a handful of local networks in the United States for ABC that broadcast children's programming. Otherwise, it has been replaced by reality shows, court shows, tabloid television, talk shows, and among other programming which are meant for adults.
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