FidgitStyles
Meh
19 years, that is how long this block has been on the air. That is a long time. It had its ups and downs. It has changed hands, twice, and in the end, even this block had to conform to the times. This is a look back at the legacy of Kid’s WB, CW 4Kid’s, and Vortexx.
We’ll go year by year. I will list the year, what season, the shows, and what years the shows were on along with any notes and thoughts I had about these shows.
Year 1 1995
Animaniacs 1 2 3 I never understood why Fox let a ratings juggernaut like Animaniacs get away.
Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries 1 2 3 4 5 I rented Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries recently, the animation looks almost like the old Looney Tunes cartoons, but, I can’t get past the voices in this other then Granny’s
Pinky and The Brain 1 2 3 4 Very disappointed that Pinky and the Brain lasted only one season in primetime.
Freakazoid 1 2 Great series that ended too soon.
Earthworm Jim 1 2 Not sure how I would take Earthworm Jim now. I liked it back then. Was the first Kid’s WB series that was cancelled.
That’s Warner Bros./The Bugs N Daffy Show/The Daffy Duck Show Classic Looney Tunes.
I thought this was a great way to start the network. Really, my only complaints are how I didn’t like the intertwining of the WB stars that are in non kid oriented shows (Nikki Cox) in the bumpers and how obnoxious Jeff Bennett was in the ads. They toned him down in the second season.
Year 2 1996
Superman The Animated Series 2 3 4 5 I liked Superman even though he was no Batman, the show was really well done.
Road Rovers 2 Road Rovers ending confused the heck out of me, although out of the two major mutant animal shows the premiered this year (Disney had The Mighty Ducks) I thought this was better, it was funny. Duck’s tried to be funny and failed.
Waynehead 2 Kind of wished Waynehead did better, there weren’t that many cartoons that were geared towards African-Americans at the time, there still aren’t. Two premiered this year, the other was C-Bear and Jamal on Fox Kid’s, and they both were taken off the air after one season.
My Thoughts: There was also the mess that was Freakazoid, the second season was the best, but, Kid’s WB didn’t know what to do with it. They moved it to eight in the morning for their Big Kids Go First promo, and then they moved it to Fridays under the Freak-out Friday’s logo, and then canceled. This was the last year that CBS had a full Saturday morning block. Not surprising considering how crowded it got.
Year 3 1997
Men In Black The Series 3 4 5 6 Second best new series on Kid’s WB this year right on the heels of the first movie, which was really fast.
Calamity Jain 3 Never watched it so I can’t judge it. Was a one month wonder.
Batman The Animated Series 3 4 Batman got a new look and a new crew.
Channel Umptee-3 3 I also didn’t watch Umptee-3. I think it was a show that Kid’s WB was forced to put on because of some education act that was passed. That is also why Captain Planet was on weekdays.
Tiny Toon Adventures 3 Used as filler for their weekday morning line-up/
Captain Planet 3 Same as Tiny Toons. Was only on because of the Education act.
My Thoughts: This was the start of what I call one month wonders, being that Kid’s WB added a show that did so poorly that it gets pull after it’s on for a month or less. Example, Calamity Jane. Men In Black was great, plus, new Batman. The best part was that Pinky and The Brain was now on six days a week and they had new episodes on weekdays. This was the first season of Disney’s One Saturday Morning, and Fox Kid's control started to go over to Saban.
Year 4 1998
Invasion America 4 Invasion America was a WB primetime leftover. Was used as filler until Batman Beyond started
Brats of the Lost Nebula 4 Brat’s of the Lost Nebula was a one month wonder.
Pinky, Elmyra, and The Brain 4 Pinky, Elmyra, and The Brain, the theme song said it plan and simple, “It’s what the network wants, why bother to complain.â€.
Histeria! 4 5 The concept was great, kid’s learn about world history in an entertaining manner with pop culture references. The biggest problem was they overloaded each cartoon with too many characters and one time, what is known as the Kid’s Chorus. One part Little Rascals, one part Yakko, Wakko, and Dot, and while the Warner Bros. were funny and annoying at the same time, these kid’s were just annoying, and there were 11 of them.
Batman Beyond 4 5 6 It was dark, it was at times disturbing, it had two deaths in the first episodes, it was Batman Beyond. What sounded like a horrible idea for a show, I mean come on, it’s Batman, but in the future, was one of the best cartoons on Kid’s WB ever.
Pokemon 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 That one speaks for itself. It was like the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, that it did so well in Syndication that it caught the networks attention. I liked the first season best because it didn’t take three years to complete. How has Ash not aged at all after, what is it now, 14 years? And he is still not a Pokemon master. Took me about a month to become one. Maybe you shouldn’t released all of those that you’ve trained so hard over the years, or maybe you’re just not good at it kid.
The Cat & Birdy Warneroonie Pinky Brainy Big Cartoonie Show 4 5 The Big Cartoonie Show, which was an hour and a half when it started, was Kid’s WB’s answer when Brats, Pinky Elmyra, Histeria!, and the Brain, and Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries (Which was on it’s last legs) failed to get ratings.
My Thoughts: This was the season that started out as WHAT and ended in WOW. I can’t say it was a mess from the start. It still had new episodes of Batman, Superman, and Men In Black. But it also saw the cancellation of some of their best comedy shows. Animaniacs and Pinky and the Brain due to network interference and not hitting their target audience. So they were replaced with a sub par knockoff, Histeria!, or retooled, Pinky, Elmyra, and The Brain. When they failed they, they merged old and current shows to make one big one until the midseason replacements came on. This was also the same year Fox Kid’s dump all, but one of their series (Power Rangers) and failed. The beginning was a bad time for Kid's WB and Fox Kid's, but WB rebounded big time.
Year 5 1999
Detention 5 I think Detention was WB’s answer to the Disney’s recent era of lets have all of our cartoons take place in school, including Hercules.
Max Steel 5 6 Max Steel was a more exciting version of Action Man, and was still boring.
My Thoughts: Using what worked the year before, Kid's WB added one or two things that really didn’t work. Perhaps they were trying to capitalize on the whole ‘Disney goes to school’ thing with Detention, but it lasted only a year and WB never looked back.
Year 6 2000
Jackie Chan Adventures 6 7 8 9 10 Love Jackie Chan Adventures. Out of all the shows that featured or named after a movie or TV star, (Macaulay Culkin, John Candy, Rosanne, New Kid’s On The Block, Rick Moranis) this was the best. It is also the last show on the block to have all new episodes on the weekdays.
Cardcaptors 6 7 This year saw the butchering of Cardcaptor Sakura.
Static Shock 6 7 8 9 Seemed to remember it started off as weak. Why does a guy whose street name is F Stop need to change his name after getting superpowers. What’s you real name punk. A nickname for a nickname is kind of lame. Won’t say that to his face, thou, cause he’s a cartoon.
X-Men Evolution 6 7 8 9 The second best X-Men Series.
The Zeta Project 6 7 Don’t remember this too well.
Generation O 6 Don’t remember too much.
Good season. I can’t believe Jackie Chan was as good as it was. Static Shock was also a stand out. Kid’s WB was started to get smart with their midseason replacements, using more then just one show to replace shows that did not have that big of an audience or not go into repeats. Kid’s WB also had Fraturdays where they showed new episodes of Generation O and Cardcaptors.
Year 7 2001
Cubix: Robots For Everyone 7 8 I didn’t care much for Cubix character designs. They were, too cutesy.
The Mummy The Animated Series 7 8 Never watch, can’t say
The Nightmare Room 7 Didn’t watch
Yu-Gi-Oh 7 8 9 10 11 The show that did in Fox Kid’s. Well a lot of things did in Fox Kid’s. Yu-gi-Oh was a surprise hit considering it premiered in the 11:30 death slot. Although its popularity faded by the fifth seasons it still had a major impact.
Phantom Investigators 7 A very cleaver idea that never took off. Ended up a one month wonder.
Powerpuff Girls 7 Was on here to promote the Powerpuff Girl Movie.
Rescue Heroes GRT 7 8 Rescue Heroes is Rescue Heroes.
Scooby-Doo
My Thoughts: Rut-Oh, it looks like Kid’s WB is using Warner’s ties with Hanna-Barbara and Cartoon Network this year, with the addition of Scooby (To prepare for the new cartoon) and the Powerpuff Girls (To promote the movie). They also added Rescue Heroes to please that education thing I mentioned earlier. I did notice this year that Kid’s WB had started this trend where they put shows that they think won’t do well or on their last legs or were about to be taken off the air only to come back next year as a midseason replacement on at 8am or 11:30am. Superman, Detention, Men In Black, Max Steel all were results of this. This year it was Cubix and The Mummy. It didn’t start out that way. It seems Kid’s WB didn’t have high hopes for Yu-gi-Oh. They were wrong. Nightmare room didn’t last, it was Kid’s WB’s first and only live action show, and one of their best new shows, Phantom Investigators was a one month wonder. This was also the year they brought Toonami to Kid’s WB. This was also the year the Fox Kid’s bowed out.
Year 8 2002
What’s New Scooby-Doo 8 9 10 No pup, no Scrappy, no Flim Flam. Just the old school gang in new mysteries. Stories were better then the old ones, but still weren’t great.
Ozzy and Drix 8 9 Didn’t watch.
Mucha Lucha 8 9 10 Would have been an interesting take on Mexican wrestling.
Megaman NT Warrior 8 9 10 Not one of my favorites. Lasted longer then I thought it would.
My Thoughts: Chris Rock said that voicing cartoons is not work, you just say what they tell you to say and they give you a million dollars. Too bad Chris Rock has only one character, himself, and apparently, he is easily replaceable by a voice actor who can play many different characters, Phil LaMarr, This was a year that I really didn’t get into the new shows. I still watch my favorites, Jackie Chan, Yu-gi-Oh, X-Men, and Pokemon, but, I didn’t care much for any of these, although I did attempt to watch Scooby, which I didn’t hate. I steered clear of Mucha Lucha because of the Flee. Fart jokes just aren’t my thing. 4Kid’s Fox Box started this year as well as ABC Kid’s which was one part Power Ranger, one part new Disney shows, and one part Disney Chanel reruns. NBC calls it quits with TNBC as well.
Year 9 2003
Astro Boy 9 It was good despite being a one month wonder.
Codename Kid’s Next Door 9 It was on here just to promote the show for Cartoon Network.
Teen Titans 9 10 Love this show. I wonder if it was originally intended for Kid’s WB and Cartoon Network saw potential in it.
Xiaolin Showdown 9 10 11 12 A very good show in season 2 and 3, still not used to the cast change in the new series. They sound too old.
My Thoughts: This season started out the same as season 8. Scooby and X-Men were in the death seats, but, X-Men was the first of two to be pulled (Along with Ozzy and Drix) to be replaced by more Yu-gi-Oh or Pokemon, Teen Titans, and Xiaolin Showdown. Teen Titans, and Scooby would be pulled to make room for a sleeker new Static Shock, the show got money, and Astro Boy, which quickly became a one month wonder, which was too bad.
Year 10 2004
The Batman 10 11 12 Thought it was a good series. Not as good as the animated series, of course.
Da Boom Crew 10 I never watch this series, so I can’t judge it. From the reviews I have seen, it was bad.
Fosters Home For Imaginary Friends 10 It was on here just to promote the show for Cartoon Network.
My Thoughts: It the death slots at the start of the season, Jackie Chan Adventure, we all knew it was the last season, and Da Boom Crew, a brand new show which quickly became a one month wonder. This was also the year ABC cut its children’s programming down to air an hour of Good Morning America.
Year 11 2005
Coconut Fred’s Fruit Salad Island 11 Did they really try to make a knock off of Spongebob?
Johnny Test 11 12 13 I liked Johnny Test despite the fart jokes.
Loonatic’s Unleashed 11 12 Mommy, mommy, look what Kid’s WB is doing to Bugs Bunny, lets start a petition so they won’t look so dark. I don’t know if Loonatics Unleashed would have been better with the original designs or not, all I do know is it talked down to kid’s a lot and the first season had the worse villain line-up ever for a show. Kinda expected better from the writers of Swat Kats.
Viewtiful Joe 11 Started out odd when they started the show in the middle and then showed the first episode in December.
Spider Riders 11 12 Don’t remember Spider Riders too well.
Transformers Cybertron 11 I steered cleared of any anime Transformers.
My Thoughts: This was the second to last season any anime would appear on Kid’s WB since Yu-gi-Oh was over and GX and Pokemon had started on Cartoon Network. This was the last year for the Kid’s WB afternoon line-up.
Year 12 2006
Tom and Jerry Tales 12 13 Fun series.
Shaggy and Scooby-Doo Get a Clue 12 13 I know people don’t like this show, but I watched it for one reason, the villains. They are what made this show. They were very likable and funny. I could care less that Shaggy and Scooby were in it, they could have been a badger and a water imp for all I cared.
Legion Of Superheroes 12 13 I watch Legion of Superheroes rarely, I couldn’t get past Bouncy Boy
Monster Allergy 12 I don’t remember Monster Allergy at all.
Krypto 12 Good E/I series.
My Thoughts: Because there was no more afternoon Kid’s WB line-up, Saturdays went from 4 hours to 5, to add educational shows to meet certain standards. That show was Krypto the Superdog, and it was good. Was disappointed in Xiaolin Showdown since there were no new episodes for this season.
Year 13 2007
Skunk Fu 13 14 We had a Kung Fu panda before Kung Fu Panda
Eon Kid 13 Ended too soon.
Spectacular Spiderman 13 19 An amazing Spider Man series that should have lasted longer. If Kid’s WB lasted, would there have been a third season?
World of Quest 13 I don’t remember World of Quest
Magi-Nation 13 Was good of a EI series
Will and Dewitt 13 Was not.
Yu-Gi-Oh GX 13(Under CW 4Kid’s) Never watched
Chaotic 13 14 15(Under CW 4Kid’s) Watched some. Didn’t care for it.
TMNT Fast Forward/Back to the Sewer 13 14(Under CW 4Kid’s) I never cared for these later episodes of TMNT. The earlier seasons were the best.
My Thoughts: The last season was one of the best seasons. It makes me wonder if 4Kids had the money to buy and produce any third party series from this season I wonder which ones they would have. I could see Spiderman, and Skunk Fu, perhaps ratings powerhouses Shaggy and Scooby-Doo Get a Clue, Johnny Test, or Tom and Jerry Tales.
Year 14 2008
Yu-gi-Oh! 5D’s 14 15 16 Never watched
Viva Piñata 14 I love this series, although half of the characters annoy me.
GoGoRiki 14 Never watched much
Dinosaur King 14 15 Didn’t watch at all.
Huntik Secrets and Seekers 14 Didn’t watch at all.
Kamin Rider: Dragon Knight 14 Great series with a short life span.
Sonic X 14 15 16 17 18 19 What it is
Winx Club
Kirby Right Back At Ya!
My Thoughts: To say that CW 4Kid’s started out as a mess would be wrong. It had a strong line-up for the most part. It was, however, overcrowded with catch the monster series with Yu-gi-oh! 5D’s, Dinosaur King, an hour of Chaotic, and Huntik. It became confusing. They had some good verity, but the stand out was Masked Rider 2 or Kamin Rider: Dragon Knight. Unfortunately, 4Kid’s had put all their eggs and one basket (season) and the result was next season. This was also the year that Yu-gi-oh! 5D’s and Chaotic disappeared ended up on two different networks and then repapered.
Year 15 2009
RollBots 15 Never watched
My Thoughts: One new series. After all the new series from the year before, only one. This year started the over situation of Sonic X, TMNT top whatever episodes, the return of classic Yu-gi-oh!, and only a hand full of series with new episodes. This season ended with a Summer of all Sonic X episodes.
Year 16 2010
Dragonball Z Kai 16 17 18 19 Old series new twist, still great.
My Thoughts: Enter Toonzai. How do you loss an audience? Air nothing but Sonic X, and Yu-gi-oh reruns. You did have new episodes of 5D’s and DBZ Kai, but the damage had been done. The thing is, ABC also gave up, giving us nothing but reruns.
Year 17 2011
Yu-gi-oh! Zexel 17 18 19 Never got pasted the tomato episode. Thought that this series was a huge step back from 5D’s
Tai Chi Chasers 17 Never watched
My Thoughts: 4Kids is still trying, which is a lot more then ABC was doing. But with only two series with new episodes, we knew it was doomed., despite the spokes person Krillen knockoff with a beard.
Year 18 2012
Power Rangers Lost Galaxy 18 Thought it was okay. Really stopped watching Power Rangers after Ninja Storm.
Iron Man Armored Adventures 18 Never watched.
Justice League Unlimited 18 19 Good series. Love the season long arcs. Ended too soon.
WWE Saturday Morning Slam 18 It was what it was. No real story lines.
Transformers Prime 18 Never watched
The Adventures of Nanoboy 18 Watched one time. Never again
My Thoughts: Enter the Vortexx. We wanted a something to save Saturday mornings. We hoped that it would be Sabans Vortexx block. What we got was 4 parts 4Kids leftovers, 1 part WWE, 3 parts superhero reruns, and 1 part Power Rangers. To say the block started out strong, I would say meh. Despite some strong ratings from WWE, JLU, and DBZ Kai, the 4Kid’s leftovers just brought the block down, which never recovered from 4Kid’s to begin with. Confusion over why Power Rangers and Iron Man was pulled didn’t help.
Year 19 2013
Chuck and Friends 19 Never watched
Bolts and Blip 19 Thought it was a good show that was under appreciated.
B-Daman Crossfire 19 Couldn’t get pass the whole little bots that can’t do anything but shot marbles and talk. Thought it was boring.
Digimon Fusion 19 This version of Digimon confuses me with its digivolve or what ever it is called. I like the earlier season when each kid had their own Digimon and we could see what each one digivolve to. With this one, there is nothing to look forward to. I wonder what confusing combo Shoutmon x48 looks like.
My Thoughts: This season could have started out big. They could have had new episodes on most of the entire line-up. Did that happen? Nope! It was announce in June of 2013 that Vortexx would premier three new shows, Bolts and Blip, Digimon Fusion, Sendokai Champions and the return of Spectacular Spider-Man, on top of new episodes of Dragon Ball Z Kai, WWE Saturday Morning Slam and Yu-gi-Oh! Zexel. That would have been 6 new episodes, a classic Spiderman episode, and a classic Yu-gi-oh episode. So what happened? The second season of Slam never happened and was replaced by B-Daman Crossfire. A new show, which was fine. Digimon Fusions premier was pushed back from fall to winter replacing a new show instead of one that has been on for a long time, and so far, Sendokai Champions has not seen the light of day. This had been a messed up season that didn’t need to be. The result, Doomed, doomed I say.
In the end, Kid's WB started off slowly, building off from shows that worked on other networks. It became a powerhouse with Batman Beyond, Pokemon, Yu-gi-Oh! and Jackie Chan Adventures. As times and resources change, so do networks. Outsourcing became all the rage when it became clear that it was not profitable for networks to run their own blocks anymore. However, it became clear that the companies this block was outsourced to was either already failing and was hoping to cash in on the popularity that Kid's WB had already established, or a company that was in way over it’s head when they took over. Would the block still be around if Kid’s WB was still in charge. Could have shows like Tom and Jerry Tales, Shaggy and Scooby-Doo Get a Clue, Young Justice, The Looney Tunes Show, and Beware the Batman had a longer lifespan if they were still around? There is no sense thinking about the what if. What has passed has passed. What will the future bring for cartoons? Who knows?
I hope you enjoyed this look back at one of the longest running cartoon blocks of all time. A lot of us have had a lot of good and bad memories of this block. I was there from the beginning and perhaps I will watch the final broadcast.
We’ll go year by year. I will list the year, what season, the shows, and what years the shows were on along with any notes and thoughts I had about these shows.
Year 1 1995
Animaniacs 1 2 3 I never understood why Fox let a ratings juggernaut like Animaniacs get away.
Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries 1 2 3 4 5 I rented Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries recently, the animation looks almost like the old Looney Tunes cartoons, but, I can’t get past the voices in this other then Granny’s
Pinky and The Brain 1 2 3 4 Very disappointed that Pinky and the Brain lasted only one season in primetime.
Freakazoid 1 2 Great series that ended too soon.
Earthworm Jim 1 2 Not sure how I would take Earthworm Jim now. I liked it back then. Was the first Kid’s WB series that was cancelled.
That’s Warner Bros./The Bugs N Daffy Show/The Daffy Duck Show Classic Looney Tunes.
I thought this was a great way to start the network. Really, my only complaints are how I didn’t like the intertwining of the WB stars that are in non kid oriented shows (Nikki Cox) in the bumpers and how obnoxious Jeff Bennett was in the ads. They toned him down in the second season.
Year 2 1996
Superman The Animated Series 2 3 4 5 I liked Superman even though he was no Batman, the show was really well done.
Road Rovers 2 Road Rovers ending confused the heck out of me, although out of the two major mutant animal shows the premiered this year (Disney had The Mighty Ducks) I thought this was better, it was funny. Duck’s tried to be funny and failed.
Waynehead 2 Kind of wished Waynehead did better, there weren’t that many cartoons that were geared towards African-Americans at the time, there still aren’t. Two premiered this year, the other was C-Bear and Jamal on Fox Kid’s, and they both were taken off the air after one season.
My Thoughts: There was also the mess that was Freakazoid, the second season was the best, but, Kid’s WB didn’t know what to do with it. They moved it to eight in the morning for their Big Kids Go First promo, and then they moved it to Fridays under the Freak-out Friday’s logo, and then canceled. This was the last year that CBS had a full Saturday morning block. Not surprising considering how crowded it got.
Year 3 1997
Men In Black The Series 3 4 5 6 Second best new series on Kid’s WB this year right on the heels of the first movie, which was really fast.
Calamity Jain 3 Never watched it so I can’t judge it. Was a one month wonder.
Batman The Animated Series 3 4 Batman got a new look and a new crew.
Channel Umptee-3 3 I also didn’t watch Umptee-3. I think it was a show that Kid’s WB was forced to put on because of some education act that was passed. That is also why Captain Planet was on weekdays.
Tiny Toon Adventures 3 Used as filler for their weekday morning line-up/
Captain Planet 3 Same as Tiny Toons. Was only on because of the Education act.
My Thoughts: This was the start of what I call one month wonders, being that Kid’s WB added a show that did so poorly that it gets pull after it’s on for a month or less. Example, Calamity Jane. Men In Black was great, plus, new Batman. The best part was that Pinky and The Brain was now on six days a week and they had new episodes on weekdays. This was the first season of Disney’s One Saturday Morning, and Fox Kid's control started to go over to Saban.
Year 4 1998
Invasion America 4 Invasion America was a WB primetime leftover. Was used as filler until Batman Beyond started
Brats of the Lost Nebula 4 Brat’s of the Lost Nebula was a one month wonder.
Pinky, Elmyra, and The Brain 4 Pinky, Elmyra, and The Brain, the theme song said it plan and simple, “It’s what the network wants, why bother to complain.â€.
Histeria! 4 5 The concept was great, kid’s learn about world history in an entertaining manner with pop culture references. The biggest problem was they overloaded each cartoon with too many characters and one time, what is known as the Kid’s Chorus. One part Little Rascals, one part Yakko, Wakko, and Dot, and while the Warner Bros. were funny and annoying at the same time, these kid’s were just annoying, and there were 11 of them.
Batman Beyond 4 5 6 It was dark, it was at times disturbing, it had two deaths in the first episodes, it was Batman Beyond. What sounded like a horrible idea for a show, I mean come on, it’s Batman, but in the future, was one of the best cartoons on Kid’s WB ever.
Pokemon 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 That one speaks for itself. It was like the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, that it did so well in Syndication that it caught the networks attention. I liked the first season best because it didn’t take three years to complete. How has Ash not aged at all after, what is it now, 14 years? And he is still not a Pokemon master. Took me about a month to become one. Maybe you shouldn’t released all of those that you’ve trained so hard over the years, or maybe you’re just not good at it kid.
The Cat & Birdy Warneroonie Pinky Brainy Big Cartoonie Show 4 5 The Big Cartoonie Show, which was an hour and a half when it started, was Kid’s WB’s answer when Brats, Pinky Elmyra, Histeria!, and the Brain, and Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries (Which was on it’s last legs) failed to get ratings.
My Thoughts: This was the season that started out as WHAT and ended in WOW. I can’t say it was a mess from the start. It still had new episodes of Batman, Superman, and Men In Black. But it also saw the cancellation of some of their best comedy shows. Animaniacs and Pinky and the Brain due to network interference and not hitting their target audience. So they were replaced with a sub par knockoff, Histeria!, or retooled, Pinky, Elmyra, and The Brain. When they failed they, they merged old and current shows to make one big one until the midseason replacements came on. This was also the same year Fox Kid’s dump all, but one of their series (Power Rangers) and failed. The beginning was a bad time for Kid's WB and Fox Kid's, but WB rebounded big time.
Year 5 1999
Detention 5 I think Detention was WB’s answer to the Disney’s recent era of lets have all of our cartoons take place in school, including Hercules.
Max Steel 5 6 Max Steel was a more exciting version of Action Man, and was still boring.
My Thoughts: Using what worked the year before, Kid's WB added one or two things that really didn’t work. Perhaps they were trying to capitalize on the whole ‘Disney goes to school’ thing with Detention, but it lasted only a year and WB never looked back.
Year 6 2000
Jackie Chan Adventures 6 7 8 9 10 Love Jackie Chan Adventures. Out of all the shows that featured or named after a movie or TV star, (Macaulay Culkin, John Candy, Rosanne, New Kid’s On The Block, Rick Moranis) this was the best. It is also the last show on the block to have all new episodes on the weekdays.
Cardcaptors 6 7 This year saw the butchering of Cardcaptor Sakura.
Static Shock 6 7 8 9 Seemed to remember it started off as weak. Why does a guy whose street name is F Stop need to change his name after getting superpowers. What’s you real name punk. A nickname for a nickname is kind of lame. Won’t say that to his face, thou, cause he’s a cartoon.
X-Men Evolution 6 7 8 9 The second best X-Men Series.
The Zeta Project 6 7 Don’t remember this too well.
Generation O 6 Don’t remember too much.
Good season. I can’t believe Jackie Chan was as good as it was. Static Shock was also a stand out. Kid’s WB was started to get smart with their midseason replacements, using more then just one show to replace shows that did not have that big of an audience or not go into repeats. Kid’s WB also had Fraturdays where they showed new episodes of Generation O and Cardcaptors.
Year 7 2001
Cubix: Robots For Everyone 7 8 I didn’t care much for Cubix character designs. They were, too cutesy.
The Mummy The Animated Series 7 8 Never watch, can’t say
The Nightmare Room 7 Didn’t watch
Yu-Gi-Oh 7 8 9 10 11 The show that did in Fox Kid’s. Well a lot of things did in Fox Kid’s. Yu-gi-Oh was a surprise hit considering it premiered in the 11:30 death slot. Although its popularity faded by the fifth seasons it still had a major impact.
Phantom Investigators 7 A very cleaver idea that never took off. Ended up a one month wonder.
Powerpuff Girls 7 Was on here to promote the Powerpuff Girl Movie.
Rescue Heroes GRT 7 8 Rescue Heroes is Rescue Heroes.
Scooby-Doo
My Thoughts: Rut-Oh, it looks like Kid’s WB is using Warner’s ties with Hanna-Barbara and Cartoon Network this year, with the addition of Scooby (To prepare for the new cartoon) and the Powerpuff Girls (To promote the movie). They also added Rescue Heroes to please that education thing I mentioned earlier. I did notice this year that Kid’s WB had started this trend where they put shows that they think won’t do well or on their last legs or were about to be taken off the air only to come back next year as a midseason replacement on at 8am or 11:30am. Superman, Detention, Men In Black, Max Steel all were results of this. This year it was Cubix and The Mummy. It didn’t start out that way. It seems Kid’s WB didn’t have high hopes for Yu-gi-Oh. They were wrong. Nightmare room didn’t last, it was Kid’s WB’s first and only live action show, and one of their best new shows, Phantom Investigators was a one month wonder. This was also the year they brought Toonami to Kid’s WB. This was also the year the Fox Kid’s bowed out.
Year 8 2002
What’s New Scooby-Doo 8 9 10 No pup, no Scrappy, no Flim Flam. Just the old school gang in new mysteries. Stories were better then the old ones, but still weren’t great.
Ozzy and Drix 8 9 Didn’t watch.
Mucha Lucha 8 9 10 Would have been an interesting take on Mexican wrestling.
Megaman NT Warrior 8 9 10 Not one of my favorites. Lasted longer then I thought it would.
My Thoughts: Chris Rock said that voicing cartoons is not work, you just say what they tell you to say and they give you a million dollars. Too bad Chris Rock has only one character, himself, and apparently, he is easily replaceable by a voice actor who can play many different characters, Phil LaMarr, This was a year that I really didn’t get into the new shows. I still watch my favorites, Jackie Chan, Yu-gi-Oh, X-Men, and Pokemon, but, I didn’t care much for any of these, although I did attempt to watch Scooby, which I didn’t hate. I steered clear of Mucha Lucha because of the Flee. Fart jokes just aren’t my thing. 4Kid’s Fox Box started this year as well as ABC Kid’s which was one part Power Ranger, one part new Disney shows, and one part Disney Chanel reruns. NBC calls it quits with TNBC as well.
Year 9 2003
Astro Boy 9 It was good despite being a one month wonder.
Codename Kid’s Next Door 9 It was on here just to promote the show for Cartoon Network.
Teen Titans 9 10 Love this show. I wonder if it was originally intended for Kid’s WB and Cartoon Network saw potential in it.
Xiaolin Showdown 9 10 11 12 A very good show in season 2 and 3, still not used to the cast change in the new series. They sound too old.
My Thoughts: This season started out the same as season 8. Scooby and X-Men were in the death seats, but, X-Men was the first of two to be pulled (Along with Ozzy and Drix) to be replaced by more Yu-gi-Oh or Pokemon, Teen Titans, and Xiaolin Showdown. Teen Titans, and Scooby would be pulled to make room for a sleeker new Static Shock, the show got money, and Astro Boy, which quickly became a one month wonder, which was too bad.
Year 10 2004
The Batman 10 11 12 Thought it was a good series. Not as good as the animated series, of course.
Da Boom Crew 10 I never watch this series, so I can’t judge it. From the reviews I have seen, it was bad.
Fosters Home For Imaginary Friends 10 It was on here just to promote the show for Cartoon Network.
My Thoughts: It the death slots at the start of the season, Jackie Chan Adventure, we all knew it was the last season, and Da Boom Crew, a brand new show which quickly became a one month wonder. This was also the year ABC cut its children’s programming down to air an hour of Good Morning America.
Year 11 2005
Coconut Fred’s Fruit Salad Island 11 Did they really try to make a knock off of Spongebob?
Johnny Test 11 12 13 I liked Johnny Test despite the fart jokes.
Loonatic’s Unleashed 11 12 Mommy, mommy, look what Kid’s WB is doing to Bugs Bunny, lets start a petition so they won’t look so dark. I don’t know if Loonatics Unleashed would have been better with the original designs or not, all I do know is it talked down to kid’s a lot and the first season had the worse villain line-up ever for a show. Kinda expected better from the writers of Swat Kats.
Viewtiful Joe 11 Started out odd when they started the show in the middle and then showed the first episode in December.
Spider Riders 11 12 Don’t remember Spider Riders too well.
Transformers Cybertron 11 I steered cleared of any anime Transformers.
My Thoughts: This was the second to last season any anime would appear on Kid’s WB since Yu-gi-Oh was over and GX and Pokemon had started on Cartoon Network. This was the last year for the Kid’s WB afternoon line-up.
Year 12 2006
Tom and Jerry Tales 12 13 Fun series.
Shaggy and Scooby-Doo Get a Clue 12 13 I know people don’t like this show, but I watched it for one reason, the villains. They are what made this show. They were very likable and funny. I could care less that Shaggy and Scooby were in it, they could have been a badger and a water imp for all I cared.
Legion Of Superheroes 12 13 I watch Legion of Superheroes rarely, I couldn’t get past Bouncy Boy
Monster Allergy 12 I don’t remember Monster Allergy at all.
Krypto 12 Good E/I series.
My Thoughts: Because there was no more afternoon Kid’s WB line-up, Saturdays went from 4 hours to 5, to add educational shows to meet certain standards. That show was Krypto the Superdog, and it was good. Was disappointed in Xiaolin Showdown since there were no new episodes for this season.
Year 13 2007
Skunk Fu 13 14 We had a Kung Fu panda before Kung Fu Panda
Eon Kid 13 Ended too soon.
Spectacular Spiderman 13 19 An amazing Spider Man series that should have lasted longer. If Kid’s WB lasted, would there have been a third season?
World of Quest 13 I don’t remember World of Quest
Magi-Nation 13 Was good of a EI series
Will and Dewitt 13 Was not.
Yu-Gi-Oh GX 13(Under CW 4Kid’s) Never watched
Chaotic 13 14 15(Under CW 4Kid’s) Watched some. Didn’t care for it.
TMNT Fast Forward/Back to the Sewer 13 14(Under CW 4Kid’s) I never cared for these later episodes of TMNT. The earlier seasons were the best.
My Thoughts: The last season was one of the best seasons. It makes me wonder if 4Kids had the money to buy and produce any third party series from this season I wonder which ones they would have. I could see Spiderman, and Skunk Fu, perhaps ratings powerhouses Shaggy and Scooby-Doo Get a Clue, Johnny Test, or Tom and Jerry Tales.
Year 14 2008
Yu-gi-Oh! 5D’s 14 15 16 Never watched
Viva Piñata 14 I love this series, although half of the characters annoy me.
GoGoRiki 14 Never watched much
Dinosaur King 14 15 Didn’t watch at all.
Huntik Secrets and Seekers 14 Didn’t watch at all.
Kamin Rider: Dragon Knight 14 Great series with a short life span.
Sonic X 14 15 16 17 18 19 What it is
Winx Club
Kirby Right Back At Ya!
My Thoughts: To say that CW 4Kid’s started out as a mess would be wrong. It had a strong line-up for the most part. It was, however, overcrowded with catch the monster series with Yu-gi-oh! 5D’s, Dinosaur King, an hour of Chaotic, and Huntik. It became confusing. They had some good verity, but the stand out was Masked Rider 2 or Kamin Rider: Dragon Knight. Unfortunately, 4Kid’s had put all their eggs and one basket (season) and the result was next season. This was also the year that Yu-gi-oh! 5D’s and Chaotic disappeared ended up on two different networks and then repapered.
Year 15 2009
RollBots 15 Never watched
My Thoughts: One new series. After all the new series from the year before, only one. This year started the over situation of Sonic X, TMNT top whatever episodes, the return of classic Yu-gi-oh!, and only a hand full of series with new episodes. This season ended with a Summer of all Sonic X episodes.
Year 16 2010
Dragonball Z Kai 16 17 18 19 Old series new twist, still great.
My Thoughts: Enter Toonzai. How do you loss an audience? Air nothing but Sonic X, and Yu-gi-oh reruns. You did have new episodes of 5D’s and DBZ Kai, but the damage had been done. The thing is, ABC also gave up, giving us nothing but reruns.
Year 17 2011
Yu-gi-oh! Zexel 17 18 19 Never got pasted the tomato episode. Thought that this series was a huge step back from 5D’s
Tai Chi Chasers 17 Never watched
My Thoughts: 4Kids is still trying, which is a lot more then ABC was doing. But with only two series with new episodes, we knew it was doomed., despite the spokes person Krillen knockoff with a beard.
Year 18 2012
Power Rangers Lost Galaxy 18 Thought it was okay. Really stopped watching Power Rangers after Ninja Storm.
Iron Man Armored Adventures 18 Never watched.
Justice League Unlimited 18 19 Good series. Love the season long arcs. Ended too soon.
WWE Saturday Morning Slam 18 It was what it was. No real story lines.
Transformers Prime 18 Never watched
The Adventures of Nanoboy 18 Watched one time. Never again
My Thoughts: Enter the Vortexx. We wanted a something to save Saturday mornings. We hoped that it would be Sabans Vortexx block. What we got was 4 parts 4Kids leftovers, 1 part WWE, 3 parts superhero reruns, and 1 part Power Rangers. To say the block started out strong, I would say meh. Despite some strong ratings from WWE, JLU, and DBZ Kai, the 4Kid’s leftovers just brought the block down, which never recovered from 4Kid’s to begin with. Confusion over why Power Rangers and Iron Man was pulled didn’t help.
Year 19 2013
Chuck and Friends 19 Never watched
Bolts and Blip 19 Thought it was a good show that was under appreciated.
B-Daman Crossfire 19 Couldn’t get pass the whole little bots that can’t do anything but shot marbles and talk. Thought it was boring.
Digimon Fusion 19 This version of Digimon confuses me with its digivolve or what ever it is called. I like the earlier season when each kid had their own Digimon and we could see what each one digivolve to. With this one, there is nothing to look forward to. I wonder what confusing combo Shoutmon x48 looks like.
My Thoughts: This season could have started out big. They could have had new episodes on most of the entire line-up. Did that happen? Nope! It was announce in June of 2013 that Vortexx would premier three new shows, Bolts and Blip, Digimon Fusion, Sendokai Champions and the return of Spectacular Spider-Man, on top of new episodes of Dragon Ball Z Kai, WWE Saturday Morning Slam and Yu-gi-Oh! Zexel. That would have been 6 new episodes, a classic Spiderman episode, and a classic Yu-gi-oh episode. So what happened? The second season of Slam never happened and was replaced by B-Daman Crossfire. A new show, which was fine. Digimon Fusions premier was pushed back from fall to winter replacing a new show instead of one that has been on for a long time, and so far, Sendokai Champions has not seen the light of day. This had been a messed up season that didn’t need to be. The result, Doomed, doomed I say.
In the end, Kid's WB started off slowly, building off from shows that worked on other networks. It became a powerhouse with Batman Beyond, Pokemon, Yu-gi-Oh! and Jackie Chan Adventures. As times and resources change, so do networks. Outsourcing became all the rage when it became clear that it was not profitable for networks to run their own blocks anymore. However, it became clear that the companies this block was outsourced to was either already failing and was hoping to cash in on the popularity that Kid's WB had already established, or a company that was in way over it’s head when they took over. Would the block still be around if Kid’s WB was still in charge. Could have shows like Tom and Jerry Tales, Shaggy and Scooby-Doo Get a Clue, Young Justice, The Looney Tunes Show, and Beware the Batman had a longer lifespan if they were still around? There is no sense thinking about the what if. What has passed has passed. What will the future bring for cartoons? Who knows?
I hope you enjoyed this look back at one of the longest running cartoon blocks of all time. A lot of us have had a lot of good and bad memories of this block. I was there from the beginning and perhaps I will watch the final broadcast.
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I'd posted this back in 2016, over ten years ago!
