Children's television series (or children's television shows ) are television programs designed specifically for children . They are typically characterised by easy-going content devoid of sensitive or adult themes and are normally broadcast during the morning and afternoon when children are awake, immediately before and after school schedules generally start in the country where they air. Educational themes are also prevalent, as well as the transmission of cautionary tales and narratives that teach problem-solving methods in some fashion or another, such as social disputes.
56-523: Cookie Jar TV was an American children's programming block that aired on CBS , originally premiering on September 16, 2006, as the KOL Secret Slumber Party; the block was later rebranded as KEWLopolis ( / ˈ k uː l ɔː p oʊ l ɪ s / KOO -law-poh-lis ) on September 15, 2007, and finally as Cookie Jar TV on September 19, 2009, running until September 21, 2013. It was originally programmed by DIC Entertainment , which over
112-480: A block on Animax , known as "Nick Time") and Cartoon Network (Cartoon Network's age demographic is moving towards older viewers with shows such as Hello Kitty , Regular Show and Adventure Time ) One of the most well-known children's TV programmes comes from Iceland, LazyTown , was created by Magnus Scheving , European Gymnastics Champion and CEO of Lazytown Entertainment . The show has aired in over 180 countries, been dubbed into more than 32 languages and
168-560: A cable, satellite, streaming, or internet subscription to view them on first airing." In the United States, there are three major commercial cable networks dedicated to children's television. All three also operate secondary services with specialized scopes drawing upon their respective libraries, such as a focus on specific demographics, or a focus upon classic programming that fall within their scope and demographics; all three have also extensively franchised their brands outside
224-724: A few exceptions, perhaps the best-known being the Power Rangers franchise). Typically, programs are either 'for boys' or 'for girls'. The teen demographic targets viewers 12 to 18 years of age. Live-action series that target this demographic are more dramatic and developed, including teen dramas and teen sitcoms . In some cases, they may contain more mature content that is usually not permissible on shows targeting younger viewers, and can include some profanity or suggestive dialogue. Educational programming targeted at this demographic has historically been rare, other than on NASA TV 's education block. However, some programming aimed at
280-454: A number of children's channels under the Pop and Tiny Pop brands. British versions of Cartoon Network and its sister channels Boomerang and Cartoonito also operate in the country, some 25 years after the initial launch. Ireland has one dedicated children's TV service RTÉjr . Since 1998 RTÉ2 has provided children's programming from 07:00 to 17:30 each weekday, originally titled The Den ,
336-583: A three-year programming partnership with DIC Entertainment to produce a new Saturday morning children's programming block including new and older series from its program library and included the distribution of select tape-delayed Formula One auto races. DIC originally announced that the block would be named CBS's Saturday Morning Secret Slumber Party; however, it was later renamed as the KOL Secret Slumber Party after DIC partnered with KOL, an AOL website aimed at children, to co-produce
392-475: Is generally credited with being the first TV programme specifically for children. Some authors posit television for children tended to originate from similar programs on radio. For example, the BBC's Children's Hour was launched as a radio broadcast in 1922, with BBC School Radio commencing live broadcasts in 1924. In the early 1930s, radio adventure serials such as Little Orphan Annie began to emerge in
448-414: Is generally more overtly educational. In a number of cases, such shows are produced in consultation with educators and child psychologists in an effort to teach age-appropriate lessons (the series Sesame Street pioneered this approach when it debuted in 1969). A format that has increased in popularity since the 1990s is the " pseudo-interactive " program, in which the action of the show stops and breaks
504-640: Is mainly to entertain or educate children, with each series targeting a certain age of child: some are aimed at infants and toddlers, some are aimed at those aged 6 to 11 years old, and others are aimed at all children. Children's television is nearly as old as television itself. In the United Kingdom, the BBC 's For the Children was first broadcast in 1946, and in English-speaking circles,
560-635: Is the most expensive children's show of all time. In 1995, Cartoon Network became the first children's channel to be launched in India. Subsequently, Disney Channel and Nickelodeon arrived. Hungama TV (2004) was the first children's channel that had local content. Pogo and BabyTV came later in 2006. By 2018, 23 channels have aired in India. Nickelodeon was the first children's channel in Romania, launched in December 1998. Afterwards, Minimax became
616-614: The ASPCA was produced and aired in the US. The PSA features Strawberry Shortcake talking about the basics of pet ownership. All the vocal effects for the pets aside from Cola's singing and Papaya are voiced by Nils Haaland. The 2003 series introduced a cast of fillies to the mix that the characters own. A series of Fairies appeared in "Berry Fairy Tales". The background fairies are voiced by Samantha Triba, Theresa Sindelar and Anna Jordan. Majesco has also released Strawberry Shortcake episodes as
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#1732787685794672-513: The Cartoon Network , Disney Channel , Disney Junior , Disney XD , and Nickelodeon brands. WildBrain operates Family Channel , as well as the spin-off services WildBrainTV and Family Jr. it has been majority owned and operated by British Columbia's public broadcaster Knowledge Network . In French, Corus operates Télétoon and La chaîne Disney , WildBrain operates Télémagino (a French version of Family Jr.), TVA Group operates
728-614: The FCC mandates. (The rule for digital subchannels was repealed in July 2019; in practice, most still carry educational programs anyway.) In 2017, there was a programming block that aired on syndication called KidsClick ; it was notable as a concerted effort to program children's shows on television without regard to their educational content, one of the first such efforts since the E/I rule took effect. The transition to digital television has allowed for
784-405: The fourth wall to give a young viewer the opportunity to answer a question or dilemma put forth on the show, with the action continuing as if the viewer answered correctly. Shows that target the demographic of persons 6 to 11 years old focus primarily on entertainment and can range from comedic cartoons to action series. Most children's television series targeting this age range are animated (with
840-457: The franchise of the same name that debuted in March 2003. The series consists of 45 episodes, plus one short and one movie. Part of the series was broadcast on television including by CBS , HBO , and HBO Family , and in broadcast syndication . The entire cast is totally replaced with younger and lesser known voice actors compared to the 1980s Strawberry Shortcake animated specials. Following
896-568: The 1990s ( Madeline and Sabrina: The Animated Series ). The block's de facto hosts (and in turn, from whom the Secret Slumber Party name was partly derived) were the Slumber Party Girls , an all-female teen pop group signed with Geffen Records (consisted of Cassie Scerbo , Mallory Low, Karla Deras , Lina Carattini, and Caroline Scott), who made appearances in break bumpers and interstitial segments during
952-641: The 1990s, more children's television series such as Barney & Friends , Blue's Clues , SpongeBob SquarePants , Bear in the Big Blue House , and The Big Comfy Couch were created. A voluminous range of children's television programming now exists in the 2020s. Notable successes outside the US include shows like Play School , Noggin the Nog , Clangers , Bagpuss , Teletubbies , Thunderbirds , Danger Mouse , Count Duckula , Mr. Men and Thomas & Friends originating from
1008-404: The BBC runs CBBC as well as the preschool-oriented CBeebies , while ITV runs CITV as well as the preschool-oriented LittleBe , as a programming block on ITVBe . Both channels were spun off from children's television strands on their respective flagship channels ( BBC One , BBC Two , and ITV ). The BBC and ITV have largely phased out children's programming from their main channels to focus on
1064-492: The DIC/American Greetings co-production Sushi Pack and DIC's DinoSquad . On June 20, 2008, Canada-based production company Cookie Jar Group announced that it would acquire DIC Entertainment; the purchase was finalized one month later on July 23. On February 24, 2009, CBS renewed its time-lease agreement with Cookie Jar for three additional seasons, running through 2012. Subsequently, on September 19,
1120-455: The UK, Paw Patrol from Canada, Le Manege Enchantè from France, The Singing Ringing Tree from Germany, and Marine Boy and Pokémon from Japan. Canadian studio Nelvana is a particularly prolific producer of children's programming. Much of Nelvana's product is broadcast worldwide, especially in the US, where the similarities in dialect do not require any dubbing or localization. In
1176-471: The United States and became a staple of children's afternoon radio listening. Early children's shows included Kukla, Fran and Ollie (1947), Howdy Doody , and Captain Kangaroo . Another show, Ding Dong School , aired from 1952 to 1965. Its creator and host, Frances Horwich , would sit in front of the camera and simulate small talk with the viewing audience at home, demonstrating basic skills for
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#17327876857941232-445: The United States, early children's television was often co-opted as a platform to market products and it rarely contained any educational elements (for instance, The Magic Clown , a popular early children's program, was primarily an advertisement for Bonomo's Turkish taffy .) In the early years of television, advertising to children posed a dilemma as most children have no disposable income of their own. As such, children's television
1288-458: The United States. Under current mandates, all broadcast television stations in the United States must show a minimum of three hours per week of educational children's programming , regardless of format. Until 2019, this rule also applied to digital subchannels ; as a result, digital multicast networks whose formats should not fit children's programming, such as Live Well Network and TheCoolTV , were required to carry educational programs to fit
1344-467: The Universe , the 1980s saw a dramatic rise in television programs featuring characters of whom toy characters were being sold to retail consumers in bricks and mortar stores, underscoring the value potential of manufacturing merchandise for fans of children's programs. This practice remains firmly embedded in the broadcast sector's business case broadly in the 2020s. Commercial-free children television
1400-580: The block following Cookie Jar Group's acquisition by DHX Media (now WildBrain) in October 2012. On July 24, 2013, CBS announced a programming agreement with Litton Entertainment (which recently programmed a Saturday morning block that is syndicated to ABC 's owned-and-operated stations and affiliates for two years) to launch a new Saturday morning block featuring live-action reality-based series aimed at teenagers ages 13 to 18 years old. Cookie Jar TV ended its run after seven years on September 21, 2013, and
1456-487: The block to Sunday mornings, or (in the case of affiliates in the Western United States) Saturday afternoons due to breaking news or severe weather coverage, or regional or select national sports broadcasts (especially in the case of college football and basketball tournaments) scheduled in earlier Saturday timeslots as makegoods to comply with the E/I regulations. Some stations also tape delayed
1512-509: The block was rebranded again as Cookie Jar TV ; all of the programs from KEWLopolis and KOL Secret Slumber Party were removed upon the block's relaunch. The new shows added to the block were Busytown Mysteries and Noonbory and the Super Seven . Sabrina: The Animated Series also returned to the lineup after leaving in 2007. The theme song for the block was composed by Ron Wasserman . On April 3, 2010, Doodlebops Rockin' Road Show
1568-420: The block's programming. AOL managed the programming block's website and produced public service announcements which aired both on television and online. This association, along with the fact that some CBS stations chose to tape delay some of the programs to air on Sunday mornings, was what led to the block's renaming. Notably, despite AOL at the time being a sister company to Warner Bros. , with whom CBS co-owned
1624-430: The block, and served as a house band on Dance Revolution. In the summer of 2007, KOL withdrew its sponsorship from the network's Saturday morning block. CBS and DIC subsequently announced a new partnership with American Greetings to rebrand the block as KEWLopolis, debuting on September 15 of that year, which would be targeted at younger children and branded as a tie-in with the monthly teen magazine Kewl (which
1680-412: The camera. This practice lives on in contemporary children's broadcasting as a genre in of itself, with Australia's ongoing program Play School one example. At one time, a program called Winky Dink and You took a more interactive approach, prompting its viewers to affix a clear vinyl sheet to their television and draw pictures to match what was going on on-screen. This format did not persist, nor
1736-555: The compilation format. A five-minute Strawberry Shortcake short, "Growing Better All the Time", is available exclusively in the Care Bears: Daydreams DVD (released on October 14, 2003) as a bonus feature. Numerous scenes from the short were used in the 2000s (decade) series' second opening sequence, and the song from the short was released on the "Strawberry Jams" CD. Additionally, a Public Service Announcement for
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1792-564: The course of the block's seven-year run, was acquired by Canada-based Cookie Jar Entertainment and subsequently by DHX Media (both of which thereby assumed responsibility for the lineup). Cookie Jar TV ended on September 21, 2013 and was replaced by a Litton Entertainment -produced block called the " CBS Dream Team " on September 28, 2013. On January 19, 2006, two months after Viacom and CBS Corporation finalized their separation into two commonly controlled companies (both owned by National Amusements ), CBS announced that it would enter into
1848-572: The cultural similarities between Canada and the US, along with film credits and subsidies available from the Canadian government, a large number of animated children's series have been made in Canada with the intention of exporting them to the United States. Such programs carry a prominent Government of Canada wordmark in their closing credits. The BBC and ITV plc both operate children's oriented television networks on digital terrestrial television:
1904-498: The debut of whole subchannels that air children's programming 24/7; examples include BabyFirst , PBS Kids , Smile , and Universal Kids . The country's only directly nationally operated TV service for public consumption, NASA TV , also includes educational programs in its schedule for use in schools. English-language children's specialty channels in Canada are primarily owned by Corus Entertainment and WildBrain . Corus operates YTV and Treehouse , as well as localized versions of
1960-633: The dedicated services; in 2012, as part of the "Delivering Quality First" initiative, the BBC announced that it would end the broadcast of CBBC programmes on BBC One following the completion of the transition to digital terrestrial television, citing low viewership in comparison to broadcasts of the programmes on the CBBC channel. Channel 5 also broadcasts a preschool-oriented block known as Milkshake! , while its owner, Paramount Networks International , also runs versions of Nickelodeon and its sister networks Nicktoons and Nick Jr. Narrative Capital operate
2016-534: The demographic has had some tangential educational value in regard to social issues, such as the now-defunct TNBC block of sitcoms, which often tackled issues such as underage drinking or drug use. According to at least one journalist, for years, Broadcast Standards and Practices departments of networks, Parental Guidelines , and campaigns by social conservatives limited "efforts to make kids animation more inclusive." One former executive of Disney, David Levine, said that "a lot of conservative opinion" drove what
2072-733: The entire block in order to accommodate local weekend morning newscasts, the Saturday edition of The Early Show and later its successor CBS This Morning or other programs of local interest (such as real estate or lifestyle programs). It was the final children's block to be broadcast only in standard definition . ‡ - Program transitioned to KEWLopolis † - Program transitioned to Cookie Jar TV † - Program transitioned from KOL Secret Slumber Party ‡ - Program transitioned to Cookie Jar TV † - Program transitioned from KOL Secret Slumber Party/KEWLopolis Children%27s television series The purpose of these shows, aside from profit,
2128-603: The episodes are presented individually on the TV broadcasts rather than being compilations, although this depended on the broadcaster (e.g., Disney Channel Asia aired the first four episodes as two-parters). Some networks, like GMTV and Minimax in CEE aired Season 1 uninterrupted as one, full-length part akin to the DVD releases, while Season 2 onwards are broadcast exactly like on the DVDs with
2184-568: The first Romanian children's channel to air locally produced content, launched on Children's Day in 2001. Since then, channels like BabyTV and Disney Channel have arrived. Children's channels that exist in Turkey are Cartoon Network , TRT Çocuk , MinikaÇOCUK , Minika GO and Zarok TV . Strawberry Shortcake (2003 TV series) Strawberry Shortcake is an American children's direct-to-video animated series produced by DIC Entertainment Corporation and American Greetings based on
2240-986: The highest number of LGBTQ characters they ever recorded up to that point. In 2017, some said that LGBTQ+ characters in animated television were somewhat rare, despite the fact that GLAAD praised the number of characters in broadcast and primetime television. From 2017 to 2019, Insider noted that there was a "more than 200% spike in queer and gender-minority characters in children's animated TV shows." In 2018 and 2019, GLAAD stated that Amazon , Hulu , and Netflix, had increased LGBTQ representation in "daytime kids and family television." In their January 2021 report, GLAAD praised LGBTQ representation in episodes of DuckTales , The Owl House and Adventure Time: Distant Lands . Despite this, some industry practitioners state that more than 90% of LGBTQ characters in kid's animated shows within Insider 's database of characters in children's animated television shows "require either
2296-468: The length of subsequent episodes. From Season 2 onwards, the VHS tapes and DVDs are presented as "compilations" in which Strawberry recounts the featured adventures using her "remembering book" or for Season 4, showcases the featured stories as simple flashbacks. 22 Volumes (1 including the film) have been released for the series overall. In the United States, although promoted as a direct-to-video series,
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2352-513: The networks turned to affiliated cable cartoon channels or outside programmers for their blocks. On September 27, 2014, the last traditional Saturday network morning cartoon block, Vortexx , ended and was replaced the following week by the syndicated One Magnificent Morning on The CW . Children's television series can target a wide variety of key demographics based on age and gender. Few television networks target infants and toddlers under two years of age. Preschool-oriented programming
2408-700: The preschool-oriented Yoopa , and Bell Media runs the teen-oriented Vrak . Via its majority-owned subsidiary Telelatino , Corus also operates two children and family-oriented networks in Spanish and Italian, TeleNiños and Telebimbi respectively. On broadcast television and satellite to cable undertakings, children's television content is relegated to the country's public and designated provincial educational broadcasters, including CBC Television and Ici Radio-Canada Télé , as well as City Saskatchewan , CTV Two Alberta (formerly Access), Knowledge Network , Télé-Québec , TFO , and TVOntario ( TVOKids ). Aided by
2464-635: The series did air on television as well. In 2003, Season 1 gained one-off airings on HBO and HBO Family . In January 2006, shortened Season 1 and Season 2 episodes aired on Mondays within the Program B slot (which mainly aired on The CW affiliates) of the DIC Kids Network syndicated block. The series ran on the block until 2007, when it moved to KEWLopolis on CBS , with Season 3 episodes added in September 2008. In September 2009, it
2520-664: The series to more broadcasters including M6 , Canal J and Tiji in France, Tiny Pop in the United Kingdom, K-T.V. in South Africa, KiKa in Germany, Austria, Luxembourg and German-speaking Switzerland, and Mediaset in Italy. Season 1 episodes are broadcast as two parts instead of being shortened, doubling the episode count to eight. In Canada, the series aired on Treehouse TV and Playhouse Disney . From Season 2 onwards,
2576-634: The series' reboot in 2009, the 2003 series was succeeded by Strawberry Shortcake's Berry Bitty Adventures in 2010. 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment began releasing the series direct-to-video in the United States beginning in March 2003. The first few episodes were released on both VHS and DVD, and bundled with certain toys; later episodes were only released on DVD. They are also available on VideoCD through various fourth party licensees in South-East Asia and in certain other markets. The first four videos contain only one story but run for twice
2632-762: The service was renamed TRTÉ and RTÉjr in 2010. Irish-language service TG4 provide two strands of children's programming Cúla 4 Na nÓg and Cúla 4 during the day. Commercial broadcaster TV3 broadcast a children's strand called Gimme 3 from 1998 to 1999. And then broadcast a new strand called 3Kids . Children's channels that exist in Australia are ABC Family , ABC Kids , and its spin-off CBeebies , Nickelodeon and its spin-off Nick Jr. , and Cartoon Network and its spin-off Boomerang . Children's channels that exist in Japan are NHK Educational TV , Kids Station , Disney Channel , Disney XD , Nickelodeon (also under
2688-475: The then new CW Network , neither Secret Slumber Party nor Kids' WB advertised each other's programs and KOL Secret Slumber Party shows. The KOL Secret Slumber Party premiered on September 16, 2006, replacing Nick Jr. on CBS . Its inaugural lineup included three first-run shows ( Horseland , Cake , and Dance Revolution ), two shows that originally aired on the syndicated DIC Kids Network block ( Sabrina's Secret Life and Trollz ), and two shows from
2744-614: Was added, while Strawberry Shortcake returned to the block. On September 18, 2010, Sabrina's Secret Life returned to the block, replacing both Noonbory and the Super Seven and Strawberry Shortcake . On February 5, 2011, Trollz and Horseland returned to the block, replacing both Sabrina shows. On September 17, 2011, Cookie Jar TV added The Doodlebops and PBS series Danger Rangers , replacing Doodlebops Rockin' Road Show and Trollz . On September 22, 2012, PBS series Liberty's Kids replaced Danger Rangers and Horseland . The Cookie Jar TV brand remained in place for
2800-420: Was depicted on Cartoon Network , Disney Channel , and other alike channels. Some argued that cable television, which began to pick up in the 1990s, "opened the door for more representation" even though various levels of approvals remained. Through the 2000s', advocacy group GLAAD repeatedly highlighted the lack of LGBT representation in children's programming in particular. Two years later, they recorded
2856-667: Was established in part by DIC in May 2007; it is no longer in publication). All shows were retained from Secret Slumber Party except for Dance Revolution and Madeline . When the rebranded block began, a new series, American Greetings' Care Bears: Adventures in Care-a-lot joined the block along with another fellow DIC/American Greetings series Strawberry Shortcake , which also joined the lineup after having previously been aired in syndication. In November 2007, Sabrina: The Animated Series and Trollz were replaced with two new series,
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#17327876857942912-486: Was first introduced with Sesame Street on PBS in November 1969. It was produced by what is now known as Sesame Workshop (formerly Children's Television Workshop, known as CTW). In the United States, Saturday mornings were generally scheduled with cartoons from the 1960s to 1980s. In 1992, teen comedies and a "Today" show weekend edition were first to displace the cartoon blocks on NBC. Starting in September 2002,
2968-529: Was it replicated, due to a number of factors unrelated to its popularity: children whose parents did not buy them the vinyl sheet would draw with crayons directly on the television screen itself, potentially causing expensive damage; there were also concerns that having children within arm's length of a television screen of the era could expose them to harmful radiation. Later and more recognisably modern shows for young children include Sesame Street , The Electric Company and Mister Rogers' Neighborhood . In
3024-603: Was not a particularly high priority for the networks. This practice continued in a toned-down manner through the 1980s in the United States after the Federal Communications Commission prohibited tie-in advertising on broadcast television. These regulations did not apply to cable, which remains out of the reach of the FCC's content regulations. Due in part to the success of He-Man and the Masters of
3080-456: Was removed from the block following its rebranding as Cookie Jar TV, but returned in April 2010 until September that year. Season 4 has never aired on television in the United States and remains exclusively on DVD and digital download. In international markets, DIC pre-sold the series to GMTV in the United Kingdom and Fox Kids Europe in some European territories in 2004. In 2008, DIC pre-sold
3136-581: Was succeeded by the following week on September 28 by the Litton-produced CBS Dream Team . All of the programs aired within the block featured content compliant with educational programming requirements as mandated by the Federal Communications Commission via the Children's Television Act . Though the block was intended to air on Saturday mornings, like its predecessors, some CBS affiliates deferred certain programs aired within
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