The late '80s cartoon reboot using kid versions of the characters craze

[ixnay]

Shows like

The Flintstone Kids
A Pup Named Scooby-Doo
a show using kid versions of the Archie characters (whose name I don't remember and I don't have time to wiki right now)

Who remembers that fad? And why was it allowed to see the light of day?

ixnay

 

[Avid Listener]

I remember the Animaniacs and the Warner Brothers next-generation cartoons, Tiny Toons. I had a 6 year old daughter at the time. I watched those with her, and thought they were outstanding. The Animaniacs were cut from whole cloth, not a reboot. And they were the best. But the Warner Brothers Tiny Toons cartoons were almost as good.

I think what makes the difference is (1) really good source material and (2) excellent execution. The connection of Steven Spielberg to the project made a big, big difference.

 

[ShawnHill1]

I remember the Animaniacs and the Warner Brothers next-generation cartoons, Tiny Toons. I had a 6 year old daughter at the time. I watched those with her, and thought they were outstanding. The Animaniacs were cut from whole cloth, not a reboot. And they were the best. But the Warner Brothers Tiny Toons cartoons were almost as good.

I think what makes the difference is (1) really good source material and (2) excellent execution. The connection of Steven Spielberg to the project made a big, big difference.

I was nine when Tiny Toons debuted, and about 13-14 when Animaniacs when hit the air, and with two those in particular, they more or less led of resurgence of WB's animation studio. One of my favorite animated shows of all-time was Batman: the Animated Series, which also debuted in the early '90s, and WB did a great job with the production of that show as well.

As to the initial question, ABC had a show called "Little Rosey" on that aired for a season on Saturday mornings, and it loosely based on Roseanne Barr's childhood. A few years later, Fox did a similar premise with "Life with Louie", starring Louie Anderson, who did the voices of his younger self and his father--it was probably the only thing I liked of his that was midly-entertaining.

 

[Mario500]

I believe the popularity of the animated cartoon series with "kid versions" of some of the Muppets ("Muppet Babies") led to this fad.

 

[ShawnHill1]

I believe the popularity of the animated cartoon series with "kid versions" of some of the Muppets ("Muppet Babies") led to this fad.

I also forgot about that show; I think it have been the first that went with the premise, at least in the last 30-40 years.

 

[rnigma1]

I think it was "The New Archies" that had the pre-teen versions of the Riverdale gang. It was the first Archie cartoon series not done by Filmation (DIC produced it, as well as "Archie's Weird Mysteries").
I recall "Yo, Yogi," which turned Yogi and friends into teenage mallrats.

 

[ixnay]

I remember the Animaniacs and the Warner Brothers next-generation cartoons, Tiny Toons.

I forgot about those two. My sentiment about them is the opposite of yours, Avid - I enjoyed Tiny Toons (but couldn't stand Babs Bunny, Montana Max, or Elmyra). Animaniacs, not so much (one exception: when Wakko pointed out on a map of the world all of the countries in song).

I also forgot about Muppet Babies.

Nothing starts a trend like... starting a trend.

ixnay

 

[Mario500]

^The segment of "Animaniacs" you had referenced actually had Yakko singing about all of the countries of the world, not Wakko.

 

[crainbebo]

Muppet Babies was both on CBS Saturday Mornings and in syndication (it was aired on WPIX and many many other huge independent/Fox stations in the late 80s and early 90s). Ah, the times where kids could watch their local independent after school for some cartoons! Now it's Nick's 6055th rerun of an annoying SpongeBob episode, the equally annoying Adventure Time on Cartoon Network, and the dumb not-funny Disney Channel "sitcoms". Sigh...kids these days.

A little later we had Jungle Cubs, an ABC Saturday Morning show from 1996-98 about young "Jungle Book" characters. That show met E/I credit back when that requirement was just beginning as well.
One of the last I remember was PBS - so many preschoolers know who Clifford the Big Red Dog was from the TV show and from the library books - and then around 2003 PBS did "Clifford's Puppy Days," a spinoff where Clifford was real tiny. The "Emily" character was still in it, but not T-Bone and Cleo (who were in the original show). Reruns aired to 2005-2006.

-crainbebo

 

[ixnay]

^The segment of "Animaniacs" you had referenced actually had Yakko singing about all of the countries of the world, not Wakko.

Right. I meant to type Yakko. I got the character right but not the name. Who knows how Wakko would've delivered it.

ixnay

 

[ixnay]

Muppet Babies was both on CBS Saturday Mornings and in syndication (it was aired on WPIX and many many other huge independent/Fox stations in the late 80s and early 90s). Ah, the times where kids could watch their local independent after school for some cartoons!

Did CBS air a completely different package of MB episodes from the syndicated package, or was there some overlap?

Beetlejuice aired on Fox Kids (weekdays) and ABC (Sat. mornings) in the early '90s, but IIRC the packages had no overlap.

ixnay

 

[ShawnHill1]

With my memory jogged in regards to Muppet Babies, the syndicated package were the reruns of the previous seasons on CBS.

 

[thomwim]

I only remember Muppet Babies being on Nick Jr. That must have been around 1997.