Stuff You Should Know The Happy Place of Saturday Morning Cartoons
85 snips
Oct 7, 2025 Dive into nostalgia as the hosts reminisce about the golden age of Saturday morning cartoons from 1970 to 1995. They explore the sacred rituals that defined weekend mornings for kids and the evolution of cartoons into marketing powerhouses, selling toys and sugary cereals. The impact of advertising on young viewers is dissected, alongside the regulatory responses from the FTC. Personal anecdotes, trivia about final airings, and a listener's hilarious cockroach story add layers of entertainment to this trip down memory lane.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Josh's Saturday Morning Routine
- Josh recalls Saturday mornings as his private TV time because his much-older sisters weren't interested.
- He sat cross-legged three feet from the TV with ET cereal while parents slept in.
Race For The Big Yellow Chair
- Chuck and Josh reminisce about rushing for the best seat and handling limited TVs and TV Guide listings.
- Kids argued over programming because shows aired at fixed times with no recording or streaming options.
Shared National Kids Culture
- Saturday morning cartoon blocks became a national shared culture because networks programmed the same kid-focused shows at the same time for all children.
- That schedule created common playground references and stronger generational bonding than on-demand viewing does today.