Toonzai (formerly known as The CW4Kids from May 24, 2008 to August 7, 2010, or stylized as TOONZAi) was an American

Saturday morning cartoon "Saturday-morning cartoon" is a colloquial term for the original animated series and live-action programming that was typically scheduled on Saturday and Sunday mornings in the United States on the "Big Three" television networks. The genre was a ...

children's television block that aired on

The CW The CW Network, LLC (commonly referred to as The CW or simply CW) is an American commercial broadcast television network which is controlled by Nexstar Media Group through a 75% ownership interest. The network's name is derived from the firs ...

from May 24, 2008 to August 18, 2012. The block was created as a result of a four-year agreement between

4Kids Entertainment 4Kids Entertainment, Inc. (formerly known as Leisure Concepts, Inc. and later known as 4Licensing Corporation; stylized as 4K!DS ENTERTAINMENT) was an American licensing company. The company was previously also a film and television production ...

and The CW. The original name for the block from May 24, 2008 to August 7, 2010, The CW4Kids (stylized as THE CW4K!DS), was retained as a sub-brand through the end of the block's run in order to fulfill branding obligations per 4Kids Entertainment's contract to lease The CW's Saturday morning time slots. The name is a

portmanteau In linguistics, a blend—also known as a blend word, lexical blend, or portmanteau—is a word formed by combining the meanings, and parts of the sounds, of two or more words together.

of "toon" and the Japanese term banzai, reflecting the majority of

anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...

programming on the block. The block was replaced by

Saban Brands Saban Brands was an American brand management and production company and a defunct subsidiary of Saban Capital Group based in Los Angeles, California. Founded by Israeli American media mogul Haim Saban as a successor to an earlier company he co-f ...

' program block Vortexx, which debuted on August 25, 2012. On April 11, 2013, the Toonzai website redirected to the Vortexx website. Vortexx closed on September 27, 2014, and was replaced by Litton's

One Magnificent Morning One Magnificent Morning (OMM) is an American programming block that is programmed by Hearst Media Production Group (formerly Litton Entertainment) and distributed by CBS Media Ventures, and debuted on October 4, 2014, as a replacement for the an ...

History

Origin and launch

On October 2, 2007, The CW announced due to a joint decision between the network's parent companies

Time Warner Warner Media, LLC ( doing business as WarnerMedia) was an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate owned by AT&T. It was headquartered at the 30 Hudson Yards complex in New York City. It was established as Time Warne ...

and

CBS Corporation CBS Corporation was an American multinational media company with interests primarily in commercial broadcasting, publishing and television production. It was split from Viacom on December 31, 2005, alongside an entirely new Viacom; both ...

that it would cancel the

Kids' WB Kids' WB (stylized as Kids' WB!) was an American children's programming block that originally aired on The WB from September 9, 1995, to September 16, 2006, and later on The CW from September 23, 2006, to May 17, 2008. Initially launched as a co ...

programming block, due to the effects of children's advertising limits and competition from cable television, and sell the programming time to

. Kids' WB was discontinued on The CW on May 17, 2008 (Kids' WB, like

The WB Television Network The WB Television Network (shortened to The WB, stylized as "THE WB", and nicknamed the "Frog Network" and/or "The Frog" for its former mascot Michigan J. Frog) was an American television network that ran from 1995 to 2006. It launched on br ...

that the block originated, then relaunched as an online-only

video on demand Video on demand (VOD) is a media distribution system that allows users to access videos, television shows and films Digital distribution, digitally on request. These multimedia are accessed without a traditional video playback device and a typica ...

service). 4Kids Entertainment took over programming the block on May 24, 2008, premiering under the name The CW4Kids. In addition to programming the block, 4Kids also handled responsibilities for its content and advertising revenue. At the time of the block's launch, 4Kids also programmed the competing

4Kids TV 4Kids TV (often stylized as 4K!DSTV and formerly known as FoxBox from September 14, 2002 to January 15, 2005) was an American television programming block and Internet-based video on demand children's network operated by 4Kids Entertainment. ...

block for Fox, until that network canceled its time leasing agreement with 4KidsTV on December 27, 2008, due to a dispute between Fox and 4Kids involving 4Kids' failure to pay the network for its time lease, and the network's inability to maintain guaranteed clearances for the block, due to difficulties getting Fox affiliates and stations that would be used as default carriers of the block in markets where the Fox station did not carry 4Kids TV to air it. On April 27, 2010, 4Kids announced that it would rebrand The CW4Kids as Toonzai, which took effect on August 14, 2010.

Takeover by Saban Brands and closure

On June 26, 2012, Kidsco Media Ventures, an affiliate of

Saban Capital Group Saban Capital Group LLC is an American investment company based in Los Angeles, California focused on media, entertainment and communications. Formed in 2001 by Haim Saban, Saban Capital Group owns Saban Films, and co-owns Celestial Tiger Ente ...

, finalized a bid to acquire 4Kids' agreement with The CW for the block. On July 2, 2012, it was announced that

, through Kidsco Media Ventures, would begin programming the block, which would be relaunched under the name '' Vortexx''. Toonzai quietly shut down on The CW on August 18, 2012, after a ''

Yu-Gi-Oh! is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kazuki Takahashi. It was serialized in Shueisha's manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' between September 1996 and March 2004, with its chapters collected in 38 volumes. The ...

'' marathon, with Vortexx premiering the following week on August 25, 2012. Some of Toonzai's programming, including ''

'', ''

Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal , stylized as Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL, is a Japanese manga and anime series and the third spin-off of the ''Yu-Gi-Oh!'' franchise, after the preceding ''Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's''. The manga began serialization in Shueisha's ''V Jump'' magazine from Decem ...

'', ''

Sonic X is a Japanese anime television series based on Sega's ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' video game series. Produced by TMS Entertainment under partnership with Sega and Sonic Team, and directed by Hajime Kamegaki, ''Sonic X'' initially ran for 52 ep ...

'', and '' Dragon Ball Z Kai'' continued to air on the block until September 27, 2014, when Vortexx closed.

Programming

It was the final children's block on The CW to be broadcast only in

standard definition Standard-definition television (SDTV; also standard definition or SD) is a television system that uses a resolution that is not considered to be either high or enhanced definition. ''Standard'' refers to offering a similar resolution to the ...

, because blocks like Litton's Weekend Adventure on ABC and NBC Kids were broadcast in high definition.

Programming differences

In most markets, CW affiliates used the network's recommended Saturday morning scheduling for the block, though some such as CW

owned-and-operated station In the broadcasting industry, an owned-and-operated station (frequently abbreviated as an O&O) usually refers to a television or radio station owned by the network with which it is associated. This distinguishes such a station from an network af ...

WUPA in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

aired it on Sunday, instead due to regular Saturday programming.

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

affiliate WCCT-TV aired three hours on Saturday, and two hours on Sunday.

KMAX-TV KMAX-TV (channel 31) is an independent television station in Sacramento, California, United States. It is owned by the CBS News and Stations group alongside Stockton, California, Stockton-licensed KOVR (channel 13), the market's CBS owned-and- ...

Sacramento, California Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat, seat of Sacramento County, California, Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento Rive ...

aired the entire lineup, but it had a four-hour tape delay, running from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. WLFL in

Raleigh, North Carolina Raleigh ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most populous city in the state (after Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte) ...

and WNUV in

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

, aired the entire lineup, but it had two hours earlier, running from 5:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

's XETV-TV, aired three hours from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. and two hours from 10:00 a.m. to noon.

San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...

's KMYS, which affiliated with The CW in 2010, aired it on Sunday and Monday before 5:00 a.m. Other stations preempted portions of the block, while

Shreveport, Louisiana Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the List of municipalities in Louisiana, third-most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Baton Rouge. The bulk of Shreveport is in Caddo Parish, Lo ...

's KPXJ-TV preempted the final hour of the block.

Columbus, Georgia Columbus is a consolidated city-county located on the west-central border of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. Columbus lies on the Chattahoochee River directly across from Phenix City, Alabama. It is the county seat of Muscogee ...

's WLTZ-DT2 preempted the first half-hour of the block. While The CW recommended that its affiliates carry The CW4Kids/Toonzai block at 7:00 a.m. to noon Saturday mornings (regardless of time zone), its secondary CW Plus national feed for smaller markets aired the Toonzai block an hour earlier on its broadcast and cable-only affiliates in the Central,

Mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher t ...

and Alaska time zones, as The CW Plus operates two separate feeds running on Eastern and

Pacific time zone The Pacific Time Zone (PT) is a time zone encompassing parts of western Canada, the western United States, and western Mexico. Places in this zone observe standard time by subtracting eight hours from Coordinated Universal Time ( UTC−08:00 ...

schedules. The only exception was in

Boise, Idaho Boise ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Idaho, most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, there were 235,685 people residing in the city. Loca ...

, where they had two CW networks (both The CW and The CW Plus), The CW Plus affiliate (now a

MeTV MeTV, an acronym for Memorable Entertainment Television, is an American broadcast television network owned by Weigel Broadcasting. Marketed as "The Definitive Destination for Classic TV", the network airs a variety of classic television progra ...

affiliate) KNIN-DT2 carried the block (also aired an hour earlier), but the main CW affiliate (now a Fox affiliate) KNIN-TV declined to carry the block or the block's predecessor Kids' WB upon becoming a charter CW affiliate after the affiliation switch from UPN in September 2006, as the station did not clear for daytime CW programming including weekends; KNIN-TV instead carried syndicated E/I programming in the station's Saturday morning timeslot, making Boise one of the only television markets where Kids' WB and The CW4Kids was not available through over-the-air analog broadcasts before the KNIN-TV's analog signal shutdown on June 12, 2009.

Former programming

The CW4Kids

=Programming from
4Kids TV 4Kids TV (often stylized as 4K!DSTV and formerly known as FoxBox from September 14, 2002 to January 15, 2005) was an American television programming block and Internet-based video on demand children's network operated by 4Kids Entertainment. ...

=Acquired programming

= † - Program transitioned from Kids' WB!
‡ - Program transitioned to Toonzai

Toonzai

=Programming from
4Kids TV 4Kids TV (often stylized as 4K!DSTV and formerly known as FoxBox from September 14, 2002 to January 15, 2005) was an American television programming block and Internet-based video on demand children's network operated by 4Kids Entertainment. ...

=Acquired programming

= † - Program transitioned from The CW4Kids
‡ - Program transitioned to Vortexx

Short-form programming

* '' Pat & Stan'' * '' Magical DoReMi'' ''Witchling Sing-Along'' * ''TMNT: Mayhem from Mutant Island'' * ''GoGoWiki'' ('' GoGoRiki'') * ''GoTunes'' ('' GoGoRiki'') * ''The CW4Kids Vault'' ('' Viva Piñata'', '' Skunk Fu!'')

Programming blocks

* ''Popcorn for Breakfast'' – consisted of movies distributed by

, like '' Kirby: Fright to the Finish!!'' and ''

Turtles Forever ''Turtles Forever'' is a 2009 American animated superhero film that is a crossover between two different incarnations of the ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' franchise. The plot follows the Turtles of the 2003 animated television series as they ...

''. * ''Dinosaurs and Dueling'' (8am–10am) – consisting of two new episodes of '' Dinosaur King'' and two episodes of the original ''

''. * ''Full Hours'' (8am–Noon) – consisting of one full hour of '' Dinosaur King'', one full hour of ''

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' (''TMNT'') is an American media franchise created by comic book artists Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. It follows Leonardo (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Leonardo, Donatello (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), D ...

'', one full hour ''

'', and one full hour of ''

''. * ''Saturday Morning Superstars'' (9am–Noon) – consisting of two episodes of ''

'', two episodes of ''

'', and two episodes of ''

'' (part of ''Full Hours''). * ''The Fast and The Fierce'' (10am-11am) – consisting of two episodes of ''

'' (part of ''Full Hours''). Title is a parody of '' The Fast and the Furious''. * ''Double Vision Saturday'' (10am–Noon) – consisting of two episodes of ''

'' and two episodes of ''

'' (part of ''Full Hours'').

Special programming

* '' Kirby: Fright to the Finish!!'' (September 12, 2009) * ''

'' (November 21, 2009, March 20, 2010, May 29, 2010, and August 28, 2010)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Toonzai Television programming blocks in the United States The CW 4Kids Entertainment Brokered programming 2008 American television series debuts 2012 American television series endings Television channels and stations established in 2008 Television channels and stations disestablished in 2012

History

Origin and launch

Takeover by Saban Brands and closure

Programming

Programming differences

Former programming

The CW4Kids

=Programming from 4Kids TV 4Kids TV (often stylized as 4K!DSTV and formerly known as FoxBox from September 14, 2002 to January 15, 2005) was an American television programming block and Internet-based video on demand children's network operated by 4Kids Entertainment. ...

=Acquired programming

Toonzai

=Programming from 4Kids TV 4Kids TV (often stylized as 4K!DSTV and formerly known as FoxBox from September 14, 2002 to January 15, 2005) was an American television programming block and Internet-based video on demand children's network operated by 4Kids Entertainment. ...

=Acquired programming

Short-form programming

Programming blocks

Special programming

See also

References

=Programming from
4Kids TV 4Kids TV (often stylized as 4K!DSTV and formerly known as FoxBox from September 14, 2002 to January 15, 2005) was an American television programming block and Internet-based video on demand children's network operated by 4Kids Entertainment. ...

=Programming from
4Kids TV 4Kids TV (often stylized as 4K!DSTV and formerly known as FoxBox from September 14, 2002 to January 15, 2005) was an American television programming block and Internet-based video on demand children's network operated by 4Kids Entertainment. ...