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| Network | The CW |
|---|---|
| Launched | May 24, 2008; 17 years ago (2008-05-24) |
| Closed | August 18, 2012; 13 years ago (2012-08-18) |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Owner | |
| Formerly known as | The CW4Kids (2008–10) |
| Format | Saturday morning cartoon block |
| Running time | 5 hours (7:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.) |
| Original language | English |
Toonzai (formerly known asThe CW4Kids from May 24, 2008 to September 11, 2010, or stylized asTOONZAi) was an AmericanSaturday morning cartoonchildren's television block that aired onThe CW from May 24, 2008 to August 18, 2012. The block was created as a result of a four-year agreement between4Kids Entertainment and The CW. The original name for the block from May 24, 2008 to September 11, 2010,The CW4Kids (stylized asTHE 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.[citation needed] The name is aportmanteau of "toon" and the Japanese termbanzai, reflecting the majority ofanime programming on the block.[citation needed]
The block was replaced bySaban Brands' program blockVortexx, 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 byLitton'sOne Magnificent Morning.
On October 2, 2007, The CW announced due to a joint decision between the network's parent companiesTime Warner andCBS Corporation that it would cancel theKids' WB programming block, due to the effects of children's advertising limits and competition from cable television, and sell the programming time to4Kids Entertainment.[1][2][3] Kids' WB was discontinued on The CW on May 17, 2008 (Kids' WB, likeThe WB Television Network that the block originated, then relaunched as an online-onlyvideo on demand service). 4Kids Entertainment took over programming the block on May 24, 2008, premiering under the nameThe 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 competing4Kids TV block forFox, until that network canceled its time leasing agreement with 4Kids TV 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.[4]
On April 27, 2010, 4Kids announced that it would rebrand The CW4Kids asToonzai, which took effect on September 18, 2010.[5][6]
On June 26, 2012, Kidsco Media Ventures, an affiliate ofSaban Capital Group, finalized a bid to acquire 4Kids' agreement with The CW for the block.[7] On July 2, 2012, it was announced thatSaban Brands, through Kidsco Media Ventures, would begin programming the block, which would be relaunched under the nameVortexx.[8][9] Toonzai quietly shut down on The CW on August 18, 2012, after aYu-Gi-Oh! marathon, with Vortexx premiering the following week on August 25, 2012. Some of Toonzai's programming, includingYu-Gi-Oh!,Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal,Sonic X, andDragon Ball Z Kai continued to air on the block until September 27, 2014, when Vortexx closed.[10][8][11][12][13]
It was the final children's block on The CW to be broadcast only instandard definition, after blocks includingABC'sLitton's Weekend Adventure andNBC'sNBC Kids were broadcast inhigh definition.[citation needed]
In most markets, CW affiliates used the network's recommended Saturday morning scheduling for the block, though some such as CWowned-and-operated stationWUPA inAtlanta aired it on Sunday, instead due to regular Saturday programming.Connecticut affiliateWCCT-TV aired three hours on Saturday, and two hours on Sunday.KMAX-TV inSacramento, California aired the entire lineup, but it had a four-hour tape delay, running from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.WLFL inRaleigh, North Carolina andWNUV inBaltimore, aired the entire lineup, but it had two hours earlier, running from 5:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.San Diego'sXETV-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'sKMYS, 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, whileShreveport, Louisiana'sKPXJ-TV preempted the final hour of the block.Columbus, Georgia'sWLTZ-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 secondaryCW Plus national feed for smaller markets aired the Toonzai block an hour earlier on its broadcast and cable-only affiliates in theCentral,Mountain andAlaska time zones, as The CW Plus operates two separate feeds running onEastern andPacific time zone schedules. The only exception was inBoise, Idaho, where they had two CW networks (both The CW and The CW Plus), The CW Plus affiliate (now aMeTV affiliate)KNIN-DT2 carried the block (also aired an hour earlier), but the main CW affiliate (now aFox 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 fromUPN in September 2006, as the station did not clear fordaytime CW programming including weekends; KNIN-TV instead carried syndicatedE/I programming in the station's Saturday morning timeslot, making Boise one of the only television markets where Kids' WB or The CW4Kids not available on a CW affiliate viaanalog before theanalog signal shutdown on June 12, 2009.
| Title | Premiere date | End date |
|---|---|---|
| Chaotic | June 21, 2008 | July 10, 2010 |
| Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | August 28, 2010 | |
| Yu-Gi-Oh! GX | September 6, 2008 | |
| Viva Piñata | September 13, 2008 | October 18, 2008 |
| Dinosaur King‡ | September 11, 2010 | |
| Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's‡ | ||
| GoGoRikiE/I | September 27, 2008 | November 14, 2009 |
| Sonic X‡ | January 3, 2009 | September 11, 2010 |
| Kirby: Right Back at Ya! | June 6, 2009 | September 12, 2009 |
| Winx ClubE/I | July 18, 2009 | July 17, 2010 |
| Yu-Gi-Oh!†‡ | September 5, 2009 | September 11, 2010 |
| Magical DoReMiE/I | April 24, 2010 | July 17, 2010 |
| Cubix: Robots for EveryoneE/I†‡ | July 24, 2010 | September 11, 2010 |
| Title | Premiere date | End date |
|---|---|---|
| Will and DewittE/I† | May 24, 2008 | April 4, 2009 |
| Magi-NationE/I†‡ | September 20, 2008 | |
| Skunk Fu!† | October 18, 2008 | |
| May 29, 2010 | July 10, 2010 | |
| Tom and Jerry Tales† | May 24, 2008 | September 6, 2008 |
| The Spectacular Spider-Man† | January 31, 2009 | |
| World of Quest† | June 14, 2008 | |
| Johnny Test† | ||
| Eon Kid† | ||
| The Batman† | June 21, 2008 | August 2, 2008 |
| Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight | December 13, 2008 | December 26, 2009 |
| Huntik: Secrets & Seekers | January 3, 2009 | |
| RollBots | September 19, 2009 | January 23, 2010 |
| Dragon Ball Z Kai‡ | August 14, 2010 | September 11, 2010 |
† - Program transitioned from Kids' WB!
‡ - Program transitioned to Toonzai
| Title | Premiere date | End date |
|---|---|---|
| Cubix: Robots for EveryoneE/I†‡ | September 18, 2010 | February 12, 2011 |
| February 18, 2012 | August 18, 2012 | |
| Sonic X†‡ | September 18, 2010 | August 4, 2012 |
| Yu-Gi-Oh!†‡ | August 18, 2012 | |
| Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's† | September 10, 2011 | |
| Dinosaur King† | October 9, 2010 | |
| Tai Chi Chasers | September 17, 2011 | June 2, 2012 |
| Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal‡ | October 15, 2011 | August 18, 2012 |
| Yu-Gi-Oh! Capsule Monsters | March 24, 2012 | April 28, 2012 |
| Title | Premiere date | End date |
|---|---|---|
| Dragon Ball Z Kai†‡ | September 18, 2010 | August 11, 2012 |
| Magi-NationE/I† | February 19, 2011 | February 11, 2012 |
† - Program transitioned from The CW4Kids
‡ - Program transitioned toVortexx
| Forerunning networks | |
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| Programming | |
| Affiliates | |
| Miscellaneous topics | |
