List of local children's television series (United States)


The following is a list of local children's television shows in the United States. These were locally produced commercial television programs intended for the child audience with unique hosts and themes. This type of programming began in the late 1940s and continued into the late 1970s; some shows continued into the 1990s. Author Tim Hollis documented about 1,400 local children's shows in a 2002 book, Hi There, Boys and Girls!
The television programs typically aired in the weekday mornings before school or afternoons after school, as well as on weekends. There were different formats. Almost all shows had a stereotypical, colorful host who assumed a persona, such as a cowboy/cowgirl, captain/skipper/commodore/admiral, jungle explorer, astronaut, king/queen, prince/princess, clown, sheriff/deputy/trooper, police/cop, firefighter, hobo/tramp, railroad engineer, magician, "cousin", "grandpa" or "uncle", whose role was not only to be the "DJ" for syndicated material but also to entertain, often with a live television studio audience of kids, during breaks.
Early airing fare included copyright programming, along animation such as Koko the Clown, Looney Tunes, Crusader Rabbit, Dick Tracy, Popeye, Rocky and Bullwinkle, Casper the Friendly Ghost, Mighty Mouse, Deputy Dawg, Hergé's Adventures of Tintin, Mel-O-Toons, Woody Woodpecker, The Funny Company, Mr. Magoo, Space Angel and Clutch Cargo, as well as short films, such as Laurel and Hardy, Our Gang/''The Little Rascals and The Three Stooges, as well as animated versions of Laurel and Hardy, Abbott and Costello and The Three Stooges, and live-action shorts, such as Diver Dan. Some included educational segments such as wildlife in Nature's Window''.

Television broadcast markets

Alabama

Anniston

  • WHMA-TV-40, later WJSU-TV: The Cousin Cliff Show

Birmingham

Dothan

  • ''Miss Becky, Bugs Bunny, and Friends''

Florence

Captain Jack Earline in Storyland

Huntsville/Decatur

Mobile

Aunt Beka Bunnyville USA
  • WALA-TV: Camp WalabearCaptain Mal Captain Supreme Cartoonerville Fun and Games Junior Auction
  • WEAR-TV: The Lynn Toney Show
  • WKRG: Popeye Cartoon Theatre
  • WKRG/WEAR-TV: Romper Room
  • WKRG: Rosie's Place Jungle Bob / ''Scuba Bob''

Montgomery

Cactus Cal Captain Zoomar Cartoon Carl Junior Auction Kartoon Karnival Popeye Theatre Princess Pat's Storybook Castle Romper Room Western Theatre Willie the Clown
  • ''Young World''

Alaska

Anchorage

  • KENI: ''Mother Moose''

Fairbanks

  • ''School for Fun''

Arizona

Phoenix

Tucson

Yuma

Arkansas

El Dorado/Monroe

Fort Smith

Little Rock

California

Bakersfield

Fresno

  • KMPH: Uncle Woody Show
  • KAIL: Leebo The Clown
  • KFSN: Fun Time
  • KMJ: ''Miss Pat's Playroom''

Glendale

  • KHOF: ''Black Buffalo's Pow-Wow''

Los Angeles

Sacramento/Stockton

San Diego

King Norman's Kingdom of Toys

San Francisco Bay Area

Visalia

Colorado

Colorado Springs

Denver

Connecticut

Hartford

New Haven

  • WTNH/WNHC: Admiral Jack
  • WTNH/WNHC: Captain Solomon C. Whiskers
  • WNHC/WTNH: Space Commander 8
  • WTNH/WNHC: Kitdoodle
  • WTNH/WNHC/WHCT: Flippy the Clown
  • WTNH/WNHC: Happy the Clown
  • WTNH/WNHC: ''Mr. Goober''

District of Columbia

Washington

Florida

Fort Myers

Jacksonville

  • WMFJ: Here's How, . They visited manufacturers each week to see how things are made.
  • WFGA: Romper Room
  • WFGA: Bozo and Skipper Ed Show, Saturday mornings.
  • WFGA: Popeye & Pals with Skipper Ed, weekday afternoons and Saturday mornings.

Miami

Orlando

St. Petersburg

Tallahassee

Tampa

West Palm Beach

Georgia

Atlanta

Augusta

Columbus

  • WRBL: Blast Off
  • WRBL: Col. Chick & Bozo
  • WRBL: Kiddie Castle Lane, later renamed Kid's Corner
  • WTVM: Miss Patsy's Playhouse
  • WTVM: Mr. Play-Like's Morning Special
  • WRBL: Shaun O'Hoolihan
  • WLTZ: ''Calliope''

Macon

  • WMAZ: ''Cartoon Club''

Savannah

Thomasville

Guam

Hawaii

Honolulu

KHON :Romper Room
KGU/KITV/KHVH :Billy Boy Moonster Captain Honolulu Rocketship 4
KGMB :Bufo the Frog and a Mynah Bird Checkers and Pogo Jimmie Dodd's Aloha Club Sailor Al
KTRG (now KHNL) :

Idaho

Boise

Illinois

Chicago

Peoria

Bids for the Kids Bozo the ClownCaptain Jinks & Salty Sam Hobo Kelly Mr. Toyman

Quincy

  • WGEM-TV: "The Prairie Farms Cactus Club"

Rockford

Harrisburg

  • WSIL-TV: ''The Funny Company with Uncle Briggs''

Indiana

Evansville

Fort Wayne

Happy's Place Froggy's Pad

Indianapolis

South Bend

Kids' Adventure Zone

Terre Haute

Iowa

Cedar Rapids/Waterloo

Des Moines/Ames

Mason City/Fort Dodge

Bart's Clubhouse
  • ''Uncle Dick's Fun House''

Quad Cities

Sioux City

Kansas

Wichita

Kentucky

Bowling Green

  • WLTV-TV: ''Uncle Albert's General Store 1962-64''

Lexington

  • WKYT-TV: ''The Windy Wonderful Show 1959-65''

Louisville

Paducah

Louisiana

Baton Rouge

Storyland, hosted by Buckskin Bill Black

Monroe

  • ''The Happiness Exchange''

New Orleans

Bozo the ClownJohnny's Follies Johnny's Showboat Mr. Bingle PolycarpPopeye and Pals

Shreveport

Maine

Bangor

Portland

Maryland

Baltimore

Massachusetts

Boston

Springfield

Worcester

Michigan

Detroit

The Auntie Dee Show

Detroit Area

Get Up Get Out
  • ''Kids Enjoy Yourselves Without Drugs''

Flint

Grand Rapids

Kalamazoo

Lansing

  • WJIM-TV: Ranger Jim (with John Kelly then known as Jack Kelin, who then went on to host Kelly and Company with Marilyn Turner

Minnesota

Austin

  • ''The Uncle Robb''

Duluth

Bozo the Clown Bugs Bunny Rides Again Captain Q Mr. Tolliver's Travels Mr. Toot

Minneapolis/St. Paul

Axel and His Dog WCCO-TV 1954–66Boots and Saddles KSTP-TV c. 1955Bozo the Clown WCCO-TV c. 1961–63Burn 'Em Up Barnes Cap'n Ken / Grandpa Ken KMSP-TV c. 1959–68Captain 11 WTCN-TV c. 1953–55 WTCN-TV (Ch 11) c. 1955–58Captain Daryl KSTP-TV c. 1955–57Carmen's Cottage WCCO-TV 1966–77Clancy and Company / Clancy and Willie WCCO-TV 1963–77Clancy the (Keystone) Cop WCCO-TV 1959–61Clancy the Space Cop WCCO-TV 1961Commodore Cappy WCCO-TV 1957–59Dave Lee and Pete WTCN-TV (Ch 11) c. early 1960sJimmy's Junior Jamboree KSTP-TV c. 1948–54Joe the Cook WTCN-TV (Ch 11) c. 1956Johnny.44! WCCO-TV c. 1956–58J. P. Patches / The Carnival Clown WTCN-TV (Ch 11) 1953–55; WTCN-TV (Ch 11) 1955–58Junior Auction WCCO-TV c. 1963; WTCN-TV (Ch 11) c. 1968Juvenile Auction KSTP-TVLunch with Casey Popeye and Pete KMSP-TV c. 1959Popeye's Clubhouse WCCO-TV c. 1956–57, c. 1957–1959; c. 1959–60Riddle Griddle KSTP-TV c. 1948Roger! WCCO-TV c. 1963Skipper Daryl WTCN-TV (Ch 11) 1953–55T. N. Tatters KSTP-TV c. 1955–57Toby's Talent Hunt WTCN-TV (Ch 4) c. 1950Uncle Toby's Tune Time WTCN-TV (Ch 4) c. 1949Wrangler Steve WTCN-TV (Ch 11), c. 1955

Rochester

  • KMMT: ''Uncle Rob''

Mississippi

Columbus

  • WCBI-TV: Funtime With Uncle Bunky, weekday afternoons, 1958-76

Missouri

Columbia/Jefferson City/Sedalia

Hannibal

Joplin

Kansas City

St. Louis

Springfield

Montana

Billings

Butte

  • KXLF: Popeye, Wallaby and Friends
  • KXLF: Tots and Teens
  • KXLF: ''XL Corral''

Nebraska

Lincoln

Scottsbluff

KSTF: ''The Wilmer Worm Show''

Nevada

Reno
` KAME Space Station 21

Las Vegas

New Hampshire

Manchester

  • WMUR: Ring-A-Ding The Clown Show
  • WMUR: ''The Uncle Gus Show''

New Jersey

New Mexico

Albuquerque

New York

Albany/Schenectady

Commander Ralph

Binghamton

Buffalo

Elmira/Ithaca

Jerry's Playhouse
  • ''TV Clubhouse''

New York

Plattsburgh

  • Scoop O'Brian presented 1950s Superman TV episodes

Rochester

Gary the Happy PirateRomper Room
  • ''Skipper Sam''

Syracuse/Auburn

Utica/Rome

Watertown

The Danny Burgess Show
  • ''Kiddie Karnival''

North Carolina

Asheville

  • WLOS: Mr. Bill and Bozo
  • WLOS: ''Mr. Bill's Workshop''

Charlotte

  • WSOC: Clown Carnival Ever-Ever Land
  • WBTV: Junior Rancho / Little Rascals Club Romper Room
  • ''Sgt. Mills''

Greenville/New Bern

Romper Room
  • WITN: Witney the Hobo
  • Telestory Time with Elenor Hawkins: WFMY 1952-1958; WCTI 1963-

Raleigh/Durham

  • WRAL: Bozo the Clown Frog Hollow Time for Uncle Paul Sparks The Androgena Show
  • WPTF: ''Barney's Army''

Greensboro/High Point/Winston-Salem

Mr. Green

North Dakota

Bismarck

Fargo

Ohio

Akron

Canton

  • WJAN-TV: Alfred Alligator
  • WJAN-TV: ''Milton The Milkman''

Cincinnati

The Bean's Clubhouse Captain Glenn's Bandwagon

Cleveland

Barnaby

Columbus

  • ACTV/Access 21: BeBe the Clown
  • WCLS-TV: Crystal Palace
  • WBNS-TV: Flippo the Clown
  • WTTE-TV: Fox28 Kids' Club
  • WBNS-TV: Luci's Toy Shop
  • WTVN/WSYX: Romper Room
  • WTTE-TV: TV28 Kids' Club
  • WINJ-LP: ''TV8 Kids' Fun Festival''

Dayton

  • WHIO-TV: Charlie Goodtime
  • WKEF-TV: Clubhouse 22
  • WHIO-TV:Ferdy Fussbudget
  • WHIO-TV:Nosey the Clown
  • WKEF-TV:Romper Room
  • WKEF-TV:Toody the Clown
  • WHIO-TV:Uncle Orrie
  • WKTR-TV: Kim's Kartoon Kapers
  • WKTR-TV: ''Batfink''

Lima

WIMA-TV:The Barry Patch Charlie's Cartoon Clubhouse For Kids Only IN-SIDE with Ron Blazer and Charlie Chunk

Springfield

Steubenville

Creegan and Crow
WSTV: Romper Room

Toledo

Captain Cotton and Salty Fun FarmPatches and PocketsSalty's Cartoon Party

Youngstown

  • WKBN-TV: Romper Room The Captain Hal Fryer ShowClancy's Tip Top Club House
  • WFMJ-TV: Sesame Street (Sesame Street aired on WFMJ from November 1969 until September 1981. The market first had a lack of a NET/PBS station until the launches of both WNEO in May 1973 and WEAO in September 1975. WFMJ continued to air Sesame Street on weekdays due to the lack of weekday morning programming on both WNEO and WEAO. This lasted until September 1981 when both WNEO and WEAO began running weekday morning programming.

Oklahoma

Oklahoma City

Tulsa

Oregon

Eugene

Portland

Pennsylvania

Erie

  • ''The Pappy Show''

Harrisburg/Lancaster

Cowboy Pete Percy Platypus and Friends Pete McTee's ClubhouseRomper Room Sunshine Corners
  • ''Tricky Ricky and Popeye''

Johnstown/Altoona

Philadelphia

Adam Android Al Alberts Showcase Bertie the Bunyip Big Top Breakfast Time Candy Apple News Company Captain Noah and His Magical Ark Captain Philadelphia Carney C. Carney Cartoon ComicsCartoon Corners Cartoon Party Challenge Chief Halftown The Horn and Hardart Children's Hour C'mon to Uncle Pete's Dickory Doc Frontier Playhouse Fun House The Ghost Rider Grand Chance Roundup Happy the Clown In the Park Jack Valentine's T-K Ranch

Pittsburgh

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre

Buckskin Jim Captain Orbit The Land of Hatchy Milatchy Romper Room Rosco the Clown Showboat Topper's Clubhouse

Rhode Island

Providence

Commander JetCowboy Hank Draw PodnerHey Wake Up

South Carolina

Charleston

The Adventure Lady Commodore Moore
  • WCSC-TV:Happy Raine Princess Charleen
  • WCSC-TV: ''Uncle Charlie's Playhouse''

Columbia

Aboosa Ya YaCactus Quave Deputy Billy The Jolly Jim Show
  • WIS-TV: Mr. Knozit Princess Pat
  • ''Stanley And The Stooges''

Florence/Myrtle Beach

WBTW-TV WBTW-TV,

Greenville/Spartanburg

South Dakota

Rapid City

Captain Glenn's Fun Wagon

Sioux Falls

Bozo the Clown

Tennessee

Chattanooga

  • WDEF TV: ''Mr. Chickaroonie''

Jackson

  • WBBJ/WDXI: The Cousin Tuny Show
  • ''The Sheriff Big Jim Show''

Knoxville

Bozo the Clown Popeye Show

Memphis

Bozo the Clown

Nashville

  • WSM-TV: Bozo The Clown Later, on WSIX-TV by a different personality.

Texas

Abilene

  • KRBC: ''Cousin Pogo and Calvin Kiwi''

Amarillo

Austin

  • ''The Uncle Jay Show''

Beaumont/Port Arthur

  • ''Cowboy John''

Corpus Christi

  • KZTV: ''Uncle Bob's Playhouse''

Dallas/Fort Worth

Cartoon Clubhouse

El Paso

Houston/Galveston

Cadet Don Happy Hollow Kiddie Troopers
  • KTRK-TV: Kitirik Mary Jane's Magic Castle
  • ''No-No the Clown''

Lubbock

Odessa/Midland

San Antonio

Captain Gus Johnny's Treehouse
Howdy Doody 1951 Chester Howard
Little Rascals 1951 Chester Howard
Roy Rogers 1951. Chester Howard
Gene Autry. 1951. Chester Howard

Utah

Salt Lake City

KSL TV: Admiral Bernie with Bernie CalderwoodKUTV: Aunt Lolly's StorytimeKCPX: Captain ScottyKSL TV: Engineer Ron with Ron RossKCPX: Fireman FrankKCPX/KTVX TV: Hotel BalderdashKCPX: KC's ClubKSL TV: Kimbo the Clown with Jack WhitakerKSL TV: Lucky PupKSL TV: Princess MakeBelieve with Alene DaltonKSL TV: Romper Room with Miss Nancy, and Miss Julie KSL TV: Sheriff Jim with John LugtKSL TV: Story Princess with Alene DaltonKSL TV: Uncle Roscoe with Roscoe Grover

Vermont

Burlington

Virginia

Norfolk/Portsmouth

Richmond

Romper Room

Roanoke/Lynchburg

Washington, D.C.

Washington

Bellingham

  • KVOS: ''Frisky Frolics''

Everett

  • Channel 3/Everett Cablevision: Jaycee Clown Show and Captain Fuzz )

Seattle/Tacoma

Spokane

Yakima

West Virginia

Charleston/Huntington

Mr. Cartoon Steamboat Bill

Parkersburg

  • WTAP: ''PMA Pulse''

Wheeling

Comedy TimeCreegan & Crow

Wisconsin

Eau Claire

The Sheriff Bob Show

Fond du Lac

Green Bay

Madison

Milwaukee

Wausau

Wyoming

Casper

The Fun Ranch
  • ''Tumbleweed''

Cheyenne