Barker Bill's Cartoon Show facts for kids

Barker Bill's Cartoon Show was a special TV show. It was the very first cartoon series to air on a major network during weekdays! This show was on CBS from 1953 to 1955. Each episode was 15 minutes long. It played twice a week, on Wednesdays and Fridays, at 5 PM Eastern Time. Some TV stations even showed two episodes together, making a 30-minute show.

About Barker Bill's Cartoon Show

This show was quite unique for its time. It brought cartoons directly into homes during the week. Before this, cartoons were mostly seen in movie theaters. Barker Bill's Cartoon Show changed how kids watched cartoons.

Who Was Barker Bill?

Barker Bill was the main character of the show. He was a circus ringmaster. He looked like a friendly, round man. He had a long, black mustache. He wore a fancy suit, white gloves, and a top hat. He was the host of the show.

How the Show Worked

Barker Bill himself did not move or speak on the show. Instead, a still picture of him was shown. An announcer, who you couldn't see, would introduce the cartoons. The show played old black and white cartoons. These cartoons came from a company called Terrytoons. Most of them were made in the 1930s. Some popular cartoons shown were Farmer Al Falfa and Kiko the Kangaroo. The show did not feature newer, more famous Terrytoons characters like Mighty Mouse or Heckle and Jeckle at first.

Barker Bill in Comics

Even though Barker Bill didn't star in his own cartoons, he did appear elsewhere. He was briefly featured in a newspaper comic strip. This comic strip ran from September 1954 to 1955.

Terrytoons and Television

Terrytoons was a very important animation studio. They were the first big studio to let television networks show their old cartoons. This was a big deal for TV. Barker Bill's Cartoon Show became very popular. Because of its success, CBS wanted to buy the Terrytoons studio. This included all their cartoon-making facilities and their entire library of cartoons.

Paul Terry, who owned Terrytoons, agreed to the offer. He sold his studio in 1955 and retired. This sale brought many well-known Terrytoons characters to television. Characters like Mighty Mouse and Heckle and Jeckle became regular TV stars.

The Show's Legacy

After CBS bought Terrytoons, Barker Bill's Cartoon Show was replaced. In 1956, newer, more popular Terrytoons characters took its place. These cartoons were originally made in color. Even though they were first shown on black and white TVs, they still looked good when televisions switched to color. These cartoons continued to be part of CBS programming for many years, even into the 1980s.

The older cartoons from Barker Bill's Cartoon Show were later shown again. They were re-packaged under different names. Some of these new titles included Farmer Alfalfa and His Terrytoons Pals, The Terry Toons Club, and Terry Toons Circus. This way, many kids continued to enjoy these classic cartoons.