Remember that feeling as a youngster, waking up to a big bowl of cereal and Saturday cartoons? We all had our FAVORITE shows, whether they were super-heroes, do-gooders, funny guys, mischievous cohorts, or just plain ol ordinary folks that reminded you of your own family. Whichever you preferred there was a show out there for you. Now when it comes to Black cartoons, they tended to be few and far between, but the ones that did air were some of the most memorable.
We’ve gathered up some of the best and most classic Black-themed animated series of all time and we invite you guys to walk down memory lane with us and reminisce about how things used to be and how they have evolved up to now.
Flip through the following pages and feel the nostalgia.
The Proud Family
From September 15, 2001 until August 15, 2005 Disney brought us this entertaining series about Penny Proud and her crazy family that consisted of voices from Tommy Davidson, Kyla Pratt, Paula Jai-Parker, Cedic “The Entertainer”, Tara Strong, and Jo Marie Payton. Creator Bruce W. Smith, is credited for creating the first Disney show that was not produced by Disney themselves.
Harlem Globetrotters
Broadcast from September 12, 1970 to September 2, 1972 on CBS, and later re-run on NBC as The Go-Go Globetrotters, the show featured cartoon versions of George “Meadowlark” Lemon, Freddie “Curly” Neal, Hubert “Geese” Ausbie, J.C. “Gip” Gipson, Bobby Joe Mason, and Pablo Robertson, alongside their fictional bus driver and manager Granny, and Dribbles, their dog mascot.
The PJ’s
Debuting on January 10, 1999 the American stop-motion animated television series was created by Eddie Murphy, Larry Wilmore, and Steve Tompkins. It portrayed life in an urban public housing project, modeled after the Brewster-Douglass housing projects in Detroit that once housed Diana Ross & Lilly Tomlin. The series starred Eddie Murphy, and was produced by Imagine Entertainment by Ron Howard and Brian Grazer, The Murphy Company & Will Vinton Studios in association with Touchstone Television.
Hammerman
Aired: September 14 – December 7, 1991
Youth center worker Stanley Burrell (Hammer’s real name) owns a pair of magical dancing shoes (which are alive and can speak), which when worn cause Burrell to transform into the superhero Hammerman. He frequently gets advice from his “Gramps”, who was a former owner of the shoes and was known as Soulman. While in the guise of Hammerman, Burrell was dressed in MC Hammer’s signature purple parachute pants and myriad golden chains.
The show was hosted by the real MC Hammer, who also sang the show’s theme song, telling about the origin of Hammerman. Back in the 1960s and 1970s, Gramps (real name unrevealed) was the superhero Soulman, but as he grew older, he grew weaker and was forced to retire. Gramps and his granddaughter Jodie traveled to find the next new superhero. Their search was over when they met Stanley and he put on the shoes. Each episode, Hammerman faced various social issues; at the end of each episode, a puppet version of the magic shoes would speak to a live child audience and provide methods the children could use to address these issues themselves.
Mr. T
Aired: 17 September 1983 – 29 December 1984
The cartoon starred Mr. T as a coach to a gymnastics team (with a specific emphasis on members Jeff, Woody, Robin, and Kim), travelling the world while becoming involved in and solving various mysteries.
At the beginning of each episode, a live-action introduction featuring Mr. T himself is shown to explain what is going on. At the end of each episode, Mr. T narrates a moral lesson for the audience.
The Jackson 5ive
Aired: September 11, 1971 – September 1, 1973
Other than appearing in the introduction where actual photographs are shown morphing into animated cartoons, the actual Jackson brothers themselves—Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon, and Michael—were unable to contribute to the show in any way due to scheduling conflicts, although the group did pose for some posters prior to the show’s release to advertise the forthcoming Saturday morning cartoon. Only their music was used; however, during the music montages, a clipping of the Jackson 5 appearing in concert would air occasionally to blend in with the cartoon. Though Berry Gordy/The J5’s producer did not provide the original voice (his character was voiced by Paul Frees) nor advertised his name, his character was frequently involved as the “adult figure” to the group. R&B/Pop singer Diana Ross contributed to voice her fictionalized self in the debut episode. The premise of the show is that the Jackson Five would have adventures similar to Josie and the Pussycats, Alvin & the Chipmunks or The Partridge Family, with the unique addition being that Berry Gordy, the manager of the band in the show’s universe, would come up with an idea for publicity for the band, such as having to do farm work or play a concert for the President of the United States.
Kid N’ Play
Aired: September 8, 1990 – August 31, 1991
Kid ‘n Play was an animated cartoon series based on the real-life hip-hop duo, Kid ‘n Play. It ran for one season on NBC from 1990 to 1991. On the show, Kid ‘n Play were portrayed as teenagers, but their recording careers remained the same as in real life, as did their character traits.
The real Kid ‘n Play appeared in live-action wraparounds of the cartoons, but voice actors took over for the animated versions of the duo. The show stressed positive role models, teaching children how to get along with each other and stay out of trouble.
Tommy Davidson, Martin Lawrence, and Cree Summer were all star actors that contributed to voices for the show.
Class of 3000
Aired: November 3, 2006 – May 25, 2008
Class of 3000 is an American animated television series on Cartoon Network that was created, executive produced by, and starred André 3000 of the Hip Hop group OutKast as superstar and music teacher Sunny Bridges, set at Atlanta, Georgia’s Westley School of Performing Arts. Mr. Bridges is a jazz and blues artist who occasionally lectures in Atlanta’s Little Five Points neighborhood. It was produced by Tom Lynch Company, Moxie Creative, and Cartoon Network Studios.
As of September 25, 2011, it is currently the last Cartoon Network series to be given a TV-Y7 rating without the Fantasy Violence side rating to accompany it.
The Cleveland Show
Aired: September 27, 2009-current
The Cleveland Show is an American animated television series that premiered on September 27, 2009, as a part of the “Animation Domination” lineup on Fox in the United States. The series was created by Seth MacFarlane, Mike Henry, and Richard Appel as a spin-off from Family Guy, which was also created by MacFarlane.
The family was conceived by MacFarlane after developing two animated series, Family Guy and American Dad!. MacFarlane took the Family Guy character Cleveland and his son Cleveland, Jr. but redesigned Junior. MacFarlane and Mike Henry pitched a 22 minute pilot to Fox which aired on September 27, 2009 but had been leaked on the internet in June 2009. Before the show premiered, the show had already been renewed for a 22 episode second season. After the first season of the show aired, it was renewed for a second and was given the green light to start production. Shortly after the second season ended in 2011, Fox renewed the series for a third season. A fourth season was announced on May 9, 2011.
The Boondocks
Aired: November 6, 2005-current
The Boondocks is an American animated series created by Aaron McGruder on Cartoon Network’s late night programing block, Adult Swim, based on McGruder’s comic strip of the same name. The Boondocks is a social satire of African American culture and race relations revolving around the lives of the Freeman family: ten-year-old Huey, his younger brother, eight-year-old Riley, and their grandfather, Robert. The series is produced by Rebel Base and has finished airing its third season on Adult Swim. In a 2011 interview, cast member, John Witherspoon announced that the series has been renewed for a fourth season, which will consist of 20 episodes.Voice casting director Andrea Romano stated at Comic Con 2011 that season four is headed into production.
Fat Albert
Aired:
Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids is an animated series created, produced, and hosted (in live action bookends) by comedian Bill Cosby, who also lent his voice to a number of characters, including Fat Albert himself. Filmation was the production company for the series. The show premiered in 1972 and ran until 1985. The show, based on Bill Cosby’s remembrances of his childhood gang, focused on the lovable, oversized Albert, with his signature rumbling exclamation “Hey hey hey!”, and his friends.
Fat Albert primarily spoke to African-American youth in low-income families, a segment of the population previously ignored by Saturday morning programming. However, the show had an impact on children across the United States, regardless of race. The show always had an educational lesson emphasized by Cosby’s live-action segments, and the gang always gathered in their North Philadelphia junkyard to play a rock song on their cobbled-together instruments. Cosby’s Kids had an upbeat attitude and were eager to learn, in spite of their apparent poverty.
