Toonzai


Toonzai was a Saturday morning cartoon block that was broadcast on The CW from May 24, 2008 to August 18, 2012. The block was created as a result of a four-year agreement between 4Kids Entertainment and The CW. The original name for the block from 2008 to 2010, The CW4Kids, 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 of "toon" and the Japanese term banzai, reflecting the majority of anime programming on the block.
On April 12, 2013, the Toonzai website redirected to the Vortexx website. On October 4, 2014, none of 4Kids' shows air on broadcast television anymore, as Vortexx ended its run.

History

Origin and launch

On October 2, 2007, The CW announced due to a joint decision between the network's parent companies Time Warner and CBS Corporation that it would discontinue the Kids' WB programming block, due to the effects of children's advertising limits and competition from cable television, and sell the programming time to 4Kids Entertainment. Kids' WB ended its run on The CW on May 17, 2008. 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 block for Fox, until that network nullified 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 the rebranding of The CW4Kids under the new name Toonzai, a name change that took effect on August 14, 2010.

Takeover by Saban Brands and end of Toonzai

On June 26, 2012, Kidsco Media Ventures, an affiliate of Saban Capital Group, finalized a bid to acquire 4Kids' agreement with The CW for the block. On July 2, 2012, it was announced that Saban Brands, via Kidsco Media Ventures, began programming the block, which would be relaunched under the name Vortexx. Toonzai quietly ended its run on The CW on August 18, 2012 after a Yu-Gi-Oh! marathon, with Vortexx premiering the following week on August 25, 2012. Some of Toonzai's programming, including Yu-Gi-Oh!, Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal, Sonic X, and Dragon Ball Z Kai continued to air on the block until September 27, 2014, when Vortexx ended its run.

Programming

It was the final children's block on The CW to be broadcast only in standard definition, 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 WUPA in Atlanta aired it on Sunday, instead due to regular Saturday programming. Connecticut affiliate WCCT-TV aired three hours on Saturday, and two hours on Sunday. KMAX-TV in Sacramento, 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 in Raleigh, North Carolina and WNUV in Baltimore, aired the entire lineup, but it had two hours earlier, running from 5:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. San Diego'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'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; Shreveport, Louisiana's KPXJ-TV preempted the final hour of the block. Columbus, Georgia'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, 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 and Alaska time zones, as The CW Plus operates two separate feeds running on Eastern and Pacific time zone schedules.

Former programming

The CW4Kids

† - Program transitioned from final schedule of Kids' WB

‡ - Program transitioned to Toonzai

Toonzai

† - Program transitioned to Vortexx

Short segments

The CW4Kids website had a "Papercraft" section, where users could print special themed bookmarks and stationery, and make paper characters and accessories from various 4Kids shows.
ShowCharacter/Item
ChaoticChaor, Maxxor, H'earring, Intress, Zalvar, and Code Scanner
Dinosaur KingChomp, Max, Terry, Bookmarks
GoGoRikiOttoriki, Pogoriki, Rosariki, Docoriki, and Pogoriki Stationary
Dante Vale
Kamen Rider Dragon Knight, Wing Knight, Torque, and Strike
Kirby, Tiff, Tuff, Meta Knight, King Dedede, and Waddle Dee
Sonic XSonic, Tails Prower, Knuckles, Amy Rose, Shadow, Dr. Eggman, Rouge, and Bookmarks
Teenage Mutant Ninja TurtlesMichelangelo, Raphael, Donatello, Leonardo, Splinter, Casey Jones, Shredder, Foot Ninja, Krang, TMNT Accessories, Bookmarks, and Bookmarks
Viva PiñataFergy
Winx ClubBloom, Flora, Layla, Musa, Stella, Tecna, Winx Club Stationery, and Bookmarks
Yu-Gi-Oh!Yugi and Yami Yugi