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Kids' WB! was Warner Bros.' American children's programming division brand for The WB Television Network.^[1] In September 2006, the block moved to The CW Television Network. The CW is the result of The WB's merger with UPN in 2006. Kids' WB! shut down on May 17, 2008, and was sold to 4Kids Entertainment to form The CW4Kids.

Kids' WB! was re-launched as an online network on April 28, 2008, a few weeks before it was replaced by The CW4Kids. The network allows viewers to watch shows of Looney Tunes, Hanna-Barbera and DC Comics. It has different zones where users are linked to Kids' WB!, Kids' WB!, Jr., and DC HeroZone. It is also available on Fancast featuring full episodes of such TV shows such as Looney Tunes, Scooby Doo, The Flintstones, and The Jetsons.

Even though the block is now defunct, there are still Kids' WB blocks in Australia and Bulgaria.

History[link]

Early years[link]

Kids' WB! debuted on The WB on Saturday, September 9, 1995, airing on Saturday mornings from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., and weekdays from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

On September 7, 1996, the Saturday block was extended by a full hour, airing from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. EST, and weekdays from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. EST.

On September 1, 1997, Kids' WB! started airing weekday mornings at 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. in most markets. Some stations, such as KTLA in Los Angeles, California and KWGN in Denver, Colorado, aired the weekday morning hour in conjunction with the weekday afternoon block, expanding it to three hours, from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. EST. On the same day, it got a new rebrand by Riverstreet Productions, which lasted until 2005.

Changes at Kids' WB![link]

In 1999, Kids' WB made a breakthrough when the English dub of the anime Pokémon by 4Kids Entertainment premiered. It was a big hit for its programming block,^[2] beating Fox Kids with its animated block backed by Warner Bros.^[3] In later years, other anime shows aired such as Cardcaptors, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Astro Boy, Megaman NT Warrior, and Viewtiful Joe.

In July 2001, Kids' WB!'s afternoon lineup was rebranded Toonami on Kids' WB!, extending the Cartoon Network action-cartoon brand Toonami to broadcast television, and bringing shows such as Sailor Moon, Dragon Ball Z, and The Powerpuff Girls to network television. In addition, non-action programming such as The Nightmare Room were also branded as Toonami. The afternoon block was re-branded Kids' WB! in June 2002.

On September 7, 2001, Kids' WB! ceased airing weekday morning programming, and gave that slot back to the local affiliates. On December 30, 2005, the weekday afternoon Kids' WB block was dropped "at the request of the local affiliates", replaced by Daytime WB. As a result, the Saturday morning block was extended by an hour on January 7, 2006, running from 7:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., no longer affected by time zone.

On January 24, 2006, The WB, Kids' WB!'s original broadcaster, announced they would merge with UPN to form The CW Television Network. The combined network utilized The WB's scheduling practices and brought the Kids' WB! block, still run by Warner Bros. Television, and still maintaining its name, to the new lineup.

The End and Rebirth of Kids' WB![link]

On October 2, 2007, the network announced that due to a joint decision between Warner Bros. and CBS, (parent companies of The CW), it would suspend the Kids' WB programming block due to the effects of children's advertising limits and cable competition and sell the programming time to 4Kids Entertainment.^[4] Kids' WB! shut down broadcasting operations on May 17, 2008. However, on WUPA, Kids' WB shut down one day later^{[citation needed]}.

On May 24, 2008, 4Kids launched The CW4Kids in place of Kids' WB!. The lineup for the block consists of 4Kids produced shows such as Chaotic (which also aired on Jetix and currently shows re-runs of it on Disney XD and Cartoon Network) as well as new seasons of Yu-Gi-Oh! and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.^[5] The official site, http://www.cw4kids.com, officially launched on April 20, 2008.

On April 28, 2008, Warner Bros. Entertainment announced that The WB and Kids' WB brands would be relaunched as online networks, with the Kids' WB! network consisting of five subchannels: Kids' WB!, Kids' WB! Jr., Scooby-Doo, Looney Tunes, and DC Beyond.^[6][7][8]

Close Captioning[link]

Every one of the shows on Kids WB as seen in the United States is close captioned by the National Captioning Institute. It was that the new evolved and present close captioning of the NCI was first used and seen on Kids WB.

Programming[link]

Voice Over Announcements[link]

• Jim Cummings
• Rino Romano
• Jeff Bennett
• Maurice LaMarche
• Jonathan David Cook
• Tom Kenny
• Dana Snyder

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Kids' WB TV Block on retrojunk
• Platypuscomix's tribute to KidsWB

Tim Ellis is an Australian performer, author and lecturer in the world of magic and illusion.

Biography[link]

Ellis began performing magic at the age of 9 after his grandfather gave him a magic set as a gift.^[1][2][3][4] At the age of 14 he was the youngest magician ever admitted to The Magic Circle of Victoria and two years later won four out of their five annual awards. In 1980 he won the title 'Best Under 18 Magician of Australia'.^[5]

In 1986 he created and produced 'National Magic Week',^[6] a ten day festival of the magical arts which was presented annually for the next nine years.

Ellis produced and edited 'Australian Magic Monthly',^[7][8] a national publication for magicians which came out monthly for 100 issues, while writing a regular column on the Australian magic scene for the international Genii.^[9]

Ellis created 'MagicSports'^[10][11] a form of improvised magic games based on Keith Johnstone's 'Theatre Sports'.

In 1992 he bought Australia's oldest magic shop, 'Bernard's' ^[12][13] which he owned for several years.

In 1994 he was awarded second place in 'Micro Magic' at the FISM World Magic Championship in Yokohama, Japan.^[14] This followed the 'Special Prize of the Jury' he was awarded at the 1991 FISM in Lausanne, Switzerland for his 'Six Card Rap'.^[15][16]

Ellis was married to Sue-Anne Webster from 1998 to 2011.^[17] Ellis performed as a guest artist at the FISM World Championship of Magic, performing in the Close Up Gala in 2000 and the Stage Gala in 2003.^[18] In 2001 Ellis and Webster were voted 'Most Valuable Performers' by their peers at the close up magic convention 'Fechter's Finger Flicking Frolic' in Batavia, New York.^[19]

Ellis sat on the jury at the FISM World Championship of Magic in 2003 at Den Haag, in 2006 at Stockholm, and 2009 in Beijing.^[20] In 2004 Ellis and Webster produced three magic teaching DVDs,^[21][22][23] and together with a team of Melbourne magicians they set a new Guinness World Record for the world's longest magic show by performing non-stop for 75 hours at Luna Park, Melbourne, Australia.^[24][25] The previous record was 24 hours.^[26] In the same year Ellis produced the 29th Australian Convention of Magicians.^[27]

In 2007 Ellis was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome.^[28]

After the 2007 show Poker in the Face,^[29][30] Ellis presented two shows for the 2008 Melbourne International Comedy Festival Illusionarium with Ellis & Webster^[31] and Something About Needles & Razorblades. Later that year he performed The Wizards of Aus^[32] at The Melbourne Magic Festival. The 2009 Festival saw his new shows AspyCadabra, and Ellis in Wonderland performed with Sue-Anne Webster. The 2010 Festival saw two new shows Escape From Reality and Illusionarium 2010 and in 2011 they premiered Once Upon A Time...

He has performed on television programs including Midday, Good Morning Australia, The Daryl Somers Show, Young Talent Time, Hey Hey It's Saturday, Sunrise, and The Today Show. He also appears in Nadia Tass's feature film Matching Jack (2010).^[33]

Ellis works in the Australian corporate entertainment field.

Awards & Honours[link]

• Nominated Lecturers of the Year (with Sue-Anne Webster) - The Magic Castle, Hollywood (2005)
• Guinness World Record (with team of Melbourne magicians) - World's Longest Magic Show, 75 hours (2004)
• Most Valuable Participants (with Sue-Anne Webster) - Fechter's Finger Flicking Frolic, New York (2001)
• Second Place, Close Up Magic - FISM World Magic Championships - Yokohama, Japan (1994)
• Special Prize of the Jury - FISM World Magic Championships - Lausanne, Switzerland (1991)
• Best Stage Magic in Australia - National Australian Magic Convention (1990)
• Best Trick - National Australian Magic Convention (1986 & 1990)
• Best Close Up Magician in Australia - National Australian Magic Convention (1986)
• Best Close Up Magician - Ballarat, Newcastle, and Adelaide Magic Conventions (1989)
• Best Card Magician - Adelaide Magic Conventions (1989)
• Teenage Champion Magician of Australia - National Australian Magic Convention (1980)
• Harmony Trophy - Magic Circle of Victoria (1978, 1979)
• Ron Kreyt's Shield for Close Up Magic - Magic Circle of Victoria (1979)
• Improver's Trophy - Magic Circle of Victoria (1979)
• Librarian's Trophy - Magic Circle of Victoria (1979)

Published works[link]

• Australian Magic Monthly - Monthly National Magazine, Editor and publisher (1989–1998)
• The Magic Circular - Monthly publication of 'The Magic Circle of Victoria', Editor (from 1992)
• The Secret Diary of Tim Ellis - Lecture Notes (1992)
• AMM 2000 - Monthly National Magazine, Co Editor with Sue-Anne Webster (2000)
• Ellis in Wonderland - Lecture Notes (2000)
• 24 Years of Living Next Door to Ellis (2001)
• Runaround Sue - Lecture Notes (2001)
• The Tim Card Poker Deal (2005)^[34]
• Timeless Magic - Hardcover Book (2011)

Videos & DVDs[link]

• Cunning Stunts (1993)
• Bernard's Teaching Video Series - 18 Volumes (Producer) (1993–1995)
• Ellis in Wonderland (2004)
• 24 Years of Living Next Door to Ellis (2004)
• Runaround Sue (2004)
• Ellis & Webster's Cunning Stunts (2006)
• Ellis & Webster's Most Amazing Magic Volume 1
• Ellis & Webster's Most Amazing Magic Volume 2

References[link]

External links[link]

• Tim Ellis' website