Toonzai CW 4Kids

Toonzai was a Saturday morning cartoon block that aired 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 (stylized as CW4K!DS), 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.[citation needed] The name is a portmanteauof "toon" and the Japanese term banzai, reflecting the majority of anime programming on the block.[citation needed]

On April 12, 2013, the Toonzai website redirected to the Vortexx website. As of November 2018, almost no 4Kids programs air on broadcast television anymore (with the exception of Pokémon), as Vortexx ended its run. However in 2019, all 4Kids programs return to the broadcast television as Toonzai return to The CW while 4Kids return to distributed the series but add new episodes of anime programming

Origin and launch[edit]
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' WBprogramming block, due to the effects of children's advertising limits and competition from cable television, and sell the programming time to Grupo Clarin (through its subsidiary 4Kids Entertainment).[1] [2] [3]  Kids' WB ended its run on The CW on May 17, 2008 (Kids' WB, like The WB Television Network that the block originated, then relaunched as an online-only video on demand service). 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.



The CW4Kids logo used exclusively from May 24, 2008 to August 7, 2010. The logo was still being used as a sub-brand to the Toonzai name until August 18, 2012 and as of 2019.

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.[4]  The CW4Kids was not renamed in order to avert confusion and due to contractual obligations to feature the CW name in some form within the block's title.[citation needed]

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 fall and rerise of Toonzai[edit]
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.[7] 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.[8] [9]  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 ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yu-Gi-Oh! Yu-Gi-Oh!], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yu-Gi-Oh!_Zexal 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.But The CW has other plans in June 2019 when the WB Kids and Saturday Morning Block rerise and revived. WB Kids want to put some anime to a block, so The CW need to launched a WB Kids sister block for quality anime and Toonzai Host Face is shown in a powerpoint. So The CW decide to relaunched Toonzai and Vortexx block and launched The CW Saturday for Saturday Mid-Afternoon and Afternoon to Evening hours before WB Kids Party Edition with The CW4Kids and Cartoon Network.

Current programming[edit]
† - Program transitioned from final schedule of Kids' WB ‡ - Program transitioned to Toonzai
 * The CW4Kids
 * Eon Kid † (May 24, 2008 – June 14, 2008)(2019-present on WB Kids Party Edition)
 * Max & Ruby (May 24, 2008 - June 14, 2008)
 * Johnny Test † (May 24, 2008 – June 14, 2008)(2019-present on WB Kids Block)
 * World of Quest † (May 24, 2008 – June 14, 2008)
 * Tom and Jerry Tales † (May 24, 2008 – September 6, 2008)(Seen on the channel with reruns and new episodes)
 * Magi-Nation † ‡ (May 24, 2008 – September 20, 2008)(2019-present for Toonzai and Party Edition)
 * The Spectacular Spider-Man † (May 24, 2008 – January 31, 2009)(For The CW Saturday(Reruns))
 * Will and Dewitt † (May 24, 2008 – April 4, 2009)
 * Skunk Fu! † (May 24, 2008 – October 18, 2008 and May 29, 2010 – July 10, 2010)
 * The Batman † (June 21, 2008 – August 2, 2008)
 * Yu-Gi-Oh! GX (June 21, 2008 – September 6, 2008)
 * Chaotic (June 21, 2008 – July 10, 2010)
 * Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (June 21, 2008 – August 7, 2010) (includes the later retooled/renamed seasons)
 * Viva Piñata (September 13, 2008 – October 18, 2008)
 * Dinosaur King ‡ (September 13, 2008 – August 7, 2010)
 * Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's ‡ (September 13, 2008 – August 7, 2010)
 * GoGoRiki (September 27, 2008 – November 14, 2009)
 * Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight (December 13, 2008 – December 26, 2009)
 * Huntik: Secrets & Seekers (January 3, 2009 – December 26, 2009)
 * Sonic X ‡ (January 3, 2009 - August 7, 2010)
 * Kirby: Right Back at Ya! (June 6, 2009 – July 11, 2009)(Now aired on the channel)
 * Winx Club (July 18, 2009 – July 17, 2010)(Now aired as part of WB Kids Sunday)(This mark the first time that a network can also offers the Saturday Kids Spirit to a Sunday for the kids)
 * Yu-Gi-Oh! † ‡ (September 5, 2009 – May 22, 2010)
 * RollBots (September 19, 2009 – January 23, 2010)
 * Magical DoReMi (April 24, 2010 – July 17, 2010)(Now aired on WB Kids Extra)
 * Cubix: Robots for Everyone † ‡ (July 24, 2010 – August 7, 2010)(Now aired as a Toonzai)
 * Toonzai
 * Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Back to the Sewer (August 14, 2010 – August 21, 2010)
 * Dinosaur King (August 14, 2010 – October 9, 2010)(2019-present for WB Kids AnimeUniverse on the block)
 * Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's (August 14, 2010 – September 10, 2011)(2019-present for AnimeUniverse for WB Kids on The CW block)
 * Sonic X † (August 14, 2010 – August 4, 2012)(2019-present for not only Toonzai, but Vortexx and WB Kids)
 * Dragon Ball Z Kai † (August 14, 2010 – August 11, 2012)(Also for Toonzai and Vortexx)
 * Cubix: Robots for Everyone † (August 14, 2010 – February 12, 2011 and February 18, 2012 – August 18, 2012)
 * Yu-Gi-Oh! † (September 4, 2010 – August 18, 2012)(2019-present)
 * Magi-Nation (February 19, 2011 – February 11, 2012)
 * Tai Chi Chasers (September 17, 2011 – June 2, 2012)(2019-present for WB Kids and Toonzai and Party Edition)(For the Party Edition, there new episodes)
 * Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal † (October 15, 2011 – August 18, 2012)(2019-present for WB Kids)
 * Yu-Gi-Oh! Capsule Monsters (March 24, 2012 – April 28, 2012)
 * Double Vision Saturday (2PM–3PM)(2 Hours) – consisting of two episodes of Sonic X and two episodes of Yu-Gi-Oh! (part of Full Hours).