You might try contacting the people at Cartoon Brew (http://www.cartoonbrew.com/) who may be able to put you in touch with animation historians (if there aren't any already on Screen-L).


LT


-----Original Message-----
>From: Doc Britto <[log in to unmask]>
>Sent: Aug 6, 2011 5:39 PM
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: [SCREEN-L] historical "firsts" concerning preschool children's cartoons
>
>Hello,
>
>I am trying to find some historical "firsts" concerning young/preschool 
>children's cartoons (TV and film), both one-time or series, for the US. 
>I"m defining preschool rather losely as younger than 7.
>
>Here is my difficulty so far: books usually employ simply the word 
>"children" as in "children's program," children's film, etc., but only 
>in recent decades has the division between older kids and preschoolers 
>been emphasized. Before the late 60s (in particular with Sesame Street), 
>I have not found a specific reference to a preschool cartoon, a 
>preschool animation movie for theater release, or a preschool TV cartoon 
>series in the US.
>
>What is considered to be the first preschool children's television 
>cartoon series on (American) television?
>
>I am specifically looking for a series that was conceived for children 
>under 7, so not an unspecified children's program that is geared to 
>include all children (both preschool and elementary school children).
>
>The same for an animated movie in theaters-- is there anything in 
>American film history that is equivalent to the German "Moonbeam Bear 
>and His Friends," for example? This movie is aimed at younger children 
>(losely defined).
>
>I am also interested in finding any hand-drawn cartoons (even if not 
>series) or other animation techniques (like marionettes ) before the 
>late 1960s that were conceived primarily for a preschool audience, or 
>any articles on the subject.
>
>Thank you for any references or tips.
>
>Regards,
>V. Britto
>
>----
>Learn to speak like a film/TV professor! Listen to the ScreenLex
>podcast:
>http://www.screenlex.org

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