CBS Storybreak
Animated adaptations of children's books with open captions.
From 1985 to 1989, CBS aired a Saturday morning anthology called CBS Storybreak, featuring half-hour animated adaptations of then-current children's books like Chocolate Fever. Hosted by Bob Keeshan, it began as a feature on his Captain Kangaroo series. The series returned in 1993 with Malcolm-Jamal Warner as host.
Quick Facts
- Presenter
- Bob Keeshan (1985–1989); Malcolm-Jamal Warner (1993–1994)
- Country
- United States; Australia
- Language
- English
- Seasons
- 3
- Runtime
- 30 minutes
- Network
- CBS
- Company
- Southern Star/Hanna-Barbera Australia; CBS Entertainment Productions
- Episodes
- 26
Facts from the source article.
Background
CBS's first internally produced cartoon series since the old Terrytoons days earned an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Animated Program during the 1985–1986 season. The show aired original episodes, then continued in repeats until 1991. It returned for reruns from the 1993–94 season through 1997–98, with Malcolm-Jamal Warner taking over as host from Bob Keeshan. In 1992, a selection of episodes came out on home video under the title Video Storybreak.
The series stood out among American TV shows for using open captions during its 1993 reruns, provided by the National Captioning Institute. This helped hearing-impaired viewers and also let hearing audiences read along with the story. Australia's Southern Star, working with Hanna-Barbera Australia, produced the episodes for CBS Entertainment Productions. Each episode ended with a Read More About It segment, featuring book recommendations from the Library of Congress, highlighted by both Keeshan and Warner.
Southern Star Productions wrote and recorded the theme song in mid-1984. The track relied on several synthesizers: the Roland Jupiter 8, PPG Wave, Yamaha DX-7, Korg Poly 61, and the Linndrum.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes of CBS Storybreak are there?
CBS Storybreak has 26 episodes across 3 seasons.
When did CBS Storybreak first air?
CBS Storybreak first aired on 30 March 1985.
When did CBS Storybreak end?
CBS Storybreak last aired on 28 January 1989.
More in 1980s American Anthology Television Series
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