Bogger Box Office: A Special Post: Goodbye, Pop-part 1: Pop main channel 2003-2022

By the time you see this, POP, a British Kids channel that served as a Freeview alternative for families too poor to afford both Sky and Children's TV, has been closed down for a week.

Sure, CBBC still exists, but Pop was a 24 hour channel. POP has been Reborn as PopUp, as a FAST app and on Samsung TV, but in the decade, where Citv has been reduced to two hour white noise on Itv2 every morning, and where a week prior, So Called Music Television finally cut all channels playing ACTUAL MUSIC!, the Death of POP, especially in the year, Tiny pop returned after being scrapped, and The Year Disney returned to sky in response to children born after the Disney Plus Paywall were polled and shown to not know who Mickey Mouse was, to do this, seemed like something that would never happen.

For POP to perish, to have it go from Being the repeat wasteland to the Channel that would Save MLP, and save Dragon ball, to have it be the home of Power Rangers, when it could not even be shown in America.

If it wasn't for POP, I wouldn't have been able to review Sonic Underground. I wouldn't have being able to review Code Lyoko. What started as Assets and shows wasting away in Granada Studios, would become the Freeview champion that could rival All it's contemporaries, ironically by getting fat off it's table scraps!

THE FOLLOWING POST IS A NOSTALGIC TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE THAT IS INTENDED FOR AN ADULT AUDIENCE.

2003-Toons&Tunes

In 2003, the then Parent Company Chart Show TV, the company who parented the Freeview Music Channels at the Time, acquired TV Visual Assets for The 1997 Saturday Morning Show Tricky. Tricky for those who Don't remember, is remembered for two things: 1, it's second episode was Postponed due to the Funeral of Princess Diana, and it's Gimmick of it's "Presenter" being a Cartoon Dragon. It was an interesting Concept, but smacked of Fugility in an Era, Live and Kicking on the Beeb was flying in big Stars for interviews and giving away PlayStations every week. By 1998, Tricky was Replaced, and the Assets as well as a Playschool asset called Cheeky monkeys, where shelved by itv.

That is Until 2003.

Tunes&Toons launched on channel 619 on 2003. And Tricky, a Dragon from Oop Norf, who bossed around a then unknown Claudia Winkleman, was now Reborn as Roary, a Scottish Dragon, who still acted as Presenter reading out jokes and Birthdays on the Credits, until they phrased him out in 2010, The Cheeky Monkeys would be ident Presenters during lunchtime for Preschool shows, until POP plus became Tiny POP with The Cheeky Monkeys becoming Mascots for A hourly Birthday Song and A Bedtime Song. Even when the Mascots changed from Monkeys to Spots the Birthday Song Remained.

But Before it was Pop, it's was Toons&Tunes. Cartoons and inoffensive POP music in a time where YouTube and Spotify were not seen as threats. The channel would change its name to POP to show it was a Music adjacent channel, when they would also start showing Live Action Shows.

So let's get into the Shows, and you will see that the channel and very little to work with.

2003-2006

Sonic the Hedgehog, Satam, Sonic Underground, Super Mario 3, Mario and Captain N Shorts.

Making up most of the Animation was the 90s version of Sonic and Mario. While Nostalgic for someone like myself, The Mario Shows were dated by the time POP had them. If it wasn't for POP repeating Sonic Underground on a loop, I may never have reviewed SU back then.

Supa Dupa Sumos

When you are the Freeview Channel and the best you can do is Glorified Toy Ads and whatever Studios not called Disney, Warner Bros or Nickelodeon, Beggars cannot be Choosers.

Case in Point, prepare to see a LOT of Nelvana, 4Kids, Corus and Australian Broadcasting Channel.

Famously the First Victim of RebelTaxis Series of the Worst Cartoon Ever Made, Super Dupa Sumos was a 2000s Saturday Morning Cartoon, where 3 Sumos protected A Californian Valley from the Monster of The Week making Evil Corporation of Evil, Bad Inc...whether the Civilians wanted or Cared that they're lives needed saving.

A Flash Animation that felt like Visual Sugar, with saturated Colours, Crass Butt Jokes and not much in the way of Storyline and Subtlety, Despite a GBA Platformer, Super Dupa Sumos 30 plus Episodes would rotate until they found something better on POP.

RebelTaxi's Video can be found on YouTube.

KONG. (2003)

Despite Getting the Irish Language Kiss Of Death, a South East Asian Co Produced Kong made the Rounds and was very popular. Kong was Cloned by a Female Professor, using the Dna of her Grandson Jason. Now an Adult, Jason and the Clone Gorrilla live on Skull Island. Until a Research Peer Betrays them by stealing Technology that allows Humans to Merge with Animals on a Cellular level to become Kaiju sized monsters. Monsters, Jason and Kong must Merge to fight In Worldwide Adventures.

Winx Club (4kids Dub)

Rainbow's Fairy show of scary Anatomy and fet**histic Costumes had it's first go around dubbed in English by world renowned Culturally Ignorant Bible Bashers, 4kids. However, in a shocking turn of events, 4kids dub is close to the Original Bible, Sure they get things wrong, like Calling Aisha "Layla" over a ridiculous Lawsuit by Mattel, but given the limitations of 4kids' Production, Winx was one of the few shows left remotely unchanged.

And here's when the passage of time and the Mandela Effect sends this Post down a Cliff, Unlike Citv which made its own shows in the years given, which made cataloguing them by Year SO, SO easy!, POP acquired their shows a year, even 2 decades after it's original showing. Making it very difficult to catalogue. So there is nothing further I can do, I will have to alphabetize every Former show shown on pop with a second post of the line-up prior to closure.

(God help me)

Also there was overlap between Shows on pop and shows on Citv, so I will also be talking about shows exclusive to POP!

The 3 amigonauts.

A Badly Drawn Fart Joke, Before Kyle Herbet Struck Gold with the Loud House.

Animal exploration with Jarod Miller.

The Animal Expert travels to Zoos and Aquariums to teach the viewers at home about creatures and their Conservation.

Alvin and Chipmunks (2022)

Because of the "Popularity" of the return of the Chipmunks, here's a Hip, 21st century Cartoon with memes and pop references.

There is literally an episode, where Alvin copies Every Current year Meme, and uses AI for a Music video, and gets his video Copyright Struck and Community Noted.

I am Deadass Serious.

Angry Birds Shorts.

Speechless Cartoon and Stopmotion shorts they shown between shows in the 2010s that were whole lot more faithful to the Game than the Cashgrab movies.

Archie's Weird Mysteries.

We are very sorry America, but Europe doesn't get the appeal of Archie, even in the late 90s when Disney had a go at it! The Teenage Investigative reporter that is two-timing two girls and they let him, and sometimes he solves mysteries, was lost on people over here. The Animation is pretty good, but it's let down by terrible jokes and Weak Storytelling.

Artzooka.

Make and Do show in the same vein as Art Attack all those years ago.

Babar.

The Kind King of the Elephants showing from the 90s. Tells Stories of his youth to his children to distill Morals without them making the mistakes he did. Later seasons ratchet up the action but still a fun watch.

Was not aware of it's Origins, and if you don't want your childhood ruined, don't google Barbar Controversy

Backyard Science.

Based on the Book series, Child Actors perform Science Experiments while a Voice explains the science behind it.

Bakugan (Full Original Series and Reboot)

Nelvana tried and while Bakugan was never Pokemon in recognition or Yugioh in terms of Accessibility, Bakugan was at least an exciting show, but it's last Original season is hated for bringing back former hero Bakugan just to k*ll them.

The Reboot is a lost cause to those of my friends who watched it, but I knew when they combined Muracho and Shun into a Composite of both Backstories into one character, that people would be annoyed.

Barbie Dreamhouse adventures

Two years before the Barbie movie changed how the mainstream saw the doll, this cartoon laid the groundwork. Friendly, popular and fashionable as always, Barbie is also written with sensibility and a knack for Science, as mentioned on my Barbie movie review, the reason the vehicles and houses transform is due her parents being Architects and Quantum Scientists. A Fun series that is no longer skin deep.

This version of Barbie interviewed Nasa Astronauts for God's Sake!

Big Top Academy.

Misadventures of a boarding school for Acrobats and Aerialists. With Betrayal, Mind Control and Treasure thrown in for interest.

Clang Invasion.

A Thin Cartoon about a Brother and Sister and there now talking dog who harbour a trio of mechanical Aliens and their treehouse Shaped Spaceship under the noses of adults and a Conspiracy theorist nerd.

Clay Kids

A Brazilian Clay and Robotic Model animation show, showing a bunch of characters with different talents trying to succeed while the others inadvertently mess it up for them.

Cosmic Quantum Ray

A Science Cartoon that fails to explain quantum mechanics, but rather use it to show a God must exist to have these things happen.

Counterfeit Cat

A Petition for Matt Neff to cover how selfish and unlearning Max the cat as a friend and Rolemodel in an episode of it's just a Cartoon?

Max Befriends Gark, an Alien in a cat disguise, The Eponymous Counterfeit Cat, who Go on Misadventures usually to benefit Max over the needs of others and not learn from the consequences as learning wouldn't be "Funny"

Got Yeeted off Disney as it was Third Party, got a Welsh Language Kiss Of Death!

Cubix

Originally a Toy cash grab for a Toy Robot made of Building blocks, which was famously broken on camera by Pat Kenny by lifting it by it's legs on the Late late Toy show, Cubix was a Korean Cartoon which ran For Two Seasons. It followed a Boy who along with his tech fearing father, moves ironically after the boy's mother's death to a city with Robotic workers. In the midst of a spate of malfunctions and Corporate back dealings, The Boy, Conner, finds a broken Robot which he fixes in Secret called Cubix. Cubix is strong and can turn into vehicles, but in the beginning could only communicate in phrases repeated in front of him. 2001 3d has aged terribly, despite the fun and colourful action.

Digimon Data Squad.

Pop and Kix! Would both house the Fifth, and Arguably the best, series of the rival to pokemon. But in the year of 2005 where Pokemon Best Wishes showed Ash at his Dumbest, Digimon realized it's audience were Teenagers and young adults. So no more DigiDestined, our heroes were Now DigiCops!

The show follows High School Dropout and Self Proclaimed Ultimate Fighter, Marcus Damon, who one night aimlessly Punching randos, is attacked by a Digimon. He subsequently Punches a fire-breathing Dinosaur into Submission and Indebted Servitude. Having tamed Agumon, Marcus is put on notice to Join DATS, The Data Squad, a Kind of Men in Black organization, but for Digimon.

Data Squad contains the most mature and developed characters, and Mature plot, discarding Crass jokes in favour of action with real stakes and major character deaths. Track it down if you can.

Dinotrux

Created by Dreamworks, Shown on Disney Junior and then shown on Tiny pop, Dinotrux is very creative design wise as Dinosaur shaped Heavy Machinery survive in a rough land, where it's Survival of the fittest, only for a Bright red T-Rex truck to literally fix the World.

A mature Premise for a Preschool Show.

Eerky Perky

Fans of Australian Animation reviewers PhantomStrider and DiamondBolt already know of this Dayglow Disaster.

Two blobs with arms and legs slapped on them that are called Flies, are flushed away from their cushy Hotdog stand into a Kitchen and Sent upon by every opportunistic Jackass you can encounter, who make every episode unwatchable due to the cast stupidity and or unlikability.

Eliot Kid

Directed by Code Lyoko cast member, Nicolas Czecy, with him voicing minor roles, Eliot is a kid with an overactive imagination who sees mundane tasks as cinematic Parodies.

Inoffensive, but Forgettable.

F.T.P.D.

Fairy Tale Police Department, or F.T.P.D is an Australian Flash Animation where Mulder and Scully Stand-ins investigate The Events of Fairy tales as Crimes. Sadly got the Irish Language Kiss Of Death, which always kills Franchises!

Funnimals

Comedians dub skits over wildlife footage in this Australian comedy show.

A funny show but~

BBC's Walk on The Wild Side did it better!

GoGoRiki

Sometimes referred to as BalloonToons, this Russian Cartoon has 400 episodes and claims "in 12 minutes, it looks like a Preschool cartoon but it Subtlety brings up adult Social issues in a way only adults notice ".

4kids best Dub job. The show now exists solely for Babies as BabyRiki.

Grojband

What's this, a Corus/Ytv show without Farts and real jokes?

Will wonders ever cease?

Currently being memed on ytp! Grojband sees a band Struggle, but it's greatest hater is it's greatest inspiration: the Diary of Corey's Hater of a Sister, Trina!

Once Trina literally Drops the Pen, so does Corey, translating the feelings into lyrics, to solve the problem of the day.

Grossology

A brother and Sister Team secretly work for the Dept of Grossology, cataloguing biological phenomena and fighting villains who use Stink and slime to take over Heartland Canada, in this series based on the Book series.

H20 just add water

An Australian Live Action show where after 3 girls with different goals in life end up escaping from an island via a lake to the ocean on a full moon, would change them forever, when either of them have their skin touched by even a drop of water, the girl transforms into a mermaid. Very Fanservice-y as the show and the girl's ages progressed.

Case in point: it was very hard to find an image that didn't look like a pinup!

Hanazuki: full of treasures

An IP to fob off Charm Bracelets and Mood Rings.

Iggy Arkbuckle

Called a Spongebob Rip-off, but there is enough about this pig Forest Ranger co-produced by Natgeo to stand on its own

I.N.K. Invisible Network of Kids

The code Lyoko cast had reunited for a fun show which if you closed your eyes sound like Code Lyoko Abridged.

Kid Detectives

A show that showed kids how Police Procedures and the science behind them works.

King.

A young boy who moved into a new home finds a parallel world under a carpet and falls through becoming it's king.

All episodes of this rare show have being compiled on YouTube. And there are a lot!

Kirby: Right Back At Ya!

Nintendo's pink puff powerhouse makes his Animation debut, in the Bizzare 4kids Dub. Don't ask why King Dedede sounds like Colonel Sanders, or why Meta Knight sounds like Antonio Banderas, just Enjoy the colourful fun and adventure.

Larva

Gaining worldwide fame for the half time show in Brazil at a world cup, this... thing....went on for 10 seconds before the next show came on

Lego Nexo Knights

Lego's failed attempt to add Augmented reality to their playsets, wasn't helped by Generic characters. While the idea of Technology fueled Knights was interesting. The heroes being a milquetoast goodie good, a food loving fatty, a tomboy princess who protests too much, a posh arrogant jackass and a Totally Radical Surfer Dude didn't fly, especially when lego had a better show like Ninjago at the same time!

The 3rd season didn't come on TV or in Toy form, the Story like Sonic SatAM, had to he concluded via the Comics.

Littlest Pet Shop (1990s and 2010s)

Whether it's the 90s show with anthropomorphic inch high animals or the modern take with actual Amimals with talents finding a home in the human world, pop as the home of the third party Cartoon, added both to their programming roster.

Magi-Nation.

What happens when you have Nelvana create a Pokemon Rip-off?

You get a flimsy show that steals from other franchise to make itself whole and still try to teach kids about Camping. Somehow has a loyal fanbase so good on them.

Megaman Fully Charged.

Oh DHX, what did you do to Megaman?

Megaman recent foray into Animation to boost sales of Megaman 11, and oh, to be a fly on the wall the moment, the studio looked at the voiced Cutscenes, the official designs and Backstory, Turn to Capcom and Scoffed "Well Clearly as a bunch of Check-Chasers we can do better!"

What we have is a disaster!

Megaman who can still absorb powers also absorbs The Robot Master's mental Illness, Yes they turned Megaman into a wellness teaching tool! Gutsman is now called that, not because The Japanese calls being hardy "Gutsu", But because he's fat! Woodman now talks like A Vietnam Vet with PTSD, and worse of all Is Coldman, who is a Stereotype of Autism.

Roll is replaced by Suna, Doctor Light's HUMAN! Daughter and Protoman is now calling himself Namagem,

as if the reveal of an older brother of Megaman is too much for the children to understand!

Mona the Vampire.

A girl with an overactive imagination and a obsession with The Supernatural uncovers real scams and secrets grounded in reality, whilst Mona is trapped in some delusion of the cause being a supernatural monster...however, at the end of each 15 minutes episode they always have to muddy the water to show us some side events that maybe just maybe, something supernatural was afoot the whole time!

My little Pony Friendship is Magic

If there was a turning point in the fortunes of POP from freeview also ran to Major Stock player in children's shows in Britain, it would have being the moment Cartoonito sold rights to MLP to Chartshow tv.

And pop culture would never be the same!

The insidious side culture of Bronies and Jars aside, As I said in my review of the movie a few Christmas ago, MLP turned the cloying 80s cartoon into a modern and Self aware action cartoon with Morals. I believe my exact words were "They Turned A Cartoon selling horse Dollies into Lord of the Rings!"

For 8 seasons we saw The Mane Six in Adventures of all kinds, from grounded problems to world ending threats all presented in humour everyone can get, and a way everyone can understand. Unlike the other shows that were repeated until the network could replace it, MLP's last season was advertised as such with its last episode given 4 run times on the day of it's debut.

Sky kids tried to show MLP on it's channel this year, and to say that people were angry to pay money to watch a fifteen year old show that they had previously watched FOR FREE! From the very beginning was an understatement.

Pop tried to fill the void with THIS BLATANT RIP-OFF! IT DIDN'T FOOL ANYONE!

New adventures of Nanoboy

A Hong Kong/Canada joint that teaches kids about health and Microbiology.

Oscar's Oasis.

Still floating on S4C, Oscar is a lizard trying to survive find food and not being eaten himself in the dessert he lives in, in this speechless Cartoon.

Pearlie.

Pearlie a fairy who lives in Central park, along with other Fairy folk with Nu Yahk spins to them protect the environment by day and socialise by night.

Pokemon from Gen 4 to Horizons.

After Disney XD discarded all their anime when they changed their name from Jetix, Pokemon XY could only be finished on POP and if it means you win cards and games from the phone in, so be it.

Like MLP'S final episode, the Master's tournament arc also was advertised with Ash's final episode as a must see event.

can be seen on Netflix and Cbbc.

Power Rangers (Time Force to Dino Fury)

Citv dropped the ball after rpm, and when Nickelodeon saw the reviews of Megaforce, they fobbed it at the first chance to anyone else, first to Viacom's British Source, Channel 5 and then to POP! While Megaforce was the worst, pop had gained taste for Power Rangers, so not only did they get express episodes shown before America on pop, Kix/pop max would be the home of a 20 year back catalogue from 2001s time force to Dino Fury, before Netflix Snatched it's direct sequel, Cosmic Fury.

Rekkit Rabbit.

A 12 foot magical rabbit from another planet escapes from a Party Magician taking credit for his magic....and for nearly 80 percent of these 108 shorts, does the plot ever come up.

Robin hood Mischief In Sherwood.

The 4kids actors last show under that banner, is a French show where everyone of the merry men and Prince John are now children. Marion is now a wizard in training, and Will Scarlett? Oh you mean Scarlett, the Tomboyish Scullery Maid who was here the whole time(!) Despite not being your Daddy's Robin Hood, its still a good laugh.

Sadie Sparks

Ireland's attempt to make A Sabrina the Teenage Witch Clone, that falls as Contemporary Of Miraculous Ladybug. Sadie tries to use magic to make things easier, only to make things worse to drive a Moral home. At least Sadie Confessed her feelings in the last episode, rushed as it was. Sadie succeeded in one season, when it took Marinette 5 to cheat out her happy ending.

Scaredy Squirrel.

Often touted by AskMojo and Respected animation reviewers like PhantomStrider as the worst cartoon of the 2010s. This is the Spongebob Rip-off they warned you about. Scaredy Squirrel is the Safety Conscious pushover in a world where everyone is a self centred and self serving Jackass, who loses on their own stupidity and makes Scaredy win without either side learning a goddam thing!

Shopkins

Only shown as the last ad before Break ends. This 2 frames of animation to make a still character lips move had one frame more than series 3 of One Punch Man

Space Chickens in Space.

what was it about the big 2 who thought shows about Ugly Birds with Closeup Grossup and Meme dialogue was a good idea? One of the Worst Shows ever on Disney, which was 3rd party so they couldn't wait when they had the chance to cancel it!

Spirit.

A series based on the Dreamworks film. This time, a City girl moves to Arizona after her mother's death, and Befriends a Chestnut Wild horse to go on Horsegirl Adventures.

Would prefer if they kept it 2d and hand drawn.

The Strange Chores.

Before Conquering the World with Bluey, it's Creators worked on a cracker of a Show for older kids called The Strange Chores. Two Teenage Boys are roped into being Chore-boys for an old neighbour, not realizing Old Mr Helsing, was Dr Van Helsing. No longer able to hack Supernatural Containment on his own, new blood is needed, think Ghostbusters but they are irresponsible teenagers.

Can still be found on cbbc

Talking Tom and friends.

How on Earth do you make a Story out an app who's sole use is making anything recorded play back in a silly Voice?

Answer: You can't! Just go the "Alvin and the Chipmunks go to the movies" Route and Make a parody of whatever is current.

Toca Life.

Glorified Ad for Toca Boca, a Asset Drop where Stickers can be Dragged to make your own stories. Ironic that the show feels like any Joe Soap could do better.

Tracey McBean

An Australian Cartoon made Cult classic by DiamondBolt's Video on His Country's cartoons. Tracey is an inventor, who due to Rule Of Comedy, has invention that Fail spectacularly or Fail succesfully!

Corus and YTV shows round up.