Today in Television History (September 12th, 1981): The Smurfs Make Their Television Debut!
On September 12th, 1981, "The Smurfs", an animated cartoon by Hanna-Barbera and based on the comic series of the same name by Belgian cartoonist Peyo, debuted in North America. It aired on NBC at 8:30 A.M., and became a major success for the network, and one of the most-successful and longest-running Saturday morning cartoons in television history. "The Smurfs" was nominated for multiple Daytime Emmy Awards, and won Outstanding Children's Entertainment Series in 1982-1983. In 1989, the show reached its 200-episode threshold, and its ninth season, which was an extreme rarity, as most cartoons were cancelled after two seasons and 22 episodes. The last episode of the original series aired on December 2nd, 1989, with NBC ultimately cancelling the show, as well as other Saturday-morning cartoons to make way for new live-action programming starting in April 1990.
