Aired: 1972
Budget: $40,000 per episode
Much like “The Jackson 5ive,” “The Osmonds” was an animated series based on the Osmond family. Though unlike The Jackson 5ive, the show was voiced by the brothers themselves. The show aired for a few months in 1972 and had seventeen episodes in total.
The show was an interesting one as it followed the Osmonds as they traveled around the world performing music. Each episode opened with the family in a new location.
The Gumby Show
Aired: 1955-68
Budget: $2.8 million in total
Art Clokey created the "Gumby Show," and after he showed the pilot of the kids' show to an executive at NBC, he was asked to make a second pilot. That's when "Gumby on the Moon" was created.
The segment was a significant success on the "Howdy Doody Show," and that's when Clokey was given a single season. The show featured claymation and ran from 1955 to 1968, though it is still well-known today. To this day, Gumby is one of the most famous examples of stop-motion claymation.
The Jackson 5ive
Aired: 1971-73
Budget: $6.6 million in total
As you may have already guessed by the name, the show followed the lives of Jermaine, Marlon, Tito, Michael, and Jackie Jackson - The Jackson Five. The show was animated and was created for ABC by Jules Bass.
The band got their start in 1965, so they had been around for a few years before they got their own animated series. The famous five brothers were voiced by actors, though Diana Ross voiced herself, and like most 1970s Saturday morning series, "The Jackson 5ive" had an adult laugh track.
Star Trek: The Animated Series
Aired: 1973-74
Budget: $100,000 per episode
"Star Trek: The Animated Series," followed the space adventures of the Starship Enterprise as it traveled through the intergalactic worlds. Interestingly enough, the voiced on the animated series were the same as in the live-action series, including William Shatner, James Doohan, and more.
The animated series was cheaper to produce than the live-action show. The show aired in September 1942 and ended in October 1974. Of course, that wasn't the last we saw of "Star Trek."
Schoolhouse Rock!
Aired: 1973-79
Budget: $50,000 per episode
"Schoolhouse Rock!" aired from 1973 until 2009. The series aired during ABC's Saturday-morning kids' shows and consisted of educational short musical films.
The show turned "boring" topics like science, history, economics, math, and grammar, into fun, in a way that didn't make kids feel like they were learning. "Schoolhouse Rock!" won an Emmy, there were 64 episodes in total airing new episodes and songs until 1979, and playing reruns all the way to 2009.