From 1969 to 1971 , a 30 - minute cartoon yell " Hot Wheels " air on ABC , the first toon made for an existing miniature strain . Often called a 30 - second commercial message for the toy dog cars , " Hot Wheels " did n’t just belt down up out of nowhere . According to " The Guide to United States Popular Culture , " it was the natural progression of a get amount of advertizing during kid ' shows on Saturday and Sunday mornings .
The first commercial for a toy – Mattel ’s Burp Gun – aired in 1955 , and toy ads explode from there . Throughout the late 1950s and into the 1960s , 16 minutes of advertising per hour was common during the early morning weekend hour dedicate to tike , while industry regulations allow for only 9.5 minutes max during choice prison term [ source : Browne ] .
While Mattel made the argument that the show " Hot Wheels " did n’t advertise the cars – it wasaboutthe cars – and , therefore not a commercial , just a glad coincidence – the Federal Communications Commission ( FCC ) did n’t see it that way . The FCC ’s nidus on the show helped kill it after just two season .
That was n’t the last of program - length commercial ( PLCs ) , however . It was just the beginning . The continued proliferation – anyone think of " Strawberry Shortcake " ? – pass to a 1974 FCC policy statement banning them . It was a location that lasted until 1984 , when the FCC removed the rules limiting advertising during tike ' shows to 10.5 minutes per hour on weekends and 12 minute per time of day on weekdays . Congress passed legislation to reestablish the rule , but in 1988 then - President Ronald Reagan veto the law , calling it an misdemeanour on the organic right of free speech .
The first toy - to - feature article - duration - cartoon was Raggedy Ann , when the dame appear in the 1977 picture " Raggedy Ann & Andy : A Musical Adventure"[source : Heitmueller ] . Now , child ’s programming tied to toys – both miniature - driven and plaything - following – is a part of everyday life . It led to the phenomenally successfulTransformersfilms , video shows and toys , and even live - action , feature motion picture tie - ins such as " Pirates of the Caribbean . " And it can all be traced back to tiny footling car called Hot Wheels .
