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4Kids Entertainment or Four Kids Entertainment (simply as 4Kids, formerly known as Leisure Concepts, Inc. and later known as 4Licensing Corporation; stylized as 4K!DS ENTERTAINMENT) was an American licensing company. The company was previously also a film and television production company that produced English-dubbed Japanese anime through its subsidiary 4Kids Productions between 1992 and 2012; it specialized in the acquisition, production, and licensing of children's entertainment around the United States.
They also ran two program blocks: Toonzai (originally The CW4Kids) on The CW, and 4Kids TV (originally FoxBox) on Fox, both aimed at children. The 4KidsTV block ended on December 27, 2008; Toonzai block ended on August 18, 2012, which was replaced by Saban's Vortexx, which in itself was succeeded by Litton's One Magnificent Morning in 2014.
4Kids Entertainment has produced programs based on Nintendo games such as Pokémon (first eight seasons and movies), Kirby, and F-Zero: GP Legend. Since 2006, the Pokémon anime was handled by The Pokémon Company International.
History[]
4Kids was in charge of dubbing Pokémon the Series for English language audiences for the first eight seasons and films, including other Nintendo-related properties like Kirby: Right Back at Ya! and F-Zero: GP Legend. Outside of Nintendo properties, 4Kids was also in charge for dubbing of the Sonic the Hedgehog anime series, Sonic X. Despite their massive contributions to the anime and the Pokémon franchise as a whole, there have been many critics. Some fans felt that some important information, facts, or emotions expressed in the original version were lost in translation. Frequent move errors, type matchup errors, and most infamously, poor quality in the Pokémon Trainer's Choice segments have led fans to believe 4Kids had very little knowledge or interest in the Pokémon franchise as a whole.
While they were the producer of the dub, 4Kids did not start dubbing the series at their own studio until 2003, when they took it from TAJ Productions. Their first dubbed episode in-house was Address Unown!.
Starting with the TV special The Mastermind of Mirage Pokémon and continuing from season and movie 9 onward, The Pokémon Company International maintained the English language version of Pokémon the Series. Beginning in May 2008, 4Kids took control of the Kids' WB! block. The block was relabeled as The CW4Kids. 4Kids announced that, in order to retain control of The CW4Kids, 4KidsTV would move online instead of airing through FOX affiliates as of January 1, 2009. This block was later replaced with Toonzai, which was also owned by 4Kids. In 2012, 4Kids also ended the Toonzai block. Saban Brands then created the block called Vortexx, claiming Toonzai's previous timeslot. This block was canceled in 2014. As of 2015, many 4Kids television dubs no longer air on American television, with the exception of the early seasons and movies of Pokémon that they dubbed.
On June 1, 2010, the New York Stock Exchange delisted 4Kids from their listings.
TV Tokyo and Nihon Ad Systems sued 4Kids Entertainment on March 24, 2011 due to "underpayments, wrongful deductions, and unmet obligations" concerning the Yu-Gi-Oh franchise. TV Tokyo and Nihon claimed that 4Kids' collaboration with Funimation Entertainment violated their original contract and enabled 4Kids to hide income amassed from home video production. They sought $4,792,460.36 in damages as a result. In the midst of the lawsuit, 4Kids filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection on April 6, 2011. The lawsuit was settled on February 29, 2012, with 4Kids retaining rights to the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise after a judge ruled that TV Tokyo and NAS had improperly terminated their agreement with 4Kids.
In June of 2012, Saban Brands purchased the rights to several of 4Kids' anime properties, including Dragon Ball Z, Sonic X, Cubix, and the Toonzai block. Rights to the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise were sold to Konami, who also acquired 4Kids Productions and reincorporated it as 4K Media.
On December 5, 2012, 4Kids Entertainment announced that it had ended a dispute over the so-called Pokémon agreement with The Pokémon Company International, under which TPCi would get a $1 million general, unsecured claim against the debtor.
A meeting was scheduled on December 13, 2012, to confirm 4Kids' plan to exit bankruptcy. The same day, the New York bankruptcy judge sent 4Kids Entertainment Inc. on its way out of Chapter 11 protection Thursday, overruling an objection by the American Kennel Club Inc. over a licensing agreement and approving its reorganization plan, which calls for the full payment of claims. On December 21, 2012, 4Kids was reincorporated as 4Licensing Corporation and no longer licensed anime.
On September 21, 2016, 4Licensing Corporation filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy; the bankruptcy plan became effective on February 7, 2017, and the company immediately ceased operations thereafter.
On 2019, 4Kids' former CEO, Alfred R. Kahn, founded a successor company called Kidtagious Entertainment.
4Kids TV[]
4Kids TV was an American television programming block and Internet-based video on demand children's network operated by the company. It originated as a weekly block on Saturday mornings on the Fox network, which was created out of a four-year agreement reached on January 22, 2002, between 4Kids Entertainment and Fox to lease the five-hour Saturday morning time slot occupied by the network's existing children's program block, Fox Kids. It was targeted at children aged 7–11. The 4Kids TV block was part of the Fox network schedule, although it was syndicated to other broadcast television stations in certain markets where a Fox affiliate declined to air it. The channel was closed on December 27, 2008.
Typical edits[]
Common complaints from fans concern 4Kids' tendency to edit some parts of the anime programming to make it more appropriate for the American audience, primarily children and pre-teenagers.
Criticism and controversy[]
During its operation as 4Kids Entertainment, the company faced intense criticism from viewers over the company's extensive editing and localization of the anime and other non-American series they licensed. Practices like censorship, story editing, music editing, and their "Americanization" of Japanese culture references, were changed to be more American. One example included characters eating rice balls commenting that they were eating jelly donuts in their dub of the original Pokémon the Series. It also faced controversy regarding various rewrites to the story that ended up causing more confusion later on, such as having Gary Oak treat Ash Ketchum like a stranger when the latter bumped into him in Pokémon, I Choose You! (and later episodes showing flashbacks to Gary and Ash knowing each other since well before their first day as trainers), or claiming Brock's mother died while trying to raise Brock (with later episodes starting with A Family that Battles Together Stays Together from Pokémon Chronicles revealing she actually was still alive).
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Pokémon series[]
- Pokémon the Series (1998-2006)
- Pokémon: The Original Series
- Season 1: Pokémon Indigo League (Episodes 1-80)
- Season 2: Pokémon Adventures in the Orange Islands (Episodes 81-116)
- Season 3: Pokémon The Johto Journeys (Episodes 117-157)
- Season 4: Pokémon Johto League Champions (Episodes 158-209)
- Season 5: Pokémon Master Quest (Episodes 210-273)
- Pokémon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire
- Season 6: Pokémon Advanced (Episodes 1-40)
- Season 7: Pokémon Advanced Challenge (Episodes 41-92)
- Season 8: Pokémon Advanced Battle (Episodes 93-145)
- Pokémon: The Original Series
- Pokémon the Movie
- Pokémon the First Movie: Mewtwo Strikes Back
- Pokémon the Movie 2000: The Power of One
- Pokémon 3: The Movie: Spell of the Unown: Entei
- Pokémon 4Ever: Celebi: The Voice of the Forest
- Pokémon Heroes: Latios and Latias
- Pokémon: Jirachi Wish Maker
- Pokémon: Destiny Deoxys
- Pokémon: Lucario and the Mystery of Mew (final 4Kids production with Nintendo)
- Specials/TV movies
- Stage
- Radio drama
- Others
- Video games
- Pokémon Puzzle League (using the voice cast from the anime)
Non-Pokémon productions[]
- Kirby: Right Back at Ya! (2001-2003)
- Kirby: Fright to the Finish (2005)
- F-Zero: GP Legend (2003-2004)
Gallery[]
See also[]
- DiC Entertainment (produced programs based on the Mario, The Legend of Zelda series and properties of the Nintendo Entertainment System library)
- Saban Entertainment (co-producer of The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!)
- Nelvana (produced the Donkey Kong Country animated series)
Other animated studios providing and distributing the Pokémon series[]
- OLM, Inc. (anime's main studio)
- Viz Media (anime distribution)
- Wit Studio (for The Power of Us, Hisuian Snow and Paldean Winds)
- Xebec (production of several seasons and movies)
- Studio Colorido (for Twilight Wings and Pokétoon)
- Sprite Animation Studios (for Mewtwo Strikes Back Evolution)
- Production I.G (production of several seasons and movies)
- Toho (distribution of the films)
- Warner Bros. Pictures (distribution of the first three movies and Detective Pikachu)
- Miramax (distribution of several movies)
- Universal Pictures (distribution of several movies)
- ShoPro (Japanese distribution)
- CoMix Wave Films (for Dragonite and the Special Delivery)
- JR Kikaku (Japanese distribution)
External links[]
- 4Kids Entertainment at Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- 4Kids Entertainment at Bulbapedia, the Pokémon wiki.
- 4Kids Entertainment at Pokémon Wiki, the Fandom wiki on Pokémon.
- 4Kids Entertainment at Sonic Wiki Zone, the Fandom wiki on Sonic.