Kids Are People Too was a television series that ran on Sunday mornings

Sunday morning cartoon

Sunday morning cartoons have been a part of US television programming since the 1950s, but aired far less than Saturday morning cartoons. At one point, ABC and CBS each aired network cartoons on Sunday mornings.-Sunday mornings on ABC and CBS:...

 from 1978 to 1982 on ABC

American Broadcasting Company

The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...

. The series was a variety/news-magazine show oriented towards kids with the intention of recognizing them as people. During its four year run, the series was nominated for five Emmy Awards

Emmy Award

An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...

 and won the 1978 Emmy for Outstanding Children's Entertainment Series. The series included celebrity interviews, cartoons, music, and other information that appealed to kids.

History

Bob McAllister

Bob McAllister

Bob McAllister was an American television personality, magician and children's entertainer and a host of Wonderama. -Early career:...

 had hosted a popular children's TV series, Wonderama

Wonderama

Wonderama was a long-running children's television program that appeared on the Metromedia-owned stations from 1955 to 1986, with WNEW-TV in New York City being its originating station....

, for over a decade when the series was taken off the air in 1977. As the host, McAllister sang the closing theme song Kids Are People Too. Shortly after that series was taken off the air, ABC offered him another series that tried to capitalize on Wonderama's 20 plus year record of children's entertainment by using the song's name as the new series name.

But the show that he was hired to emcee on ABC was aimed at teens, not the younger children McAllister preferred, and this led to creative disputes with the producers and network executives over the portrayal of violence. In November 1978, Bob McAllister was fired from Kids Are People Too and he was replaced by Michael Young and later by Randy Hamilton as the program's hosts.

There was later a weekly syndicated version of the series hosted by Michael Young in 1986-87.

Format

The series was a variety/news magazine show for kids. Every week it would have a celebrity guest who the host would interview, occasionally a psychologist would speak about the challenges of growing up, and there would be comedy or musical routines.

The series attracted guests such as Bill Cosby

Bill Cosby

William Henry "Bill" Cosby, Jr. is an American comedian, actor, author, television producer, educator, musician and activist. A veteran stand-up performer, he got his start at various clubs, then landed a starring role in the 1960s action show, I Spy. He later starred in his own series, the...

, Billy Dee Williams

Billy Dee Williams

William December "Billy Dee" Williams, Jr. is an American actor, artist, singer, and writer.-Early life:Williams was born in New York City, New York, the son of Loretta...

, Cheap Trick

Cheap Trick

Cheap Trick is an American rock band from Rockford, Illinois, formed in 1973. The band consists of members Robin Zander , Rick Nielsen , Tom Petersson , and Bun E...

, Patti Smith

Patti Smith

Patricia Lee "Patti" Smith is an American singer-songwriter, poet and visual artist, who became a highly influential component of the New York City punk rock movement with her 1975 debut album Horses....

 and Brooke Shields

Brooke Shields

Brooke Christa Shields is an American actress and model. Some of her better-known movies include Pretty Baby and The Blue Lagoon, as well as TV shows such as Suddenly Susan, That '70s Show and Lipstick Jungle....

. Just like CBS's Kids Say the Darndest Things

Kids Say the Darndest Things

Kids Say the Darndest Things is an American comedy series hosted by Bill Cosby that aired on CBS as a special on February 6, 1995 then as a full season from January 9, 1998 to June 23, 2000...

, the show often got unexpected results when the host would ask the audience questions. When KISS

KISS (band)

Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...

 replaced drummer Peter Criss

Peter Criss

George Peter John Criscuola , better known as Peter Criss, is an American drummer and singer, best known as the original drummer for the rock band Kiss...

, they introduced their new drummer, Eric Carr

Eric Carr

Paul Charles Caravello , also known as Eric Carr, was an American musician, best known as drummer for the rock band Kiss. Caravello was selected as the new Kiss drummer after Peter Criss left in 1980...

, on a July 1980 episode of Kids Are People Too Prior to the band's coming out on stage, the host asked an audience member, "Who's your favorite band member?" The youth responded, "Peter Criss. Er, um, I mean... Ace Frehley"