Claster Television
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Television distribution |
| Founded | 1953 |
| Founder | Bertram H. Claster, Nancy Claster |
| Fate | Ceased operations; merged into Allspark (formerly Hasbro Studios), later merged into eOne (now Lionsgate Canada) |
| Headquarters | Baltimore , United States |
| Parent | Hasbro (from 1969) |
Claster Television, Inc. was a television distribution company based in Baltimore, established in 1953 by Bertram H. (Bert) Claster and Nancy Claster under the original name Romper Room Inc. The company initially created the children's program Romper Room, which was among the pioneering shows for preschool audiences.
Production
Romper Room achieved early popularity; instead of accepting an offer from CBS to air the program, the Clasters opted to syndicate and franchise it by selling recorded episodes and authorizing local versions.
In 1969, Hasbro purchased Romper Room Inc., rebranding it as Claster Television Productions. Throughout the 1970s, the company concentrated primarily on Romper Room until 1978, when it introduced the anime series Star Blazers to American viewers and launched Bowling for Dollars.
During the 1980s, Hasbro utilized Claster to distribute animated series that supported its toy products. In 1983, Claster handled distribution for G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, followed by the widely popular The Transformers in 1984. Although G.I. Joe concluded in 1987, Transformers continued producing new episodes in Japan under Takara’s management. Between 1989 and 1991, Claster distributed a follow-up to G.I. Joe produced by DIC Entertainment.
After a remarkable 41-year tenure, Romper Room ended in 1994, holding the record for the longest-running children's show until later surpassed by Sesame Street. In 1992, Claster briefly expanded into programming aimed at teenagers and adults with the series Catwalk, which aired for two years.
In 1996, following ABC's cancellation of ReBoot, Claster syndicated this pioneering all-CGI series and simultaneously distributed the CGI revival Beast Wars: Transformers until 1999. Additionally, they released The Mr. Potato Head Show in 1998 as another promotional vehicle for Hasbro toys.
Claster ceased operations in 1999 when Hasbro consolidated its media activities into a single division that eventually became Allspark (formerly Hasbro Studios), later merging into eOne (now Lionsgate Canada).
Television series distributed by Claster
- Romper Room (1953–1994)
- Bowling for Dollars (1960s–2008)
- Fred Flintstone and Friends (1977–1978)
- Star Blazers (1979–1984)
- The Great Space Coaster (1981–1986)
- G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero (1983–1986)
- The Transformers (1984–1988)
- Muppet Babies (1984–1991)
- Jim Henson's Little Muppet Monsters (1985)
- Super Sunday (1985–1986)
- Jem (1985–1988)
- Bigfoot and the Muscle Machines (1985–1986)
- Robotix (1985–1986)
- Inhumanoids (1986)
- My Little Pony 'n Friends (1986–1987)
- My Little Pony (1984–1987)
- The Glo Friends (1986–1987)
- Potato Head Kids (1986–1987)
- MoonDreamers (1986–1987)
- Visionaries: Knights of the Magical Light (1987)
- The New Archies (1987)
- COPS (1988–1989)
- G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero (1989)
- Maxie's World (1989)
- James Bond Jr. (1991)
- Bucky O'Hare and the Toad Wars (1991)
- Catwalk (1992–1994)
- Conan the Adventurer (1992–1994)
- My Little Pony Tales (1992)
- The Pink Panther (1993–1996)
- Transformers: Generation 2 (1993–1995)
- The Baby Huey Show (1994–1995)
- ReBoot (1994–2001)
- Mutant League (1994–1996)
- Littlest Pet Shop (1995–1996)
- G.I. Joe: Extreme (1995–1997)
- Richie Rich (1996)
- 'Vor-Tech: Undercover Conversion Squad' (1996–1997)
- 'Beast Wars: Transformers' (1996–1999)
- 'All Dogs Go to Heaven: The Series' (1996–1998)
- 'Mummies Alive!'(1997–1998)
- 'The Lionhearts'(1998)