On this day in 1985, the Federal Communication Commission of the United States rejected charges that the Saturday morning cartoon adaptation of Namco's Pac-Man was in violation of federal law.
The FCC voted unanimously to dismiss a petition by a consumer activist group called Action for Children's Television. ACT's petition alleged that programming such as Pac-Man "blur the distinction between program content and commercial speech," claiming that Pac-Man was essentially a half-hour commercial for the videogame. Other shows named by ACT included He-Man, G.I. Joe, Rubik the Amazing Cube, and the Smurfs.
FCC Chairman Mark Fowler found that there is no "inconsistency between permitting certain kinds of programs where there could be product tie-ins" and ACT's "bedrock obligation to serve the needs of children."
ACT founder Peggy Charren rejected the decision, telling the press that "With this vote, the FCC has disowned American children and adopted the toy industry."
This wasn't the first or last time ACT battled with the FCC. In the 70s it unsuccessfully lobbied to ban advertising of any kind from children's programming, though it did manage to get softer regulations passed.
In 1990, the
Children's Television Act was passed, forcing television stations to dedicate air time to educational programming. ACT disbanded soon after, claiming it had met its goals.
The Pac-Man cartoon was produced by Hanna-Barbera and ran for two seasons. The series was long over at the time of the FCC hearing, though reruns were being shown on the USA network.
This Day in History: Pac-Man Found Legal
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