“Frog” is a slang term to represent the WB or Warner Brothers Network on television (1995-2006). 

 

The name comes from Michigan J. Frog, an animated character who first appeared in the Looney Tunes cartoon One Froggy Evening (1955). The star of the cartoon, Michigan J. Frog, is a singing, dancing, top hat-wearing, cane-carrying frog that will only perform for the person who finds him, though that unfortunate person tries very hard to make money off of the frog’s surprising talent.

 

From 1995 to 2005, Michigan J. Frog was the official mascot of the WB Television Network. On the opening evening of the WB, the screen showed a debate between Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck over who should be the new network’s mascot. Then the audience sees Chuck Jones drawing Michigan J. Frog, who leapt from the page as soon as he was drawn to launch to network’s first evening of programming.

The Frog would appear to inform viewers of the TV ratings, using a humorous song to send kids to bed before more mature shows such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Angel.

 

The WB began in 1995 with only 2 hours of programming on one night a week, including sitcoms aimed at an ethnically diverse audience such as The Wayan’s Brothers and Sister, Sister. Over the next 2 years, they added some shows that achieved moderate success including 7^th Heaven, The Steve Harvey Show, and The Jamie Foxx Show.

 

From 1997 to 2002, the WB produced many shows with high ratings. The first to propel the network to a new level was Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The huge hit, Dawson’s Creek, debuted in 1998. The network showed it could dominate the teen market with other additions to its line-up like Felicity, Charmed, Roswell, Popular, and Angel.

 

From 2003 to 2006, the WB and its mascot, Michigan J. Frog started to see some hard times. Although there were several hits like Gilmore Girls and Smallville, ratings were dropping and there were many failed series. In an effort to change the network’s image to a less teen-focused, more mature one, they announced the death of Michigan J. Frog in 2005. One year later, in September of 2006, they closed down their network and combined some of the best of the WB and UPN to launch the CW.