Instead of shopping "Winnie the Pooh" around to different networks, the show was pitched directly to ABC. The channel had desperately wanted a cartoon from Disney for their Saturday morning schedule, which had fallen to last place in the ratings. They had hoped Pooh could boost ratings for the channel. Two years earlier, Michael Eisner and Krisel had set up meetings with all three major networks in hopes to sell rights to their two cartoon series: "Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears" and "The Wuzzles". NBC and CBS had purchased "Gummi Bears" and "Wuzzles" respectively. Realizing they had nothing left to offer ABC, Eisner and Krisel met with them anyway and received a warm response to the gaffe. A deal was reached giving ABC the show, while giving first run rights to The Disney Channel.