The show was official announced via a press release on November 15, 1987. It would mark the first time a prominent Disney character was seen on Saturday morning television. The series was viewed as a gamble, with people unsure if Pooh would survive on the new medium. At the time, Saturday morning cartoons were viewed as a place with dry, repetitive storylines, shallow characters, clichéd narratives, and cheap animation. As a result, animation fans greeted Disney's plans to adapt A. A. Milne's childhood favorite to the small screen with a mixture of skepticism and dismay, fearing the show could not top the original featurettes.