Long before Thriller, the moonwalk and Michael Jackson’s solo superstardom, he was already famous enough to become a cartoon character.
On September 11, 1971, ABC premiered The Jackson 5ive, an animated Saturday-morning series based on Michael, Jackie, Tito, Jermaine and Marlon Jackson.
Michael was only 13 years old.
By then, the Jackson 5 had already scored an extraordinary run of No. 1 hits including “I Want You Back,” “ABC,” “The Love You Save” and “I’ll Be There.” Their popularity made the brothers perfect for a children’s television series.
The cartoon was produced by Rankin/Bass, the company famous for animated holiday classics.
Each episode sent the cartoon Jackson brothers into a new adventure, usually mixing comedy with one or more real Jackson 5 songs.
The Jackson 5ive Cartoon Opening
There was one unusual detail.
Michael and his brothers did not perform their own speaking voices.
The Jackson 5 were so busy recording and touring that professional voice actors were hired to play them instead. Donald Fullilove voiced Michael, while the brothers’ actual Motown recordings provided the singing heard throughout the series.
The show even created strange fictional adventures around Michael.
In one episode called “The Michael Look,” Michael loses his stage clothes in London and accidentally creates a new fashion craze after being tricked into wearing shabby clothing.
Another episode has him kidnapped by a monkey and forced to play bongos.
Diana Ross also appeared as an animated version of herself in the debut episode, adding another connection to the Jackson 5’s Motown story.
The series ultimately produced 23 episodes and continued airing through the early 1970s, later returning in reruns when Michael’s solo career exploded during the Thriller era.
Looking back, it shows just how enormous Michael’s fame already was as a child.
He had hit records.
National television appearances.
Millions of young fans.
And by 13, he was even spending Saturday mornings as an animated version of himself.
Years before Michael Jackson became the King of Pop, kids across America were already waking up to watch him as a cartoon.