Astro Boy and Anime Come to the Americas: An Insider's View of the Birth of a Pop Culture Phenomenon - Paperbackby Fred Ladd (Author), Harvey Deneroff (Joint Author) The first generation of American television programmers had few choices of Saturday morning children's offerings. That changed dramatically in 1963 when a Japanese animated television series called Tetsuan Atom was acquired for distribution by NBC. Fred Ladd adapted the show for American television and rechristened Astro Boy it was an overnight sensation. Astro Boy's popularity sparked a new