This article describes the structure, conduct, and performance of children's television in Indonesia during the last four decades, reflecting on its interaction with the government, the market, and civil society. A striking trend in Indonesia's children's television is undoubtedly its exponential growth during the last 40 years, and its permanent oscillation between commercialism and idealism. Content analysis of television schedule archives (between 1970 and 2009) shows a steady increase in the volume of children's television, in line with the establishment of new commercial stations and the rise of advertising revenues in the television business. In the early days, local production outnumbered imported programs, and most of the programs were educational in scope. Nowadays, the majority of children's television programs in Indonesia are cartoons imported from the US. (Author abstract)