1960s Cartoons Archives - Retro Reminiscing Video and Pictures

Peabody and Sherman

Peabody and Sherman were one of those great little pieces of Rocky and Bullwinkle that managed to sneak some history in between all the jokes. Officially called Peabody’s Improbable History, the series followed the unbelievably intelligent Mr. Peabody and his adopted boy Sherman as they traveled through time using the WABAC Machine.

What surprised me is just how many of these they made — 91 separate adventures, most only about four-and-a-half minutes long. Bill Scott supplied Peabody’s voice, and he was also the voice of Bullwinkle and Dudley Do-Right. Sherman was voiced by Walter Tetley, who was already 44 years old when the series debuted in 1959, despite sounding completely believable as a young boy.

The supporting voices were just as impressive. Paul Frees, better known around the Bullwinkle universe as Boris Badenov, handled many of the historical characters, while June Foray turned up in numerous female roles.

And then there was that wonderful WABAC Machine. The name became so closely associated with traveling into the past that decades later the Internet Archive borrowed the idea for its own Wayback Machine.

The history was usually twisted, the situations were ridiculous, and Peabody somehow always managed to finish everything off with a terrible pun. That’s probably exactly why we remember them so well.

The Herculoids

How many of you can still name all the Herculoids just from watching this opening? Zok, Igoo, Tundro, Gloop and Gleep — along with Zandor, Tara and Dorno — made for one of the strangest and most memorable groups Hanna-Barbera ever put together

What amazes me is how few episodes there actually were. The Herculoids debuted on CBS in 1967, and only 18 original half-hours were produced, containing 36 shorter adventures. Yet those episodes were rerun enough that the show feels like it was around much longer than it really was. Joseph Barbera later even recalled the series pulling an extraordinary 60 share in the ratings

The incredible look of the show came from Alex Toth, the legendary comic-book artist who helped shape Hanna-Barbera’s adventure cartoons. Toth was also heavily involved with characters and designs for Space Ghost, Birdman, Fantastic Four and other shows that gave Saturday mornings a very different look from Hanna-Barbera’s comedy cartoons

There was some great voice talent hiding behind all those creatures too. Mike Road, who many of us also remember as Race Bannon on Jonny Quest, handled Zandor along with Zok, Igoo and Tundro. Don Messick gave us both Gloop and Gleep before becoming the voice of Scooby-Doo just two years later

And those creatures really were wonderfully bizarre. Tundro had ten legs and fired explosive rocks, Zok shot energy beams, Igoo was essentially a walking rock pile, and Gloop and Gleep could turn themselves into practically whatever the story required — shields, trampolines, parachutes or slingshots

The Herculoids weren’t forgotten either. They crossed paths with Space Ghost, appeared in comics from both DC and Marvel, and returned with 11 brand-new adventures in 1981 as part of Space Stars. Oddly enough, their planet Amzot became Quasar for the revival

For a cartoon with only 18 original half-hours, The Herculoids certainly left a big impression

Who was your favorite — Zok, Igoo, Tundro, Gloop or Gleep?

Top Cat

There are certain cartoon openings where you only need the first few seconds before the entire show comes rushing back, and Top Cat is definitely one of those for me. The limousine, the fancy restaurant, T.C. helping himself to somebody else’s lunch and then heading back to the alley told us almost everything we needed to know about him before the episode even started

What I didn’t realize back then was how much Top Cat owed to another television comedy. T.C. was essentially Hanna-Barbera’s cartoon answer to Phil Silvers’ fast-talking Sergeant Bilko, always working another angle and trying to stay one step ahead of authority. They even brought over Maurice Gosfield, who had played Private Doberman with Silvers, to voice Benny the Ball, whose appearance was partly modeled after Gosfield. Arnold Stang gave T.C. that unmistakable voice, while Allen Jenkins became Officer Dibble

The theme is another big part of why this opening stuck with us. Hoyt Curtin, William Hanna and Joseph Barbera are credited on “The Most Effectual Top Cat,” which managed to introduce T.C.’s personality and his position as leader of the gang in less than a minute. Curtin, of course, was also behind music for an amazing number of Hanna-Barbera favorites

And here’s something I think many of us forget: Top Cat wasn’t originally a Saturday-morning cartoon. It premiered in prime time on ABC in 1961 and lasted only 30 episodes. Those episodes found a much longer life in reruns, and the show became especially beloved outside the United States. In Britain it was even called Boss Cat because a cat food already had the Top Cat name, while in Mexico Don Gato became popular enough to eventually inspire feature films

Did you watch Top Cat during its original prime-time run, or do you remember T.C. and the gang mainly from Saturday-morning reruns?

Faster Than Saturday Morning Television

Before Super Friends and decades before the live-action television series, Filmation brought the Flash racing onto Saturday-morning television. Beginning in 1967, Flash and Kid Flash appeared in short adventures during The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure, battling giant creatures, robots and even another super-speedster. Only three solo cartoons were produced, but the Flash also appeared alongside the Justice League.

The animation was simple, with repeated running scenes, bright streaks and dramatic narration, but somehow that made the Flash seem even faster. Years later, Sheldon Cooper regularly wore Flash shirts and dressed as the character on The Big Bang Theory, helping make that familiar lightning-bolt symbol cool again. Sheldon probably would have watched these cartoons frame by frame, then complained that Barry Allen’s speed was scientifically inconsistent.

Everything’s Archie

There was a time when the back of a cereal box could be almost as exciting as what was inside.

This Everything’s Archie Post Cereal commercial is a perfect example. In the late 1960s, kids could find Archie-themed prizes on specially marked Post cereal boxes, including cardboard records you could actually cut out and play. They were not exactly hi-fi, but to a kid, getting music from the back of a cereal box felt like magic.

The timing was perfect. The Archies were everywhere, with the cartoon band becoming a Saturday morning favorite and “Sugar, Sugar” turning into one of the biggest songs of 1969. So Post put Archie, Betty, Veronica, Jughead, Reggie, Sugar Bear, cereal, cartoons, and music all into one kid-friendly promotion.

Who else remembers cereal boxes that gave you something to do after breakfast?

Rocky and Bullwinkle

Rocky and Bullwinkle was one of those cartoons that worked on two levels. Kids saw a flying squirrel, a goofy moose, spies, fairy tales, and silly adventures. Adults heard the puns, political jokes, Cold War humor, and smart little digs that went right over a lot of kids’ heads.

The show began in 1959 as Rocky and His Friends on ABC, then moved to NBC in 1961 as The Bullwinkle Show. Rocky was Rocket J. Squirrel, the brave flying squirrel, and Bullwinkle J. Moose was his well-meaning but not always brilliant best friend from Frostbite Falls, Minnesota. The show originally ran until 1964, with reruns continuing for years, including ABC Sunday mornings into the early 1970s.

What made it different was the variety-show style. You did not just get Rocky and Bullwinkle fighting Boris Badenov and Natasha Fatale. You also got Fractured Fairy Tales, Peabody’s Improbable History with Mr. Peabody and Sherman, Aesop and Son, Dudley Do-Right, Bullwinkle’s Corner, and all those cliffhanger endings with ridiculous titles.

The animation was not fancy, even for its time, but the writing was the real star. Jay Ward and Bill Scott leaned into wordplay, satire, narrator jokes, and absurd situations. That is why Rocky and Bullwinkle still feels different from a lot of old cartoons. It was funny for kids, but it was also sneaky smart for the adults in the room. UCLA’s Hammer Museum called the series a “rare gem” and credited its wit to the Jay Ward team, including Bill Scott, June Foray, and the show’s writers and animators.

Tobor the 8th Man: One I Need Your Memories On

A number of viewers asked us to post Tobor the 8th Man, and this is one I may have to rely on your memory for. I’m not sure if it was before my time, or just wasn’t shown in my area, but it clearly stuck with a lot of kids who watched it.

The show was the American version of Japan’s 8 Man, about a murdered detective whose mind is placed into a powerful robot body. In the U.S. version, he became Tobor, “robot” spelled backward, fighting crime with super speed and futuristic powers.

It was black-and-white, early anime, and definitely had that 1960s imported-cartoon feel. Were you one of the kids who watched Tobor the 8th Man?

The Road Runner Show: Saturday Morning Speed

This clip from 1966 comes from The Road Runner Show, when Warner Bros. gave Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner their own Saturday morning showcase. The formula could not have been simpler: a hungry coyote, a bird who was always one step ahead, a desert full of cliffs, tunnels, rockets, spring-loaded traps, and of course, plenty of bad ideas from Acme.

What made it work was that we knew exactly what was coming, and somehow it was still funny every time. Wile E. Coyote would carefully build the perfect plan, the Road Runner would zip by with a “beep beep,” and gravity would usually handle the rest. For kids watching in 1966, this was Saturday morning cartoon comfort food — fast, colorful, silly, and impossible not to watch.

And speaking of Road Runners, we’ll be staying in the fast lane for the next post — but this time, we’re trading the cartoon desert for one of the most memorable muscle cars to ever borrow a cartoon name.

Mighty Mouse: Here He Comes To Save The Day

Mighty Mouse Playhouse first aired on CBS Saturday mornings, beginning December 10, 1955. That date is important because the show helped put the idea of Saturday morning cartoons on the map.

Mighty Mouse had actually started earlier in theatrical cartoons from Terrytoons, debuting in the 1942 short The Mouse of Tomorrow. But TV is what made him a household name. CBS repackaged the older Mighty Mouse cartoons for television, and suddenly kids could see him right at home instead of at the movie theater.

The show had everything kids loved: a tiny hero with super strength, flying rescues, villains, danger, and that unforgettable theme line: “Here I come to save the day!” Mighty Mouse usually showed up just in time to save the helpless and defeat the bad guys.

Looking back, Mighty Mouse Playhouse feels simple now, but it was a big deal. It helped prove that Saturday morning could belong to kids, cereal bowls, pajamas, and cartoons.

Mr. Magoo: The Man Who Couldn’t See Trouble Coming

Mr. Magoo was one of those cartoon characters built around one joke that somehow kept working: he could barely see, refused to admit it, and still managed to stumble through danger without realizing how close he came.

His full name was Quincy Magoo, and he first appeared in the 1949 UPA cartoon The Ragtime Bear. The character was voiced for decades by Jim Backus, who later became just as famous as Thurston Howell III on Gilligan’s Island.

The humor was simple. Magoo would mistake one thing for another, walk into ridiculous situations, and somehow come out fine while everyone around him panicked. His famous line was:

“Oh, Magoo, you’ve done it again!”

What made Mr. Magoo stand out was that he wasn’t a talking animal or superhero. He was a stubborn little old man with terrible eyesight and total confidence. The cartoons had a sharp, modern look compared to a lot of animation at the time, and Magoo became one of UPA’s signature characters.

He later moved into TV cartoons, specials, commercials, and even holiday programming. Looking back, Mr. Magoo is definitely a product of his time, but for many of us, he’s still remembered as that squinty little guy who caused chaos everywhere he went and somehow never knew it.