Hanna-Barbera Archives - Retro Reminiscing Video and Pictures

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?

Birdman and the Galaxy Trio

How many of you remember this opening? Birdman and the Galaxy Trio arrived on NBC Saturday mornings on September 9, 1967, right in the middle of Hanna-Barbera’s great superhero period. Birdman could fly, fire solar energy from his hands and create shields, but there was one major catch — he had to keep recharging himself with sunlight. Take away the sun and suddenly our superhero was in serious trouble.

Birdman was created by legendary artist Alex Toth, whose fingerprints were all over this era of Hanna-Barbera adventure cartoons. He was also closely associated with the designs of Space Ghost and The Herculoids, which helps explain why these shows all had that wonderfully dramatic comic-book look many of us remember.

Keith Andes supplied Birdman’s powerful voice and that unforgettable “Biiiirdman!” battle cry. There were some other great connections hiding in the cast too. Don Messick was Falcon 7 before becoming Scooby-Doo, while Dick Beals played Birdboy — and if his voice sounds familiar, he was also Speedy Alka-Seltzer in hundreds of commercials. Over with the Galaxy Trio, Ted Cassidy, better known as Lurch on The Addams Family, voiced Meteor Man.

The music was by Ted Nichols, one of the composers who helped give Hanna-Barbera’s adventure shows such a big, dramatic sound. Nichols also worked on Space Ghost, Jonny Quest, Scooby-Doo and many other familiar cartoons during his years at Hanna-Barbera. He died earlier this year at age 97.

And September 9, 1967 was quite a Saturday morning. Birdman, The Herculoids and Hanna-Barbera’s Fantastic Four all debuted that same day on competing networks. Birdman himself lasted only 20 half-hours, but he certainly wasn’t forgotten. More than 30 years later he was completely reinvented as an attorney in Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law, introducing the character to an entirely different generation.

Did you watch Birdman during its original run, or was this another one you discovered through Saturday morning reruns?

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?

Wacky Races

Saturday mornings became much more dangerous when Wacky Races premiered on CBS on September 14, 1968. Eleven bizarre vehicles raced across the country while Dick Dastardly and his snickering dog, Muttley, stopped every few miles to set another trap.

Every car matched the personality of its driver. Penelope Pitstop had the beauty-salon-equipped Compact Pussycat, Professor Pat Pending drove the transforming Convert-a-Car, and the Gruesome Twosome traveled inside the monster-filled Creepy Coupe. The Ant Hill Mob raced in the Bulletproof Bomb, while lumberjack Rufus Ruffcut drove a wooden vehicle with circular saw blades for wheels.

The funniest part was that Dick Dastardly probably could have won by simply continuing to drive. Instead, he repeatedly stopped his speedy Mean Machine to build complicated traps that usually backfired, leaving him and Muttley behind everyone else. Across all 34 races, they never recorded a first, second or third-place finish.

The cartoon produced only 17 episodes, each containing two separate races, but its characters proved too entertaining to disappear. Penelope and the Ant Hill Mob returned in The Perils of Penelope Pitstop, while Dick Dastardly and Muttley moved into airplanes for Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines.

Which racer did you root for, and did anyone actually want Dick Dastardly to win?

Friday Nights Belonged to The Flintstones

Before The Flintstones became a childhood favorite through daytime reruns, it was a genuine prime-time television show. The series premiered on ABC on Friday, September 30, 1960, at 8:30 p.m., when children and adults were expected to watch together.

This lively promo turns the show’s Friday-night time slot into a full Stone Age musical production. Fred, Wilma, Barney, Betty and an assortment of prehistoric entertainers appear as the announcer reminds viewers where they should be on Friday night.

The first three seasons aired Fridays at 8:30. The show’s original opening music was the instrumental “Rise and Shine,” before “Meet the Flintstones” became the familiar theme during the third season.

Did your family watch The Flintstones at night, or do you remember it mostly from afternoon and Saturday-morning reruns?

The Great Grape Ape

Somehow, this cartoon completely escaped my memory, so I’m counting on your memories for this one!

The Great Grape Ape Show debuted in 1975 and followed a friendly, 40-foot-tall purple gorilla who traveled with his small canine friend, Beegle Beagle. Beegle drove their tiny yellow van while Grape Ape rode on top, usually causing confusion wherever they went.

Grape Ape was known for repeating “Grape Ape, Grape Ape!” and calling his friend “Beegly Beagly.” The cartoon originally aired as part of The New Tom and Jerry/Grape Ape Show on Saturday mornings.

Did you watch The Great Grape Ape, and what do you remember most about it?

Josie and the Pussycats

“Long tails and ears for hats!” Josie and the Pussycats brought music, mysteries and wild adventures to CBS Saturday mornings beginning in 1970. Josie, Valerie and Melody traveled around the world performing songs, but they always seemed to run into spies, villains and trouble along the way.

Patrice Holloway, who provided Valerie’s singing voice, sang lead on the unforgettable theme song. The recording group also included Cathy Dougher as Josie and Cherie Moor, later known as Cheryl Ladd, as Melody.

Only 16 original episodes were produced, but the group returned in 1972 for Josie and the Pussycats in Outer Space. Thanks to years of reruns, the catchy theme song and those unforgettable leopard-print outfits, the Pussycats remained favorites long after their original run ended.

Did you watch for the music and mysteries, or were you waiting to see what Alexandra and Sebastian would do next?

Magilla Gorilla

Magilla Gorilla was one of those classic Hanna-Barbera characters who was impossible not to like. Sitting in Mr. Peebles’ pet shop with his little hat, bow tie, suspenders, and endless supply of bananas, Magilla was always waiting for someone to take him home.

Of course, every time someone did, it usually went wrong — and poor Mr. Peebles would end up with Magilla right back in the window.

Do you remember watching Magilla Gorilla?

The Jetsons: The Future We Were Promised

The Jetsons first aired on ABC on Sunday nights at 7:30 p.m., beginning September 23, 1962. The original run was only 24 episodes, but it left a much bigger footprint than its short first season would suggest.

For kids, The Jetsons made the future look amazing. Flying cars, moving sidewalks, video calls, robot maids, push-button meals, and a workday so short George still complained about it. It was basically The Flintstones flipped into outer space, with the Stone Age family replaced by a space-age family.

The show followed George Jetson, his wife Jane, daughter Judy, son Elroy, dog Astro, and of course Rosie the Robot, who somehow became one of the most memorable characters even though she was not in every episode.

What is funny now is how many “future” ideas from The Jetsons don’t seem so crazy anymore. Video calls, flat screens, smart watches, robotic helpers, and push-button convenience all feel a lot closer to real life than they did in 1962.

The original series also has a neat TV trivia note: it was ABC’s first regularly scheduled program broadcast in color, even though many viewers still watched it in black and white.

Looking back, The Jetsons was not just a cartoon. It was the future as the early 1960s imagined it: shiny, funny, automated, and full of gadgets that were supposed to make life easier.

And somehow, George still had a hard day at work.

Stop the Pigeon!

Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines was one of those cartoons built around one simple idea that somehow worked every time: stop the pigeon.

The show came from Hanna-Barbera in 1969 and brought back Dick Dastardly and Muttley from Wacky Races. This time, they were part of the Vulture Squadron, flying ridiculous contraptions and trying every week to catch Yankee Doodle Pigeon.

Of course, they never did.

The real star was Muttley. That wheezy little laugh was funnier than half the script, and his constant demand for medals made him even better. Dastardly would scheme, Muttley would snicker, the plane would fall apart, and the pigeon would fly away.

Looking back, most of us probably weren’t rooting for the pigeon. We were watching for Dastardly to lose his temper, Muttley to laugh, and that theme song to get stuck in our heads all over again.

Stop the pigeon, stop the pigeon!