Frankenstein Jr. and The Impossibles
Encyclopedia
Frankenstein, Jr. and the Impossibles was an American
Saturday morning cartoon
produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions
in 1966. It premiered on September 10, 1966, and ran for two seasons.
early output and its superhero
-based late-1960s cartoons.
The show was the target of complaints about violence in children's television, and was canceled in 1968. The Frankenstein, Jr. segments were later recycled in the 1976 series Space Ghost
and Frankenstein, Jr., which aired on NBC
from November 27, 1976 until September 3, 1977, replacing the canceled Big John, Little John
.
in 1966 as a tie-in to the TV series, and the contents were reprinted in "The Impossibles Annual" by Atlas Publishing & Distributing Co. Ltd
, UK in 1968. The two "Frankenstein Jr." comic stories were titled "The Image Invasion" and "Frankenstein Jr. Meets the Flea Man". A new text-based story, specially written for the annual, was "A Spook in his Wheel". The character reappeared in the comic Hanna-Barbera Presents #8 published by Archie Comics
in 1996.
The Impossibles' heroic identities were re-used for a later Hanna-Barbara production, The Super Globetrotters
(which also featured a similar concept—in this case, the famous Harlem Globetrotters
as undercover superheroes):
released Frankenstein, Jr. and The Impossibles: The Complete Series on DVD in region 1 via their Warner Archive Collection. This is a Manufacture-on-Demand (MOD) release, available exclusively through Warner's online store and only in the US.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Saturday morning cartoon
Saturday morning cartoon
A Saturday morning cartoon is the colloquial term for the animated television programming that has typically been scheduled on Saturday mornings on the major American television networks from the 1960s to the present; the genre's peak in popularity mostly ended in the 1990s while the popularity of...
produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions
Hanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. was an American animation studio that dominated North American television animation during the second half of the 20th century...
in 1966. It premiered on September 10, 1966, and ran for two seasons.
Overview
The program contained two segments, which each served as a middle ground between Hanna-Barbera's traditional cartoonCartoon
A cartoon is a form of two-dimensional illustrated visual art. While the specific definition has changed over time, modern usage refers to a typically non-realistic or semi-realistic drawing or painting intended for satire, caricature, or humor, or to the artistic style of such works...
early output and its superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
-based late-1960s cartoons.
- Frankenstein, Jr.: Taking place in Civic City, boy scientist Buzz Conroy (voiced by Dick BealsDick BealsRichard "Dick" Beals is an American voice actor. He has performed many voices in his career, which spans from the early 1950s into the 21st century...
) and his father Professor Conroy (voiced by John StephensonJohn Stephenson (actor)John Stephenson is an American actor and voice actor. He has also been credited as John Stevenson...
) fight supervillains with the aid of a powerful heroic robotRobotA robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
named "Frankenstein Jr." (voiced by Ted CassidyTed CassidyTheodore Crawford Cassidy , known as Ted Cassidy, was an American actor who performed in television and films. At 6 ft 9 in in height, he tended to play unusual characters in offbeat or science-fiction series such as Star Trek and I Dream of Jeannie...
). "Frankie", as Buzz usually referred to him, was more than a little reminiscent of the title character in GigantorGigantorGigantor is an American adaptation of the anime version of Tetsujin 28-go, a manga by Mitsuteru Yokoyama released in 1956. It debuted on U.S. television in 1964. As with Speed Racer, the characters' original names were altered and the original series' violence was toned down for American viewers...
; Buzz built "Frankie" and activated him through an energy ring.
- The ImpossiblesThe Impossibles (TV series)The Impossibles was a series of animated cartoons produced by Hanna-Barbera in 1966 and aired on American television by CBS. The series of shorts appeared as part of Frankenstein, Jr. and The Impossibles.-Overview:...
: The title characters are a trio of superheroes (Multi Man, Fluid Man, and Coil Man) who pose undercover as a Beatlesesque rock musicRock musicRock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band. The characters' names are descriptive of their powers: Multi-Man (voiced by Don MessickDon MessickDonald Earl "Don" Messick was an American voice actor best known for his work for Hanna-Barbera. Perhaps his most well-known voice creations include Scooby-Doo, Papa Smurf, and Dr. Benton Quest....
) can create identical copies of himself; Coil-Man (voiced by Hal SmithHal Smith (actor)Harold John "Hal" Smith was an American character actor and voice actor. Smith is best known as Otis Campbell, the town drunk on The Andy Griffith Show, and was the voice of many characters on various animated cartoon shorts...
) can form into a super-springy coil; and Fluid-Man (voiced by Paul FreesPaul FreesPaul Frees was an American voice actor and character actor.-Biography:He was born Solomon Hersh Frees in Chicago...
) can transform his body into any fluid. The heroes receive assignments from "Big D" (also voiced by Frees), who contacts them via a receiver in the base of Coil-Man's left-handedLeft-handedLeft-handedness is the preference for the left hand over the right for everyday activities such as writing. In ancient times it was seen as a sign of the devil, and was abhorred in many cultures...
guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
. During the development of the show, this group was called "The Incredibles," but was changed to "The Impossibles" by the time of production. The former's team name was instead given to the superhero family from the Disney/Pixar movieThe IncrediblesThe Incredibles is a 2004 American computer-animated action-comedy superhero film about a family of superheroes who are forced to hide their powers. It was written and directed by Brad Bird, a former director and executive consultant of The Simpsons, and was produced by Pixar and distributed by...
of the same name.
The show was the target of complaints about violence in children's television, and was canceled in 1968. The Frankenstein, Jr. segments were later recycled in the 1976 series Space Ghost
Space Ghost
Space Ghost is a fictional superhero created by Hanna-Barbera Productions and designed by Alex Toth for CBS in the 1960s. In his original incarnation, he was a superhero who, with his sidekick teen helpers Jan, Jace, and Blip the monkey, fought supervillains in outer space...
and Frankenstein, Jr., which aired on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
from November 27, 1976 until September 3, 1977, replacing the canceled Big John, Little John
Big John, Little John
Big John, Little John is an American Saturday morning sitcom produced by Sherwood Schwartz which stars Robbie Rist as Little John, and Herb Edelman as Big John. The show first aired on September 11, 1976 on NBC, and ran for one season of 13 episodes...
.
Adaptations
A single issue of a "Frankenstein Jr. and the Impossibles" comic was released by Gold Key ComicsGold Key Comics
Gold Key Comics was an imprint of Western Publishing created for comic books distributed to newsstands. Also known as Whitman Comics, Gold Key operated from 1962 to 1984.-History:...
in 1966 as a tie-in to the TV series, and the contents were reprinted in "The Impossibles Annual" by Atlas Publishing & Distributing Co. Ltd
Atlas Press
Atlas Press began publishing in 1983, and specialises in extremist and avant-garde prose writing from the 1890s to the present day. Atlas Press is the largest publisher in English of books on Surrealism and has an extensive list relating to Dada, Surrealism, Expressionism, the Oulipo, the Collège...
, UK in 1968. The two "Frankenstein Jr." comic stories were titled "The Image Invasion" and "Frankenstein Jr. Meets the Flea Man". A new text-based story, specially written for the annual, was "A Spook in his Wheel". The character reappeared in the comic Hanna-Barbera Presents #8 published by Archie Comics
Archie Comics
Archie Comics is an American comic book publisher headquartered in the Village of Mamaroneck, Town of Mamaroneck, New York, known for its many series featuring the fictional teenagers Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper, Veronica Lodge, Reggie Mantle and Jughead Jones. The characters were created by...
in 1996.
The Impossibles' heroic identities were re-used for a later Hanna-Barbara production, The Super Globetrotters
The Super Globetrotters
The Super Globetrotters is an American Saturday morning cartoon produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions for NBC. It premiered on September 22, 1979 and ran for 13 episodes.It was a spin-off series from Hanna-Barbera's Harlem Globetrotters....
(which also featured a similar concept—in this case, the famous Harlem Globetrotters
Harlem Globetrotters
The Harlem Globetrotters are an exhibition basketball team that combines athleticism, theater and comedy. The executive offices for the team are currently in downtown Phoenix, Arizona; the team is owned by Shamrock Holdings, which oversees the various investments of the Roy E. Disney family.Over...
as undercover superheroes):
- Nate BranchNate BranchNate Branch is an American basketball player.Nebraska University basketball player, best known for his career with the Harlem Globetrotters.-External links:*...
's heroic identity was alternately known as "Fluid Man" or "Liquid Man", with powers (and a flipperedSwimfinSwimfins, swim fins, fins or flippers are worn on the foot or leg and made from finlike rubber or plastic, to aid movement through the water in water sports activities such as swimming, bodyboarding, bodysurfing, kneeboarding, riverboarding, and various types of underwater diving.Scuba divers use...
costume) similar to the Impossibles' Fluid-Man. - "Twiggy" Sanders became "Spaghetti Man", with coiling and stretching abilities similar to Coil-Man.
- "Geese" AusbieHubert AusbieHubert Eugene "Geese" Ausbie is a retired professional basketball player. He was born in Crescent, Oklahoma.Ausbie played basketball at Philander Smith College in Little Rock, Arkansas, where he earned All-Conference and All-American honors. Ausbie was one of the leading college scorers in the...
as "Multi Man" had virtually identical powers as his Impossibles counterpart and a similar costume.
Episodes
| # | Title | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Shocking Electrical Monster | Dr. Shock uses his Master Mix Monster Machine to turn his assistant Igor into an electricity-absorbing monster. |
| 2 | The Spyder Man | Professor Conroy and Buzz unveil the blueprints for the Spy Detector XK-00-7 at a Maximum Security Building. Unfortunately, the blueprints are targeted by Spyder Man. |
| 3 | Menace from the Wax Museum | Upon an encounter with Buzz at the wax museum, Mr. Menace uses his monsters Gadzonka, Gorillis, and Cyclaws in an attack upon San Francisco. |
| 4 | Alien Brain from Outer Space | A giant alien brain arrives on Earth and captures Buzz and Professor Conroy. |
| 5 | The Unknown Shock | |
| 6 | UFO: Unidentified Fiendish Object | The alien Zargon unleashes his warrior Destructo in his plans to conquer Earth. |
| 7 | Unearthly Plant Creatures | Plant Man thaws the last three prehistoric plant creatures (Carnivorous Chewer, Creeping Crusher, and Fire-Breathing Snapdragon) from a glacier and then sprays them with his Obedience Ray in a plot to eliminate Buzz and Frankenstein Jr. |
| 8 | Deadly Living Images | The Mad Inventor has invented the Double Identity Duplicator Projector to make copies of whatever pictures he inserts in it. |
| 9 | Colossal Junk Monster | Junk Man creates the Colossal Junk Monster in a plot to eliminate Frankenstein Jr. |
| 10 | The Incredible Aqua-Monsters | Buzz and Frankenstein Jr. guard the Navy's new Hydrotomic Submarine to prevent Dr. Hook and his aquatic monsters from stealing it. |
| 11 | Gigantic Ghastly Genie | Zorbo the Great creates a genie and plans to use its three wishes in order to defeat Frankenstein Jr. and conquer the world. |
| 12 | The Birdman | Birdman and his robotic birds Vulturo, Rodantus, and King Condor abduct two astronauts and holds them for a ransom of $1,000,000. |
| 13 | Invasion of the Robot Creatures | Sertano the Satellite King, an alien from Galaxy X, uses a gravity ray in order to get Earth to surrender. Buzz and Frankenstein Jr. must defeat Sertano's robots in order to defeat him. |
| 14 | The Manchurian Menace | Manchurian Menace steals a Space Camera Capsule that has just returned with photos from Mars. |
| 15 | The Mad Monster Maker | To perform a crimewave in London, Baron Von Ghoul creates robotic versions of horror movie monsters Electroflying Firefly, Menacing Mummy, and the Wicked Werewolf. |
| 16 | The Monstermobile | The Mad Inventor has invented the Monstermobile and uses its many gadgets to commit crimes. |
| 17 | Pilfering Putty Monster | Mr. Menace uses his putty monster to steal a $1,000,000 coin collection and even kidnaps Buzz. It is up to Frankenstein Jr. to rescue Buzz and defeat Mr. Menace. |
| 18 | The Spooktaculars | Dr. Spectro creates three giant ghoulish ghosts in order to take over Penciltrainia. |
DVD release
On April 26, 2011, Warner Bros.Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
released Frankenstein, Jr. and The Impossibles: The Complete Series on DVD in region 1 via their Warner Archive Collection. This is a Manufacture-on-Demand (MOD) release, available exclusively through Warner's online store and only in the US.
External links
- Frankenstein, Jr. and the Impossibles at Toonopedia
- Frankenstein, Jr. at the Big Cartoon DataBaseBig Cartoon DataBaseThe Big Cartoon DataBase is an online database of information about animated cartoons, animated feature films, animated television shows and cartoon shorts....