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The Impossibles (TV series)
Encyclopedia
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 and aired on American television by CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
. The series of shorts (6 minutes) appeared as part of Frankenstein, Jr. and The Impossibles.
Overview
The Impossibles were a trio of rock and rollRock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
musicians. When contacted by "Big D" (voiced by Paul Frees
Paul Frees
Paul Frees was an American voice actor and character actor.-Biography:He was born Solomon Hersh Frees in Chicago...
) about criminal activities in Empire City, they became 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 —...
es. Like the Monkees, the group’s appearance (in their musician form) was based on 1960s pop star
Pop Star
"Pop Star" is a 2005 single from Japanese singer Ken Hirai. The single went on to top the 2005 Oricon Charts and is known for its remarkable music video, featuring Ken in seven different personas, including a raccoon and his own manager. The Video also helped Ken break into the US and Canadian...
stereotype
Stereotype
A stereotype is a popular belief about specific social groups or types of individuals. The concepts of "stereotype" and "prejudice" are often confused with many other different meanings...
s, which included somewhat long hair, brightly colored (and matching) outfits, high-heeled boots, screaming female fans and, unlike the Monkees, no percussion or bass instruments. Nothing is known about their personal lives, although Fluid Man once mentioned having an Aunt Tilly. They seemed to have secret identities though even a little child would have no trouble connecting the singing Impossibles to the hero Impossibles on appearance alone. They also seemed to change to their "secret identities" in front of the crowds they were playing to when given a mission.
Impossibles
In their guise as musicians, The Impossibles played their futuristic-looking guitars atop an equally futuristic bandstand that could convert into a car which, in turn, could transform into either a van, a submarine or boat which did not need a driver. Their standard catch cry, when called into action, was "Rally ho!" Their humorous dialogue was typically peppered with punPun
The pun, also called paronomasia, is a form of word play which suggests two or more meanings, by exploiting multiple meanings of words, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use and abuse of homophonic,...
s. As with many Hanna-Barbera
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...
characters, The Impossibles were very loosely styled after an existing famous trio, in this case The Three Stooges. Each member of The Impossibles had specific superhuman powers:
- 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...
) - Seemingly the group's leader, short, blond Coily could transform his human limbs into impossibly stretchable or coiled springsSpring (device)A spring is an elastic object used to store mechanical energy. Springs are usually made out of spring steel. Small springs can be wound from pre-hardened stock, while larger ones are made from annealed steel and hardened after fabrication...
, allowing him to bounce to avoid attacks, deliver long-ranged punches and drill through walls. Coil Man usually drove the Impossijet, and his 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...
contained a small TV receiver through which "Big D" could contact the group and deliver orders (Big D used Multi Man's guitar in "The Fiendish Dr Futuro," "Beamatron," and "The Diabolical Dauber"). He could be held in place by a magnet, implying that he was at least partially made of metal. Coil Man's costume was purple and pink and included a crested helmetHelmetA helmet is a form of protective gear worn on the head to protect it from injuries.Ceremonial or symbolic helmets without protective function are sometimes used. The oldest known use of helmets was by Assyrian soldiers in 900BC, who wore thick leather or bronze helmets to protect the head from...
.
- 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...
) - Dark-haired Fluid Man, aka Fluey, could morph parts of his body into a liquid form, a talent perfect for sneaking up on an enemy though a water faucet. He could also vaporise himself into a cloud or storm, but he could also be soaked up and trapped by a sponge ("Televisatron" and "Return of the Spinner"), or frozen solid inside a block of ice ("Not So Nice Mr. Ice"). Fluid Man's costume resembled a green wetsuitWetsuitA wetsuit is a garment, usually made of foamed neoprene, which is worn by surfers, divers, windsurfers, canoeists, and others engaged in water sports, providing thermal insulation, abrasion resistance and buoyancy. The insulation properties depend on bubbles of gas enclosed within the material,...
and swimfinSwimfinSwimfins, 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...
s.
- 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....
) - Multi could create infinite duplicates of himself which were often destroyed, leaving only the original behind. His duplicates rarely, if ever, functioned independently, and were often used as camouflageCamouflageCamouflage is a method of concealment that allows an otherwise visible animal, military vehicle, or other object to remain unnoticed, by blending with its environment. Examples include a leopard's spotted coat, the battledress of a modern soldier and a leaf-mimic butterfly...
, a bluff, for extra strength or transportation (he could fly by continuously creating replicas above himself). When duplicating himself, he could push tons of rocks out of the way or crack the solid concrete he and the others were entombed in. The character had shaggy, orange hair and he occasionally held a shieldShieldA shield is a type of personal armor, meant to intercept attacks, either by stopping projectiles such as arrows or redirecting a hit from a sword, mace or battle axe to the side of the shield-bearer....
for what seems decorative reasons, though he has used it at least twice. In one instance, Multi repelled bullets with his bare hand ("Fero, the Fiendish Fiddler"), however it may be the shield was supposed to have been used but was accidentally left undrawn. Multi Man's angular, red and black costume included a short, red capeCapeCape can be used to describe any sleeveless outer garment, such as a poncho, but usually it is a long garment that covers only the back half of the wearer, fastening around the neck. They were common in medieval Europe, especially when combined with a hood in the chaperon, and have had periodic...
. A physical trait that he shared with many of his contemporaries in cartoons and comics was a mop of hair that entirely covered his eyes. Favourite saying: "You got them all except the original."
Villains
The Impossibles faced many bizarre villains, similar to those BatmanBatman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
and Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
had to face:
- The Perilous Paper Doll 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....
) - A supervillain who had the ability to change into any form of paper. - Beamatron, The Laser Beam Man - A supervillain who shot laser beams from his fingers, lasers had short battery lives.
- The Bubbler - A supervillain who attacked with almost unbreakable bubbles.
- The Burrower - A supervillain who burrowed under banks and pilfered the money inside.
- Fero, the Fiendish Fiddler - A supervillain who, despite his attire making him look like a caricatureCaricatureA caricature is a portrait that exaggerates or distorts the essence of a person or thing to create an easily identifiable visual likeness. In literature, a caricature is a description of a person using exaggeration of some characteristics and oversimplification of others.Caricatures can be...
of NeroNeroNero , was Roman Emperor from 54 to 68, and the last in the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Nero was adopted by his great-uncle Claudius to become his heir and successor, and succeeded to the throne in 54 following Claudius' death....
, could send people and objects to anywhere he wished with a hi-tech violin. - Televisitron - A supervillain who used a remote control to send his foes into various channels of the televisionTelevisionTelevision is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
to do them in. - The Puzzler - A supervillain who had the ability to change shape due to being a living puzzle. Notably, he is the only villain given an origin, as he mentions having fallen into a jigsaw-making machine which gave him his abilities.
- Spinner - A supervillain with tornado-based powers.
- Professor Stretch - A supervillain with elasticity.
- Smogula - A supervillain that floats in a rain cloud and wields a weather ray-gun.
All villains were defeated in a timely manner and justice was always served. Some villains were made to serve a useful purpose and even went straight upon their capture:
- The Artful Archer - A supervillain who was dressed like Robin HoodRobin HoodRobin Hood was a heroic outlaw in English folklore. A highly skilled archer and swordsman, he is known for "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor", assisted by a group of fellow outlaws known as his "Merry Men". Traditionally, Robin Hood and his men are depicted wearing Lincoln green clothes....
; decided to take up being a musician. - Cronella Critch - A witch who was robbing a charity-for-orphans party. She was turned into a catCatThe cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
due to a spell reversal by Multi-Man. - Dr. Futuro - A villain from the 40th century40th centuryThe 40th century of the anno Domini era will span from January 1, 3901–December 31, 4000 of the Gregorian calendar. It will be the tenth and last century of the 4th millennium.-Fiction:...
, who travelled to the 1960s in order to steal a gold brick to finance his crimes. He accidentally ran into an age-reversing machine, and was turned into a baby. - The Insidious Inflator - A supervillain who attacked places with giant balloons that he brought to life by using a special ray-gun. He had served time and is seen selling balloons to children.
An ad for the Saturday morning cartoon lineup in comic books of the time referred to "the Bubbler," "Bratfink," and "The Sponge".
Episodes
- The Spinner - The Spinner steals a $1,000,000 tiara.
- The Perilous Paper Doll - The Paper Doll Man has stolen a top secret plan and is out to steal the second part.
- Beamatron - Beamatron steals a priceless painting from a ship.
- The Bubbler - The Bubbler kidnaps the Shah of Shish-Ka-Bob and it's up to the Impossible to rescue the Shah.
- The Burrower - The Burrower uses his burrowing machine to steal half a million dollars from the bank and dig ten mile down to his lair.
- Timeatron - Timeatron uses his powers to bring villains from the past to pillage for him.
- Smogula - Smogula freezes the Impossibles and seals them within a cave, so they won't interfere with his plans to conquer Empire City.
- The Sinister Speck - The Speck uses a formula to shrink himself in order to photograph some top secret plans.
- Mother Gruesome - Mother Gruesome invents a machine that brings villainous storybook characters out of their stories to help her with her crimes Help Coil Man save way.
- Fero, The Fiendish Fiddler - To get the Impossibles out of the way, Fero uses his fiddle to transport them to different planets.
- The Diabolical Dauber - The Dauber uses a special brush where anything he paints becomes real.
- Televisatron - Televisatron uses his powers to transport the Impossibles to different television shows Coily and Multi at Fluid Man save it!
- The Wretched Professor Stretch - Professor Stretch is causing havoc with his elastical abilities.
- Aquator - Aquator has stolen a secret formula and shrinks himself to microscopic size.
- The Devilish Dragster - The Devilish Dragster has stolen a very valuable item.
- The Return Of The Spinner - The Spinner returns and steals a priceless pooch Fluid Man Save Help Dogs!
- The Puzzler - The Puzzler steals some top secret documents which he plans to sell to the highest bidder.
- Satanic Surfer - The Satanic Surfer takes pictures of a top secret submarine.
- The Scurrilous Sculptor - The Sculptor is turning people into statues.
- The Scheming Spraysol - Spraysol is out to steal some top secret documents.
- The Insidious Inflator - The Inflator creates giant balloon monsters to help him commit crimes.
- The Artful Archer - The Artful Archer steals a priceless violin and a million dollars. It's up to the Impossibles to reclaim them.
- The Return Of The Perilous Paperman - The Paper Doll Man returns and causes trouble for the Impossibles.
- The Dastardly Diamond Dazzler - The Diamond Dazzler has stolen a precious diamond in order to awaken the genie within.
- Cronella Critch The Tricky Witch - Cronella Critch has robbed a charity for orphans party.
- The Terrible Twister - The Twister is on a crime spree and is stealing precious jewels.
- The Terrifying Tapper - The Tapper is a criminal who can transmit himself over the phone lines. He uses this ability to commit crimes.
- Professor Stretch Bounces Back - Professor Stretch returns and creates a rubber monster to help him in his crimes.
- The Anxious Angler - The Angler has stolen some secret space research and plans to sell them to another country.
- The Rascally Ringmaster - The Ringmaster puts on a circus and robs from those who attend.
- Billy The Kidder - Billy the Kidder, a cowboy that rides a robotic horse, is planning to rob the U.S. Mint.
- The Fiendish Doctor Futuro - The Impossibles fight Doctor Futuro who has come from the fortieth century to their time to steal a million dollar gold brick.
- The Infamous Mr. Instant - Mr. Instant uses his insta-gun which can make anything in an instant to help him commit crimes.
- The Crafty Clutcher - The Clutcher uses an invention that brings his gloves to life.
- The Not So Nice Mr. Ice - Mr. Ice and his assistant Freeze are freezing the city in order to take over it.
- The Bizarre Batter - The Batter kidnaps a baseball star and holds him for a ransom of $1,000,000.
Adaptations
A single issue of a "Frankenstein Jr. and the Impossibles" comic was released by Gold KeyGold Key
In fiction, a gold key is a special token granting access to and control of a mythical or ultra-private or secret bank account or vault, such as a Swiss bank account. In reality, the key is often a code word and accounts are not completely anonymous....
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 Impossibles" comic story was titled "The Impossibles vs. The Mirror-Man". A new text-based story, specially written for the annual was "The Impossibles Cure a Doctor", with the villainous Herr Doktor Adolf von Tischklautz. Big D is mistakenly called "Big B" in this story.
For the 1979 series 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....
, the Impossibles' super powers were re-assigned, entirely intact, to three members of the Globetrotters team. Coil Man was redesigned and renamed Spaghetti Man. Fluid Man was renamed Liquid Man. Multi Man was unchanged.
The Super Globetrotter costumes of Fluid Man/Liquid Man and of Multi Man remained the same as their Impossible counterparts (including the unexplained "F" on Liquid Man's wetsuit), except the color palettes were changed to match the Globetrotters' uniforms. The transformation sequences and many of the signature "moves" from the 1966 series were re-drawn, frame by frame, to feature the superhero incarnations of the 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...
basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
team instead of the guitar-toting Impossibles.
Popular culture
Fluid Man had a non-speaking cameo appearance in the Harvey Birdman, Attorney at LawHarvey Birdman, Attorney at Law
Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law is an American animated television series comedy created by Williams Street and produced by Cartoon Network Studios that aired on Cartoon Network during its Adult Swim late night programming block. The series' pilot first aired in 2000, and later became a series in...
episode "SPF." He appeared as one of the many characters who were victims of cybersquatting
Cybersquatting
Cybersquatting , according to the United States federal law known as the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act, is registering, trafficking in, or using a domain name with bad faith intent to profit from the goodwill of a trademark belonging to someone else...
.
External links
- The Impossibles - Cartoon NetworkCartoon NetworkCartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....
Department of Cartoons (Archive) - The Impossibles 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....