15 Hanna-Barbera Series That Sound Made Up

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15 Hanna-Barbera Series That Sound Made Up

Perusing Hanna-Barbera’s library gives you the distinct impression that their whole catalog was brainstormed in a single afternoon by a 25-year-old on ketamine and a 5-year-old on Pixy Stix. You can easily see Jenna Maroney or Tracy Jordan starring in any one of these.

The Abbott and Costello Cartoon Show (1967)

You know what kids love? The comedy stylings of a World War II-era punny goofball duo. This show had 39 episodes from 1967-1968, about a decade after they were at the pinnacle of American comedy.

The Peter Potamus Show (1964)

This show ran from 1964-1966, and was three shows in one: Peter Potamus and So-So, a hippo and a monkey who travel the world in a hot air balloon; Breezly and Sneezly, a polar bear and a seal who keep pranking the army; and Yippee, Yappee and Yahooey, three goofy guard dogs employed by a king.

Sinbad Jr. and His Magic Belt (1965)

The son of famed sailor Sinbad, Sinbad Jr. sailed around the world in a tiny little sailboat with his parrot companion, Salty. When he tightened his belt, he gained the strength of 50 men. Only a few of the 102 episodes remain intact.

Shazzan (1967)

Two teenage siblings travel around a fictional Arab country on their camel, Kaboobie, while a magic genie named Shazzan helps them fight evil. It has nothing to do with Shazam, aka Captain Marvel, which came out in 1940. Nor is it affiliated with Kazaam.

The Perils of Penelope Pitstop (1969)

This spin-off of the more popular Wacky Races features the dastardly Sylvester Sneekly (along with the Bully Brothers) trying to steal Penelope Pitstop’s inheritance through Rube Goldbergian traps.

Dumb and Dumber (1995)

This 13-episode trainwreck featured none of the talent and one of the writers of the 1994 film. Animated versions of The Mask and Ace Ventura came out that same year, though neither was produced by Hanna-Barbera.

The Further Adventures of SuperTed (1989)

SuperTed was a Welsh cartoon about a rejected teddy bear that was brought to life by cosmic dust and given superpowers by Mother Nature. Once the creator broke into the American market, he moved to the U.S. to make some other crazy shit. While he was busy with that, Hanna-Barbera brought the character out of retirement for exactly 13 “Further Adventures.”

Shirt Tales (1982)

This was a two-season animated television show adapted from a particularly popular series of greeting cards. Tyg Tiger, Pammy Panda, Digger Mole, Rick Raccoon and Bogey Orangutan wore shirts that emblazoned their inner monologues on their torso, which somehow helped them fight crime.

The Mork & Mindy/Laverne & Shirley/Fonz Hour (1982)

They got Robin Williams, Pam Dawber, Henry Winkler and Penny Marshall to reprise their roles. Conspicuously absent from that list is Cindy Williams, who had quit the live-action Laverne & Shirley earlier that year, and had to be replaced in the animated series.

Rubik, the Amazing Cube (1983)

This sounds like a Hollywood blockbuster that was supposed to give Jenna Maroney her big break in 30 Rock. But it was a real show about a Rubik’s Cube that comes to life as a freaky little alien when it’s solved. It ran for 12 episodes as part of the Pac-Man/Rubik, the Amazing Cube Hour.

Foofur (1986)

Foofur is a skinny blue bloodhound who invited all of his friends to live with him in his mansion. His neighbor’s chihuahua is furious at Foofur for… having too many roommates. Pepe the chihuahua is always trying to get them evicted, while the Bowser Busters dog catchers are constantly trying to get them put down.

Fish Police (1992)

This was Hanna-Barbera’s answer to the adult humor of The Simpsons, and it lasted exactly three episodes. Inspector Gil, under the watchful eye of Chief Abalone, solves underwater crimes committed by the dastardly Biscotti Calamari.

Moby Dick and Mighty Mightor (1967)

This show was mainly about Mighty Mightor; they just chucked Moby Dick’s name up front because kids love Herman Melville — I guess? Mighty Mightor is a teenage caveman with superpowers, who can turn his pet flying dinosaur (already very cool) into a dragon. Moby Dick doesn’t even exist in the same cinematic universe, and they gave him a couple minutes of screen time every half hour.

Frankenstein Jr. and The Impossibles (1966)

Similar to the whole Moby Dick thing, Frankenstein Jr. is barely in this thing! He gets a short between two segments of The Impossibles, in a brazen attempt to hook kids on a traditional character they loved, and get them to watch new superhero content. Appropriately, they brought the Frankenstein Jr. segments back from the dead in 1976, for a show called Space Ghost and Frankenstein Jr.

Squiddly Diddly (1965)

Squiddly Diddly is a squid who’s shaped like an octopus and has 10 arms (octopi have 8; squids have 10). He wears a sailor’s cap, but he’s evidently a horrible boatman, as he lives underwater, in a water park. He wants to travel the world as a rock star, but every time he escapes, he decides the outside world is too scary and goes running back to captivity. Pretty bleak!

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