1980's Saturday Morning Historical Preservation Society

At 9:00 on Saturday morning in 1985 was a cartoon that lasted only 2 seasons but went by up to 4 different names and had no less than 2 different theme songs, "Ewoks" (which also aired as "Star Wars: Ewoks), "The All-New Ewoks Adventures" and "The Ewoks & Droids Adventure Hour"). Depending on your geographic location, you may have seen an opening for the show that looked more like this:

(This is the one I always saw, and I think it has something to do with having watched on a Canadian TV station).

Produced by Canadian animation studio Nelvana, there were 35 different half-hour episodes produced that were meant as a continuation/sequel to the wildly popular made-for-TV live-action movies "Caravan Of Courage" and "Battle For Endor". The first season seems to have been written for actual Star Wars fans with intricate relationships, cross-over storylines and recurring characters that actually added to the mythology and history of the Ewoks and their little moon of Endor. The second season, supposedly at the request of the network and against the wishes of Lucasfilm, was aimed more at younger kids.

Ewoks had three things going for it that really elevated it from the gutters of having been the "Jar Jar" of the pre-prequels Star Wars universe* - it had continuity, it had no laugh-track, and it had an actual Series Finale.

The final episode, "Battle For The Sun Star", was actually aired out-of-order on Saturday mornings and was then later re-aired as a stand-alone special that officially marked the end of the series. The plot, which depicts the Empire discovering the moon of Endor and deciding to build the new Death Star in the same orbit around Endor, firmly places the Ewoks cartoon in official Star Wars cannon right between Empire Strikes Back and Return Of The Jedi (which is pretty darned cool if you ask me).

So what do you think? Any memories regarding the Ewoks? Leave 'em in the comments below :)

*(I had always wondered if Jar-Jar Binks could have somehow been redeemed with a single season of a "The Gungans" cartoon series...)

Monchhichis was yet another "We want another show like The Smurfs" cartoon series produced by Hanna-Barbera for ABC that premiered at 9:00 in 1983. The Monchhichis were monkey-like creatures who lived in some weird forest land called Monchia at the very top of some very tall trees high above the clouds. The tribe's leader was Wizzar, a magical wizard who could make up spells and potions to defeat their enemy, the evil Grumplins of Grumplor.

Much like The Smurfs, The Monchichis were already a beloved property elsewhere before we got hold of them and made them STARS. The Monchichis were a line of Japanese stuffed toy monkeys from the Sekiguchi Corporation, first released in 1974. They became so popular that they even got their ow cartoon series in 1980, "Monchhichi Twins", which was nothing like the Hanna-Barbera Monchichis cartoon of 1983.

Moved to 8:00 in the spring of 1984, when it was combined with the Richie Rich and Little Rascals show.

I know so very little about this series! Looks like "Tenacious D: The Animated Series" to me. Yet another of the Marvel Productions attempts at a traditional Hanna-Barbera / Filmation action/comedy, The series centered on Meatballs & Spaghetti, a husband-and-wife singing duo who roamed the country in a mobile home with their friend Clyde (who was the bassist), and their dog Woofer (who was their drummer).

I have never seen an episode of this show... anybody care to share any thoughts about it?

Debuted in the 11:30 time slot of 1982, moved to 9am in the Spring of 1983, and then was *gone*.

The Flintstones Comedy Show (not to be confused with the Flintstones Comedy HOUR of 1973) was on the air Saturday mornings from 9am till 10:30 (AN HOUR AND A HALF?!?!?) on your local NBC affiliate in 1980. This revival of the classic Hanna-Barbera stone-age family featured six different segments: The Flintstone Family Adventures (standard Flintstones stories featuring the Flinstones & the Rubbles doing late-70's/early-80's stuff), Bedrock Cops (Fred and Barney are now police officers assisted by the Shmoo as a trainee under the direction of Sgt. Boulder), Pebbles, Dino and Bamm-Bamm (Teenage Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm solving mysteries with Dino, in the tried-and-true HB Scooby-Doo formula), Captain Caveman (a prequel to the 1970's "Captain Cave-Man & The Teen-Angels" cartoon that showed Captain Caveman in his natural stone-age setting), Dino and Cavemouse (The Flintstones version of Tom & Jerry), and The Frankenstones (a hybrid of The Addams Family, The Munsters and The Flintstones).

My biggest complaint about this cartoon was that it seemed to be on ALL MORNING LONG. Flintstones were okay in small doses, but 90 MINUTES??? Three different half-hour time slots where I could have been seeing ANYTHING ELSE??? Nope, that's too much.

(Also aired in a much shorter 30-minute version at 8:00 in 1981/1982, and then as "The Flintstone Funnies" from 1982 till 1984 - check out the hilariously inept re-working of the intro!)

(Cross Posted from Tumblr)

At 9am Saturday morning over on your local ABC affiliate station in 1980 you could tune in to see one of my all-time favorite BIZARRE CARTOONS of all time, “THE FONZ AND THE HAPPY DAYS GANG”. Originally broadcast from November 8, 1980 until September 18, 1982, this show was pretty darned incredible. If you can disassociate the show from it’s prime-time origins (“The Fonz” has a product of the popular sitcom “Happy Days”), what you have is a story about a 1950’s “Greaser” with semi-magical powers traveling through time trying to set things straight with the help of a super-evolved dog that is capable of walking up-right and rudimentary speech, his two straight-laced Teenage friends and a girl from the farthest reaches of time and space who has provided them all with a Time Machine so that they can hopefully reset the time lines and return them all to 1957 where they belong.

This show is more “Doctor Who” than “American Animated Sit-Com”! Give it a try some time!

(also aired at 9:00 in 1981)