Remember that one day when you could wake up without an alarm? When you would get your favorite bowl of cereal and sit between the hours of 8 and 12? This is a blog dedicated to the greatest time of our childhood: Saturday mornings. The television programs you watched, the memories attached to them, and maybe introducing you to something you didn't realize existed. Updated every weekend.
He was best known as Cyclops, aka Scott Summers, in X-Men: The Animated
Series and Spider-Man: The Animated Series. He was
also Drax in Silver Surfer, Hades in Mythic Warriors: Guardians of
the Legend, and Billy Blazes in Rescue Heroes, andprovided
voices for Piggsburg Pigs! and Ultraforce.
Saturday Morning Preview Specials were prime-time showcases for the upcoming Saturday morning season on the networks. They were typically hosted by stars from the network's other shows as well as other celebrity guests, and offered clips from the upcoming programs. Below you will find as any of the previews specials from the 1980s as can be found on the internet at the moment.
It wasn’t until the late 60s that Saturday mornings were beginning to get into full swing. Content with airing primetime reruns and a few new shows here and there, that all changed in 1966 when CBS revitalized its schedule with an action-heavy slant. When CBS showed massive success, the other networks followed and Saturday morning suddenly became good business. So, how would the networks advertise to their targeted audiences to tune in every week? Simple: advertise in comic books! For almost every Saturday schedule for decades, there was an artfully designed cartoon representing the networks’ schedules in every major publication. They even made sure to cover their bases with ads in TV Guideand newspapers so that parents would be aware shows for their kids would be on.
The
Wuzzles was one of the first two series to be produced by the newly-formed Walt Disney
Television Animation, the other being Adventures
of the Gummi Bears. However, the series was already in production by
the time Michael Eisner was named
the CEO of The Walt Disney Company and
envisioned the company’s return to television. Disney had made an arrangement with
Hasbro to produce a cartoon that would
center around characters they could market and sell as toys. The premise of the
characters would be the fusion of two different animals into cute hybrids.
While
Hasbro had greater control over the looks of the characters and their concepts,
with Disney’s Jymn Magon and Gary Krisel trying to reconcile
their wants with the realities of animation, Disney was left fully in charge of
coming up with the overall story and personalities. The initial pitch concocted
by comedy writer Lenny Ripps
featured a zoologist and explorer, Marlin P. Wuzzle, having discovered the
island of hybrids and naming them “Wuzzles” and the island “Wuzzle Island”
after himself. A tornado struck the island, sending many of the creatures
around the world and each episode would be partly dedicated to Wuzzle
retrieving them, while the other half would be dedicated to the remaining Wuzzles
trying to keep King Croc from taking over the island.
Rhinokey, Hoppopotamus, Butterbear, Eleroo, Bumblelion and Moosel.
Ultimately,
it was decided to simplify the story to focus on just the Wuzzles and their
world, with Mark Evanier being handed
the reigns to develop the series. The show focused on the daily lives of the Wuzzles
on the Isle of Wuz where almost everything was combined, such as the fruit appleberries.
Butterbear (a bear/butterfly, Kathleen Helppie-Shipley) was the protagonist of Ripps’
original pitch—as well as originally a male. The one thing that remained intact
through her constant revisions was her penchant for gardening. The sports-loving
Bumblelion (bumblebee/lion, Brian Cummings) had a crush on Butterbear and
tended to rush head-first into situations. Eleroo (elephant/kangaroo, Henry
Gibson) was Bumblelion’s best friend who tended to be a bit of a klutz and
constantly forgot what he stored in his pouch. Moosel (moose/seal, Bill Scott
in a nod to his well-known role of Bullwinkle
J. Moose) was the youngest and possessed a wild imagination. Hoppopotamus
(rabbit/hippopotamus, Jo Anne Worley) could be a bit of a diva, but also very
sweet. When the situation called for it, her size and strength made her the
toughest of the group. She also had a crush on Bumblelion. Rhinokey (rhinoceros/monkey,
Alan Oppenheimer) was a fun-loving prankster who took any opportunity to pull
jokes on his friends and be obnoxious. Although they all had wings, only a few
of them could actually fly.
Crocosaur with Brat and Flizard.
Serving as
the main antagonist was Crocosaur (crocodile/dinosaur, Oppenheimer). He was lazy,
vile, ignorant, bad-tempered and an all-around bully that did anything to get
what he wanted. And what he wanted was usually whatever the other Wuzzles got—but
without putting in the same effort to get it. His chief sidekick was Brat
(boar/dragon, Scott), who only communicated via various sounds Crocosaur
understood and was generally incompetent. Crocosaur’s other sidekick, Flizard
(frog/lizard, Cummings), was more agreeable of the trio and tolerant of the Wuzzles
and was often charged with repairing rifts that developed between Crocosaur and
Brat.
Showing some love.
The Wuzzles
debuted on CBS on September 14, 1985.
Along with Evanier, the series was written by Ken Koonce, Bob Rosenfarb, David Weimers and Ted Perry. Because Disney Animation
wasn’t fully operational yet and they hadn’t done television animation for some
time, some of the production work and animation was farmed out to Murakami-Wolf-Swenson so that could
secure Fred Wolf as a producer
and director while getting some valuable guidance from him. Likewise, MWS farmed out the animation work to
TMS Entertainment. The series’
theme was performed by Stephen
Geyer while Thomas Chase
and Steve Rucker composed
the rest of the music. Satirist Stan Freberg served as the show’s narrator who
often broke the fourth wall.
Brat attack.
Evanier made casting suggestions to
Disney that were largely followed up on, except for one. Evanier wanted Daws Butler to voice Rhinokey,
feeling he would be the best fit. However, his association with Hanna-Barbera kept
Disney from even considering pursuing him. Evanier’s instincts were ultimately
proven right when Oppenheimer tested poorly in the role. However, audience dissatisfaction
was the least of the show’s problems. When it debuted, it was scheduled up
against Gummi Bears on NBC which
surpassed it in the ratings. Also, Bill Scott ended up dying of a heart attack
that November, leaving several roles vacant. Since Wuzzles came before
Eisner’s time and wasn’t entirely a Disney production, it was decided to refocus
their efforts on Gummi Bears (where Scott’s roles were recast)and
future Disney Animation programs.
The Isle of Wuz.
Wuzzles moved over to ABC for a season of reruns at a different
timeslot so as not to be competing against Gummi Bears again. It would
eventually make its way over to The Disney Channel
and Toon Disney. Overseas,
since it and Gummi Bears aired on the same network, it performed
significantly better. In part, that was because the first episode as a theatrical
featurette alongside a re-release of Bambiin the United
Kingdom and Peter
Panin Germany. Along with that, Wuzzles has only seen home
video releases outside of the United States in three-episode
collections typically themed towards a specific character. The Wuzzles toyline
lasted a bit longer than the show and ended up featuring a few characters that were
never adapted. A large amount of companion
merchandise was also produced, including books, card games, action figures,
clocks, radios and more.
“Bulls of a Feather” (9/14/85) – The gang tries to convince
Eleroo to return the baby brahma bullfinch she adopts while Crocosaur plans to
use it to get rich.
“Hooray for Hollywuz” (9/21/85) – Hoppopotamus pursues her
dreams of becoming a star.
“In the Money” (9/28/85) – Bumblelion’s newfound wealth puts
a strain on his friendships.
“Crock Around the Clock” (10/5/85) – When Crocosaur’s house
is destroyed by a storm, he moves in with Butterbear and tricks her out of all
her food.
“Moosel’s Monster” (10/12/85) – Moosel’s imagination goes
wild to the point he believes a friendly monster is just in his head.
“Klutz on the Clutch” (10/19/85) – Rhinokey’s crazy driving
gets him banned from the upcoming race.
“Bumblelion and the Terrified Forest” (10/26/85) –
Bumblelion and Hoppopotamus head into the Terrified Forest to rescue Butterbear
from an evil witch.
“Eleroo’s Wishday” (11/2/85) – Eleroo uses the wishing well
to grant him the ability to fly.
“Ghostrustlers” (11/9/85) – The Wuzzles avoid a plague by
moving to a ghost town that’s actually inhabited by ghosts.
“A Pest for a Pet” (11/16/85) – The gang gets revenge on
Rhinokey for all his pranks, causing him to leave Wuz.
“The Main Course” (11/23/85) – The gang escapes pirats by
sailing to an island where Hoppopotamus is mistaken for a god and set to be
sacrificed to a volcano.
“Class Dismissed” (11/30/85) – The gang tries to class themselves
up to get invited to a ball while Crocosaur bets Butterbear he can turn Brat
into a sophisticated Wuzzle.
“What’s Up, Stox?” (12/7/85) – Wealthy Tycoon gives the gang
a money tree that Crocosaur plans to steal for himself.
He worked for Hanna-Barbera Productions where he co-created many of their better-known properties, especially Scooby-Doo, with his partner, Ken Spears. He also did work for Krofft Television
Productions and DePatie-Freleng Enterprises before Fred Silverman at ABC set them up with their
own studio, Ruby-Spears Productions.
The shows he’s worked on include Space Ghost, The
Herculoids, The Adventures of Gulliver, Cattanooga Cats, The Banana Splits
Adventure Hour, The Perils of Penelope Pitstop, Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!,
Help!...It’s the Hair Bear Bunch, The Funky Phantom, The Barklesy, The
Houndcats, Bailey’s Comets, Dynomutt, Dog Wonder, Jabberjaw, Electra Woman and
Dyna Girl, Wonderbug, Magic Mondo, Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels, Bigfoot
and Wildboy, ABC Weekend Specials (episodes), Fangface, The Plastic Man
Comedy/Adventure Show, Heathcliff (1980), Thundarr the Barbarian, Goldie
Gold and Action Jack, The Scooby and Scrappy-Doo Puppy Hour, Mork & Mindy/Laverne
& Shirley/Fonz Hour, The Puppy’s Further Adventures, Saturday Supercade,
Rubik, The Amazing Cube, Alvin & the Chipmunks, Dragon’s Lair, Turbo Teen, Mister
T, It’s Punky Brewster, Lazer Tag Academy, Superman (1988), Dink, the
Little Dinosaur, Piggsburg Pigs!, and Wild West C.O.W.-Boys of Moo Mesa.
Rude
Dog is a stylized Bull Terrier created by artist Brad McMahon in
1986. The character was contracted to Sun
Sportswear to be featured on a line of surfing and skateboarding-related
clothing containing angular designs and vibrant colors. The name “Rude” was
chosen as a nod to the rude
boy subculture of ska that
was prevalent at the time. Along with the apparel, Rude Dog was expanded into
merchandise such as lunch
boxes, keychains
and toys.
As part of the marketing, Sun commissioned an animated series from Marvel Productions.
Rude Dog addresses Tweek, Kibble, Barney, Satch, Winston and Reggie.
The show focused on Rude Dog (Rob
Paulsen), aka R.D., who owned a delivery service out of an auto garage and
drove around in a pink 1959 Cadillac. He hung around with a motley crew of dim-witted
dogs known as the Dweebs. The Dweebs were rescued by R.D. from the dog catcher,
and he took it upon himself to try and teach them to be hip. They consisted of
stuttering dachshund Caboose (Frank Welker) who was afraid of trans and often
made train sounds; uptight bulldog Winston (Peter Cullen using an English
accent) who believed himself of high culture; smooth and vain fox terrier
Reginald (Mendi Segal, impersonating Jack Nicholson); great Dane
Barney (Dave Coulier using a southern accent); Chinese crested mix Ditzy Kibble
(Ellen Gerstell); beagle Satch (Jim Cummings, impersonating Ed Wynn); and easily-frightened
chihuahua Tweek (Hank Saroyan). R.D. also had a girlfriend, Gloria (Gerstell),
a famous poodle who drove a 1953 Corvette. They often found themselves having
to deal with vicious cat Seymour (Welker), dog catcher Herman (Cullen), and
Herman’s dimwitted rottweiler assistant, Rott (also Welker).
Seymour.
Rude
Dog and the Dweebs debuted on CBS on
September 16, 1989 with episodes broken up into two segments, each. R.D. often
broke the 4th wall, addressing the viewers. Despite the fact that
they were dogs in a human-populated world, no one seemed to be put off by the
fact that they could talk. Or drive cars. The show was written by Pamela Hickey, Dennys McCoy, Kayte Kuch, Sean Roche, Chantel Sausedo, Sheryl Scarborough, Mark Stratton, J.R. Young, Lois Becker, who also served as
script supervisor, and Saroyan, who developed the show, was also a producer and
composed the theme music. Robert Irving
composed the rest of the music with Saroyan. Animation duties were handled by Akom Productions.
Rude Dog cruising in his car.
The show performed well for the
network, but there was growing concern that the kids watching would confuse
Rude Dog for Budweiser’s Spuds
MacKenzie and be inclined to drink beer. CBS removed the show after its run
and replaced it with reruns of Dungeons & Dragons. Rude Dog eventually
returned in June of 1990 and kept running until the new fall schedule in
September. Celebrity
Home Entertainment released some episodes onto VHS in 45,
85
and 120-minute formats, as well as on laser
disk,
as part of their “Just for Kids Mini-Features” line. Some of the tapes were
released with a special pink
and blue color scheme, as opposed to being regular black. In
1990, Leisure
View Video released 70-minute VHS
compilations in the United Kingdom. Polyband
handled the release of the tapes
in Germany. In 2007, Jetix
released three two-episode
compilation DVDs in the United Kingdom. As of 2016, the
rights to Rude Dog had been reclaimed by McMahon and launched a new website
with new merchandise.
EPISODE GUIDE:
“Hello,
Mr. Kitty? / The Fish Who Went Moo” (9/16/89) – R.D. takes the Dweebs to the
zoo to inspire them to stand up to Seymour, which puts them in the sights of
Herman and Rott. / R.D. allows the Dweebs to get a pet goldfish, but Barney
brings home a cow instead.
“Dweebiest
Dog on the Beach / Dweeb-illac Dilemma” (9/23/89) – Herman lures the Dweebs
into a trap with the promise of a beach talent show. / Reggie goes to clean the
Cadillac and ends up losing a hubcap.
“No
Dweebs Aloud / Ding-a-Ling Kitty” (9/30/89) – R.D. takes the Dweebs to the
museum where they try to fight their boredom. / Seymour hits his head and begins
thinking he’s a dog, joining the Dweebs.
“War
of the Dweebs / Dweebs in Space” (10/7/89) – Winston accidentally tunes the TV
to a movie that makes the Dweebs think the Earth is being invaded. / Reggie
tries to take Satch’s place when he gets a chance to go into space, and Seymour
has plans to foul up the trip for them.
“Nightmare
on Dweeb Street / Dweebsy Kind’a Love” (10/14/89) – R.D. decides it’s time to
cure Caboose of his fear of trains. / The Dweebs try to help Tweek attract the
dog next door.
“Call
of the Dweeb / Dumbell Dweeb” (10/21/89) – The Dweebs set out to help Kibble
earn her Pup Scout merit badges on a camping trip. / The Dweebs try to restore
Satch’s confidence after he botches a quiz show.
“Waiter,
There’s a Dweeb in My Soup! / Boardwalk Boss” (10/28/89) – The Dweebs crash
R.D.’s date with Gloria. / R.D. takes the Dweebs to a carnival where Herman and
Rot try to capture them.
“To
Kibble or Not to Kibble / Dweebsday Afternoon” (11/4/89) – Kibble decides to
change herself in order to impress other girl dogs. / NO SYNOPSIS AVAILABLE.
“Dweebochondriacs
/ Surprise, You’re Itch!” (11/11/89) – NO SYNOPSIS AVAILABLE.
“Leave
It to Tweek / Polly Wanna Dweeb?” (11/18/89) – NO SYNOPSIS AVAILABLE.
“Winston’s
Family TreeRot / Pretty Dweebs All in a Row” (11/25/89) – A mistake by Satch
leads Winston to think he’s related to Rot. / NO SYNOPSIS AVAILABLE.
“The
Hiccuping Bandit / Dweeb Your Manners” (12/2/89) – NO SYNOPSIS AVAILABLE.
“Tuesday
the 14th, Part Dweeb / Home Sweet Dweeb” (12/16/89) – NO SYNOPSIS
AVAILABLE. / Herman tricks Barney, Tweek and Caboose into carrying a tracking
device to lead him to the Dweebs.
