Episode 61: Revved Up
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"Chill out, cool cat. The Ding Dong Daddy ain't cruisin' for a bruisin'. The prize is yours. All you gotta do is race me for it."
- Ding Dong Daddy
Originally aired: December 10, 2005
Written by John Espisito
Directed by Matt Youngberg


Robin's most prized possession is stolen by the hip hot-rodder DING DONG DADDY, and to get it back they're going to have to beat him in a cross-country ROAD RACE. But with Ding Dong Daddy making the rules and a few unexpected rivals joining in the competition, it's anyone's guess who will cross the finish line first!


David Johansen as Ding Dong Daddy
Tara Strong as Gizmo
Scott Menville as Red X


In this episode, Gizmo wasn't voiced by Lauren Tom as he normally is; He was voiced by Tara Strong (Raven).
David Johansen - the voice of Ding Dong Daddy - is also the singer known as Buster Poindexter. Their famous hit is the perennial party favorite, "Hot! Hot! Hot!" Johansen was also the lead singer in the group, The New York Dolls.
When "Ding Dong Daddy" Dowd appeared in the Teen Titans comic book, he was patterned after "Big Daddy" Roth, a famous model-car customizer.
This episode feature the return of several villains:
- Gizmo driving a Wheelmobile
- Mumbo driving a giant hat
- Mad Mod driving a Big Ben racer
- Jonny Rancid riding his motorcycle
- Control Freak driving the Batmobile
- Dr. Light driving a giant light bulb racer
- Puppet King driving a puppet-head car
- Fang & Kitten driving a pink cadillac
- Adonis driving a yellow convertible
This episode was inspired by the movie, "It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World" (1963), where contestants raced around the world to find a buried treasure.
This episode was also inspired by Hanna-Barbera's 1968 cartoon, "Wacky Races," where every episode, various characters would race in innovative and gadget-laded vehicles.
This episode was also inspired by the movie, "The Cannonball Run" (1981), where Burt Reynolds and wide variety of eccentric competitors participated in a wild and illegal cross-country car race.
Mumbo's giant hat is very similar to the 1970s kids' show, "Lidsville" - where the main villain, Horatio J. Hoodoo, used a giant flying hat as transportation.
Control Freak drives a replica of the Batmobile from the 1960s TV show, "Batman;" When Control Freak takes off, the camera shot is exactly as it was in the classic series.
The bearded fan of "Clash of the Planets" appears in this episode as the bus driver; He previously appeared in EPISODE 257-494 and FOR REAL
One of the villains that Raven and Starfire subdue looks like Galactus, Marvel Comics' planet-eating cosmic bad guy.
The vagueness of Robin's briefcase is similar to the mystery surrounding the briefcase in the movie, "Pulp Fiction."


Story Editor Rob Hoegee on REVVED UP:  "We had always talked about doing a "Wacky Races" episode. I think long before we even decided to put Ding Dong Daddy in it. We wanted to do that type of "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" meets "Cannonball Run" meets "Wacky Races" meets "Teen Titans." So as we looked at that story, it seemed like the perfect excuse to use Ding Dong Daddy - who is quite an obscure villain in the comics. And we actually got David Johansen - otherwise known as Buster Poindexter - also former the singer of the New York Dolls - to do the voice for him. That was a great surprise. He really brings that character to life. John Espisito - who wrote REVOLUTION - was the writer on that one. And he did a great job."


Ding Dong Daddy had exactly one appearance in TEEN TITANS #3 [1966]. The President's Commission on Education asked the Teen Titans to help deal with the problem of High School dropouts. In the town of Harrison, the young heroes discovered dropouts being hired by Ding-Dong Daddy Dowd, proprietor of a custom hot-rod and bike shop. Uncovering evidence that Dowd's operation was a front for criminals, the Titans went undercover as would-be drop-outs and exposed his schemes, and persuaded his teenage employees to return to school.

Ding Dong Daddy's hipster dialogue - replete with "cool cats" and "daddios" - was exactly like the dialogue in the early issues of Teen Titans. Writer Bob Haney became notorious for the faux-hipster dialogue in those early issues.

For more information on the comic book versions of the characters - including many images - visit titanstower.com's meeting room page.


It's The Ding Dong Daddy, dig? One of the most famous [or infamous] villains from the early days of the Teen Titans comic book series. Ding Dong Daddy very much personified the bizarro-hipster dialogue and goofy charm of those first issues. And here, DDD heads up a wild road race farce. But for an episode that should rev up to mach 10, it sort of sputters a bit.

Although REVVED UP is an homage to wacky road pictures ["It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" and "Cannonball Run"], the race seems to lack the speed, urgency and go-for-broke comedy of its source material. This episode should have the same zip and unpredictability as MAD MOD or EPISODE 494-257. Here, the extra roguish roadster villains are virtually wasted; Where's the wacky gadgets? The team-ups and double-crosses? The mind-games and trickery? It seems like there were some missed opportunities here.

But that's not to say there aren't things to love in REVVED UP. The return of Red X is handled well. The sequence where Red X dispatches with the other drivers is the highlight of REVVED UP. And Ding Dong Daddy is not without his charms. The B-plots with Cyborg/Beast Boy and Raven/Starfire were both amusing on different levels. But as a whole, this "wild" road race never quite shifted into second gear. Grade: B

EPISODE SCREEN CAPS
provided by John The Artist