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Superfriends History
Superheroes
had disappeared from the network airwaves due to their perceived violent content
in the late 1960's. Noting their high ratings during the time they aired,
however, the networks still had some interest in t e genre... provided they
could be done non-violently.
To further solidify the possibility of their return, two networks experimented
with the genre in 1972: CBS aired two hour-length episodes of the number-one
rated New Scooby-Doo Movies with Batman and Robin as guest-stars; ABC aired
two episodes of Filmation's Brady Kids series with Superman and Wonder Woman.
All four scored high ratings for their respective networks.
ABC saw the potential in commissioning nonviolent, moralistic adventures
utilizing Superman, Batman, Robin, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman, (the aquatic
hero having already been established as a television star in his own Filmation-produced
series.) Underlining the show's moralistic approach, the group's comic book
name, The Justice League of America, was downplayed in favor of the more friendly
group name Super Friends.
Added to the team to aid audience identification with the series' leads were
the Junior Super Friends: Wendy, Marvin, and a Scooby-Doo surrogate, Wonder
Dog. With Hanna-Barbera stylistic master Alex Toth, the designer of the vast
majority of Hanna-Barbera's other superheroes in the 1960's, supervising a
team of Australian animators the series premiered on ABC in the fall of 1973
and was one of the few Saturday morning series to receive regular primetime
promotion. Battling well-meaning, but misguided, environmental critics, the
series ran for two seasons before cancellation in the fall of 1975. It was
brought back by ABC as a midseason replacement in January, 1976. When a half-hour
version of the original hour length stories scored surprisingly high ratings,
the show was revived first as a half-hour, then as The All New Super Friends'
Hour.
This was a surprise mostly due to its airing at the previously unheard of
time of 6:30 A.M. - when kids weren't even thought to watch television.
Junior Superfriends Wendy and Marvin were later replaced in the latter 70's
with Zan and Jayna, two shape shifting twins from the planet Exxor.
THE ALL-NEW SUPER-FRIENDS HOUR
ABC, 1977-1978 Super Friends got a revamp in 1977, with new episodes, amid
kid-friendly shorts including Safety Tips, Crafts. Magic Tricks and Super
Friends Decoder Plots.
CHALLENGE OF THE SUPERFRIENDS
ABC, 1978-1979 In September 1978, the Super Friends changed concept again
becoming Challenge of the Super Friends on ABC. Superman and his Justice League
colleagues found themselves battling the 13 member Legion of Doom composed
of DC Comics supervillains like Superman foes Lex Luthor, Braniac, Toyman,
and Bizarro, and Batman foes like the Riddler and Scarecrow. This incarnation
was by far the most popular of the series run.
Challenge of the Superfriends was a weekly battle of wits between the Superfriends
and the Legion of Doom. Featuring: Superman, Batman, Robin, Wonder Woman,
Aquaman, Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkman, Black Vulcan, Apache Chief, and Samurai.
The members of The Legion of Doom were: Lex Luthor, Cheetah, the Riddler,
Captain Cold, Bizarro, Brainiac, Toyman, the Scarecrow, Grodd the Super-Gorilla,
Black Manta, Solomon Grundy, Sinestro, and Giganta.
Challenge of the Superfriends was a groundbreaking series in a sense, as
it was the first series since the late 1960's to feature supervillains whose
sole purpose in life was to destroy the heroes and conquer the world. Each
week, the Legion managed to escape capture at the end of every story. Standards
and Practices objected to their always getting away, so in the last few episodes
they were occasionally captured at the end of the story. The last episode
of the series was heavily objected to by the Standards and Practices and ABC:
"History of Doom" basically showed the Legion of Doom, while trying
to destroy the Superfriends, destroying the world, along with themselves,
in the process. When it was pointed out that "destroying the world"
was not an imitable act that a child could do, the episode stood. So successful
was Challenge of the Superfriends that the hour series was expanded to 90-minutes
in mid-season of that year, 1978.
THE WORLD'S GREATEST SUPERFRIENDS
ABC, 1979-1980 The fourth incarnation of the Super Friends faced occasional
comic book villains mined in with literary characters and settings such an
Frankenstein and the Land of Oz.
THE SUPERFRIENDS HOUR/The Super Friends
ABC, 1980-1984 The fifth version of this series featured a whopping 24 new
episodes, which would have been exciting, except they were only seven minute
shorts. From 1980-1984 episodes ran as The Super Friends.
SUPER FRIENDS: THE LEGENDARY SUPER POWERS SHOW
ABC, 1984-1985 To tie in with the Kenner toy line, the entire series was
revamped in 1984, adding Firestorm to the team, and focusing on Darkseid and
his minions as villains. Adam West once again returned to voice Batman.
THE SUPER POWERS TEAM: GALACTIC GUARDIANS
ABC, 1985-1986 As the Super Friends were overhauled to match the Kenner
toys, Cyborg joined the team, and stories became slightly more adult. In fact,
the episode, "The Fear." found the Scarecrow causing Batman horrifying
flashbacks of his parents' murder.
Wendy & Marvin in "Superfriends"
Junior Superfriends Wendy & Marvin made their debut in 1973 in the first season of Superfriends. Wendy was practical and intelligent while Marvin was well-meaning, but prone to falling into trouble. Accompanied by Wonder Dog, the super-heroes-in-training worked with the Superfriends in an effort to become heroes in their own right.
Junior Superfriends Wendy and Marvin were later replaced in the latter 70's with Zan and Jayna, two shape shifting twins from the planet Exxor. It took over 30 years for Wendy & Marvin to cross over into DC comic book continuity; In 2006, Wendy and Marvin became caretakers of Titans Tower in Teen Titans (third series) #34.
Robin in "Superfriends"
ABC, 1973-1977 - Having tried out Superman and Wonder Woman
in "The Brady Kids" and Batman and Robin in "The New Scooby-Doo
Movies," Hanna-Barbera felt the time was right for a new superhero teams
cartoon. "Super Friends" lasted a whopping 13 seasons, in different
incarnations. Each included Batman & Robin.
The idea of recycling cartoons for an ever-changing audience of young viewers
reached its apogee when Hanna-Barbera introduced the Super Friends show on
ABC in 1973. Loosely based on the Justice League, the show featured Superman
(Danny Dark), Batman (Olan Soule), Robin (Casey Kasem), Aquaman (Norman Alden)
and Wonder Woman (Shannon Farnon), along with Wonder Dog and a couple of kids
named Marvin and Wendy. After running for years, Super Friends was followed
on ABC by The All-New Super Friends Hour (1977), Challenge of the Super Friends
(1978), The World's Greatest Super Friends (1979) and Super Friends: The Legendary
Super Powers Show (1984). Actors came and went, but Casey Kasem stayed on
forever.
Batman and Robin reflected the live-action 60s versions of the characters.
Absurd bat-devices and pun-riddled dialogue were in full force. Robin was
Batman's trusted sidekick, and was never at a loss for an exclaimation that
started with "Holy..."
Robin in "Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians"
With
Hanna-Barbera stylistic master Alex Toth, the designer of the vast majority
of Hanna-Barbera's other superheroes in the 1960's, now gone, a total stylistic
change marked the returned of the Superfriends' 13th season, marked by a name
change for the group itself... now call the Super Powers Team.
All of the characters were redesigned, using Jose Luis Garcia Lopez's designs
from the D.C. Comics Style Guide as character guides. The Hall of Justice
was enlarged, new teen menber Cyborg was added, and the stories took on a
tougher, more no-nonsence tone, particulary episodes "The Death of Superman",
one of the few times "death" has been used in the title of a Saturday
morning story, and "The Fear", the first time in almost the entire
50 year history of Batman that his orgin had been produced outdside of comics.
In "The Fear," The Scarecrow returns with a new device which exposes
a person's greatest fear. We learn that Batman's greatest fear is a place
called "Crime Alley" - where his parents were murdered. This episode
features Robin and shows both Batman and Robin in their civilian identities.
With the eight new 1/2 hours last airing in August 1986, the Super Friends
/ Superfriends / Super Powers Team ended a glorious 13 year run. Total network
run: 1973 -1986 on ABC.
[above information courtesy of TOON Magazine vol. 1 number 6, 1994]
