I'm Just a Symptom of the Moral Decay That's Gnawing at the Heart of the Country: The Ten Strangest Saturday Morning Shows of Yore
By Cindy Davis | Posted Under Seriously Random Lists | Comments (39)
It’s around this time of year that some of us have want to spend a little more time around our extended families…and it’s during that extra time that we start to notice just how strange and freaky and odd our relatives really are. Now, when a movie pokes fun at family get-togethers with a demented uncle or a grandmother who grabs a blossoming breast it’s one thing, but in real-life situations our crazy relatives sometimes make us feel like running from the asylum as fast as we can. When we suggest perhaps some sort of psychotherapy might be in order (imagining Aunt Loretta crying over her stern father, who never showed her enough affection), there is something that we may be forgetting to add to the blame-mix. Perhaps something from her childhood was even more nefarious (insert ominous music here); something which may even have affected our own warped psyches. Just maybe, it was those fucking whackeriffic Saturday morning shows we watched. Take a looksie and see if any of these ring a bell, you may be able to save yourself some therapy money.
10. The Banana Splits:
9. Hong Kong Phooey:
8. The Mighty Heroes:
7. Lidsville:
6. Grape Ape:
5. New Zoo Revue:
4. Thundarr the Barbarian:
3. H.R. Pufnstuf:
2. Captain Caveman:
1. Sigmund and the Sea Monsters:
Honorable Mention, Thundercats (and still warping minds today):
Thundercats:
Cindy Davis blames Sid and Marty Krofft for most of her “quirks”.
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Comments
Posted by: snapnhiss at December 1, 2011 3:06 PM
Man, I LOVED 'The Banana Splits!'
Posted by: Aislinn at December 1, 2011 3:07 PM
Holy shit. I thought I totally imagined Sigmund and the Sea Monsters. I remember watching it, dubbed in Spanish no less, when we were living overseas. Never heard or saw anything about it again - figured it was just some crazy dream or something.
Posted by: the other courtney at December 1, 2011 3:09 PM
New Zoo Review FTW! God I drove my grandmother crazy watching that show!
Posted by: JenVegas at December 1, 2011 3:14 PM
Captain Caaaaaveman!!!! My brother used to wear a cape and run screaming around the house. Watching that clip has totally inspired me to call him this weekend.
Posted by: Jennifer at December 1, 2011 3:25 PM
I remember all of these! But you can't leave out Electra-woman and Dyna Girl, or the Bugaloos. The Krofft Supershow ate up most of my Saturdays...
Posted by: melia at December 1, 2011 3:40 PM
No 'Spartakus and the Sun beneath the Sea,' no list.
Posted by: twig at December 1, 2011 3:44 PM
...and the Teen Angels...
Posted by: Jerry at December 1, 2011 3:48 PM
Lords Of Light!
Demon Dogs!
Thundarr The Barbarian is not therapy-inducing! Thundarr The Barbarian is AWESOME! Right, Ookla?
"Grawwrrr!"
I do wish Thundarr would show up on TV so I can record all of it if they're never going to release a DVD set.
My top three formative crushes:
1) Princess Leia
2) Aura from Flash Gordon
3) Ariel from Thundarr The Barbarian
What's up with that H.R. Pufnstuf theme song, by the way? He "can't do a little 'cause he can't do enough"? Is the message there that because the effort will not achieve all the goals that one shouldn't try at all?
Posted by: DarthCorleone at December 1, 2011 3:55 PM
In the old days, when I wanted to ruin someone else's day, all I had to do was start singing the theme song to The Banana Splits Show. Nowadays, it has no effect, as the young whipersnappers I work with don't know it.
I used to have the biggest crush on Jack Wild. It's a shame PufNStuf killed his career.
Posted by: BWeaves at December 1, 2011 3:59 PM
Hells no, Thundercats rocked!
Posted by: AnnieS at December 1, 2011 3:59 PM
And for all of you out there who grew up watching the "New Zoo Revue", here's an outtake to scar your childhood nostalgia- (NSFW)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9ySgnifxeQ
Shame on you, Freddie and Charile!
Posted by: bleujayone at December 1, 2011 4:02 PM
I don't remember anything about it, but I have a huge soft spot in my heart for The Mighty Heroes.
Posted by: JustBill at December 1, 2011 4:05 PM
To this day I would still happily kill one of my relatives to get one of those 6-wheel buggies the banana splits raced around in
Posted by: Chich at December 1, 2011 4:07 PM
The Banana Splits were GODS! Even if they did steal from Marley for the theme song.
Lidsville I never saw but I wanted to kill everyone on The New Zoo Revue.
Most of the other stuff, you watched it because you had no choice. It was either that or Soap Operas or Mike Douglas. H.R. Pufnstuf and Sigmund were great, but twisted acid trips. I think Pufnstuf was trying to make a Wizard of Oz for boys and Sigmund was trying to make you touch yourself. Whothefuckknows?
Posted by: Protoguy at December 1, 2011 4:21 PM
I would go with Today's Special. Mannequins aren't friends with MICE, that's unnatural.
Posted by: Julie at December 1, 2011 4:23 PM
Well, you can add my name to the list of 70s kids whose minds were permanently warped by Sid & Marty Krofft. I dressed up in one of those awful plastic costumes as Electra Woman one Halloween (as a kid in Florida, those darn costumes were like sauna suits - at least I sweat off a few pounds before I ate my candy.) I also loved "The Lost Saucer" with Ruth Buzzi and Jim Nabors as wacky aliens, "Far Out Space Nuts" with Bob Denver and Chuck "Hi guy" McCann and, of course, "Isis" (not a Krofft production). BUT, my childhood Saturday TV orgy began at 6:30am with this long-forgotten gem...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6m7x9GDxwY
Ahhh...Cousin Oliver...
Posted by: SugarKane at December 1, 2011 4:35 PM
I know it doesn't fit the timeslot of this post (Sat AM) but Pinwheel on Nickelodeon had big-time creep-out factor with those puppets.
Posted by: gunnertec at December 1, 2011 4:47 PM
God, I loved the Banana Splits. Just thinking about the theme can put me in a good mood.
"Tra-la-laaaa, la-lala-laaaa! Tra-la-laaa, la-lala-laaaaa!"
Posted by: PDamian at December 1, 2011 5:17 PM
I loved Lidsville - glad to see it was listworthy.
BUT you completely overlooked Lancelot Limp Secret Chimp! The live action show with chimps as actors!
youtube clip: Lancelot Link - The Reluctant Robot
I was obsessed with this show when I was little. Still have my lunchbox :)
Posted by: nidaros at December 1, 2011 5:17 PM
I have to say, maybe it's because I'm from Canada, but the only one of these I know is Thundercats. It was classic, but having caught a rerun the other day I now see it was entirely nonsensical. As was one of my other old favourites, the hilariously low-budget Rocket Robin Hood. Yes, it is precisely what it sounds like - Robin Hood IN SPACE!!!!
Can somebody tell me why the HR Pufnstuf guy looks like Mayor McCheese's less successful older brother?
Posted by: Bert at December 1, 2011 5:30 PM
Forget about the clips, props Cindy for the The The reference in the title.
Posted by: Keven at December 1, 2011 5:36 PM
The efforts of Sid and Marty Krofft entertained me for so many years. Captain Kool and the Kongs 4EVA!
Posted by: ChickaBoom! at December 1, 2011 5:42 PM
Thundercats were cool and they're still cool.
Posted by: NeoCleo at December 1, 2011 5:43 PM
Witchy Poo scared the shit outta me and gave me bad dreams. But, oh, that smarmy little flute! I wanted to torture it slowly by leaving it in the rain to rust, and then it would squeak, piteously, s-q-u-e-a-k... until it died, an agonizing death, and dissolved into a mere pile of debased, red, flakes. And I would throw back my head and laugh, "Ha!" because I would be victorious. And Jimmy would be mine. All mine!
Actually, I was a very nice little kindergartener. Except for the occasional fantasy...
Posted by: Stinky at December 1, 2011 9:34 PM
Don't forget Jason of Star Command, from an era when the longshoreman/pornstar look dominated heroic roles.
Remember Ark II, about kids exploring a post-nuclear wasteland in a pimped out Winnebago.
And who could forget Bigfoot and Wildboy, wherein they would demonstrate the landspeed of a running sasquatch by superimposing the image of the speedometer from a Buick. And who could forget his absurd scream:
"BAAYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGAAAAA"
Thanks also for getting some good The The back into my head. Soul Mining is one of those rare gems I have on both cassette and CD.
Posted by: Johnnyboy at December 1, 2011 10:07 PM
One more time with feeling!!
Posted by: clancys_daddy at December 1, 2011 10:21 PM
I second that emotion, Stinky. That flute needs to die.
Posted by: Protoguy at December 1, 2011 10:44 PM
I had no idea that Billy Barty played Sigmund.
You missed Land of the Lost and my personal favorite, The Gigglesnort Hotel:
Posted by: Three-nineteen at December 1, 2011 10:57 PM
My oldest brother always told me that Charles Nelson Reilly played Witchiepoo. And I believed him until just now when I looked it up on Witchipedia.
I hated Chaka in Land of the Lost. "Will-ra! Ha-ree!" I just wanted to shake him and shout in his face: "It's 'Will' and 'Holly,' you little half-witted ratface!"
Posted by: Stinky at December 1, 2011 11:20 PM
I guess it helps if you actually watch the video...
I watched Lidsville all the time. I just never realized it was called that. The kid falling in the hat, the crazy man in the flying top hat brim... And we call Nintendo characters weird.
Posted by: Protoguy at December 1, 2011 11:32 PM
Fleegle, Droopy, Bingo and Snorky FTW.
And "Danger Island."
"Uh-oh, CHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON-GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Posted by: , at December 2, 2011 2:33 AM
I swear to you, on Thanksgiving, my daughter and her boyfriend walked into my house, and the first thing they said was, "What the hell was up with the H.R. Pufnstuf? We tried to watch some of it, but that is some seriously acid-trippy stuff."
Posted by: dammitjanet at December 2, 2011 11:46 AM
Also, if you grew up in Indiana, Ohio,or Kentucky...the Banana Splits are forever linked with Kings Island.
Posted by: dammitjanet at December 2, 2011 11:49 AM
I remember watching (and loving) the Cattanooga Cats, and It's the wolf (it's the woooluff). I loved those shows, and the Banana Splits. Ahh, memories.
Posted by: hippyherb at December 2, 2011 3:26 PM
I loved H.R.Puffunstuff and Banana Splits as a kid and could relate to the overall weirdness. As I grew older I realised these shows were made for, by and about stoners. Missing from your list was the ultimate 'for, by and about' saturday morning kids show, 'Lance Link, Secret Chimp'. The current equivalent in my book has to be SpongeBob SquarePants. Tellietubbies must be a close second.
Posted by: jimgooseridesagain at December 3, 2011 4:57 AM
Man, I LOVED 'The Banana Splits!'
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Posted by: kengao at December 7, 2011 12:42 AM
Nice The The reference in the title.
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Posted by: cheap hotels at January 1, 2012 4:17 AM
Jack Wild was really cute when I was 12 years old. And I liked the theme song to HR Pufnstuf, I even remember the words to the song after all this time. But yeah, that was a seriously weird show. The magic flute creeped me out.