Frankenstein Jr. and The Impossibles
{{Short description|American animated TV series (1966)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox television
| image = Frankenstein Jr. and the Impossibles title card.jpg
| caption = Title card
| runtime = 30 minutes
| genre = {{Plainlist|
}}
| director = {{ubl|William Hanna|Joseph Barbera}}
| producer = {{ubl|William Hanna|Joseph Barbera}}
| writer = {{plainlist|
- Michael Maltese
- Jack Hanrahan
- Eddie Brandt
- Phil Hahn
}}
| starring = {{ubl|Dick Beals|Ted Cassidy|Paul Frees|Don Messick|Hal Smith|John Stephenson}}
| company = Hanna-Barbera Productions
| country = United States
| network = CBS
| num_seasons = 1
| num_episodes = 18
| first_aired = {{Start date|1966|09|10}}
| last_aired = {{End date|1967|01|17}}
}}
Frankenstein Jr. and The Impossibles is an American animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions.{{cite book |last1=Perlmutter |first1=David |title=The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows |date=2018 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-1538103739 |pages=218–219}} It premiered on September 10, 1966 on CBS, and ran on Saturday mornings.{{cite book |last1=Woolery |first1=George W. |title=Children's Television: The First Thirty-Five Years, 1946-1981 |date=1983 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=0-8108-1557-5 |url=https://archive.org/details/childrenstelevis0000wool/page/110/mode/2up |access-date=14 March 2020 |pages=110–112}}
Characters and overview
The program contained two segments, which each served as a middle ground between Hanna-Barbera's traditional early output and its superhero-based late-1960s cartoons. Each episode would feature two segments with The Impossibles, and Frankenstein Jr. in between.
- Frankenstein Jr.: Taking place in Civic City, boy scientist Buzz Conroy (voiced by Dick Beals) and his father Professor Conroy (voiced by John Stephenson) fight supervillains with the aid of a powerful heroic robot named "Frankenstein Jr." (voiced by Ted Cassidy).{{cite book |last1=Erickson |first1=Hal |title=Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 |date=2005 |edition=2nd |publisher=McFarland & Co |isbn=978-1476665993 |pages=347–348}} Buzz built "Frankie" and activated him through an energy ring. Frankenstein Jr. appears to be reminscient of the anime character Tetsujin 28-go (also known as Gigantor).{{Cite web|url=https://animatedviews.com/2011/frankenstein-jr-and-the-impossibles-the-complete-series/|title=Frankenstein Jr. And the Impossibles: The Complete Series – Animated Views}}
- The Impossibles: The title characters are a trio of superheroes (Multi-Man, Fluid-Man, and Coil-Man) who pose undercover as a Beatlesesque rock music band. The characters' names are descriptive of their powers: Multi-Man (voiced by Don Messick) can create identical copies of himself; Coil-Man (voiced by Hal Smith) can form into a super-springy coil; and Fluid-Man (voiced by Paul Frees) can transform his body into any fluid. The heroes receive assignments from "Big D" (also voiced by Frees), who contacts them via a receiver in the base of Coil-Man's left-handed guitar. During the development of the show, this group was called "The Incredibles," but was changed to "The Impossibles" by the time of production. The team's pre-production name was later given to the superhero family from the 2004 Disney/Pixar film of the same name.
The show was one of several that were the target of complaints about violence in children's television in the late 1960s, and was pulled from reruns in 1968 (its initial run had already ended the previous year). The Frankenstein Jr. segments returned to television in the 1976 series Space Ghost and Frankenstein Jr., which aired on NBC from November 27, 1976 to September 3, 1977, replacing the canceled Big John, Little John.
Voice cast
- Dick Beals as Buzz Conroy
- Ted Cassidy as Frankenstein Jr.
- John Stephenson as Professor Conroy
- Paul Frees as Fluid-Man, Big D
- Don Messick as Multi-Man
- Hal Smith as Coil-Man
Episodes
=''Frankenstein Jr.''=
{{Episode table |background=#7BA429 |overall=6 |title=30 |airdate=20 |episodes=
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 1
| Title = The Shocking Electrical Monster
| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1966|9|10}}
| ShortSummary = Dr. Shock uses his Master Mix Monster Machine to turn his assistant Igor into an electricity-absorbing monster.
| LineColor = 7BA429
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 2
| Title = The Spyder Man
| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1966|9|17}}
| ShortSummary = Professor Conroy and Buzz unveil the blueprints for the Spy Detector XK-00-7 at a Maximum Security Building. Unfortunately, the blueprints are targeted by the Spyder Man.
| LineColor = 7BA429
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 3
| Title = The Menace from the Wax Museum
| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1966|9|24}}
| ShortSummary = Upon an encounter with Buzz at the wax museum, Mr. Menace uses his monsters Godzonka, Gorillis and Cyclaws in an attack upon San Francisco.
| LineColor = 7BA429
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 4
| Title = The Alien Brain from Outer Space, Part 1
| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1966|10|1}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = 7BA429
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 5
| Title = The Alien Brain from Outer Space, Part 2
| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1966|10|8}}
| ShortSummary = A giant alien brain arrives on Earth and captures Buzz and Frankenstein Jr.
| LineColor = 7BA429
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 6
| Title = UFO: Unidentified Fiendish Object
| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1966|10|15}}
| ShortSummary = The alien Zargon unleashes his warrior Destructo in his plans to conquer Earth.
| LineColor = 7BA429
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 7
| Title = The Unearthly Plant Creatures
| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1966|10|22}}
| ShortSummary = Plant Man thaws the last three prehistoric plant creatures (consisting of the Carnivorous Chewer, the Creeping Crusher and the Fire-Breathing Snapdragon) from a glacier and then sprays them with his Obedience Ray in a plot to eliminate Buzz and Frankenstein Jr.
| LineColor = 7BA429
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 8
| Title = The Deadly Living Images
| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1966|10|29}}
| ShortSummary = The Mad Inventor has invented the Double Identity Duplicator Projector to make copies of whatever pictures he inserts in it.
| LineColor = 7BA429
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 9
| Title = The Colossal Junk Monster
| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1966|11|5}}
| ShortSummary = The Junk Man creates the Colossal Junk Monster in a plot to eliminate Frankenstein Jr.
| LineColor = 7BA429
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 10
| Title = The Incredible Aqua-Monsters
| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1966|11|12}}
| ShortSummary = Buzz and Frankenstein Jr. guard the Navy's new Hydrotomic Submarine to prevent Dr. Hook and his aquatic monsters from stealing it.
| LineColor = 7BA429
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 11
| Title = The Gigantic Ghastly Genie
| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1966|11|19}}
| ShortSummary = Zorbo the Great creates a genie and plans to use its three wishes in order to defeat Frankenstein Jr. and conquer the world.
| LineColor = 7BA429
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 12
| Title = The Birdman
| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1966|11|26}}
| ShortSummary = Birdman and his robotic birds Vulturo, Rodantus, and King Condor abduct two astronauts and hold them for a ransom of $1,000,000.
| LineColor = 7BA429
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 13
| Title = The Invasion of the Robot Creatures
| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1966|12|3}}
| ShortSummary = Sertano the Satellite King, an alien from Galaxy X, uses a gravity ray in order to get Earth to surrender. Buzz and Frankenstein Jr. must defeat Sertano's robots in order to defeat him.
| LineColor = 7BA429
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 14
| Title = The Manchurian Menace
| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1966|12|10}}
| ShortSummary = The Manchurian Menace steals a Space Camera Capsule that has just returned with photos from Mars.
| LineColor = 7BA429
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 15
| Title = The Mad Monster Maker
| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1966|12|17}}
| ShortSummary = To perform a crime wave in London, Baron Von Ghoul creates robotic versions of the horror movie monsters the Electroflying Firefly, the Menacing Mummy, and the Wicked Werewolf.
| LineColor = 7BA429
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 16
| Title = The Monstermobile
| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1966|12|24}}
| ShortSummary = The Mad Inventor has invented the Monstermobile and uses its many gadgets to commit crimes.
| LineColor = 7BA429
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 17
| Title = Pilfering Putty Monster
| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1966|12|31}}
| ShortSummary = Mr. Menace uses his putty monster to steal a $1,000,000 coin collection and even kidnaps Buzz. It is up to Frankenstein Jr. to rescue Buzz and defeat Mr. Menace.
| LineColor = 7BA429
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 18
| Title = The Spooktaculars
| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1967|1|7}}
| ShortSummary = Dr. Spectro creates three giant ghoulish ghosts in order to take over Penciltrainia.
| LineColor = 7BA429
}}
}}
=''The Impossibles''=
{{Main|The Impossibles (TV series)|l1=The Impossibles}}
Home media
On April 26, 2011, Warner Home Video (via the Warner Archive Collection) released Frankenstein Jr. and The Impossibles: The Complete Series on DVD in region 1 as part of their Hanna–Barbera Classics Collection. This is a Manufacture-on-Demand (MOD) release, available exclusively through Warner's online store and Amazon.com.{{cite web|title=Frankenstein Jr. and the Impossibles - 'The Complete Series' Now For Sale: Cost, Box, Video Clip, EXTRAS!|url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Frankenstein-Jr-Impossibles-The-Complete-Series/15309|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111112235105/http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Frankenstein-Jr-Impossibles-The-Complete-Series/15309|archive-date=2011-11-12}} A Blu-ray version of the complete series was released on January 28, 2025.{{cite web|url=https://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=35622|title=Warner Archive Announces January Releases|publisher=Blu-ray.com|date=December 6, 2024|accessdate=January 13, 2025}}
Other appearances
- Buzz Conroy and Frankenstein Jr. appeared in the Yogi's Space Race episode "Race Through the Planet of the Monsters".
- Frankenstein Jr. appeared in the Johnny Bravo episode "Johnny Makeover".
- Frankenstein Jr. appeared in the 2013 film Scooby-Doo! Mask of the Blue Falcon.
- Frankenstein Jr. appeared on one of the Halloween parade floats in the 2020 film Happy Halloween, Scooby-Doo!
- Also in 2020, Frankenstein Jr. has a cameo in Scoob!, appearing in the end credits.
- Buzz Conroy and Frankenstein Jr. appear in the 2021 film Space Jam: A New Legacy. They are among the Warner Bros. 3000 Server-Verse inhabitants (which included other Hanna-Barbera characters) that watch the basketball game between the Tune Squad and the Goon Squad.
- Buzz Conroy appeared in the third season of Jellystone! Frankenstein Jr. will also appear in season 3.
Adaptations
File:Frankjr.jpg #1]]
- A single issue of a Frankenstein Jr. and The Impossibles comic was released by Gold Key Comics in 1966 as a tie-in to the TV series, and the contents were reprinted in The Impossibles Annual by Atlas Publishing & Distributing Co. Ltd, UK in 1968.{{cite web |last1=Markstein |first1=Don |website=Don Markstein's Toonopedia |access-date=2 April 2020 |url=http://www.toonopedia.com/frank-jr.htm |title=Frankenstein Jr.}} The two Frankenstein Jr. comic stories were titled "The Image Invasion" and "Frankenstein Jr. Meets the Flea Man". A new text-based story, specially written for the annual, was "A Spook in his Wheel". The character reappeared in the comic Hanna-Barbera Presents #8 published by Archie Comics in 1996. The front cover featured Frankenstein Jr. battling the Impossibles in an homage to the front cover of the original Fantastic Four #1 by Marvel Comics.
- A Big Little Book titled Frankenstein Jr.: The Menace of the Heartless Monster was published in 1968.
- The Impossibles' heroic identities were re-used for a later Hanna-Barbera production, The Super Globetrotters (which also featured a similar concept—in this case, the famous Harlem Globetrotters as undercover superheroes):
- Nate Branch's heroic identity was alternately known as "Fluid Man" or "Liquid Man", with powers (and a flippered costume) similar to the Impossibles' Fluid-Man.
- "Twiggy" Sanders became "Spaghetti Man", with coiling and stretching abilities similar to Coil-Man.
- "Geese" Ausbie as "Multi Man" had virtually identical powers as his Impossibles counterpart and a similar costume.
- In 2016, Buzz and Frankenstein Jr. and The Impossibles played a major role in the DC Comics series Future Quest, that also featured characters from various animated series produced by Hanna-Barbera such as Jonny Quest, Space Ghost, The Herculoids, Birdman and the Galaxy Trio and Moby Dick and Mighty Mightor.{{cite web|url=http://www.dccomics.com/blog/2016/05/18/future-quest|title=Future Quest (DC Comics)|publisher=DC Comics|date=June 27, 2016|access-date=December 15, 2016}} In this series, the team gained a new female member named Cobalt and the character of Big D is a woman named Deva Sumadi who's also Falcon-7.
See also
References
{{Portal bar|Cartoon|1960s}}
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.toonopedia.com/frank-jr.htm Frankenstein Jr.] at Don Markstein's Toonopedia. [https://archive.today/20240527221231/https://www.webcitation.org/6jOpgQeF7?url=http://toonopedia.com/frank-jr.htm Archived] from the original on July 30, 2016.
- {{IMDb title|id=0059984|title=Frankenstein Jr., and the Impossibles}}
- [https://archive.today/20130118033648/http://www.bcdb.com/cartoons/Hanna-Barbera_Studios/D-F/Frankenstein_Jr__and_The_Impossibles/Frankenstein_Jr_/ Frankenstein Jr.] at the Big Cartoon DataBase
{{Frankenstein}}
{{Children's programming on CBS in the 1960s}}
{{Hanna-Barbera Super Heroes}}
{{Hanna-Barbera Beyond}}
{{Hanna-Barbera}}
Category:1960s American animated television series
Category:1960s American children's television series
Category:1960s American horror television series
Category:1966 American animated television series debuts
Category:1968 American television series endings
Category:American children's animated action television series
Category:American children's animated adventure television series
Category:American children's animated comic science fiction television series
Category:American children's animated horror television series
Category:American children's animated science fantasy television series
Category:American children's animated superhero television series
Category:American anime-influenced animated television series
Category:American English-language television shows
Category:Frankenstein television series
Category:Television series by Hanna-Barbera
Category:Television series by Warner Bros. Television Studios