JIM SHOOTER DEAD AT 73

 

You can read the full story here.

He began his career at DC Comics at just 14-years-old and went on to revitalize rival Marvel Comics as editor-in-chief. His adherence to absolute editorial control made him a polarizing figure to other creatives and he was eventually fired. He then found Valiant Comics and later Defiant Comics. Characters and concepts he created went on to be featured in various media, including Secret Wars and the Beyonder in Spider-Man: The Animated Series, with the latter also a central character in Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur; Esper Lass, Ferro Lad, Karate Kid, Nemesis Kid, Controller, Grimbor the Chainsman, Mordru, Chemical King, The Dark Circle, The Fatal Five, and The Dominion alien race in Legion of Super Heroes; Parasite (Raymond Jensen) in Young Justice; Tabitha Smith in X-Men: The Animated Series, X-Men: Evolution and Wolverine and the X-Men; and Henry Peter Gyrich in X-Men: The Animated Series.

75TH ANNIVERSARIES

 Finally, the granddaddy of them all--the O.G. national line-up. These are the shows turning a whopping 75!

65TH & 70TH ANNIVERSARIES

 It's the Golden Age of television, and these shows are turning 65 and 70 this year!

55TH & 60TH ANNIVERSARIES

 Believe it or not, these shows are turning 55 and 60 this year!

45TH & 50TH ANNIVERSARIES

 Along with our anniversary, these shows are turning 45 & 50 this year!

35TH & 40TH ANNIVERSARIES

 The anniversaries continue with the shows turning 35 & 40!

25TH & 30TH ANNIVERSARIES

 

Our anniversary celebration continues with the shows turning 25 & 30 this year!

15TH & 20TH ANNIVERSARIES

 Continuing our anniversary celebration by celebrating the shows turning 15 and 20 this year!

SATURDAY DISNEY

 

SATURDAY DISNEY
(Seven Network, 7TWO, 7flix, January 27, 1990-September 24, 2016)
 
Buena Vista International, Seven Network Australia

 

MAIN CAST:
Sofie Formica – Host (1990-92)
Jeniene Mapp – Host (1990-96)
James Sherry – Host (1990-94)
Lisa Barry – Host (1992-97)
Shelley Craft – Host (1996-2002)
Marc Buhaj – Host (1994-99)
Melanie Symons – Host (1997-2002)
Tim McDonald – Host (1999-2000)
Daniel Widdowson – Host (2000-07)
Shae Brewster – Host (2002-13)
Sara Groen – Host (2002-06)
Sally Stanton – Host (2006-11)
Jack Yabsley – Host (2007-11)
Nathan Morgan – Host (2011-16)
Candice Dixon – Host (2011-16)
Teigan Nash – Host (2013-16)

  

Before launching their international counterparts of The Disney Channel, Disney had an initiative to expand its programming to other countries under the unified name The Disney Club through their international production arm, Buena Vista International. Starting in 1989, these programming blocks aired on major free-to-air networks and mostly consisted of reruns of Disney shows supplemented by original content produced within those countries. As part of Australia’s Seven Network’s output deal and long-running relationship with Disney, they were to produce their own version of The Disney Club. However, the producers convinced Disney to allow them to rename it to Saturday Disney in order to avoid confusion with The Mickey Mouse Club—a title they felt was dated—due to the similar names and logo branding.

While the name may have been different, the format of Saturday Disney largely followed the ones employed by The Disney Club. Over the course of two hours, Saturday Disney aired three Disney programs on a rotating basis between original segments starring three hosts; always two girls and a boy. The only time they deviated from this line-up was when they would introduce the replacement for a departing host as a passing of the torch. The hosts lived in the “Disney House”, a set designed by Alan Olive and inspired by Queensland architecture to make viewers feel like they were visiting a friend’s house on a Saturday morning (it would see several revisions over the years). There, the hosts would engage in various imitable activities such as cooking, crafts or science that their audience could participate in; interviews with celebrity guests; interact with live animals; feature stories about places, activities and events reported as either themselves or characters; or star in recurring skits as various characters. Occasionally the show would leave their studio in Brisbane and film on location. The hosts not only worked on screen, but also served as writers and producers as well. A second similar, yet unrelated, Saturday Disney would debut in the United Kingdom in 1993; lasting only until 1996.

Two recurring segments each week were the Double Dog Dare and Letter of the Week. Double Dog Dare saw the hosts challenge each other to complete a ridiculous task; often a last-minute surprise to the one of them being challenged. If they were unsuccessful, they had to face an equally ridiculous punishment; such as consuming an unusual food concoction. Viewers got to participate by sending in ideas for punishments. Letter of the Week saw the hosts go through the various letters and artwork they were sent and select a winner. That winner would then get a selection of prizes and have their work displayed on the set.

The Disney House.

Saturday Disney debuted on Seven Network on January 27, 1990. The series was originally hosted by Sofie Formica, Jeniene Mapp and James Sherry and would air from 7:00 to 9:00. Throughout the 90s, the programs shown largely pulled from The Disney Afternoon and later One Saturday Morning programming blocks. Programming from The Disney Channel was also incorporated starting with the theatrical short anthology showcase The Adventures of Mickey & Donald. The series initially used an upbeat rendition of Leigh Harline and Ned Washington’s “When You Wish Upon a Star” for its theme before switching to the instrumental version of The Disney Afternoon’s,  composed by Tom Snow. From 1993 until 2001, Saturday Disney was expanded by an extra half hour to include programs such as The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and The Little Mermaid, Disney-distributed Sabrina: The Animated Series and Squiggle Vision/Science Court, and the Australian original Crash Zone. This extra half hour had minimal hosted content and would get its own separate entry in TV listings. In 1997, the series moved production to Sydney.

The first of many cast changes came just two years in when Formica was replaced by Lisa Barry in 1992. Shelley Craft, Marc Buhaj, Melanie Symons, Tim McDonald, Daniel Widdowson, Shae Brewster, Sara Groen, Sally Stanton, Jack Yabsley, Nathan Morgan and Candice Dixon would have their own respective tenures as hosts over the next decade. Following the addition of Hannah Montana in 2007 to the line-up, Saturday Disney began to incorporate more of Disney’s live-action programming into the mix. In 2009, the series was moved a half hour earlier for 3 months before returning to its regular timeslot. It also celebrated its 1,000^th episode by filming in Disneyland, as well as by airing a retrospective the week before. The following year it was moved to 9:00 to make room for infotainment news program Weekend Sunrise; which was an extension from its original Sunday timeslot.

In 2012, Saturday Disney was moved to station 7TWO at their original 7:00-9:00 timeslot to make room for talk show The Morning Show. That move came with an all-new look and opening sequence, as well as an eventual expansion to three hours that added two additional Disney programs to the rotation. That fall, those three hours were split between Seven, which aired it from 6:00-7:00, and 7TWO, which picked it up from 7:00 until 9:00. 2013 saw the final cast change when Brewster, the longest serving of all the hosts at just shy of 11 years, left and was replaced by Teigan Nash. In 2016, Saturday Disney moved again from 7TWO to 7flix and remained there until it broadcast its final episode that September. Marking the occasion, Symons, Widdowson, Brewster, Stanton and Yabsley returned for a guest appearance, as did Sherry via a video message. Ultimately, the program’s cancellation was attributed to a new executive producer in charge of children’s programming desiring to take things in a new direction.

Saturday Disney was the 20^th-longest-running program in Australia, and the country’s 5^th-longest-running children’s program that was consistently in the top 10 of children’s programs. It was nominated for a Logie Award in 2012 for “Most Outstanding Children’s Program”, which was co-presented by former host Craft, and for a TV Tonight Award in 2014 for “Best Kid’s Show”. While a couple of the hosts had disappeared from the public eye after the series’ end, many of them went on to have various careers in other shows or areas of broadcasting—some even with Disney again—and left a generation of Australian kids with fond childhood memories.

5TH & 10TH ANNIVERSARIES

As we enter our 11th year, let's celebrate the anniversaries of some Saturday morning programs! These are the shows turning 5 and 10 this year. 

REFLECTING ON 10 YEARS

 

            This past year was our 10^th anniversary. You may be wondering why there wasn’t much in the way of celebrating it beyond putting a “10” in the site’s logo, showcasing the characters from our first year in our title graphic, and an overall decline in the frequency of new entries. Well, it’s not that there wasn’t a desire to do it, it’s just that life doesn’t care if you have an anniversary or not.

These last two years were riddled with various health and family issues (nothing too serious, just time consuming), as well as increasing business at my day job. All of these combined left very little time to do the in-depth research and writing each entry requires to give you the very best. This very much is a one-man show. But I thank you for sticking around, for those who have been here before. And if you’re new, welcome! Plenty for you to see!

            And it’s not like I’ve been sitting idle. I’ve been going through and steadily updating entries with new information that has been coming out. Improving little things here and there, changing up older entries to match the style of newer ones. Basically a steady remastering of the entire site to provide the definitive experience.

            As we begin our 11^th year, I do have to reflect on how much things have changed since I started Saturday Mornings Forever. The nostalgia wave was just steadily growing into the apex that would inspire nothing but reboots, remakes and reimaginings across all media. Saturday morning programs had not yet been invited to that particular party. It was my own personal nostalgia that led to the site’s creation; inspired in large part by the classic programs that returned to television on the then-new network, The Hub (now Discovery Family).

Information, surprisingly, was difficult to come by early on. Only the bigger shows—your Ghostbusters, your Turtles, your Smurfs—had anything of note available about them. But then that nostalgia wave hit. Shows were beginning to get released onto home media; some for the first time, some for the first time in a long time. Continuations were happening in the form of comic books, as were collections of classic comics based on shows. Streaming services filled out their offerings with many shows not seen since their original airings. New merch was in stores thanks to companies like Funko, Mondo and Super 7. Disney, Discovery Family, and, for a time, Nickelodeon were keeping the tradition of Saturday morning cartoons alive by airing their new programs on that day. Even the latest Strawberry Shortcake, though relegated to YouTube before going to Netflix, was uploading new episodes on Saturday. And let’s not forget the new network MeTV Toons, which debuted just a year ago, being largely comprised of shows that lived on Saturdays over the last 60 years.

It has never been a better time to be a fan of Saturday morning television. If you loved those days and want to indulge your nostalgia, there’s something for you out there somewhere. If you’re experiencing something new that you might have missed? Even better—especially if you enjoy it.  

So, here’s to 10 years, Saturday Mornings Forever! Onward to the next 10!

GAILARD SARTAIN DEAD AT 81

 

You can read the full story here.

Best known for starring in Hee Haw and the Ernest franchise, including Hey, Vern, It’s Ernest! as Chuck, Lonnie Don and Matt Finish. 

BRIAN WILSON DEAD AT 82

 

You can read the full story here.

Best known as the co-founder of The Beach Boys, he played himself in an episode of Duck Dodgers.

DOUBLE UP (1992)

 

DOUBLE UP

(NBC, September 5-October 17, 1992)
 
Slam Dunk Productions, NBC Productions

 

MAIN CAST:
J.D. Roth – Host
Darius Farrelly – Announcer DJ Disco

 

            Double Up was one of two American game shows to use the name. The first, produced by Dick Clark Productions and hosted by Jamie Farr, never made it past the pilot episode. The second was created by Pat Jarvis and developed and produced by J.D. Roth and Kurt Brendlinger.

Roth with that day's contestants.

            The game was essentially a kid’s version of The Dating Game hosted by Roth, who was backed up by rapping announcer Darius Farrell, aka DJ Disco. Two siblings aged 13-16 were tasked with finding dates for each other out of a selection of three choices; with the prize being an all-expenses paid date chaperoned by a limo service. Neither could see their potential date or knew them beyond a nickname, but they could hear their answers to the sibling’s questions.  After two rounds of questions, the potential dates then had a few seconds to make the case for why they should be chosen.

The potential dates seated above the large trash cans where they could end up dumped.

            Once the questioning was done, the audience would choose who they would pick, place their name in a ball, and toss it on stage. Those votes would be tabulated and the results fired to Roth by Disco with a Nerf Bow ‘n’ Arrow. The siblings would then announce their choice and explain why they didn’t pick the other two; pulling a lever to dump them into the confetti-filled giant garbage cans they were perched over. If their choice matched one of the audience choices, they won $100 towards the date. Matching both audience picks upgraded the date to The Ultimate Double Up Night Out, which involved larger events like a concert or wrestling match. Reportedly, actor Jennifer Love Hewitt was one of the potential dates in an episode and ended up dumped.

DJ Disco in his booth.

            Double Up debuted on NBC on September 5, 1992, a week before the debut of the Teen NBC programming block it would then become a part of. The series was the first production for Roth’s newly-formed Slam Dunk Productions, making him the youngest executive producer after previously taking the title of youngest game show host with Fun House. TKD Animation handled the animation for the show’s intro—a poster of Roth advertising the show folding itself up into a paper airplane and flying into the studio—and on the TV in Disco’s booth that would illustrate what’s included in The Ultimate Night as Disco explained it. The series’ theme was done by Dis Style Productions with lyrics by Jonte Ray. Farrelly served as the show’s music supervisor.

The audience pelts the stage with their votes.

            The series failed to find any significant audience and was quickly cancelled within a month, replaced by NBA Inside Stuff on the schedule. Roth would continue to go on hosting and producing game shows and reality shows; however, Slam Dunk Productions only did one more show: the Disney Channel game show Mad Libs, based on the popular word fill-in books, co-produced by Dick Clark Productions. Roth would form another basketball-themed production company, 3 Ball Productions, with Todd Nelson in 2001.

HAPPY PRIDE MONTH!

 

CROONCHY STARS CERAL

 

CRÖONCHY STARS
 
Post

 

The Swedish Chef is a Muppet character and parody of television chefs. Speaking in a semi-comprehensible mock Swedish language, he demonstrated the preparation of a particular dish with often disastrously comedic results. Most often, he’d wind up in a slapstick battle with his intended ingredients. Jim Henson had previously dealt with the idea of a funny foreign chef character at the US Food Fair that took place in Hamburg, Germany in 1961. In one sketch, Sam and Friends character Omar prepared a flaming salad while speaking in incomprehensible mock German thought up by Henson and Jerry Juhl. In 1966 they came up with another character, Chef Bernardi, who whipped up a 60-second salad flambé for The Mike Douglas Show. Bernardi was operated by Henson while Frank Oz provided his hands. This would lay the groundwork for what would ultimately become the Swedish Chef.

The character first appeared on The Muppet Show in 1975, designed by Michael K. Frith and built by Henson and Bonnie Erickson. The Chef was unique among the Muppets for being performed with exposed human hands, initially performed by Oz as with Bernardi. Henson would control Chef’s head and provide his voice. According to his son, Brian, Henson was given a tape made for him by writer Marshall Brickman called How to Speak Mock Swedish. He would practice making dishes in that mock Swedish on the drive to work, crafting the voice that would become the Chef’s.

In the mid-1980s, Henson decided to create a Swedish Chef-themed breakfast cereal parody. The cereal underwent several names, including Oople-Sauceys, Cröonchy Poofs, Moopettes (which would be cow-shaped), Stoopid Hoops and Stoopid Flakes (a favorite among the Henson crew). He even penned a memo outlining several commercial ideas for the Chef creating the cereals under the different names. However, the idea evolved from parody into becoming a genuine product when Post showed interest in manufacturing it.

Ultimately named Cröonchy Stars (meant to reflect the way the Chef would say “crunchy”), the cereal featured cinnamon-flavored pieces in the shape of stars. While the cereal itself was nothing remarkably special, the box was where the spirit of the Muppets was felt. Featuring a logo designed by Stephen Longo, the box was loaded with nonsensical signage and imagery (such as the label “No batteries necessary!!!”), and nearly-impossible and ridiculous games and puzzles on the back. Premiums included a mail-away offer for a Swedish Chef doll, a mug, a flashlight, a poster with transfers to create a scene in Chef’s kitchen, and a Crazy Recipes Memory Card Game.

Henson and his crew made the commercials for the cereal themselves as part of an $8 million advertising campaign. They filmed initial commercials in 1987 when the cereal was still going by “Stoopid Flakes”, and then in early 1988 for “Cröonchy Stars”. The cereal would hit store shelves that year. However, they may not have performed as well as Post hoped as it was gone by 1989. They would make a brief return in 1992 before disappearing again, only to be left in the memories of fans and cereal afficionados.

ALF CLAUSEN DEAD AT 84

 

You can read the full story here.

Best known for working on The Simpsons for 27 years, he composed the theme for Spacecats in a continuation of his association with creator Paul Fusco following his work on ALF.

LORETTA SWIT DEAD AT 87

 

You can read the full story here.

Best known for her portrayal of Major Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan on M*A*S*H, she played Mad Hatter’s disagreeable supervisor Marcia Cates the Batman: The Animated Series episode “Mad as a Hatter”.

TOD SMITH DEAD AT 72

 

You can read the full story here.

He was a comic book artist that worked on Marvel’s Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and Masked Rider comics.

PETER DAVID DEAD AT 68

 

You can read the full story here.

Best known for his prolific runs on The Incredible Hulk, Supergirl and Star Trek comics and novels, and as the co-creator of Spider-Man 2099 and the evil Hulk, the Maestro. Characters he co-created, such as The Nasty Boys and a version of X-Factor, appeared on X-Men: The Animated Series. He also wrote several episodes of Young Justice, a comic series he previously wrote for DC Comics. Spider-Man Unlimited, in its early planning stages, was originally going to based on Spider-Man 2099.

BABY LOONEY TUNES

 

BABY LOONEY TUNES
(Syndication, Cartoon Network, September 16, 2002-April 30, 2005)
 
Warner Bros. Animation

  

            A late entry in the babyfication trend started by 1984’s Muppet Babies, Baby Looney Tunes was Warner Bros. Animation’s first preschool animated series. The concept originated back in the 90s when companies released merchandise featuring the Looney Tunes characters as babies called Looney Tunes Lovables. Kathleen Helppie-Shipley, head of Warner Bros. Classic Animation, had wanted to do a series of educational videos that never moved forward. When Warner Bros. Consumer Products wanted to promote the Baby Looney Tunes licensees, they decided to do a feature-length, direct-to-video collection of shorts in the traditional slapstick Looney Tunes fashion. Earl Kress wrote the shorts with Spike Brandt, Gary Hartle and Kirk Tingblad set to direct each one. However, funding for the project suddenly disappeared. Brandt loved his short so much that on his own time and expense he cobbled together a full presentation. The higher-ups were impressed by it, and after a little convincing and negotiation, funding was found to produce “Little Go Beep”, which featured baby versions of Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner. Additionally, Warner Bros. decided to make the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies libraries exclusive to Time Warner networks, making it easier to produce a series for release on Warner channels.

Babies Tweety, Taz, Bugs, Sylvester, Lola and Daffy.

            For the actual series, Warner had to follow more strict guidelines to achieve a TV-Y rating. That meant Baby Looney Tunes couldn’t rely on the slapstick and visual gags the franchise was known for. The show instead dealt with real world problems and morals that children would encounter and could relate to; including sharing, emotions, playing with others, inclusion, dealing with change, baking and more. Despite not being designed as educational, an expert was retained to examine the series. The main babies included Baby Bugs (Sam Vincent), just barely the oldest of the bunch that made him the leader; Baby Daffy (Vincent), who tended to be self-centered; Baby Lola (Britt McKillip), a fiercely independent tomboy that tended to take charge; Baby Sylvester (Terry Klassen), who was shy and anxious and tended to be manipulated by Daffy; Baby Tweety (Vincent), the youngest and smallest with an insecurity about his size, a deep curiosity, and a very logical brain; and Baby Taz (Ian James Corlett), who often mistook things for food and tended to break things with his spinning. They were eventually joined by Baby Petunia (Chiara Zanni), the most intelligent of the group with an adventurous streak, and Baby Melissa (Janyse Jaud), an easy-going girl with a highly logical and practical mentality. Caring for the babies was Granny (June Foray, the only American in the otherwise Canadian cast), sometimes with the help of her nephew, Floyd Minton (Brain Drummond). Other baby characters made appearances either in cameos during song numbers or as guest stars.

Granny taking care of the kids.

            Baby Looney Tunes debuted on September 16, 2002, initially syndicated to Warner affiliates before finding a permanent home on Cartoon Network. The series was developed by Sander Schwartz and featured music by Steve and Julie Bernstein, with a theme composed by Lisa Silver and Patty Way. The series ran for 4 seasons and one direct-to-video film. Additionally, two direct-to-video films utilizing puppets were released in 2003. Neither were released outside of VHS, but Musical Adventures was made available to stream on HBO Max and Tubi and Backyard Adventures on Binge in Australia. As for the series itself, it aired in reruns on both Cartoon Network and Boomerang until 2020. It became one of the first shows broadcast on the American version of the preschool programming block Cartoonio on Cartoon Network in 2021 and aired until 2023. The Warner Bros./Discovery merger saw the series air on Discovery Family, and then on retro animation network MeTV Toons. 

JIM SMITH DEAD AT 70

 

You can read the full story here.

He did layouts and storyboards for Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures, Beany and Cecil (for which he also directed several segments) and Tiny Toon Adventures (where he also did character models and wrote a segment); and storyboards for The Get Along Gang, The Real Ghostbusters, Batman: The Animated Series, The Ripping Friends and Tom and Jerry Tales. 

TURBO TEEN

 

TURBO TEEN
(ABC, September 8-December 1, 1984)
 
Ruby-Spears Productions

 

 

MAIN CAST:
T.K. Carter – Alex
Pat Fraley – Dr. Chase, Eddie
Pamela Hayden – Pattie
Michael Mish – Brett Matthews/Turbo Teen
Clive Revill – Agent Caldwell
Frank Welker – Rusty, Dark Rider, Flip, various

 

 

  Knight Rider burst onto the scene in 1982. The series was about a lone man, Michael Knight (David Hasselhoff), travelling around and doing good wherever he wound up. His partner in these endeavors was a technologically advanced Pontiac Trans Am, the Knight Industries Two Thousand—or K.I.T.T. K.I.T.T. was nearly indestructible, could perform amazing feats at the push of a button, and was in possession of an advanced artificial intelligence (voiced by William Daniels) that could allow it to operate autonomously when needed. Critics found the concept unbearably silly, but audiences showed up and allowed it to run for four seasons. In the wake of its success, an imitator was inevitable.

Promotional artwork of Brett changing into his car form.

            That came in the form of Ruby-Spears Productions’ Turbo Teen. However, rather than give a character an intelligent super car, they decided to make the character the intelligent super car. The series centered on teenager Brett Matthews (Michael Mish) who was out joyriding when a lightning strike sent him barreling into a scientific experiment. Exposed to a molecular beam invented by Dr. Chase (Pat Fraley) for a government agent named Caldwell (Clive Revill), Brett became fused with his car and was able to transform into it when exposed to heat. He not only retained his full faculties as the car, but could move at will and perform an almost limitless number of stunts far beyond the realm of physics. He could only transform back to human form after being exposed to the cold. As this change was involuntary, it often happened at inopportune times.

Brett micro-sized with Alex, Rusty and Pattie.

            While Chase and Caldwell worked to find a permanent cure, they decided to put his new abilities to use and sent him to investigate local mysteries or put a stop to criminal activity around the world under the codename Turbo Teen. Joining him on his adventures was his girlfriend, freelance reporter Pattie (Pamela Hayden), his best friend, mechanic Alex (T.K. Carter), and his dog, Rusty (Frank Welker). A recurring villain was the unseen Dark Rider (Welker); a master of disguise that plagued the Turbo Team in an advanced monster truck of his own design. The Dark Rider had apparently designed a supercar that resembled Brett’s and sought revenge for what he believed was his stolen design. Additionally, their classmates from Hillmount High, Eddie (Fraley) and Flip (Welker), would cause the Turbo Team some trouble by being typical dim-witted bullies constantly looking to show up Brett and his car.

Just a car enjoying some arcade games.

            The Knight Rider inspiration was very evident. Aside from being self-driving, Brett’s car and his car form was very much modeled after a 1984 Trans Am; however colored red instead of black. To avoid a lawsuit from General Motors or paying them a licensing fee, the car did have some differences: the tail lights were reminiscent of the third generation Chevrolet Camaro, the pop-up headlights were removed with the turn signals serving as the headlights, and the center roof bar that would make it a T-top was removed (however, the official press photo was not shy about showing a very clearly black Trans Am). As with K.I.T.T., a voice modulator was present on the dashboard that reacted to whenever Brett spoke in car form; however, it was located in the lower center rather than over the wheel and was represented by a horizontal line and waves instead of vertical lines (or a flashing box, in Knight Rider’s earlier episodes). The Dark Rider having a connection to Brett’s vehicle form and driving his own much larger super vehicle was similar to the character of Garthe Knight (Hasselhoff), the evil son of K.I.T.T.’s creator who drove a souped-up semi-truck named Goliath. Not to mention that Brett just happened to be driving the exact make and model of a super car that was already in development (before meeting K.I.T.T., Michael Knight drove a regular black Trans Am in the series pilot). Then there was the fact that in car form, Brett could pull of impossible stunts (more so than even Knight Rider, since they didn’t have to worry about the expense of replacing actual cars) and was seemingly indestructible.

The original concepts for Cary Becomes a Car by Jack Kirby.

            The concept for the series started out a bit differently. Originally pitched as Cary Becomes a Car, the legendary Jack Kirby whipped up several concept sketches. Under Kirby, the series had a decidedly more action flare. Cary was still a teenager, but his transformation appeared to be more deliberate. Although it was written that Cary transformed into a Camaro, the car he drew more closely resembled a Ford Mustang. This sketch was featured in the biographical graphic novel Jack Kirby: The Epic Life of the King of Comics by Tom Scioli during the section on Kirby’s Ruby-Spears tenure. There were also concepts for several villains—many with car-themed names: Mogal, the Magi-Mechanic was a sorcerer that carried around a magic tool box; Super Sonica was a super-speed witch; Hot Rodney Rumpkin was an overweight race car driver always in the company of his butler, Dingy Doolittle; and Barney Brannigan, a leprechaun-esque figure that conjured up crazy obstacles for drivers. Most notable was Speed Demon, described as a “sinister driver of unknown origin shadows hero”. He seemed to be the prototype for what would become The Dark Rider—albeit minus being an actual demon. Additional Kirby sketches have surfaced showing the slow evolution from Cary Becomes a Car into Turbo Teen, including depictions of Brett as a hatchback encountering more science-fiction fare; Brett as a sportier-looking car surrounded by a legion of human characters and early versions of Pattie and Rusty; and Pattie and Alex riding in Brett’s final form while evading some unusual-looking enemies (under the name Turbo-Teens). Along with Kirby, characters were designed by Duncan Marjoribanks, Doug Wildey and Thom Enriquez.

Brett transforming.

            Turbo Teen debuted on ABC on September 8, 1984. It and the network’s other new offerings were promoted the night before in the Saturday morning preview special The ABC Saturday Morning Preview Park hosted by “Weird Al” Yankovic. The series was developed and story edited by Michael Maurer, who also wrote a couple episodes alongside Mark Jones, Matt Uitz, Evelyn A.R. Gabai, Dennis Marks, Michael Ray Brown, Cliff Ruby, Elana Lesser and Ted Pedersen. Animation duties were handled by Hanho Heung-Up Company and Toei Animation, with XAM! Productions working on layouts. Bill Perez designed the opening titles that laid out the entire origin story, with John Kimball animating its transformation scene. Udi Harpaz composed and conducted the music under the supervision of Paul DeKorte.

Glow time means 3D time!

            ABC had originally planned to have certain shows within its 1984 line-up—Turbo Teen being one, The Mighty Orbots another—include a faux 3D effect. This was accomplished by producing those programs with a higher percentage of moving overlays and underlays panning at different speeds, coupled with a pair of 3D glasses that had one polarized lens and one blank lens to give the illusion of depth. Turbo Teen’s 3D sequences were signaled by flashes within the show to indicate when to put on and take off the glasses. However, story director Tom Minton stated that ABC was told by their legal department at the last minute that they couldn’t promise every viewer that experience or supply enough free glasses to viewers. As a result, all advertising about the gimmick had to be dropped and those became very expensive and pointlessly elaborate sequences.

The Dark Rider's monster truck.

           The novel notion of a kid turning into a car was ultimately failed by its execution. Retrospectives about Turbo Teen would sum up its problems as having poor scripts, even worse animation, and a nightmare-inducing transformation sequence whenever Brett changed. Storyboard supervisor James Woodring would go on to lambast the series as “one of the masterpieces of s--t” in various interviews; a sentiment he claimed was shared by others in Ruby-Spears’ employ at the time. Viewers and the network seemed to back up his estimation as Turbo Teen was cancelled by the end of its sole season.

Rolling down the roller coaster tracks.

            Not much was released in terms of merchandise for the show. There was a coloring book published by Golden, and a transforming model kit by Monogram that was originally made for the product-exclusive GoBots character Trans Am. The model was a stock Trans Am complete with a decal of the trademark Screaming Chicken graphic for the hood. However, it could be changed into a humanoid body. The Turbo Teen version got a new head sculpt representing Brett. None of the episodes have been released to home media legally in North America, although some can be found on video hosting sites like YouTube. Internationally, at least 6 episodes have been released on VHS.

Cold soda about to change Turbo Teen back into Brett.

            Turbo Teen hasn’t been completely forgotten and has been referenced in other projects. In the 2000 Futurama episode “The Honking”, robot Bender (John DiMaggio) was run over by a non-hovering car that turned him into a werecar—the robotic version of a werewolf. His transformation sequence was similar to Turbo Teen’s. Robot Chicken directly spoofed Turbo Teen in the 2007 episode “Rabbits on a Roller Coaster”. The Rotten Tomatoes Show also spoofed Turbo Teen in a commercial featuring a live-action version of Brett (Brett Erlich) encountering a Decepticon from Transformers in 2009. The Rick and Morty 2015 episode “The Ricks Must Be Crazy” featured Morty (Justin Roiland) being secretly given the ability to turn into a car by Rick (also Roiland), and, while quick, the transformation was similar to Turbo Teen (right down to Morty’s car form being red). Teen Titans Go! featured the most overt reference of all in the 2019 episode “Teen Titans Vroom!” as the titular team was sent careening by a lightning strike into a top-secret government science experiment that gave them all the ability to turn into cars.

  

EPISODE GUIDE:
“Turbo Thieves” (9/8/84) – A pair of thieves learn of Turbo Teen’s existence and plot to kidnap him to make themselves rich.
 
“The Dark Rider” (9/15/84) – The Dark Rider pursues Turbo Teen while he participates in an exhibition.
 
“Mystery of Fantasy Park” (9/22/84) – Turbo Teen and his friends investigate strange goings on at a local amusement park.
 
“No Show UFO” (9/29/84) – Agent Cauldwell tasks the Turbo Team with investigating UFO sightings.
 
“Micro-Teen” (10/6/84) – Dr. Chase’s team creates a shrink ray that will allow the Turbo Team to go on an infiltration mission.
 
“The Sinister Souped-Up Seven” (10/13/84) – His friends must help Brett get over his amnesia while preventing the destruction of a mission on a reservation.
 
“Video Venger” (10/20/84) – The Turbo Team discover an arcade game is a training program for an invasion on Washington, D.C. when the war machines inside it come to life.
 
“Dark Rider and the Wolves of Doom” (10/27/84) – Dark Rider kidnaps a scientist whose formula can regress dogs to their primitive state.
 
“The Curse of the Twisted Claw” (11/3/84) – The Turbo Team heads to India to stop an archaeological discovery from unlocking a weapon of great destruction.
 
“Daredevil Run” (11/10/84) – The Turbo Team enter a cross-country race as a cover to get a witness to court to testify against a jewel thief.
 
“The Amazon Adventure” (11/17/84) – A trip to the Amazon sees the Turbo Team and Brett’s father embroiled in a conflict with a local thug.
 
“Fright Friday” (11/24/84) – A campfire story about a local legend comes true and endangers the Turbo Team’s friends.
 
“The Mystery of the Dark Rider” (12/1/84) – Turbo Teen must clear his name after a clone robs a bank while also uncovering the identity of the Dark Rider once and for all.