SABAN'S ADVENTURES OF THE LITTLE MERMAID

SABAN’S ADVENTURES OF THE LITTLE MERMAID

(Fuji TV, February 2-July 27, 1991 JAP

Syndicated, 1991, US)

Fuji Eight Co., Ltd., Telscreen Japan (Japanese), Saban Entertainment (English)

MAIN CAST:

Jun Takanomaki (Japanese) - Marina

Sonja Ball (English) – Marina, Hedwig the Sea Witch

Chie Kitagawa (Japanese) – Hedwig the Sea Witch

Takehito Koyasu (Japanese) & Thor Bishopric (English) – Prince Justin

Yumi Hiroki (Japanese) & Anik Matern (English) – Winnie

Carlyle Miller (English) – Bobo

Sakiko Tamagawa (Japanese) & Arthur Holden (Englsh) – Ridley/Ridorei

Aron Tager (English) – Anslem

Ryuzo Ishino (Japanese) & Gordon Masten (English) – Chauncey/Canshi

Tessho Genda (Japanese) & Ian Finlay (English) – Dudley/Dudhlee

Shingo Hiromori (Japanese) & Richard Dumont (English) – Prince Lothar

Jane Woods (English) - Narrator

            The Little Mermaid is a fairytale written by Hans Christian Andersen and first published in 1837. The classic tale has the Little Mermaid discover a handsome prince above the seas whom she falls madly in love with. She rescued the prince from drowning, but left before he discovered who his rescuer was. She traded her voice and tongue to a Sea Witch for a potion to give her legs so that she may win over the prince, but if he married someone else she would die the following day. As a human, she meets and befriends the prince, but the prince could only love the one who rescued him, and he believed it was a princess from the neighboring kingdom. They end up married, but the Mermaid’s sisters trade their long hair to the Witch for a dagger that if the Mermaid used it to kill the prince and drip his blood on her legs, could allow her to return to the sea and live. Unable to, the Mermaid falls into ocean and becomes foam, allowing her to transcend into an earthbound ethereal spirit.

The Little Mermaid statue in Copenhagen.

            In the years since its publication, The Little Mermaid has been adapted to stage, screen and animation numerous times. Each iteration added its own spin on the story; from miniscule details (such as the Mermaid’s hair color and name) to sweeping changes (like making the ending a bit happier for the heroine). Of course, one of the biggest and most recognizable adaptations of the story was Disney’s 1989 film, The Little Mermaid. Not only was it a box office success, but it became one of the most successful home video releases of 1990.

Marina and Prince Justin.

            In 1991, the Little Mermaid made her debut on television; however, it wasn’t the Disney version. The Adventures of Mermaid Princess Marina (or Ningyo Hime Marina no Bouken) was a French/Japanese co-production conceived by DiC Entertainment founder Jean Chalopin. The series began much like the Andersen tale: mermaid princess Marina (Jun Takanomaki & Sonja Ball) rescued human prince Justin (Takehito Koyasu & Thor Bishopric) from drowning. Marina made a deal with Hedwig the Sea Witch (Chie Kitagawa & Ball) to become human in order to win Justin’s love, but he believed that the spoiled princess Cecily was his rescuer and the one he loved.

Marina and Hedwig the Sea Witch.

            Where the story begins to differ, however, is that Justin remembered Marina was his heroine and wanted to be with her. The wizard Anslem (Aron Tager), who kept his magical nature a secret and served as Justin’s tutor, restored Marina to her original form and gave Justin a potion that would allow him to breathe underwater for an hour a day. Similarly, Marina manages to steal a potion from Hedwig that allowed her to be human for an hour a day. Episodes would focus around Hedwig’s attempts to use Marina and Justin as leverage to acquire the Amulet of Power from Anslem, her ex-lover, in order to rule the world. Marina and Justin would also try to acquire a Golden Tablet in Hedwig’s possession that had a spell that could make Marina permanently human.

Marina with Winnie and Bobo.

Hedwig would often enlist the aid of Cecily, who wanted Justin for herself, and Justin’s rival, Prince Lothar (Shingo Hiromori & Richard Dumont), but mostly relied on her dim-witted shark lacky, Dudley (Tessho Genda & Ian Finlay), her giant octopus, Hugo, and her manta ray transport/spy, Ray. Aiding Marina and Justin were her friends Winnie (Yumi Hiroki & Anik Matern), a seahorse who could fly when out of water and emit a loud sonic scream; Bobo (Carlyle Miller), a tropical fish who spied on Hedwig; Ridley (Sakiko Tamagawa & Arthur Holden), a sea otter who could breathe underwater indefinitely and served as Anslem’s companion; as well as Justin’s goofy, but loyal, page, Chauncey (Ryuzou Ishino & Gordon Masten).

Singing: "I got a Golden Tablet..."

            The Adventures of Mermaid Princess Marina debuted on February 2, 1991 on Japan’s Fuji TV Network. It was made in cooperation with Fuji’s Fuji Eight Co., Ltd. with animation duties handled by Telescreen Japan and direction by Takehiro Miyano. Initially, Marina greater resembled Disney’s Ariel by sporting red hair and a purple bikini top, and Justin’s design was closer to their Prince Eric’s. Those were changed during the show’s production to prevent any copyright issues with Disney, who owned all aspects of their interpretation (ironically, Disney would come to own this series and the rest of Saban’s library through their 2001 purchase of Fox Family Worldwide, which Saban partly owned and was folded into). The anime ran for 26 episodes and featured a different opening and closing theme written by Azusa and performed by Hiroki.

Ridley explains the art of imitation in marketing.

Looking to capitalize on the success of Disney’s film, Saban Entertainment licensed the rights to produce an English dub to the series. The series underwent some minor editing and was given an all-new musical score and theme by Shuki Levy. The series was retitled Saban’s Adventures of the Little Mermaid and was aired in syndication on Saturday and weekday mornings. The show failed to reach the acclaim Disney’s version did, and no further episodes were commissioned on either side of the pond. Music from the English dub was reused in Saban’s next anime venture, Digimon: Digital Monsters.

Building blocks.

            Despite the show’s short run and relative fade into obscurity over the years, Saban licensed out a wide range of merchandising for it. Noteworthy made a set of Marina figurine stamps in three different poses, a coloring pad/stamp pad set, a vinyl bank, and a pencil topper. Helm Toy made a Marina and Hedwig doll with removable fabric clothing, as well as bendable drinking straws shaped like Marina. Toy Group produced four figurines: Hedwig, Justin and two different Marinas. Paradise released a 13-piece tea set decorated with images of Marina, and a Dough Maker that allowed characters to be made in molds. Unique made a line of party supplies including a tablecloth, candle, invitations and favors. Brookfield made a skate bag, Time Mee Toy a combination gumball machine and bank, and MagikeWerks Publishing of America, Inc. published a storybook as late as 1993. There was also  building blocks, a sliding puzzle, bed sheets and a tabletop pinball game.

The first episode on VHS.

            The series had gone on to be translated in multiple languages and aired in various markets. In 1992, Saban released seven VHS tapes with an episode each in the United States. In 2004, Boulevard, in association with Fox Kids released the first five episodes of the series onto DVD overseas. The next five were released by Maximum Entertainment, in association with Disney brand Jetix. In 2007, Jetix Films released the next five in a set with original DVD art that didn’t match the series it contained. The three volumes were eventually collected and sold together.

EPISODE GUIDE:

“Return to the Sea” (2/2/91 JAP) – Marina saves Justin from drowning and trades her voice for legs to be with him, but he believes Princess Cecily is the one who saved him.

“In the Wrong Hands” (2/9/91 JAP) – Marina, Justin, Winnie and Bobo try to obtain the Golden Tablet from Hedwig, which has a spell that could give Marina permanent legs.

“Water Water Everywhere” (2/16/91 JAP) – Justin invites Marina to the masquerade ball which makes Cecily jealous and Hedwig tries to disrupt by making Dudley into a human.

“A Leopard and his Spots” (2/23/91 JAP) – Justin helps babysit Marina’s cousin Barnabus and Hedwig captures them both in order to ransom them for the Amuelt of Power from Anslem.

“Lothar’s Revenge” (3/2/91 JAP) – Marina braves the land to rescue Justin from Prince Lothar.

“What’s Cookin’?” (3/9/91 JAP) – Hedwig accidentally takes a potion that turns her good for a time and gives Marian more Potion of Change for her legs.

“Be Careful What You Wish” (3/16/91 JAP) – Justin, Marina and Winnie unwittingly use a wishing well created by Hedwig that causes all their wishes to backfire.

“A Day in the Country” (3/23/91 JAP) – While Marina and Justin deal with poachers and a forest fire, Anslem searches for supplies and Ridley magically cleans his lair.

“Safe Deposit” (3/30/91 JAP) – Lothar kidnaps Justin and steals the Golden Tablet, and Hedwig kidnaps Marina believing Justin the thief.

“Sugar and Spice” (4/6/91 JAP) – Hedwig kidnaps Coral, who is accidentally turned into a baby and causes trouble in Hedwig’s lair.

“A Friend Indeed” (4/13/91 JAP) – While Marian and Justin competitively flirt, Hedwig kidnaps Leah’s daughter to set a trap for them.

“Song of the Sea Witch” (4/20/91 JAP) – Hedwig gives Lothar a strength potion in exchange for acquiring a magical pipe that can allow her to enchant people.

“The Valley of the Volcanoes” (4/27/91 JAP) – Hedwig sends Marina and her friends to the Valley of the Volcanoes after the Golden Tablet where a giant gargoyle captures them.

“Quest for the Golden Tablet” (5/4/91 JAP) – Hedwig hides the Golden Tablet in the deadly trap-filled Castle of Tartarus.

“A Case of Mistaken Identiy” (5/11/91 JAP) – Justin sends tributes to Marina for their anniversary, but his mother redirects them to Cecily instead.

“Beauty and the Beastly Prince” (5/18/91 JAP) – Hedwig intercepts Justin’s delivery of the Potion of Change and replaces it with one that turns him into a creature loyal to her.

“A Man’s Best Friend is His Dogfish” (5/25/91 JAP) – Flip fails to deliver a note to Justin about Marina’s going away for a while, and when he attempts to visit he’s captured by Hedwig.

“A Mortal in Mermaid’s Clothing” (6/1/91 JAP) – When Marina is thrown off her horse and changed back to a mermaid, she’s captured and put into a carnival as an attraction.

“Nature Hike” (6/8/91 JAP) – Hedwig enlists Lothar to kidnap Justin and Marina for her, but Lothar takes Justin for his own schemes.

“My Bonnie Lies Under the Sea” (6/15/91 JAP) – Hedwig transforms Dudley into a woman and gives him a potion to win Justin’s affections, but Chauncey drinks it instead.

“The Trojan Seahorse” (6/22/91 JAP) – Hedwig sends Winnie a giant seahorse filled with her minions on her birthday.

“A Rose by Any Other Name” (6/29/91 JAP) – Hedwig believes she put a sleeping spell on flowers Marina and Justin picked, but it ends up being a personality-switching spell instead.

“X Marks the Spot” (7/6/91 JAP) – Hedwig sends a fake map to Justin and Marina supposedly pointing out the location of the Golden Tablet.

“One Man’s Bread is Another Man’s Poison” (7/13/91 JAP) – Hedwig poisons Justin, and the only cure lies in Hedwig’s cave.

“Hold That Thought” (7/20/91 JAP) – Hedwig traps Marina and Winnie with strong glue and uses hypnosis to make Marina her pawn.

“Waste Not, Want Not” (7/27/91 JAP) – Dudley accidentally throws out the Golden Tablet while cleaning Hedwig’s lair.

JOE HARRIS DEAD AT 89

It has just been reported that illustrator, producer and composer Joe Harris died on March 26th.  You can read the full story here.

Harris, while working in advertising in the 1950s, developed the Trix rabbit for General Mills as well as storyboarded and wrote the copy for the commercials. In the 1960s, he became an integral part of Total Television performing various functions, the least of which was character design, on King Leonardo and His Short Subjects, Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales, Underdog, The Beagles and Go Go Gophers.

ATLANTIS: THE LOST EMPIRE CEREAL

ATLANTIS: THE LOST EMPIRE CEREAL

Kellogg’s

            After completing work on Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Don Hahn, Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise and Tab Murphy wanted to keep the crew together and work on another film that was more action and less musical. Inspired by Jules Verne’s A Journey to the Center of the Earth, they decided to make a film centered around the lost city of Atlantis. They took inspiration from various works about the city, as well as museums and ancient architecture from around the world. The film was Atlantis: The Lost Empire, which followed an expedition to find the city in the early 20^th century. It was the first science-fiction feature in Disney’s film library and made the most use of CGI up to that point. The film was released on June 15, 2001.

Back of the box.

            As part of the promotion for the film, Kellogg’s produced a limited-edition cereal based on it. Atlantis: The Lost Empire Cereal featured a mixture of toasted-oat round pieces, similar to General Mills’ Cheerios, and chocolate triangular pieces. The chocolate pieces were etched with the Atlantean alphabet created by linguist Marc Okrand and would appear on them when exposed to milk. The side panel of the box featured an “Atlantean Decoder” which would allow the eater to translate the chocolate pieces and spots on the board game featured on the back of the box. While this cereal lacked premiums, Kellogg’s included them in other cereals in their line.

SEALAB 2020

SEALAB 2020

(NBC, September 9-December 2, 1972)

Hanna-Barbera Productions

MAIN CAST:

Ross Martin – Dr. Paul Williams

John Stephenson – Capt. Michael Murphy

Josh Albee – Robert Murphy

Pamelyn Ferdin – Sally Murphy

William Callaway – Lt. Sparks

Jerry Dexter – Hal

Ann Jillian – Gail

Ron Pinkard – Ed

Olga James – Mrs. Thomas

Gary Shapiro - Jamie                                           

            Sealab 2020 was a futuristic series by Hanna-Barbera Productions set in an underwater lab, known as Sealab, in a place called the Challenger seamount. The lab was inhabited by a crew of 250 “oceanauts” dedicated to exploring the wonders and dangers of the sea.

Alex Toth equipment concept art.

            Heading up the lab was Dr. Paul Williams (Ross Martin), and he was often assisted by Hal (Jerry Dexter), Gail (Ann Jillian) and Ed (Ron Pinkard), as well as communications officer Lt. Sparks (William Callaway). The crew was joined by the Murphy family—Michael (John Stephenson), Robert (Josh Albee) and Sally (Pamelyn Ferdin)—whom they rescued from a sinking ship and became permanent residents of the Sealab. Adding a bit of comic relief was Gail’s pet dolphin, Tuffy. The characters, props and settings were designed by Alex Toth.

Sonar Room concept art.

            Sealab 2020 debuted on NBC on September 9, 1972 with music by Hoyt Curtin. Each episode written by Peter Dixon and Fred Freiberger was designed to make viewers more ecologically aware and encourage them to protect the environment. Unfortunately, the undersea adventure series failed to draw in viewers and it was quickly cancelled by December. Two episodes were left unaired, with a third having not even finished production. Despite the show’s short run, Milton Bradley released a board game based on the show the following year. In 1985, Worldvision Home Video released a VHS with the episodes “The Singing Whale” and “The Shark Lover.” In 2012, Warner Archive released the complete series to DVD as part of their Hanna-Barbera Classics collection; however it’s complete only in that it includes every episode actually aired and not the final three.

            In 1995, while working as production assistants for Cartoon Network, Adam Reed and Matt Thompson came across a tape of the show. They wrote new dialogue for it and pitched it to the network as a potential parody series. Initially, the network passed. Five years later, Reed and Thompson revisited the tape and decided to alter the footage to have the character do what they wanted. Pitching it again to Cartoon Network around the time they were planning to launch their Adult Swim programming block, the network bought the show. Sealab 2021 rearranged footage from every episode as well as additional cartoon series to create all-new nonsensical episodes that didn’t follow a particular continuity (Sealab’s destruction and character deaths were often undone in following episodes). The series, produced by Williams Street, 70/30 Productions and Radical Axis, proved more popular than the original and ran for four seasons for a total of 52 11-minute episodes.

EPISODE GUIDE:

“Deep Threat” (9/9/72) – Robert and Sally get lost while diving while the water becomes contaminated by leaking radioactive barrels.  

“Lost” (9/16/72) – A red tide hits the Sealab and cuts down its oxygen supply while Gail trains a dolphin to rescue divers.

“Green Fever” (9/23/72) – The Sealab floods after an anchor hits it.

“The Singing Whale” (9/30/72) – A whale expert visits the Sealab just as a whale hunter chases a blue whale into their vicinity.

“The Shark Lover” (10/7/72) – The Sealab calls in a shark expert to figure out why the shark population has increased around the lab.

“The Basking Shark” (10/14/72) – The Sealab is commissioned to retrieve a probe that crashed near it, but when it disappears the Sealab is suspected of espionage.

“Where Dangers Are Many” (10/21/72) – The captain of a bottom-dredging mining operation becomes trapped under his own dredge.

“Backfire” (10/28/72) – When oil drillers refuse to relocate away from Sealab, a tsunami ends up destroying their whole operation.

“The Deepest Dive” (11/4/72) – Using a new submersible to plant a seismograph on the ocean floor leads the Sealab to come into conflict with a giant squid.

“The Challenge” (11/11/72) – An archaeologist’s brother grows impatient with the speed Sealab’s safety guidelines have them moving to find a sunken treasure.

“Collision of the Aquarius” (11/18/72) – A submarine crashes into Seamount and its reactor threatens Sealab.

“The Capture” (11/25/72) – The kids don’t like a biologist’s capture of animal species, but their attempts to set them free get them caught in a cage and dragged over the edge of the Seamount.

“The Arctic Story” (12/2/72) – The crew use the Dolphin to try and find the Arctic research station that is caught under a capsized ice floe.

“S.O.S.: Sealab Ocean Signal” (N/A) – The Sealab is threatened by toxic chemicals that could cause it to explode.

“Utopia of Cassidy” (N/A) – The crew discovers a seeming island paradise.


Originally posted in 2017. Updated in 2020.

JABBERJAW

JABBERJAW

(ABC, September 11-December 18, 1976)

Hanna-Barbera Productions

MAIN CAST:

Frank Welker – Jabberjaw

Tommy Cook – Biff

Patricia Parris – Shelly

Julie McWhirter – Bubbles

Barry Gordon - Clamhead

            The world wanted more Scooby-Doo, the networks wanted more musical programs, and, thanks to Jaws, the 1970s was rife with shark mania. Hanna-Barbera decided to give the world the best of everything and produced Jabberjaw.

The Neptunes: Jabberjaw, Bubbles, Clamhead, Biff and Shelly.

            Created by Joe Ruby and Ken Spears, Jabberjaw (Frank Welker) was an anthropomorphic great white shark who sounded an awful lot like Curly from The Three Stooges, complete with all the trademark sounds and catchphrases (including one borrowed from Rodney Dangerfield). He played drums for The Neptunes, which was comprised of the level-headed (though dimwitted) and athletic Biff (Tommy Cook) on lead guitar; vain Shelly (Patricia Parris) on tambourine; ditzy Bubbles (Julie McWhirter) on keyboard; and kooky Clamhead (Barry Gordon) on bass. They all lived in an underwater civilization in the year 2076. The band traveled to various locations to perform and would end up encountering villains intent on taking over the undersea world (which, like The Flintstones did with rocks, often featured places that had some kind of ocean-themed pun in their names).

Jabberjaw is a drummer and roadie all rolled into one.

            Jabberjaw was previewed on ABC on Friday, September 10, 1976 during a cartoon sequence of the Bill Cosby variety show Cos. It made its Saturday debut the following day on September 11; although, the episode “The Bermuda Triangle Tangle” aired on a Thursday as part of ABC’s Thanksgiving Funshine Festival. As with other shows Hanna-Barbera produced in the genre, the chase sequences featuring the cast and the villains were accompanied by music credited to The Neptunes. The music, in fact, was composed by Hoyt Curtin and Paul DeKorte. The series was written by George Atkins, Haskell Barkin, John Bates, Larz Bourne, Tom Dagenais and Bob Fisher. Despite a combination of winning elements, the show only lasted a single season of 16 episodes. It did remain on ABC’s schedule until the fall of 1978, and Welker’s Curly impression helped to increase the demand for his talent for future cartoon productions (including actually voicing Curly in The Robonic Stooges).

Space-age travel under the waves.

            Despite its short run, Jabberjaw received a wide merchandising compliment. Rand McNally released two coloring books, a story book and a read and color book, as well as puzzles; Thermos made a lunch box; Presto Magix printed a dry transfer sheet; puzzles released by Arrow Games; and Avon sold a pendant. As part of a promotion for Marineland, the aquatic theme park briefly Hanna-Barbera had a stake in, they made a Jabberjaw picture viewer. Jabberjaw was also featured as part of the Scooby-Doo Paint With Water set. In 2005, Jabberjaw was released as a Wacky Wobbler bobblehead by Funko. 

Color model sheet/publicity image.

Charlton Comics was set to publish a Jabberjaw comic in 1977, but it was cancelled before an issue ever saw release. He did, however, appear in Marvel Comics’ Laff-A-Lympics series between 1978-79. In 1996, Jabberjaw returned to comics in Hanna-Barbera Presents #6 by Archie Comics, and with the rest of The Neptunes in Cartoon Network Presents #23 by DC Comics in 1999. In 1988, Worldvision Home Video released “Dr. Lo Has Got To Go”, “There’s No Place Like Outer Space”, “The Sourpuss Octopus” and “The Great Shark Switch” on VHS. It wouldn’t be until 2011 that Warner Archive would release the full series on DVD as part of their Hanna-Barbera Classics Collection.

Jabberjaw on Mystery Incorporated.

            Jabberjaw, sans his band, returned to star in Yogi’s Space Race. He bounced around in guest appearances in Hanna-Barbera’s All-Star Comedy Ice Revue (voiced by Don Messick), Laff-a-Lympics, Yogi’s Treasure Hunt, Sealab 2021, Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law, Night of the Living Doo, Johnny Bravo and Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated. Jabberjaw and The Neptunes reunited and received a modern update as a ska band for a music video set to Pain’s “Jabberjaw (Running Underwater)”, which aired on Cartoon Network and Boomerang. He also appeared with many others for the 2012 MetLife commercial, “Everyone.” In 2018, more realistic interpretations of the characters drawn by Paul Pelletier appeared alongside Aquaman in the second wave of DC Comics’ Hanna-Barbera crossover one-shot series in Aquaman/Jabberjaw Special #1. Written by then-current Aqauman scribe Dan Abnett, the issue saw Jabberjaw coming from an alternate dimension where Aquaman was a cartoon character that inspired their undersea way of life. In the 2020 film Scoob!, The Neptunes were listed as a featured act for the Hex Girls— the fictional goth female group within the Scooby universe —on a poster in the background.

EPISODE GUIDE:

“Dr. Lo Has Got to Go” (9/11/76) – Dr. Lo unleashes a gorgon on the city of Aquahama.

“There’s No Place Like Outer Space” (9/18/76) – Aliens land and begin their invasion in the city of Hydrostan.

“Atlantis, Get Lost” (9/25/76) – Dorsal plans to overthrow the queen of Atlantis in order to become king.

“Run, Jabber, Run” (10/2/76) – Jabberjaw competes in the Undersea Olympics to unmask Z, the leader of a worldwide criminal organization.

“The Sourpuss Octopus” (10/9/76) – The Neptunes end up having to protect Professor Acosta from the Octopus while on his expedition to find treasure in Panaqua.

“Hang onto Your Hat, Jabber” (10/16/76) – The Brotherhood of Evil seeks to obtain the Power Helmet, which grants its wearer’s every wish.

“The Great Shark Switch” (10/23/76) – The Neptunes are accused of kidnapping Commander Shark and it’s up to Jabberjaw to prove their innocence.

“Claim-Jumped Jabber” (10/30/76) – Coldfinger is after the richest mines in Aqualaska, but Jabberjaw stands in his way.

“Ali Jabber and the Secret Thieves” (11/6/76) – Volton, an evil mass of energy, meets The Neptunes when they tour the kingdom of Hydrabia.

“Help, Help, It’s the Phantom of the Kelp” (11/13/76) – The Phantom plots to use a growth ray to raise an army to conquer the Aqua International Corporation.

“No Helpin’ the Sculpin” (11/20/76) – Sculpin steals an unfinished time machine from Professor Thorstein.

“The Bermuda Triangle Tangle” (11/25/76) – Sorceress Madame Sargasso captures The Neptunes when they accidentally enter the Bermuda Triangle.

“Malice in Aqualand” (11/27/76) – Jabberjaw witnesses Dr. Cybron replacing the Rajah with a robot duplicate, prompting Cybron to target The Neptunes before they can stop him.

“The Fast-Paced Chase Race” (12/4/76) – The Neptunes try to win the Trans-Marine Race while attempting to stop Dr. Robek’s evil plans.

“The Piranha Plot” (12/11/76) – The Piranha captures the tanker The Neptunes are sailing on to steal the special rocket fuel it carries for his plans to conquer the Underwater States of America.

“There’s No Heel Like El Eel” (12/18/76) – Jabberjaw must stop El Eel from turning the entire world to stone.

Originally posted in 2017. Updated in 2020.