Fabulous Funnies

1 9 7 8 – 1 9 7 9 (USA)
13 x 30 minute episodes

This potpourri of some well-known and some obscure comic strip characters was produced by Filmation and aired on NBC on Saturday afternoons. The goal of the cartoons was to be educational as well as entertaining for children, and the stories usually featured a moral of some kind.

Alley Oop was a caveman who had been around on the funny pages since 1933. Here he lived with his romantic interest Oola under the rule of King Guzzle in the ancient Kingdom of Moo.

Other classic cartoons included Nancy – who had been hanging out with her tough-looking pal Sluggo since 1940 – and the ancestor of them all, the Katzenjammer Kids, who had terrorised the Captain with their mischievous antics since 1897.

The Johnny-come-lately of the bunch was Broom Hilda, an inept 1,500-year-old witch with somewhat rusty powers who had been a comic character only since 1970, and a rather minor one at that.

A special by the same name aired on NBC prime time on 11 February 1968 with Carl Reiner as host. While it had a different production company, the special did feature Ernie Bushmiller, the creator of the Nancy comic character.

Broom Hilda/Sluggo/Oola/Hans & Fritz Katzenjammer
June Foray
Nancy/Emmy Lou
Jayne Hamil
Foozy/Alley Oop/Der Captain 
Bob Holt
Gaylord/King Guzzle/Der Inspector
Alan Oppenheimer
Magic Mirror
Lou Scheimer

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