By 1979, the Super Friendsseries – originally launched on ABC Saturday mornings in 1973 – had already seen four different versions and even experienced a brief cancellation. With each new season came changes in title and tone, reflecting shifts in storytelling and style for the beloved superheroes.
Between 1979 and 1983, the franchise, known as the longest-running animated superhero series ever, cycled through four distinct titles. One notable iteration, The World’s Greatest SuperFriends, premiered on September 22, 1979.
This hour-long program divided its time between reruns of earlier episodes – mostly from the Challenge of the Superfriendshalf-hour series – and brand-new 22-minute stories.
These fresh adventures leaned heavily on literary themes, featuring the heroes confronting an Aladdin-esque evil genie on the planet Zaghdad, battling the space knights of Camelon, and assisting Middle-earth trolls in capturing a special ring to defeat a sinister sorcerer and his dragon.
The series introduced a group of tiny superpowered Kandorians who aided some of the SuperFriends against the villainous Captain Nimoy and his aquatic schemes for world domination.
Another highlight involved Robin thwarting a rampaging Super-Monster – created by a descendant of Dr Frankenstein – imbued with the combined powers of Superman and Wonder Woman, and clad in a hybrid Superman-Batman costume.
A recurring motif in nearly every episode was the duplication of heroes or their transformations into trolls or monsters. The final episode of the series, “The Planet of Oz,” saw Mr Mxyzptlk whisking three heroes into the magical world of The Wizard of Oz, transforming Wonder Woman into the Lion, Superman into the Tin Man, and Aquaman into the Scarecrow.
The World’s Greatest SuperFriends ran until September 27, 1980, after which it evolved into the next chapter of the series, The SuperFriends Hour.
Narrator
Bill Woodson Superman
Danny Dark Batman
Olan Soule Robin
Casey Kasem Aquaman/Orville Gump
Bill Callaway Wonder Woman/Lois Lane
Shannon Farnon Jayna
Louise Williams Zan/Gleek
Michael Bell Lex Luthor
Stanley Jones Mr Mxyzptlk
Frank Welker
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Between 1979 and 1983, the franchise, known as the longest-running animated superhero series ever, cycled through four distinct titles. One notable iteration, The World’s Greatest SuperFriends, premiered on September 22, 1979.
