The Herculoids

The Herculoids is an American Saturday-morning animated-cartoon television series, created and designed by Alex Toth, that was produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions. The show debuted on September 9, 1967, on CBS.[1] Hanna-Barbera produced one season for the original airing of the show, although the original 18 episodes were rerun during the 1968–69 television season, with The Herculoids ending its run on September 6, 1969.[2] Eleven new episodes were produced in 1981 as part of the Space Stars show.[3] The plotlines are rooted in science fiction, and have story direction and content similar to Jonny Quest and Space Ghost.

The Herculoids
The Herculoids title card.
GenreScience fiction
Created byAlex Toth
Directed byWilliam Hanna
Joseph Barbera
Voices ofMike Road
Virginia Gregg
Teddy Eccles
Don Messick
Composer(s)Ted Nichols
Country of originUnited States
No. of episodes18 (36 segments, 1967–1969)
11 (1981–1982)
Production
Producer(s)William Hanna
Joseph Barbera
Running time22 min. - two 11 min. segments (1967–1969)
6 min. segments of Space Stars (1981–1982)
Production company(s)Hanna-Barbera Productions
DistributorTaft, H-B Program Sales
Release
Original networkCBS
Original releaseSeptember 9, 1967 –
January 6, 1968
Chronology
Related showsSpace Stars
External links
Website

In the show, the space barbarian family Zandor, Tara and son Dorno fight alongside their giant pet Herculoids — dragon Zok, rhinoceros Tundro, rock ape Igoo and the shape-shifting Gloop and Gleep — to keep their planet safe from invading robots, mad scientists and mutants.[4] The diverse team fought an endless battle against a stream of villains including, according to Children's Television: The First Thirty-Five Years, "the Faceless People, Destroyer Ants, Raider Apes, Mutoids, Arnoids, Zorbots, the Mekkano mechanical men and the Ogs, a strange form of vegetable life."[5]

This series is set on the distant planet Amzot (renamed Quasar in the later series Space Stars, with which it otherwise shared a continuity). The name "Amzot" was first mentioned in the Space Ghost episode "The Molten Monsters of Moltar" (in which the Herculoids made a brief guest appearance) and in the series proper in the "Time Creatures" episode.

Characters

There are eight regular characters who make up the Herculoids:

The Herculoids

Humans

The three humans were the only ones who could communicate in English.

  • Zandor (voiced by Mike Road) - The protector of Amzot/Quasar, and leader of The Herculoids.
  • Tara (voiced by Virginia Gregg) - Zandor's wife.
  • Dorno (voiced by Ted Eccles in the original series, Sparky Marcus in 1981) - Son of Zandor and Tara. Despite being their son, he still refers to them by their first names, rather than "Mother" and "Father." However this changed in the 1980s revival of the series.

Creatures

The five creature characters of The Herculoids are:

  • Zok (voiced by Mike Road) - A flying space dragon. He can emit laser beams from his eyes and tail. His eyes also produce a "nega-beam" that can neutralize certain energy attacks. Zok can survive in space unaided, is capable of interstellar travel, and can breathe fire.
  • Igoo (voiced by Mike Road) - A rock ape. An extremely large and powerful simian, he has extremely dense rocklike skin and is nearly invulnerable to harm. In one episode, Igoo wades through a pond of molten lava. Igoo has a kind and gentle temperament as well as a great fondness and devotion for Tara, and would do anything for her.
  • Tundro (voiced by Mike Road) - A ten-legged, four-horned rhinoceros/Triceratops hybrid. He can shoot explosive energy rocks from his cannon-horn (Zandor, Tara, and Dorno also occasionally shoot similar rocks with slingshots). His natural armor-plating is exceptionally strong, similar to Igoo's rock skin. His legs have the ability to extend to a remarkable length, somewhat like stilts. He can also spin his head at blinding speed, allowing him to drill through solid rock, and has the ability to make magnificent leaps.
  • Gloop and Gleep (both voiced by Don Messick) - Two protoplasmic creatures. They are able to absorb and deflect energy blasts and laser beams, often placing themselves between attackers and other Herculoids to act as shields. They can also form shapes including, but not limited to: cushions, trampolines or parachutes to break falls; stretching themselves between tree limbs or rocks to act as slingshots; encircling an attacker's limbs to restrain them, or the entire body to squeeze and render them unconscious. Gloop is the larger of the two.

Legacy

After its initial run, The Herculoids was featured in several anthology wheel series produced by Hanna-Barbara including Hanna–Barbera's World of Super Adventure, Space Stars (for which 11 additional episodes were created), and both the Cartoon Network and Boomerang incarnations of Super Adventures. The series has also influenced other artists of various mediums. Award-winning video game designer David Crane has stated that he enjoyed the series as a child and that the character of Blobert from the A Boy and His Blob franchise was directly inspired by Gloop and Gleep.[6] Jamaican American DJ DJ Kool Herc at one time employed a backing band which also drew its name from the show, fictionalized versions of which appear in the Netflix period series The Get Down.

Cameos

Roughly contemporaneous to their own series premiere, the Herculoids made an appearance in an episode of Space Ghost, "The Molten Monsters of Moltar" (sources are unclear and/or inconsistent as to exact airdates). In the "Council of Doom" story arc, Space Ghost, while battling the combined might of all of his enemies, meets a number of Hanna-Barbera heroes just as they were debuting in their own respective series. Along with the Herculoids were Shazzan, Moby Dick and the Mighty Mightor, the last two sharing one series. Several episodes of Space Ghost Coast to Coast mention or show the Herculoids. In "Lawsuit", Space Ghost mentions the Herculoids' planet. In the episode "Sequel", he goes to their planet and refers to it as a "rotten hippie monster commune" after they demand he leave while pelting him with stones.[7] Gloop is mentioned by name and features prominently in the Sealab 2021 episode "Hail, Squishface". Gloop makes several guest appearances on Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law as well. Gleep is mentioned at one point but he does make cameos in "Mindless" and "Juror in Court", and Zok makes an appearance in "Peanut Puberty" (Phil Ken Sebben throws a graph chart at him).

Tundro makes an appearance in "Beyond the Valley of the Dinosaurs" firing his energy rocks at Phil Ken Sebben, who forgot to close the hot tub time portal to prehistoric times, and Tara appears on the evolution chart in between Fred Flintstone and Race Bannon in "Evolutionary War". The Herculoids is mentioned in an episode of The Venture Bros., where an old "fan letter" of Dr. Venture to the show is discovered. Upon reading, the letter is revealed to be more akin to hate mail; young Rusty Venture called the Herculoids hippies for not fighting in Vietnam. Tundro and Gloop appear in an episode of Family Guy, "8 Simple Rules for Buying My Teenage Daughter". In the scene, Gloop fails to get a babysitting job from Lois. In protest, Tundro shows up and fires his energy rocks at Lois. Gloop and Gleep appeared in a cameo as captured prisoners of a hostile alien race in the Dexter's Laboratory episode "Mis-Placed in Space". The Herculoids appear in issue 50 of New Mutants when Professor X is searching for Magik on a planet in the Shi'ar galaxy.

Episodes

Original series

Each show featured two Herculoids episodes.

Nº Title Original air date
1a"The Pirates"September 9, 1967 (1967-09-09)
After killing two creatures with a treasure chest, pirates bury it on Amzot. When the Herculoids approach, Dorno is captured and held hostage.
1b"Sarko the Arkman"September 9, 1967 (1967-09-09)
Sarko (pronounced Arko in this episode) captured Igoo for unknown reasons, attacked Zandor with sleeping gas, and captured Dorno and Tundro as well.
2a"The Pod Creatures"September 16, 1967 (1967-09-16)
An alien spacecraft hovers over Amzot, dropping mechanical pods onto the planet. Meanwhile, Dorno, Igoo and Gleep, on a mission to get firewood, see the robotic pod creatures as the pods open up and start attacking the trio.
2b"Mekkor"September 16, 1967 (1967-09-16)
A group of powerful robots, led by a larger robot, attack the Herculoids.
3a"The Beaked People"September 23, 1967 (1967-09-23)
Krokar, leader of the Beaked People, stages an invasion on the Winged Monkeys, purposely letting one escape so he can capture Zandor and rule Amzot.
Note: This was the only episode in the 1967 version where Dorno refers to Zandor and Tara as Dad and Mom; even in this episode Dorno reverts to calling Zandor by his name. In the 1981 revival series, Dorno refers to Zandor and Tara as Father and Mother.
3b"The Raiders"September 23, 1967 (1967-09-23)
Sta-Lak (then unnamed) flew over Amzot; upon seeing Zandor and Zok, Sta-Lak turned his ship invisible to avoid detection, with the intent of taking Tara prisoner.
4a"The Mole Men"September 30, 1967 (1967-09-30)
After being woken up by a bird, Zandor investigates Marcon and the Mole Men's plans to invade the surface world, saving a condemned prisoner in the process. Meanwhile, other Mole Men are attacking the Herculoids.
4b"The Lost Dorgyte"September 30, 1967 (1967-09-30)
Zandor rescues a young boy from a vulture; the Herculoids then take the boy back to his heavily-shadowed home because he can not live in sunlight. The insect-looking creatures attack the Herculoids on their way out.
5a"The Spider Men"October 7, 1967 (1967-10-07)
A group of spider-like creatures kidnap Dorno, then try doing the same with Tara. Gloop saves her while Gleep blows a horn beckoning the Herculoids to action. Zandor briefly frees Dorno with his shield but is soon captured with Dorno. After a stalemate, Zandor calls the Herculoids to action for one concentrated attack.
Note: this was the first time that the Herculoids were referred to by name within the episode.
5b"The Android People"October 7, 1967 (1967-10-07)
Zandor was captured by Gorvac, leader of the Android People, and created a giant evil clone of Zandor with plans to create an army of Zandor clones.
6a"Defeat of Ogron"October 14, 1967 (1967-10-14)
Andropon and his robots invade Amzot, where the Herculoids easily defeat them. After Andropon continuously threatens to build replacement robot armies (and Zandor continuously vows to defeat said armies), Andropon pits his top warrior Ogron against Zandor and Zok.
6b"Prisoners of the Bubblemen"October 14, 1967 (1967-10-14)
Brotak and his Bubblemen kidnap Zandor and Tara for the purpose of using them as scientific experiments.
7a"Mekkano, the Machine Master"October 21, 1967 (1967-10-21)
Trained machines break Mekkano out of an intergalactic prison, where he vows to destroy the ones who put him in prison: Zandor and the Herculoids.
7b"Tiny World of Terror"October 21, 1967 (1967-10-21)
Torrak shrinks the Herculoids down to microscopic size for the purpose of destroying them with his super-powered microorganisms and then enslaving the galaxy.
8a"The Gladiators of Kyanite"October 28, 1967 (1967-10-28)
After destroying the last wild creature of Kyanite, Neron and his gladiators capture Tundro. Zandor and Zok, followed by the rest of the Herculoids, arrive at the arena to rescue Tundro and fight the gladiators.
8b"Temple of Trax"October 28, 1967 (1967-10-28)
The unnamed high priest of Trax kidnaps Tara in order to use her as a sacrifice for the idol Trax, cutting off the Herculoids in their rescue attempt. Can Zandor and Zok, who are miles away, get to Trax in time?
9a"The Time Creatures"November 4, 1967 (1967-11-04)
Oton, leader of the Time Creatures, has determined that in order to rule Amzot in the future, he has to change its past, starting with destroying the Herculoids and altering time in his favor.
9b"The Raider Apes"November 4, 1967 (1967-11-04)
Gotron and his Raider Apes burn a village in search of gold. The Herculoids come to the villagers' aid.
10a"The Zorbots"November 11, 1967 (1967-11-11)
A terrible wind storm is raging on Amzot. However, Zandor notices that winds on the left side of a canyon are aiming right, while winds travel in the opposite direction on the right side. Zandor and the Herculoids investigate, and discover Konar is destroying Amzot's atmosphere to replace it with his own. Konar sends his henchmen, who are either killed or injured by the Herculoids. As Zandor confronts Konar, Konar brings out the giant Zorbots to take on the Herculoids. Zandor chooses to surrender in order to destroy the wind machine from within and, when successful, battle the Zorbots.
10b"Invasion of the Electrode Men"November 11, 1967 (1967-11-11)
Volton and his Electrode Men fly into a volcanic crater, setting up a dome headquarters to take over Amzot. The Herculoids are easily defeating them until Volton takes Tara and Dorno prisoner. Zandor and the Herculoids have to wait until nightfall, when the Electrode Men's power is weakened.
11a"Destroyer Ants"November 18, 1967 (1967-11-18)
A lightning storm causes a nest of giant ant eggs to hatch. The giant ants cause havoc and destruction and Zandor and the Herculoids must put an end to them.
11b"Swamp Monster"November 18, 1967 (1967-11-18)
A hideous monster emerges from a swamp and goes on a rampage, destroying anything it comes in contact with by its radioactive touch. It eventually traps Dorno and Gleep in a cave, and it is up to Zandor and the rest of the Herculoids to rescue them and defeat the creature.
12a"Mission of the Amatons"November 25, 1967 (1967-11-25)
Amak and the Amatons come to the planet and place control collars on some animals. When their efforts to enslave the Herculoids fail, Amak tries to kill them. Gloop and Gleep save the day by turning Amak's stun turret on him, causing his ship to crash.
12b"Queen Skorra"November 25, 1967 (1967-11-25)
Queen Skorra unleashes a mud/lava creature which they eventually defeat, but Skorra plans to force them into exile by sending her drones to capture Gleep, Gloop, Tara, and Dorno. They defend themselves long enough for Zandor and the others to return and drive off the drones. Skorra launches a mega-shield missile and closes the mega-circle to destroy everyone, but Tundro creates a smokescreen while the others make a tunnel to escape and then send Skorra running.
13a"Laser Lancers"December 2, 1967 (1967-12-02)
The story starts with Zandor knocked out by the Laser Lancers and the Herculoids coming to the rescue. Magoth and the Lancers send a new wave of attackers which the Herculoids repel, but it is a ploy to take Dorno and Tara hostage. With Gleep's help, they seal off the tunnel the Lancers used to sneak up and repel them once and for all.
13b"Attack of the Faceless People"December 2, 1967 (1967-12-02)
The princess Serena of the Sun People arrives on Amzot, being pursued by Darkon of the Faceless People. Darkon wants Serena so he can control her people. The Herculoids successfully drive him off, but not before he captures Tara. Zandor agrees to a trade, but substitutes a berobed Gleep for Serena and they destroy Darkon's palace from the inside.
14a"The Mutoids"December 9, 1967 (1967-12-09)
A ship crash-lands on Amzot with a sole occupant on board. Zandor offers assistance and the passenger turns out to be a Mutoid, a race who can change their appearance to anything. The Mutoids plan to use Amzot as a launching site for their missiles to fool their enemies. Can Zandor and the Herculoids stop them in time?
14b"The Crystallites"December 9, 1967 (1967-12-09)
A meteor crash-lands on Azmot and transforms into a giant crystalline object. Zandor investigates and is attacked by the Crystallites, while Tara and Dorno are captured in crystal cells. Zandor, Gloop, and Gleep steal uniforms, sneak into the fortress and free Dorno and Tara. Gloop and Zok destroy Kryton's ship and he is defeated.
15a"Return of Sta-Lak"December 16, 1967 (1967-12-16)
Sta-Lak returns to Amzot seeking vengeance and equipped with robot duplicates of Igoo, Zok, and Tundro. He captures Dorno, Tara and Zandor and the others are forced to go into his volcano lair. The robot duplicates prove no match to the originals, even though the robot Igoo can spin at high speeds and has multiple arms, and the robot Tundro can fly. Sta-Lak enters a bubble and flees into a volcanic lavahole.
15b"Revenge of the Pirates"December 16, 1967 (1967-12-16)
The pirate captain and his crew from "The Pirates" return. Using an image transmitter, the captain immobilizes Zandor and the Herculoids and takes Dorno and Tara prisoner. Zok uses his neutralizing eye beams to free them, then Gloop finds the real Dorno and Tara from the transmitted images and the Herculoids launch a new assault. The captain tries to escape, but Gloop blocks his escape missile tube, causing the ship to explode.
16a"Ruler of the Reptons"December 23, 1967 (1967-12-23)
Tara is captured by the Reptons, who place her in a mind control device to make her their evil queen. She orders her people to destroy Zandor and the Herculoids, who beat them and go to rescue Tara. The Reptons send the Destructo Bats after them, but they escape, recover Tara, free her from the machine's influence, and destroy the Reptons' underground lair.
16b"The Antidote"December 23, 1967 (1967-12-23)
While investigating panic among the Monkey People, Zandor confronts a giant spider and is bitten and poisoned. Dorno must go to the six-legged mustachioed Spider People within the Endless Caves with the Herculoids to get the only known antidote. The Spider People capture Dorno to hold him hostage. The Herculoids eventually stage a rescue, get the antidote, and block the Spider People's caves to cover their escape.
17a"Attack from Space"December 30, 1967 (1967-12-30)
Amzot is being bombarded by the planet Luvanuum. Zaygot and his henchmen are trying to destroy Azmot. The Herculoids travel to Luvanuum in a ship captured from Sarco. When they land, their ship is destroyed and they are attacked by winged sentries with deadly laser beams. The Herculoids destroy Zaygot's base and he escapes - they use Zaygot's ship to return to Amzot.
17b"The Return of Torrak"December 30, 1967 (1967-12-30)
Torrak returns and sends out a giant fly to capture Tara. The Herculoids follow and discover that Torrak's warrior microorganisms are now larger and more formidable, but defeat them anyway.
18a"The Island of the Gravites"January 6, 1968 (1968-01-06)
Zandor and Dorno rescue a man floating in the river who says he is from Gravite Island and tells them that a villain has taken over the island. The Herculoids go to investigate and are attacked by giant gravite creatures. The creatures are being created by Lotak, who wants the village because of its large deposits of gravite. Zok destroys the machine Lotak uses to make his creatures and Lotak is destroyed when his energy ray backfires.
18b"Malak and the Metal Apes"January 6, 1968 (1968-01-06)
Malak sends his Metal Apes to attack the Sea People. Dorno is shot off of Zok by one of the creatures. Zandor and the Herculoids destroy the Metal Apes. A damaged Metal Ape returns to Malak's headquarters and is followed by the Herculoids. The Herculoids destroy the remaining Metal Apes and Zok causes a steel beam to fall on Malak and his assistant.

Space Stars revival
Nº Title Original air date
1"The Ice Monster"September 12, 1981 (1981-09-12)
Dorno is feeling depressed when Zandor treats him like a child because of his size and age. Meanwhile, an ancient indestructible robotic monster emerges from a block of ice.
2"The Purple Menace"September 19, 1981 (1981-09-19)
Glowing purple rocks have brought to life purple vines which cause havoc.
3"The Firebird"September 26, 1981 (1981-09-26)
A volcano erupts, revealing a firebird who has taken up residency in the volcano's crater and threatens the Herculoids.
4"The Energy Creature"October 3, 1981 (1981-10-03)
A meteorite containing an energy creature lands on Quasar. When it imprisons creatures in its coils, it takes on their forms and properties also.
5"The Snake Riders"October 10, 1981 (1981-10-10)
Dorno and Gleep discover a plot by the Snake Riders to take over the planet. The Herculoids must stop their plans for planetary conquest.
6"The Buccaneer"October 17, 1981 (1981-10-17)
The Buccaneer and his band of pirates arrive on Quasar to look for buried treasure.
7"The Thunderbolt"October 24, 1981 (1981-10-24)
Saiju, a creature with a voracious appetite, comes upon some electrically-charged rocks and mutates into a living electrical monster after eating them. The Herculoids learn that the effects of those rocks are temporary and try to revert Saiju to normal.
8"Return of the Ancients"October 31, 1981 (1981-10-31)
The descendants/survivors of a highly developed race that was wiped out on Quasar return to the planet after a 1,000-year mission, and they are not too happy to find out that their civilization is gone.
9"Space Trappers"November 7, 1981 (1981-11-07)
Space Trappers arrive on Quasar and capture the Herculoids for their intergalactic circus.
10"The Invisibles"November 14, 1981 (1981-11-14)
A chunk of magnilite lands in the Lost Lake of Quasar. Before long, the Herculoids go up against enemies that they cannot see. Zandor soon learns from the Zelos King Zel that his son Eezo and his followers might be the culprits.
11"Mindbender"November 21, 1981 (1981-11-21)
While playing, Dorno, Gloop, and Gleep discover and unearth a metal cylinder which contains a big-brained alien. When they release him, he reveals himself to be a member of a race that ruled Quasar thousands of years ago. The Herculoids try to recapture the Mindbender.

Voices

The Herculoids in other languages
  • French: Les Défenseurs interplanétaires
  • Chinese: 宇宙泰山 The show was introduced by ATV in Hong Kong as "宇宙泰山" in traditional Chinese or Cantonese, which stands for Tarzan in Space or Universe.
  • Italian: Gli Erculoidi
  • Portuguese: Os Herculóides
  • Spanish: Los Defensores Interplanetarios (The Interplanetary Defenders) or Spanish: Los Herculoides (The Herculoids)
  • Hungarian: A Herkuloidák
  • Japanese: 怪獣王ターガン Kaijû Ô Tâgan (Monster King Targan)
  • The characters' names in Japan were Targan (Zandor), Marmi (Tara), Kane (Dorno), Maryû (Zok), Rikira (Igoo), Tangurô (Tundro), Hyûhyû (Gloop) and Bôbô (Gleep).
  • Welsh: Sandor. The cartoon was dubbed into Welsh and transmitted during Yr Awr Fawr (The Big Hour) on Sunday mornings. Originally shown on BBC2 Wales and then BBC1 Wales in the late 1970s and 1980s, this was before the introduction of the Welsh language channel S4C in 1982.

Home media

On June 14, 2011, Warner Archive released The Herculoids: 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.[8]

In other media

Comic books
Super TV Heroes #1 (1968) and Cartoon Network Presents #17 (1999), featuring the Herculoids on their covers

The Herculoids have appeared in various comic books through the years. In 1968-1969, they appeared in issues #1-2 and 4-7 of the series Hanna-Barbera Super TV Heroes. In 1978, they appeared in issue #3 of the Marvel Comics series TV Stars. Between 1997 and 1999, they appeared in issues #5, 9, 13 and 17 of the DC Comics series Cartoon Network Presents.[9]

In 2016, the Herculoids 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, Birdman and the Galaxy Trio, Frankenstein Jr. and The Impossibles and Moby Dick and Mighty Mightor.[10]

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See also

References
  1. Markstein, Don (2007). "The Herculoids". Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Archived from the original on June 20, 2014. Like the majority of Hanna-Barbera's late '60s adventure characters... The Herculoids were created by designer Alex Toth.
  2. Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. pp. 407–408. ISBN 978-1476665993.
  3. Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. pp. 771–772. ISBN 978-1476665993.
  4. Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 279. ISBN 978-1538103739.
  5. Woolery, George W. (1983). Children's Television: The First Thirty-Five Years, 1946-1981. Scarecrow Press. pp. 139–140. ISBN 0-8108-1557-5. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  6. G4 staff (April 10, 2009). "David Crane Interview Part 2: Pitfall and A Boy and His Blob in High Definition" (Flash video). G4. Retrieved September 29, 2009.
  7. Ghost Planet Central
  8. "The Herculoids - 'The Complete Series' DVDs: Packaging, Date, Cost and Extras". Archived from the original on 2011-09-14.
  9. The Herculoids (characters) at the Grand Comics Database
  10. "Future Quest (DC Comics)". DC Comics. June 27, 2016. Retrieved December 15, 2016.
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