The Herculoids
- This article refers to the TV series. For the group, see Herculoids.
| The Herculoids | |
|---|---|
 On-screen title card. | |
| Created by | Alex Toth |
| Network | CBS NBC |
| Production company | Hanna-Barbera |
| Distributor | Taft Broadcasting |
| Original release | September 9, 1967—January 6, 1968; September 12—November 21, 1981 |
| Starring | Mike Road Virginia Gregg Teddy Eccles Sparky Marcus Don Messick |
| Producer(s) | William Hanna Joseph Barbera Art Scott |
| Music composed by | Ted Nichols Hoyt Curtin |
| Writer(s) | Joe Ruby Ken Spears David Scott |
| Director(s) | William Hanna Joseph Barbera |
| Animation director(s) | Charles A. Nichols |
The Herculoids is an American animated scifi-fantasy/action adventure television series produced by Hanna-Barbera (H-B) for CBS' Saturday morning children's programming. It ran from 1967 to 1968, airing 18 episodes that spanned one season. In 1981, it was revived for a second season with a further 11 episodes as segments of Space Stars on NBC.
A technologically primitive human family, with the help of a group of mysterious alien creatures known as the Herculoids, defend the planet of Amzot from technologically superior threats from outer space. In the revival, the series was set 1,000 years in the future, and without reason, Amzot was renamed Quasar.
The entire original series has been released on both DVD and Blu-ray Disc, and the entire second season revival has been released on DVD.
Production
Development
Casting
Music
The music for the first season was composed by Ted Nichols, who was credited as musical director. Then in the second season, it was Hoyt Curtin, with musical supervision from Paul DeKorte.
Episodes
| Title | Original air date |
|---|---|
| 1x01 | September 9, 1967 |
| 1x02 | September 16, 1967 |
| 1x03 | September 23, 1967 |
| 1x04 | September 30, 1967 |
| 1x05 | October 7, 1967 |
| 1x06 | October 14, 1967 |
| 1x07 | October 21, 1967 |
| 1x08 | October 28, 1967 |
| 1x09 | November 4, 1967 |
| 1x10 | November 11, 1967 |
| 1x11 | November 18, 1967 |
| 1x12 | November 25, 1967 |
| 1x13 | December 2, 1967 |
| 1x14 | December 9, 1967 |
| 1x15 | December 16, 1967 |
| 1x16 | December 23, 1967 |
| 1x17 | December 30, 1967 |
| 1x18 | January 6, 1968 |
Space Stars
| Title | Original air date |
|---|---|
| 2x01 | September 12, 1981 |
| 2x02 | September 19, 1981 |
| 2x03 | September 26, 1981 |
| 2x04 | October 3, 1981 |
| 2x05 | October 10, 1981 |
| 2x06 | October 17, 1981 |
| 2x07 | October 24, 1981 |
| 2x08 | October 31, 1981 |
| 2x09 | November 7, 1981 |
| 2x10 | November 14, 1981 |
| 2x11 | November 21, 1981 |
Cast
- Mike Road as Zandor, Zok, Igoo, Tundro
- Virginia Gregg as Tara
- Teddy Eccles (season 1) and Sparky Marcus (season 2) as Dorno
- Don Messick as Gloop and Gleep
Crossover
| Title | Original air date |
|---|---|
| 1 | September 16, 1967 |
Credits
These identical credits appeared at the end of every episode of the original series.
- Produced and directed by: William Hanna and Joseph Barbera
- Associate producer: Art Scott
- Story by: Ken Spears, Joe Ruby, David Scott
- Story directors: Bill Perez, Paul Sommer
- Musical director: Ted Nichols
- Production supervisor: Howard Hanson
- Animation director: Charles A. Nichols
- Assistant production supervisor: Victor O. Schipek
- Character designer: Alex Toth
- Layout artists: Bill Perez, Tony Sgori, Nick Gibson, Al Wilson, Jack Huber, Dick Bickenbach
- Animators: Ed Aardal, John Sparey, Lou Kachivas, Rudy Cataldi, Harry Holt, Ray Abrams, Dick Hall, Tony Love
- Technical supervisors: Frank Paiker
- Background artists: Paul Julian, Gary Niblett, Cathleen Braver
- Camera operators: Bill Kotler, Gene Borghi, Byron McRae, Cliff Shirpser
- Supervising film editor: Warner Leighton
- Film editors: Larry Cowan, David Horton, Geoffrey Griffin
- Sound directors: Richard Olsen, Bill Getty
Legacy
In 2016, DC Comics reimagined the series (which included retconning the two different eras together) in Future Quest and Future Quest Presents.
In popular culture
- In the Family Guy episode "8 Simple Rules for Buying My Teenage Daughter," Lois interviews Gloop for a babysitting job, but she can't understand him. Gloop seems to be offended and talks more gibberish when Lois asks him to leave, which he does but not before getting Tundro to fire rocks at her. It should be noted that when Lois asks for a reference from his previous "employers," she refers to them as the Herculoids, but it's unclear if she meant the Herculoids themselves or their human friends, as Future Quest Presents also referred to the humans as being members of the Herculoids.
- In The Venture Bros. episode "Twenty Years to Midnight," young Rusty wrote a letter to the Herculoids, calling them hippies for not fighting in the Vietnam war.
- In the Mad episode "The Social Netjerk/Turn off that Clark," during the "The Social Netjerk" segment, He-Man and the "Herculoids Guy [Zandor]" send a friend request to Tyler Winklevoss on Rich Blonde Twins.
Comic Book Men
- Main article: Comic Book Men
- "Ghostbusting in the Stash:" Kevin Smith thought there were songs in The Herculoids, like Josie and the Pussycats in Outer Space.
- "Wookie Fever:" Mike said he wanted Igoo as a pet.
Merchandise
Home media
The first season has been released by the Warner Archive Collection in DVD and Blu-ray Disc formats. The Herculoids: The Complete Series was released on DVD on June 14, 2011, and The Herculoids: The Complete Original Series was released on Blu-ray Disc on July 27, 2021.
The Warner Archive Collection also released the second season on the DVD set Space Stars: The Complete Series on October 8, 2013.
Toys
In 2003, Toynami released three sets of 6-inch fully poseable action figures: A two-pack of Zok and Zandor, a three-pack of Dorno, Gleep, and Tundro, and a three-pack of Tara, Gloop, and Igoo.
