Skatebirds (TV series)

Skatebirds
On-screen title card.
Network	CBS
Production company	Hanna-Barbera
Distributor	Taft Broadcasting
Original release	September 10, 1977–January 21, 1978
Starring	Scatman Crothers Maurice Cooke Lennie Weinrib Bruce Hoyt Bob Holt Ken Means Don Messick Joe Giamalva Joe Baker Ross Martin Frank Welker Paul Winchell Jim MacGeorge David Jolliffe Patricia Stich Bob Hastings Tara Talboy John Stephenson Stephen Parr Lynn Marie Johnston Larry Volk Michael Kermoyan Micky Dolenz Susan Davis
Producer(s)	Terry Morse, Jr.
Writer(s)	Sid Morse Norman Camaron
Director(s)	Sidney Miller Hollingsworth Morse Charles A. Nichols Chris Cuddington
Second title card

Skatebirds is a live-action/animated American anthology television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions. The series originally aired on CBS. It ran from 1977 to 1978, airing 16 episodes that spanned one season.

The show debuted with segments, The Robonic Stooges, Wonder Wheels, Woofer & Wimper, Dog Detectives and Mystery Island.

Since Hanna-Barbera's All-Star Comedy Ice Revue came out around the same time Skatebirds premiered, the special actually advertised it's premiere, even showing some clips from the show.

Much like The Banana Splits, the series featured musical numbers, although the Skatebird numbers were less closer to bubblegum music, and more about the "Skate-word for today."

The series had a number of instances of being split up for syndication formatting, the first being when the Skatebirds was canceled, and The Robonic Stooges and Woofer & Wimper, Dog Detectives were spun off into their own half hour, and when both came to an end, Skatebirds, Wonder Wheels and The Robonic Stooges were packaged into their own half hour series, with Mystery Island airing with Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels, and Woofer & Wimper, Dog Detectives having an unknown fate.

During airtime on Cartoon Network in the 1990s, it aired for a block called 70's Super Explosion.

Segments

• Live-action skits featuring The Skatebirds
• The Robonic Stooges
• Wonder Wheels
• Woofer & Wimper, Dog Detectives
• Mystery Island

Music

Opening Theme Lyrics

Hour version:

It's Skatebird time!
And here come the Skatebirds!

Knock-Knock
Scooter
Satch
And Scat Cat!

Then the Robonic Stooges!
Plus the spine-tingling suspense-filled excitement of Mystery Island
And the doggone it daffy doings of those dog detectives, Woofer and Wimper!
And more!

The unbelievable adventures of an unbelievable motorcycle, Wonder Wheels!

For all-out fun.
It's Satch!
Knock-Knock
Scooter
And Scat Cat

And for suspense, mystery and adventure,
it's the Skatebird show!

Half hour version:

It's Skatebird time!
Starring Knock-Knock,
Satchel and Scooter, those fettered clowns of fantasy!

Along with Willie the Wheeler
And the superhero cycle known as Wonder Wheels.
As well as those three mechanical marvels, the Robonic Stooges!

One big collection of wild, wacky and wonderful characters, the Skatebirds!

Episodes

Episode	Original air date
1x01 "Episode 1" The Robonic Stooges: "Invasion of the Incredible Giant Chicken" Mystery Island: "A Matter of Gravity" Woofer & Wimper, Dog Detectives: "The Paper Shaper Caper" Wonder Wheels: "The County Fair"	September 10, 1977
1x02 "Episode 2" The Robonic Stooges: "Dimwits and Dinosaurs" Mystery Island: "The Mind Blower" Woofer & Wimper, Dog Detectives: "The Case of the Lighthouse Mouse" Wonder Wheels: "The Rustlers"	September 17, 1977
1x03 "Episode 3" The Robonic Stooges: "Fish and Drips" Mystery Island: "Just Whistle for an Answer" Woofer & Wimper, Dog Detectives: "The Real Gone Gondola" Wonder Wheels: "The Skyscraper"	September 24, 1977
1x04 "Episode 4" The Robonic Stooges: "Have Saucer Will Travel" Mystery Island: "Sue's Courage" Woofer & Wimper, Dog Detectives: "Who's to Blame for the Empty Frame?" Wonder Wheels: "The Gold Train Robbery"	October 1, 1977
1x05 "Episode 5" The Robonic Stooges: "I Want My Mummy" Mystery Island: "Valley of Fire" Woofer & Wimper, Dog Detectives: "The Weird Seaweed Caper" Wonder Wheels: "The Snowmen"	October 8, 1977
1x06 "Episode 6" The Robonic Stooges: "The Great Brain Drain" Mystery Island: "Sentinels of Time" Woofer & Wimper, Dog Detectives: "The Green Thumb Caper" Wonder Wheels: "The Vanishing Prince"	October 15, 1977
1x07 "Episode 7" The Robonic Stooges: "Flea Fi Fo Fum" Mystery Island: "Who's Whom Here?" Woofer & Wimper, Dog Detectives: "The Disappearing Airport Caper" Wonder Wheels: "The Ghost Town"	October 22, 1977
1x08 "Episode 8" The Robonic Stooges: "Frozen Feud" Mystery Island: "Fate's Just a Dirty Trick" Woofer & Wimper, Dog Detectives: "The Walking House Caper" Wonder Wheels: "Double Trouble"	October 29, 1977
1x09 "Episode 9" The Robonic Stooges: "Mother Goose on the Loose" Mystery Island: "Golden Birds of Prey" Woofer & Wimper, Dog Detectives: "The Solar Energy Caper" Wonder Wheels: "The U.F.O."	November 5, 1977
1x10 "Episode 10" The Robonic Stooges: "Curly of the Apes" Mystery Island: "Visitors from Falconia" Woofer & Wimper, Dog Detectives: "The Vanishing Train Caper" Wonder Wheels: "The Hermits' Horde"	November 12, 1977
1x11 "Episode 11" The Robonic Stooges: "Don't Fuel with a Fool" Mystery Island: "The Duel" Woofer & Wimper, Dog Detectives: "The Dissolving Statue Caper" Wonder Wheels: "The Air Race"	November 19, 1977
1x12 "Episode 12" The Robonic Stooges: "The Eenie Meanie Genie" Mystery Island: "Kingdom of the Beasts" Woofer & Wimper, Dog Detectives: "The Missing Pig Caper" Wonder Wheels: "The Animals"	November 26, 1977
1x13 "Episode 13" The Robonic Stooges: "On Your Knees, Hercules" Mystery Island: "P.O.P.S. in a Box" Woofer & Wimper, Dog Detectives: "One of Our Elephants is Missing" Wonder Wheels: "The Idol's Eye"	December 3, 1977
1x14 "Episode 14" The Robonic Stooges: "Rub a Dub Dub, Three Nuts in a Sub" Mystery Island: "Island of the Apes" Woofer & Wimper, Dog Detectives: "The Amazing Heist" Wonder Wheels: "The Race Horse"	December 10, 1977
1x15 "Episode 15" The Robonic Stooges: "There's No Joy in an Evil Toy" Mystery Island: "The Skull's the Clue" Woofer & Wimper, Dog Detectives: "The Circus Caper" Wonder Wheels: "The Studio Steal"	December 17, 1977
1x16 "Episode 16" The Robonic Stooges: "Three Little Pigheads" Mystery Island: "Home Run" Woofer & Wimper, Dog Detectives: "The Prehistoric Monster Caper" Wonder Wheels: "The Golden Globe"	December 24, 1977

Cast

• Scatman Crothers as Scat Cat (voice)
• Maurice Cooke as Scat Cat (cosplayer)
• Lennie Weinrib as Knock-Knock (voice)
• Bruce Hoyt as Knock-Knock (cosplayer)
• Bob Holt as Satchel (voice) and Tree (voice)
• Ken Means as Satchel (cosplayer)
• Don Messick as Scooter (voice)
• Joe Giamalva as Scooter (cosplayer)
• Joe Baker as Larry
• Ross Martin as Agent 000
• Frank Welker as Curly, Narrator and P.O.P.S. (voice)
• Paul Winchell as Woofer and Moe
• Jim MacGeorge as Wimper
• David Jolliffe as Larry
• Patricia Stich as Pepper
• Bob Hastings as D.D.
• Tara Talboy as Dottie
• John Stephenson as Sheriff Bagley
• Stephen Parr as Chuck Kelly
• Lynn Marie Johnston as Sue Corwin
• Larry Volk as Sandy Corwin
• Michael Kermoyan as Doctor Strange
• Micky Dolenz as Willie Wheeler and Wonder Wheels
• Susan Davis as Dooley Lawrence

Credits

These identical credits appeared at the end of every episode.

• Skatebirds sequences directed by: Sidney Miller
• Skatebirds written by: Sidney Miller and Norman Camaron
• Produced by: Terry Morse, Jr.
• Skatebirds cast: Maurice Cooke (Scat Cat), Bruce Hoyt (Knock-Knock), Ken Means (Satchel) and Ken Means (Scooter)
• Director of photography: Dennis Dalzell
• Cameraman: Gabriel Torres
• Supervising film editor: Dick Elliott
• Editors: Peter Berger, Warner Leighton, Peter Jennings
• Assistant film editor: Barry Gold
• Music editors: Joe Sandusky, Ken Hall
• Effects editors: Gregory Watson, Terry Moore, Evelyn Rutledge, Rich Harrison and Cliff Kohlweck
• Costume Coordinator: Charles De Moth
• Make up artist: Robert Norin
• Set director: Leonard Mazzola
• Property masters: William Diets, William Hudson
• Robonic Stooges created by: Norman Maurer
• Story editors: Norman Maurer, Sid Morse
• Story: Kathy Colburn, Tom Dagenais, Bill Daley, Dianne Dixon, Kari Oaurs, Andy Heyward, Chris Jenkyns, Mark Jones, Joan Maurer, Michael Maurer, Norman Maurer, Jack Mendelsohn, Howie Post, Cliff Roberts, Sandy Sandifer
• Story direction: Alvaro Arce, Carl Fallberg, Cullen Houghtaling, Mike O'Connor, Don Sheppard, George Singer, Karran Wright
• Recording director: Wally Burr
• Voices: Joe E. Baker, Wally Burr, Henry Corden, Scatman Crothers, Susan Davis, Micky Dolenz, Ron Feinberg, Joan Gerber, Virginia Gregg, Bob Hastings, Bob Holt, Jane James, Ralph James, Casey Kasem, David Jolliffe, Jim MacGeorge, Ross Martin, Julie McWhirter, Allan Melvin, Don Messick, Marvin Miller, Alan Oppenheimer, Vic Perrin, Robert Ridgely, Ken Sansom, Ronnie Schell, Hal Smith, John Stephenson, Patricia Stitch, Tara Talboy, Janet Waldo, Lennie Weinrib, Frank Welker, Paul Winchell
• Graphics: Iraj Paran
• Musical direction: Hoyt Curtin
• Musical supervision: Paul DeKorte
• Character design: Bob Singer, Norman Maurer, Lew Ott, George Wheeler
• Special graphics design: Maria Dail, Dick Ung
• Layout supervision: Steve Lumley
• Layout: Bob Fosbry, Terry Moesker, Joe Shearer, Mike Trebert
• Backgrounds: Richard Zaloudek, Milan Zahorsky, Jerry Liew, Michael King-Prince, Peter Connell, Ken Wright, Michael Chojecki, Lesley Nicholl
• Animation: Sue Speak, Cecil Collins, Rodney D'Silva, Dick Dunn, Peter Eastment, John Ellis, Warwick Gilbert, Gerald Grabner, Sebastian Hurpia, Greg Ingram, Richard Jones, Cynthia Leech, Paul McAdam, Henry Neville, Ray Nowland, Di Rudder, Michael Stapleton, John Tych, Kaye Watts
• Assistant animation supervision: Paul Maron
• Animation checking: Narelle Nixon
• Xerography: Ellen Bayley
• Ink and paint supervision: Narelle Derrick
• Production managers: R.J. Louis, James Cranston
• Production coordinator: Tobi Singleton
• Production supervision: Doug Patterson, Mark D'Arcy-Irvine, Adrienne Smith
• Art director: Kirk Axtell
• Assistant directors: Marie Gisneros, Murray Schwartz
• Second assistant director: Hal Bell
• Script supervisors: Mary Jane Ferguson, Lester Hoyle
• Sound direction: Richard Olson, Bill Getty
• Sound mixers: Manuel Topoto, James Pilcher
• Animation photography: Terry Smith, Carole Laird, Mark D'Arcy-Irvine, Kieren Mulgrew, Tom Epperson
• Dubbing supervision: Pat Foley
• Negative consultant: William E. DeBoer
• Post production supervision: Joed Eaton
• Animation directors: Charles A. Nichols, Chris Cuddington
• Creative producer: Iwao Takamoto
• Associate producer: Neil Balnaves
• Executive Producers: William Hanna and Joseph Barbera

Merchandise

Board game

In 1978, a board game was released by Milton Bradley Company based on the series.

Critical reception

The series was not received well from critics, as its often criticized for being a knockoff of previous creation, The Banana Splits.

In addition to this, all segments, aside from Mystery Island, were also featured in the unaired ToonHeads special, "The Best of the Worst Cartoons Ever," to which, all were criticized for being "poor ideas."