Touché Turtle and Dum Dum
| Touché Turtle and Dum Dum | |
|---|---|
 On-screen title card. | |
| Network | Syndication |
| Production company | Hanna-Barbera |
| Original release | September 3, 1962―August 26, 1963 |
| Run time | 5 minutes |
| Starring | Bill Thompson Alan Reed |
| Producer(s) | William Hanna Joseph Barbera |
| Music composed by | Hoyt Curtin |
| Director(s) | William Hanna Joseph Barbera |
Touché Turtle and Dum Dum is a series of animated segments as part of The Hanna-Barbera New Cartoon Series, produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions. Airing in syndication, it ran from 1962 to 1963, airing 52 episodes that spanned two seasons.
When the series started airing as reruns on Boomerang, the original film masters were in noticeably poor condition and also had notable film damages.
So far, the Warner Archive Collection has made no announcements of releasing the entire series onto DVD, likely due to those same film damages and poor maintenance, although the Warner Archive account on Facebook confirmed that the series was included in a poll back in 2012.[1] Touché was later expected to get a DVD release, alongside Wally and Lippy back in 2020, but Warner Archive was unsure on whether to release the series as it had severe film damages.
Swashbuckling hero turtle, Touché Turtle, and his faithful, yet not-so-bright sheepdog companion Dum Dum, go on various misadventures, usually fighting off threatening enemies, such as dragons, evildoers, .etc
Production
Development
Early in development, the character of Touché was originally going to be a swashbuckling rabbit named "Hairbrain Hare" (or "Harbreath Hare" in one of the illustrations). A design of a turtle resembling Touché was also created around this time, likely as a sidekick to "Hairbrain" or a third character, but it was later proposed that Touché would be made as a turtle instead. According to writer Tony Benedict, the concept of "Hairbrain Hare" was repurposed years later for the western-themed Ricochet Rabbit.[2]
The cartoon was first publicly mentioned (as "Hairbrain Hare") in a story by Variety magazine on October 20, 1960, along with Lippy the Lion and Hardy Har Har. It was then mentioned again (as Touché Turtle and Dum Dum) by Variety in an October 31, 1961 story, in addition to Wally Gator, with the proposal of 156 five-minute segments in total.[2]
A longer theme song was initially proposed with lyrics written by Michael Maltese, but a much shorter theme was instead used in the final product.[3] As a development gag, Touché and Dum Dum sing a snippet of the longer theme song in the episode "The Shoe Must Go On."
Music
- Opening theme song lyrics
Touché away!
Touché away!
Touché away!
It's Touché Turtle!
- Unused theme song lyrics
When there is trouble
Who comes on the double
And saves you in the nick of time....
It's not a masked avenger
Not a lonesome stranger
It's TOUCHÉ TURTLE every time!
When there's as much as
Twenty villain clutches
Turning villainy to crime
Who will make them pale
And send them all to jail
It's TOUCHÉ TURTLE every time
TOUCHÉ......AWAY!
To save the day......so...
Who's the greatest hero?
Who comes from far and near, oh!....
It's TOUCHÉ TURTLE every time!
Episodes
| Episode | Original air date |
|---|---|
| 1x01 | September 3, 1962 |
| 1x02 | September 10, 1962 |
| 1x03 | September 17, 1962 |
| 1x04 | September 24, 1962 |
| 1x05 | October 1, 1962 |
| 1x06 | October 8, 1962 |
| 1x07 | October 15, 1962 |
| 1x08 | October 22, 1962 |
| 1x09 | October 29, 1962 |
| 1x10 | November 5, 1962 |
| 1x11 | November 12, 1962 |
| 1x12 | November 19, 1962 |
| 1x13 | November 26, 1962 |
1x14
|
December 3, 1962 |
| 1x15 | December 10, 1962 |
| 1x16 | December 17, 1962 |
| 1x17 | December 24, 1962 |
| 1x18 | December 31, 1962 |
| 1x19 | January 7, 1963 |
| 1x20 | January 14, 1963 |
| 1x21 | January 21, 1963 |
| 1x22 | January 28, 1963 |
| 1x23 | February 4, 1963 |
| 1x24 | February 11, 1963 |
| 1x25 | February 18, 1963 |
| 1x26 | February 25, 1963 |
| 2x01 | March 4, 1963 |
| 2x02 | March 11, 1963 |
| 2x03 | March 18, 1963 |
| 2x04 | March 25, 1963 |
| 2x05 | April 1, 1963 |
| 2x06 | April 8, 1963 |
| 2x07 | April 15, 1963 |
| 2x08 | April 22, 1963 |
| 2x09 | April 29, 1963 |
| 2x10 | May 6, 1963 |
| 2x11 | May 13, 1963 |
| 2x12 | May 20, 1963 |
| 2x13 | May 27, 1963 |
| 2x14 | June 3, 1963 |
| 2x15 | June 10, 1963 |
| 2x16 | June 17, 1963 |
| 2x17 | June 24, 1963 |
| 2x18 | July 1, 1963 |
| 2x19 | July 8, 1963 |
| 2x20 | July 15, 1963 |
| 2x21 | July 22, 1963 |
| 2x22 | July 29, 1963 |
| 2x23 | August 5, 1963 |
| 2x24 | August 12, 1963 |
| 2x25 | August 19, 1963 |
| 2x26 | August 26, 1963 |
Cast
Legacy
In the next two decades, Touché and Dum Dum went on to make cameos in Yogi's Gang and Yogi's Treasure Hunt.
In 2021, Touché—without Dum Dum—appears as the head of the Jellystone Police Department in the HBO Max original series Jellystone!
Merchandise
Reading material
Board game
In 1962, a board game was released by Transogram based on the cartoon.
In other languages
| Language | Name |
|---|---|
| Brazilian | Tartaruga Touché e Dum Dum |
| French | Touché la Tortue |
| Italian | Luca Tortuga |
| Japanese | 突貫カメ君 (Tokkan Kame-kun) |
| Spanish | Tortuga D' Artagnan |
References
- ^ Warner Archive Collection (January 13, 2012)."Thanks for your input on our first Toon Poll! It's time for Part Deux of the poll where we’d appreciate your input on a new group of animated series." Facebook. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
- ^ a b Yowp, Don M. (July 22, 2014) A Lion, a Swingin' Gator and a Rabbit That Became a Turtle yowpyowp.blogspot.com
- ^ Yowp, Don M. (February 19, 2023) Sing Along With Touche yowpyowp.blogspot.com
