Wheelie and the Chopper Bunch

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Wheelie and the Chopper Bunch
W&TCB title card.png
On-screen title card.
Network NBC
Production company Hanna-Barbera Productions
Original release September 7December 21, 1974
Run time 30 minutes
Starring Franklin Welker
Judy Strangis
Paul Winchell
Lennie Weinrib
Don Messick
Executive producer(s) William Hanna
Joseph Barbera
Producer(s) Iwao Takamoto
Music composed by Hoyt Curtin
Writer(s) Larz Bourne
Len Janson
Chuck Menville
Robert Ogle
Dalton Sandifer
Director(s) Charles A. Nichols
Art Scott (voices)

Wheelie and the Chopper Bunch is an American animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions for NBC's Saturday morning children's programming. It ran in 1974, airing 16 episodes that spanned one season.

The series is set in a world where anthropomorphic cars and other vehicles live. It centers on the adventures of an innocent, but heroic little Volkswagen Beetle named Wheelie and his girlfriend Rota Ree, who deal with a bad, troublemaking motorcycle gang known as the Chopper Bunch, who are led by their leader Chopper.

The entire series has been released on DVD.

Production

Development

Music

The music was composed by Hoyt Curtin, credited as musical director, with musical supervision from Paul DeKorte.

Episodes

Episode Original air date
1x01 September 7, 1974
1x02 September 14, 1974
1x03 September 21, 1974
1x04 September 28, 1974
1x05 October 5, 1974
1x06 October 12, 1974
1x07 October 19, 1974
1x08 October 26, 1974
1x09 November 2, 1974
1x10 November 9, 1974
1x11 November 16, 1974
1x12 November 23, 1974
1x13 November 30, 1974

Cast

Legacy

Reception-wise, several watchdog critics reacted negatively to the violence and portrayal of motorcycles in the series, and prompted viewers to write letters to NBC in hopes that the show would be pulled off the air.[1]

Hi-Riser, a member of the Chopper Bunch, had a cameo in "SPF," a 2004 episode of the Adult Swim parody series Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law.

Web Premiere Toons released a flash animated short titled "The Chopper Bunch," which follows the Chopper Bunch singing their version of the opening title while being reckless before ending up going into a "weird" place called Yukaigiga Cartoon.

References

  1. ^ Van Duson, Eric L. (January 1975). "Letters". Cycle magazine. ISSN 0011-4286.