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Birdman and the Galaxy Trio facts for kids

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Not to be confused with Birdman (film).
For the sequel series, see Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law.
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Birdman and the Galaxy Trio
Birdman1967.JPG
Genre Superhero
Created by Alex Toth
Written by
  • Neal Barbera
  • Phil Hahn
  • Jack Hanrahan
Directed by
Voices of
Theme music composer Ted Nichols
Opening theme Ted Nichols and Keith Andes
Composer(s) Ted Nichols
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 1
No. of episodes 20
Production
Running time 30 minutes
Production company(s) Hanna-Barbera Productions
Distributor Taft Broadcasting
Release
Original network NBC
Original release September 9, 1967 (1967-09-09) – January 20, 1968 (1968-01-20)
Chronology
Followed by Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law

Birdman and the Galaxy Trio was a cool American animated TV show. It was made by Hanna-Barbera Productions and first aired on NBC on September 9, 1967. The show ran on Saturday mornings until September 6, 1969.

The program had two main parts. One part was about Birdman, a superhero with wings who got his powers from the sun. The other part was The Galaxy Trio, which followed a team of space superheroes. Each part told its own complete story. The characters from Birdman and The Galaxy Trio usually did not meet.

A follow-up series called Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law started in 2001. It was a funny parody of the original show. Later, a special called Harvey Birdman: Attorney General came out in 2018. A spin-off series, Birdgirl, also premiered in 2021.

Meet the Heroes

Birdman: Powers and Friends

Birdman, whose real name is Ray Randall, is a regular human. He was given amazing powers by the sun god Ra. He can shoot powerful solar rays from his fists. He can also create strong "solar shields" to protect himself.

Birdman also has giant wings on his back, allowing him to fly. He might even be fireproof! He works for a secret government group called Inter-Nation Security. His loyal pet eagle, named Avenger, helps him fight crime.

Birdman has one main weakness. He needs to recharge his powers by being in the sun. Sometimes, a bright light like a desk lamp can also help him recharge. When he goes into battle, he always shouts his famous battle cry: "Biiiiirdman!!!"

He has a few important helpers:

  • Falcon 7 is Birdman's contact at Inter-Nation Security. He wears an eye patch and gives Birdman his missions.
  • Birdboy is Birdman's young sidekick. Birdman saved him from a shipwreck and shared some of his super energy. This gave Birdboy similar powers. Birdboy can fly using mechanical wings. He is always looking for his lost father.
  • General Stone is a military leader. He often gets caught up in the villains' plans.

The Galaxy Trio: Space Adventures

The Galaxy Trio is a team of three alien superheroes. They fly through space in their ship, Condor One. Their job is to keep order and fight bad guys for the Galactic Patrol. Their ship has a "displacer," which is a teleportation device.

The team includes:

  • Vapor Man can turn parts of his body into gas. This lets him fly, escape from traps, and squeeze through tiny spaces. He can also create "freeze vapor" from his hands.
  • Meteor Man can make any part of his body bigger or smaller. When he makes a limb bigger, it becomes super strong.
  • Gravity Girl can control gravity. She can fly and lift very heavy objects with her mind. She is the daughter of a king but chose to fight crime.

The Galaxy Trio gets their missions from a person known as the Chief.

Who Did They Fight?

Birdman's Enemies

Birdman often fought a bad organization called F.E.A.R. This group was led by Number One, Birdman's main enemy. F.E.A.R. often used supervillains to carry out their evil plans. Even after being defeated, F.E.A.R. would sometimes reappear.

Birdman also faced many other villains, some appearing more than once:

  • Dr. Millennium used a time machine to commit crimes.
  • X the Eliminator was a mercenary hired by F.E.A.R.
  • The Ruthless Ringmaster was another agent of F.E.A.R.
  • Morto the Marauder was a criminal genius who escaped prison twice.
  • Cumulus the Storm King could control the weather.
  • Nitron the Human Bomb had powers from a chemical called NITRON.
  • The Mummer was a master of disguise who often escaped Birdman.
  • Kiroff caused earthquakes around the world.
  • Zardo once captured Avenger.
  • The Constrictor dressed like a snake and had pet boa constrictors. He also managed to escape Birdman.
  • Reducto used a shrink ray to demand money.
  • Doctor Shark fought Birdman underwater.
  • Hannibal the Hunter wanted to hunt Birdman.
  • Mentor the Mind-Taker could control people's minds. He was later renamed Mentok.
  • Dr. Freezoid had a weapon that could turn a city into ice.
  • The Duplicator created copies of people.
  • Professor Nightshade could send cities into the fourth dimension.
  • The Chameleon could shapeshift into anything.
  • Captain Moray of the Deep kidnapped scientists to build a nuclear reactor.
  • The Aliens of the Purple Moss tried to take over Earth.
  • The Brain Thief (Doctor Shado) stole information from scientists' minds.
  • Dr. Mentaur created a temporary Birdgirl through hypnosis.
    • Birdgirl was an aerialist hypnotized by Dr. Mentaur. She had metal wings and super strength.
  • The Magnatroid was a robot built to destroy Birdman.
  • Medusa (the "Empress of Evil") captured a prince and Birdman.
  • Spyro was a spy leader who hijacked a train.
  • Dr. Claw created a super-strong "Ant Ape."
  • The Speed Demon gained super-speed from a chemical explosion.
  • Vulturo was an evil scientist in a vulture costume. He tried to destroy Birdman and kidnap Birdboy.
  • The Barracuda planned to use torpedoes to start wars.
  • Murro the Marauder could control shadows and walk through walls.

Galaxy Trio's Villains

The Galaxy Trio also fought many villains:

  • Computron was a robot who wanted to take over his planet.
  • Lotar was the twin brother of Neptar. He tried to take his brother's throne.

Episode Guide

Each episode of Birdman and the Galaxy Trio usually had two Birdman stories. In between them, there was one Galaxy Trio story. This meant you got to see adventures from both teams in every show!

No. Titles Original air date
1 "X the Eliminator / Revolt of the Robots / Morto the Marauder" September 9, 1967 (1967-09-09)
  • X the Eliminator: A villain named X the Eliminator tries to get rid of Birdman for money. Birdman and Avenger fight back in an exciting mid-air battle.
  • Revolt of the Robots: The Galaxy Trio helps a planet where robots have taken over. They stop the main robot, Computron, from causing more trouble.
  • Morto the Marauder: The evil Morto escapes prison and uses mechanical knights to cause chaos. Birdman and Avenger work together to stop him and send him back to jail.
2 "The Ruthless Ringmaster / The Battle of the Aquatrons / Birdman Versus the Mummer" September 16, 1967 (1967-09-16)
  • The Ruthless Ringmaster: The Ringmaster steals powerful weapons to use against Birdman. But Birdman and Avenger are too strong for him.
  • The Battle of the Aquatrons: Lotar tries to flood Earth by melting ice caps. The Galaxy Trio stops him and helps restore peace to his planet.
  • Birdman Versus the Mummer: A disguised villain tries to start a war. Birdman and Avenger stop bombs and mischief, but the villain escapes into a crowd.
3 "The Quake Threat / The Galaxy Trio Versus the Moltens of Meteorus / Avenger for Ransom" September 23, 1967 (1967-09-23)
  • The Quake Threat: Birdman tracks down Kyrov, who is causing earthquakes. Birdman gets trapped, but Avenger helps him regain his powers and capture Kyrov.
  • The Galaxy Trio Versus the Moltens of Meteorus: Creatures called Moltens are driving people off Meteor Man's home planet. Meteor Man helps them find a new home.
  • Avenger for Ransom: A kidnapper named Zardo holds Avenger hostage. Birdman is forced to steal plans, but he outsmarts Zardo and saves Avenger.
4 "Birdman Versus Cumulus, the Storm King / The Galaxy Trio and the Sleeping Planet / Serpents of the Deep" September 30, 1967 (1967-09-30)
  • Birdman Versus Cumulus, the Storm King: Cumulus tries to control the country with his weather powers. Birdman and Avenger stop him and take away his dangerous tools.
  • The Galaxy Trio and the Sleeping Planet: The Galaxy Trio finds a planet where everyone is in a deep trance. They uncover a space pirate's plot and save the planet.
  • Serpents of the Deep: Birdman and Avenger go after Dr. Shark, who has stolen a valuable bathysphere. Birdman recharges his powers and defeats Dr. Shark.
5 "Nitron the Human Bomb / The Galaxy Trio and the Peril of the Prison Planet / Mentor, the Mind Taker" October 7, 1967 (1967-10-07)
  • Nitron the Human Bomb: A nuclear scientist tries to gain power by destroying things. Birdman and Falcon 7 stop him, and he accidentally destroys himself.
  • The Galaxy Trio and the Peril of the Prison Planet: The Galaxy Trio's vacation is interrupted when prisoners take over a prison planet. They stop the criminals from escaping.
  • Mentor, the Mind Taker: Mentor uses mind control to turn Avenger against Birdman. Birdman breaks free and stops Mentor from starting a world war.
6 "The Purple Moss / Drackmore, the Despot / The Deadly Trio" October 14, 1967 (1967-10-14)
  • The Purple Moss: A purple moss is spreading and suffocating the land. Birdman stops Xandu, who is trying to take over Earth.
  • Drackmore, the Despot: The Trio finds missing explorers and faces Drackmore, a self-proclaimed ruler. They defeat him and free his slaves.
  • The Deadly Trio: Three supervillains team up to destroy Birdman. They manage to trap him, but Birdman uses his powers to escape and defeat them.
7 "The Brain Thief / Titan, the Titanium Man / Birdman Versus the Constrictor" October 21, 1967 (1967-10-21)
  • The Brain Thief: Birdman and Avenger go after a kidnapper who steals scientists' knowledge. They defeat giant replicas and free the scientists.
  • Titan, the Titanium Man: Titan, who wants to conquer the universe, lures the Galaxy Trio to his planet. They defeat his robot army, but Titan escapes.
  • Birdman Versus the Constrictor: Birdman gives up Avenger to get back stolen missile plans. But the Constrictor double-crosses him. Birdman recovers the plans and Avenger.
8 "Number One / The Duplitrons / Birdman Meets Birdgirl" October 28, 1967 (1967-10-28)
  • Number One: Birdman's main enemy tries to steal his energy for a pirate satellite. Birdman and Avenger battle electric and sonic powers to stop him.
  • The Duplitrons: The Galaxy Trio stops world leaders from declaring war. They discover the leaders are duplicates and find the real ones.
  • Birdman Meets Birdgirl: Birdgirl, a new hero, challenges Birdman. She is hypnotized by Mentaur to steal a hydrogen bomb. Birdman helps her break free and defeats Mentaur.
9 "Birdman Meets Reducto / Computron Lives / Vulturo, Prince of Darkness" November 4, 1967 (1967-11-04)
  • Birdman Meets Reducto: Reducto threatens to shrink the country. Birdman gets shrunk but uses Avenger's help and the sun's rays to return to normal size.
  • Computron Lives: Computron, a robot, reactivates war machines. The Galaxy Trio fights him and makes him change his ways.
  • Vulturo, Prince of Darkness: Birdman's enemy Vulturo challenges him to a duel. Birdman's powers fade, but he saves scientists from a time-bomb.
10 "The Chameleon / The Eye of Time / The Incredible Magnatroid" November 11, 1967 (1967-11-11)
  • The Chameleon: A man uses a serum to shapeshift and steal valuables. Birdman chases him until the serum wears off.
  • The Eye of Time: A cosmic storm sends the Galaxy Trio back in time to ancient Scandinavia. They stop Romans from invading before returning to their own time.
  • The Incredible Magnatroid: Birdman is trapped in a dark warehouse by Metallo's magnetic robots. Avenger helps him recharge, and Birdman traps Metallo.
11 "Hannibal the Hunter / The Galaxy Trio and the Cavemen of Primevia / The Empress of Evil" November 18, 1967 (1967-11-18)
  • Hannibal the Hunter: Hannibal captures Birdman's friend to lure Birdman to his island. Birdman is trapped, but Avenger saves him, and Hannibal gets caught in his own trap.
  • The Galaxy Trio and the Cavemen of Primevia: The Galaxy Trio defeats aliens who enslaved the people of Primevia. Vapor Man defeats the alien leader.
  • The Empress of Evil: Medusa captures a young prince and Birdman. Birdman uses a special diamond to recharge his powers and defeat Medusa.
12 "The Wings of F.E.A.R. / The Demon Raiders / Birdman Meets Birdboy" November 25, 1967 (1967-11-25)
  • The Wings of F.E.A.R.: Birdman stops F.E.A.R. from brainwashing ambassadors. He rescues them and destroys the villains' headquarters.
  • The Demon Raiders: Zakor and his raiders steal from a treasury planet. The Galaxy Trio escapes a trap and defeats Zakor's ultimate weapon.
  • Birdman Meets Birdboy: Birdman rescues Birdboy and shares his powers. They discover a villain planning to start wars. Birdman is captured, but Birdboy helps rescue him.
13 "The Menace of Dr. Millennium / The Rock Men / Birdman Versus Dr. Freezoid" December 2, 1967 (1967-12-02)
  • The Menace of Dr. Millennium: Dr. Millennium brings prehistoric monsters to life to steal plans. Birdman recovers the plans, and Dr. Millennium escapes to the past.
  • The Rock Men: The Galaxy Trio finds a geologist captured by a rock monster. They fight off the monsters and convince the geologist to leave.
  • Birdman Versus Dr. Freezoid: Dr. Freezoid turns a city to ice. Birdman thaws it out and follows him to the North Pole. Birdman uses the sun to escape a trap and defeats Dr. Freezoid.
14 "The Deadly Duplicator / Space Fugitives / Professor Nightshade" December 9, 1967 (1967-12-09)
  • The Deadly Duplicator: Birdman and Avenger stop a professor who kidnaps people and replaces them with duplicates. They free the captives.
  • Space Fugitives: Aliens disguised as the Galaxy Trio rob planets. The real Galaxy Trio gets mistaken for them, but the aliens are caught.
  • Professor Nightshade: Professor Nightshade steals a device that makes things disappear. He tries to use it on Birdman, but it gives Birdman energy instead.
15 "Train Trek / Space Slaves / Birdman Meets Moray of the Deep" December 16, 1967 (1967-12-16)
  • Train Trek: A foreign gang tries to steal a solar capsule. Birdman and Avenger fight them on a train and stop their plan.
  • Space Slaves: Gravity Girl disappears and is enslaved by Elraf. Vapor Man and Meteor Man rescue her, and they turn Elraf's own plan against him.
  • Birdman Meets Moray of the Deep: Birdman, Birdboy, and Avenger rescue kidnapped scientists. Birdman's energy is restored by a nuclear reactor, helping him defeat Captain Moray.
16 "Birdman and the Monster of the Mountains / The Galaxy Trio Versus Growliath / The Return of Vulturo" December 23, 1967 (1967-12-23)
  • Birdman and the Monster of the Mountains: A monster terrorizes a village. Birdman discovers it's a mechanical giant created by a villain. Birdman defeats the monster and the villain.
  • The Galaxy Trio Versus Growliath: The Galaxy Trio uses their powers to defeat giant insects on Planet Nova.
  • The Return of Vulturo: Vulturo tries to get revenge by luring Birdboy to his lab. Birdman saves Birdboy and stops Vulturo's plan.
17 "The Revenge of Dr. Millennium / Return To Aqueous / The Ant Ape" December 30, 1967 (1967-12-30)
  • The Revenge of Dr. Millennium: Birdman is sent back in time by Dr. Millennium's machine. Birdman and Birdboy work together to defeat him and destroy the time machine.
  • Return To Aqueous: The Galaxy Trio responds to an SOS from Planet Aqueous. They discover a monster is controlled by Lotar and stop his plot.
  • The Ant Ape: An evil adversary creates a super-strong "Ant Ape" to steal treasures. Birdman defeats them both.
18 "Birdman Versus the Speed Demon / Invasion of the Sporoids / The Wild Weird West" January 6, 1968 (1968-01-06)
  • Birdman Versus the Speed Demon: A prisoner gains super-speed and steals money and a missile. Birdman defeats him, and the Speed Demon ages rapidly.
  • Invasion of the Sporoids: The Galaxy Trio rescues a ranger from a spore monster that gives off sleeping gas. They combine their powers to defeat it.
  • The Wild Weird West: Superhuman raiders attack a western town. Birdman and Falcon-7 track them down and restore peace.
19 "The Pirate Plot / Gralik of Gravitas / Skon of Space" January 13, 1968 (1968-01-13)
  • The Pirate Plot: Pirates loot a cruise ship and take hostages. Birdman allows himself to be captured to save Avenger, then defeats the pirates.
  • Gralik of Gravitas: Gravity Girl's father asks the Galaxy Trio to defeat Gralik, who can destroy things from far away. They send Gralik far into space.
  • Skon of Space: Birdman and Avenger are attacked by a space creature. Birdman gains strength from a solar ray and sends the alien ship back to space.
20 "Murro the Marauder / Plastus the Pirate Planet / Morto Rides Again" January 20, 1968 (1968-01-20)
  • Murro the Marauder: An outlaw who can walk through walls steals a defense formula. Birdman defeats him by destroying the shadows he controls.
  • Plastus the Pirate Planet: Plastron threatens to freeze a planet from his rubber planetoid. The Galaxy Trio blasts a hole in his planetoid to save the other planet.
  • Morto Rides Again: Morto escapes prison again and tries to destroy Birdman with his super-armor. Birdman defeats him and sends him back to prison.

Birdman in Other Stories

Birdman and the Galaxy Trio have appeared in other media too!

  • Birdman was in Hanna-Barbera Super TV Heroes comic books from 1968 to 1969. The Galaxy Trio joined him in issue #2.
  • In 1997, Birdman was in a DC Comics comic book series called Cartoon Network Presents: Toonami.
  • The character of Birdman was brought back in 2000 for the funny Cartoon Network/Adult Swim TV show Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law. Many characters from the original show appeared in this new version.
  • In 2008, actor Vijay played an Indian version of Birdman in the movie Kuruvi. He had flying powers and a pet eagle.
  • In 2016, Birdman and the Galaxy Trio were important characters in the DC Comics series Future Quest. This comic also featured other Hanna-Barbera heroes like Jonny Quest and Space Ghost.
  • In 2021, Gravity Girl made a quick appearance in the show Jellystone!. She was seen as a referee in a flashback.
Vijay at the Nadigar Sangam Protest
Vijay played an Indian version of Birdman in the 2008 film Kuruvi.

Where to Watch

You can watch Birdman and the Galaxy Trio: The Complete Series on DVD! Warner Home Video released it in 2007. They re-released it again in 2017.

Birdman Around the World

Here are some names for the show in other languages:

  • French: Solaris
  • Japanese: 電子鳥人Ｕバード/銀河トリオ (Denshi Chōjin Yū-Bādo / Ginga Torio; meaning "Electronic Superhuman U-Bird / Galaxy Trio")
  • Polish: Birdman i Trio z galaktyki
  • Portuguese: Homem-Pássaro e o Galaxy Trio
  • Spanish: Birdman y el Trío Galaxia

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Birdman y el Trío Galaxia para niños

  • List of Hanna-Barbera characters
  • List of works produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions
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