Challenge of the Superfriends facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Challenge of the Superfriends |
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Title card
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| Genre | Adventure Fantasy Science Fiction Superhero |
| Created by | E. Nelson Bridwell Carmine Infantino Julius Schwartz (consultants) |
| Written by | Jeffrey Scott |
| Directed by | Ray Patterson Carl Urbano |
| Creative director(s) | Iwao Takamoto |
| Voices of | Jack Angel Marlene Aragon Michael Bell Bill Callaway Ted Cassidy Danny Dark Shannon Farnon Ruth Forman Buster Jones Stanley Jones Casey Kasem Don Messick Vic Perrin Stanley Ross Dick Ryal Michael Rye Olan Soule Jimmy Weldon Frank Welker Louise Williams |
| Narrated by | William Woodson |
| Theme music composer | Hoyt Curtin |
| Composer(s) | Hoyt Curtin |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 16 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | William Hanna Joseph Barbera |
| Producer(s) | Don Jurwich |
| Cinematography | George Epperson Tom Epperson Charles Flekal Ron Jackson Jerry Smith Larry Smith Terry Smith Brandy Whittington Jerry Whittington |
| Editor(s) | Larry C. Cowan (supervising editor) |
| Running time | 60 minutes (including commercials) |
| Production company(s) | Hanna-Barbera Productions DC Comics |
| Distributor | Warner Bros. Television Distribution |
| Release | |
| Original network | ABC |
| Original release | September 9 – December 23, 1978 |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | The All-New Super Friends Hour |
| Followed by | The World's Greatest SuperFriends |
Challenge of the Superfriends is an exciting American cartoon show about a team of amazing superheroes. It aired on ABC from September 9 to December 23, 1978. This series had 16 episodes and was made by Hanna-Barbera Productions.
The show is based on the famous Justice League and other comic book characters from DC Comics. It was the third show in the popular Super Friends cartoon series. The first was Super Friends in 1973, followed by The All-New Super Friends Hour in 1977.
Contents
What was the Show's Format?
The Challenge of the Superfriends season was split into two main parts.
First Part: Classic Super Friends Adventures
This part featured adventures with well-known heroes like Superman, Batman and Robin, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and the Wonder Twins. These stories were similar to the ones shown in the previous season's The All-New Super Friends Hour.
Second Part: Challenge of the Superfriends
The second part, called Challenge of the Superfriends, was a special 16-episode series. It was very close to the original comic books. This was the first Super Friends show to feature many real DC Comics supervillains.
It brought together 13 supervillains into a group called the Legion of Doom. This group included famous bad guys like Lex Luthor, Brainiac, Toyman, Bizarro, Riddler, and Scarecrow.
The Legion of Doom lived in a dark swamp. They planned their evil attacks from their flying headquarters, the Hall of Doom. This building looked like Darth Vader's helmet! It was a big contrast to the heroes' bright Hall of Justice. Every week, the Legion tried to defeat the Superfriends to take over the world.
Who were the Heroes and Villains?
The Superfriends / Justice League of America
Eleven heroes made up the Superfriends, also known as the Justice League of America. They worked together to stop the villains.
- Superman
- Batman
- Robin
- Wonder Woman
- Black Vulcan
- The Flash
- Green Lantern
- Apache Chief
- Aquaman
- Samurai
- Hawkman
The Legion of Doom
Thirteen villains formed the scary Legion of Doom in Challenge of the Superfriends.
- Lex Luthor
- Solomon Grundy
- Sinestro
- Black Manta
- The Cheetah
- Giganta
- The Scarecrow
- The Toyman
- The Riddler
- Bizarro
- Brainiac
- Captain Cold
- Gorilla Grodd
Even though the show's opening said the Legion members were from "remote galaxies," most of them were actually from Earth. Only Brainiac and Sinestro were aliens.
Episodes
You can find a full list of all the episodes here: List of Super Friends episodes.
Fun Facts and Other Shows
Cartoon Network Spoofs
Cartoon Network made some funny commercials that made fun of Challenge of the Superfriends.
- One commercial joked about the Legion of Doom and Brainiac's strange clothes. Brainiac said, "Look, I just want some pants...a decent pair of pants!" And Solomon Grundy added, "Solomon Grundy want pants, too!"
- Another commercial featured the Powerpuff Girls. It joked about Aquaman's powers, with Aquaman saying, "My ability to talk to fish is of no use to us, Wonder Woman!"
Legends of the Superheroes
There were two live-action TV specials called Legends of the Superheroes made by Hanna-Barbera Productions. These specials were largely based on Challenge of the Superfriends. They even featured actors like Adam West and Burt Ward from the 1966 Batman TV show.
DC Super Friends
The 2010 cartoon DC Super Friends used the main music from The World's Greatest SuperFriends. Its opening sequence also had parts that looked like Challenge of the Superfriends, especially when introducing the Legion of Doom.
