Jabberjaw facts for kids
This page is about the television series. For the 1999 EP, see Pain (U.S. band)#Discography.
Quick facts for kids Jabberjaw |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Genre | Animation Comedy Music |
| Created by | Joe Ruby and Ken Spears |
| Directed by | Charles A. Nichols |
| Voices of | Tommy Cook Barry Gordon Julie McWhirter Pat Parris Frank Welker Don Messick |
| Music by | Hoyt Curtin |
| Opening theme | "Jabberjaw" (Jabberjaw and The Neptunes) |
| Ending theme | "Jabberjaw" (instrumental) |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 16 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | William Hanna Joseph Barbera |
| Producer(s) | Alex Lovy |
| Running time | 23 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Hanna-Barbera Productions |
| Distributor | Taft Broadcasting Warner Bros. Television (currently) |
| Release | |
| Original network | ABC |
| Picture format | Color |
| Audio format | Mono |
| Original release | September 11 – December 18, 1976 |
Jabberjaw is an American animated TV show. It was created by Joe Ruby and Ken Spears. The show was made by Hanna-Barbera and first aired on ABC. It ran for 16 episodes from September 11 to December 18, 1976. Reruns were shown until September 3, 1978.
About the Show
Jabberjaw is a 15-foot great white shark who can breathe air. He plays the drums for a rock band called The Neptunes. The band has four teenagers: Biff, Shelly, Bubbles, and Clamhead. They all live in an amazing underwater city in the year 2076.
Jabberjaw and The Neptunes travel to many different underwater cities. They often meet and stop bad guys who want to take over the undersea world. The show is a lot like other popular Hanna-Barbera cartoons from the 1970s. These include Scooby-Doo and Josie and the Pussycats.
The idea for a shark character came from the popular movie Jaws which was new at the time. The show also uses funny wordplay, like The Flintstones. For example, they use ocean-themed puns for names of places, like "Aqualaska" instead of Alaska. Every episode ends with a fun musical chase scene. Jabberjaw and his friends try to escape the villains while a song by The Neptunes plays.
Meet the Characters
The show features five main characters:
- Jabberjaw (voiced by Frank Welker) is a large, talking great white shark. He has a Brooklyn accent and often acts like Curly Howard from The Three Stooges. Jabberjaw feels like he doesn't get much respect. This is because "shark ejectors" (robots that keep sharks out of buildings) are common. When he feels disrespected, he often says, "I don't get no respect!" He can also change his shape to become different objects, like a trampoline or a parachute. This helps him and his friends get out of trouble.
- Biff (voiced by Tommy Cook) is the band's guitar player and leader. He is athletic and smart. Biff is usually the one who plans their concerts. His favorite saying is "Jumpin' jellyfish!"
- Shelly (voiced by Pat Parris) plays the tambourine and sings backup for The Neptunes. She is Biff's girlfriend. Shelly is smart and pretty, but she can be a bit bossy and thinks she's the most important member of the band. She often calls Jabberjaw "Blubberhead". But deep down, she does care about him.
- Bubbles (voiced by Julie McWhirter) plays the keyboard for The Neptunes. She has blonde, curly hair. Bubbles is very silly and a bit clumsy, but she has a cute giggle. Shelly sometimes calls her "Ding-a-Ling" or "Bubblehead." When she tries to help, she sometimes makes things worse by accident.
- Clamhead (voiced by Barry Gordon) is tall and plays the bass for The Neptunes. He is Jabberjaw's best friend. When he gets excited, he often shouts "Abba-abba-abba!" or "Wowee-wow-wow-wow!"
Episodes
| No. | Title | Original air date | Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Dr. Lo Has Got to Go" | September 11, 1976 | 84-1 |
|
Jabber and the gang have to stop the evil Dr. Lo from unleashing his Gorgon on the city of Aquahama.
|
|||
| 2 | "There's No Place Like Outer Space" | September 18, 1976 | 84-2 |
|
After Biff gets them kicked out for a publicity stunt, aliens land in the undersea city of Hydrostan. It's up to Jabber and the gang to stop their invasion.
|
|||
| 3 | "Atlantis, Get Lost" | September 25, 1976 | 84-4 |
|
Jabber and the gang get mixed-up in Dorsal's plan to overthrow the queen of Atlantis and become king himself.
|
|||
| 4 | "Run, Jabber, Run" | October 2, 1976 | 84-3 |
|
Jabber competes in the 2076 Undersea Olympics against a robot in order to unmask Z, the leader of a worldwide criminal organization.
|
|||
| 5 | "The Sourpuss Octopus" | October 9, 1976 | 84-5 |
|
Jabber and the gang accidentally join Professor Acosta's expedition to find the treasure of Panaqua, and have to protect him from the villainous Octopus.
|
|||
| 6 | "Hang On to Your Hat, Jabber" | October 16, 1976 | 84-6 |
|
The Brotherhood of Evil threatens the undersea world when it learns that the Power Helmet, invented by Professor Ortega, grants its bearer's every wish.
|
|||
| 7 | "The Great Shark Switch" | October 23, 1976 | 84-7 |
|
The Ambassador of Aquatania suspects that the Neptunes have kidnapped Commander Shark, so Jabberjaw must prove their innocence.
|
|||
| 8 | "Claim-Jumped Jabber" | October 30, 1976 | 84-8 |
|
The evil Coldfinger is after all the richest mines in Aqualaska. When Jabberjaw gets in the way, Coldfinger puts our favorite shark on ice!
|
|||
| 9 | "Ali Jabber and the Secret Thieves" | November 6, 1976 | 84-9 |
|
Jabber and The Neptunes, touring the undersea kingdom of Hydrabia, meet Volton, an evil mass of energy who lives inside the magic Electrolamp.
|
|||
| 10 | "Help, Help, It's the Phantom of the Kelp" | November 13, 1976 | 84-10 |
|
The Phantom, with the aid of a powerful growth ray, plans to raise an army of ferocious prehistoric plants to make the Aqua International Corporation bow to his demands.
|
|||
| 11 | "No Helpin' the Sculpin" | November 20, 1976 | 84-11 |
|
Jabber and The Neptunes encounter the sinister Sculpin, who has stolen an unfinished time machine from the brilliant Professor Thorstein.
|
|||
| 12 | "The Bermuda Triangle Tangle" | November 25, 1976 | 84-12 |
|
Jabberjaw and The Neptunes accidentally go through the Bermuda Triangle and are taken prisoner by Sorceress Madame Sargasso.
Note: Telecast at noon (ET) on a Thursday, as part of ABC's Thanksgiving Funshine Festival. |
|||
| 13 | "Malice in Aqualand" | November 27, 1976 | 84-13 |
|
While participating in a rodeo at Aqualand's theme land Westernland, Jabberjaw sees Dr. Cybron's henchmen kidnap the Rajah and replace him with a robot duplicate. He tells The Neptunes and Dr. Cybron tries to silence them by sending a runaway stagecoach over a cliff. When that plot fails, his henchmen capture Bubbles and send a duplicate of her to capture the others. The group rescues Bubbles and the Rajah and discovers that Dr. Cybron himself is a robot.
|
|||
| 14 | "The Fast Paced Chase Race" | December 4, 1976 | 84-14 |
|
The Neptunes try to win the top spot in the Petrolaqua Trans-Marine Race while attempting to foil the evil plans of Dr. Robek.
|
|||
| 15 | "The Piranha Plot" | December 11, 1976 | 84-16 |
|
Biff books the group on a tanker to Amsteraqua after another gig falls through, this being the cheapest way to go straight there. The Piranha has designs on ruling the Underwater States of America and captures the tanker for its load of special rocket fuel. The Neptunes scuttle the Piranha's rocket, practically dismantling the control center and messing with the rocket's fuel delivery system. Jabber manages to accidentally launch the rocket to a different destination with its cargo of sleep dust.
|
|||
| 16 | "There's No Heel Like El Eel" | December 18, 1976 | 84-15 |
|
The eerie El Eel threatens to turn the entire undersea world to stone, and there's only one guy who can stop him: the great El Jabbo!
|
|||
Other Appearances
Jabberjaw and his friends have appeared in many other cartoons and comics:
- Jabberjaw was a guest announcer or referee on Laff-A-Lympics in several episodes from 1977 to 1978.
- He also appeared in a TV special called Hanna-Barbera's All-Star Comedy Ice Revue in 1978.
- Jabberjaw co-starred in the 1978 series Yogi's Space Race. In this show, he raced against characters like Yogi Bear and Huckleberry Hound. His racing partner was a lazy dog named Buford.
- Jabberjaw has appeared in many comic books. These include Laff-A-Lympics comics by Marvel Comics and Cartoon Network Presents Jabberjaw by DC Comics.
- Jabberjaw and Shelly were in two educational filmstrips in 1979. These were called The Silent Hunters and A Whale of a Tale.
- Jabberjaw made a quick appearance in Yogi's Treasure Hunt (1987).
- Jabberjaw and The Neptunes were in a music video for Pain's song "Jabberjaw (Running Underwater)" in 1999. They were shown as a ska band wearing modern clothes.
- Jabberjaw appeared in the TV special Night of the Living Doo (2001). He tried to stop Scooby-Doo and his friends.
- Jabberjaw and The Neptunes appeared many times on Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law from 2002 to 2007.
- Jabberjaw made a quick appearance in the opening of The Powerpuff Girls Movie (2002).
- He also appeared in an episode of Johnny Bravo in 2004.
- Jabberjaw and The Neptunes were featured in Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated in 2011. They were part of a dream Scooby-Doo had.
- In 2018, DC Comics made a new version of Jabberjaw. He and The Neptunes appeared in a comic book crossover with Aquaman.
- Jabberjaw and The Neptunes were also in an episode of Robot Chicken in 2018.
- Jabberjaw appeared in the end credits of the movie Scoob! as a new member of the Blue Falcon's team.
- Jabberjaw and The Neptunes are also featured in the series Jellystone! (2021).
Merchandise
Over the years, many cool items have been made for Jabberjaw fans:
- In 1977–78, Rand McNally released two coloring books and a story book.
- Other items from the late 1970s and early 1980s included a lunchbox and thermos, iron-on transfers, jigsaw puzzles, and a plush toy.
- In 2005, a Jabberjaw Wacky Wobbler bobblehead figure was released by Funko.
See also
In Spanish: Mandibulín para niños
All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles (including the article images and facts) can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise. Cite this article:
Jabberjaw Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.