Mystery Island facts for kids

Mystery Island was a cool live-action science fiction adventure TV show. It was made by Hanna-Barbera Productions. This show first aired as part of The Skatebirds on CBS. It ran from September 10, 1977, to January 21, 1978.

Later, in 1979, Mystery Island came back on The Skatebirds. It aired on Sunday mornings until January 25, 1981. In 2005, old episodes were shown again on Boomerang. They were part of Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels.

About the Show

This series follows three young people who get stuck on a secret island. There's Chuck Kelly, who is a pilot. Sue Corwin is a smart computer expert. Her younger brother is Sandy. They also have a super cool computer robot named P.O.P.S.

Their plane crashes because of an evil mad scientist called Dr. Strange. He used a special beam to make their plane fall. Dr. Strange wants to capture P.O.P.S. He plans to use the robot's smarts to take over the world. The show is all about their adventures as they try to escape Dr. Strange and his tricky plans.

Mystery Island was a bit like another show from 1976 called Dr. Shrinker. That show also had three people stuck on an island with a mad scientist. There were 16 episodes of Mystery Island in total. Each episode was about ten minutes long. They often ended with a cliffhanger, which means you had to watch the next episode to see what happened!

Characters

Main Heroes

• Chuck Kelly (played by Stephen Parr) - Chuck is a brave young pilot. He gets stranded on Mystery Island with Sue, Sandy, and P.O.P.S. He always tries to keep everyone safe. Sometimes he makes quick decisions, but he's always there for his friends.
• Sue Corwin (played by Lynn Marie Johnston) - Sue is a smart and strong computer expert. Her scientist dad created P.O.P.S. She cares a lot about the robot, her brother, and Chuck.
• Sandy Corwin (played by Larry Volk) - Sandy is Sue's friendly younger brother. He often argues with Sue, but they really care about each other. He looks up to Chuck. Sandy also gets along well with P.O.P.S. He often defends the robot when it talks about having feelings. Sandy is also a great gymnast!
• P.O.P.S. (voiced by Frank Welker) - P.O.P.S. is a super intelligent robot. He can speak many languages. This makes him Dr. Strange's main target. P.O.P.S. is a bit like C-3PO from Star Wars. He's funny and acts a bit like a polite British butler. He tends to worry a lot when things get dangerous. P.O.P.S. even says he can feel emotions. The robot costume used for P.O.P.S. was actually a changed version of the Robot B-9 from the old 1960s TV show Lost in Space.

The Bad Guys

• Dr. Strange (played by Michael Kermoyan) - Dr. Strange is the main villain of the show. He's a mad scientist who really wants P.O.P.S. He believes the robot's knowledge will help him take over the world. His full name is never revealed. Don't mix him up with the Marvel Comics superhero!
  • Krieg (played by Henry Corden) - Krieg is Dr. Strange's mean but clumsy main helper. He always wants to impress his boss but usually messes things up.
  • Sly (actor unknown) - Sly is a bald henchman. He's unofficially Krieg's second-in-command. He's a bit smarter than Krieg and often questions his bad ideas.
  • Crunch (actor unknown) - Crunch is another tough henchman. He's kind of the group's unofficial clown. Dr. Strange often picks him first to test new weapons on.
  • The Parrot - This is Dr. Strange's pet parrot. It shows up sometimes. It seems to be the only thing Dr. Strange cares about, much like Blofeld and his cat in James Bond movies.

There are also two other henchmen who are never named. Different actors play them in different episodes.

Other Island Inhabitants

• The Mud People - These are natives of the island covered in mud. They chase P.O.P.S. because they think he is a god. They speak a simple language that only P.O.P.S. and Titan can understand.
• The Bird Men - These are human-like birds from a planet called Falconia. Dr. Strange brought them to Mystery Island before the show started.
  • Wark (actor unknown) - Wark is a Bird Man who can speak English. He wants to turn Sue Corwin into a bird-woman. He wants her to be a new princess and fortune-teller for his people.
• The Lava Man (actor unknown) - This is a huge creature made of lava. He becomes friends with the Corwins and Chuck after they save him. He mostly grunts, and only P.O.P.S. can understand him. The Lava Man seems to have a crush on Sue!
• The Ape Men - These are super-smart apes. Dr. Strange created them in an experiment. They are very loyal to him because they want him to turn them into humans. The Ape Men are scared of the Mud People.
  • Korba - Korba is the leader of the Ape Men.
• Titan (voice actor unknown) - Titan is a huge computer with its own intelligence. It thinks all humans are not as good as it is, except maybe its creator, Dr. Strange.

Episode Guide