The Herculoids facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Herculoids |
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Title card
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| Genre | Science fiction |
| Created by | Alex Toth |
| Directed by | William Hanna Joseph Barbera |
| Voices of | Mike Road Virginia Gregg Teddy Eccles Don Messick |
| Composer(s) | Ted Nichols |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of episodes | 18 (36 segments, 1967–1969) 11 (1981–1982) |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | William Hanna Joseph Barbera |
| Running time | 22 min. - two 11 min. segments (1967–1969) 6 min. segments of Space Stars (1981–1982) |
| Production company(s) | Hanna-Barbera Productions |
| Distributor | Taft, H-B Program Sales |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBS |
| Original release | September 9, 1967 – January 6, 1968 |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | Space Stars |
The Herculoids is an exciting American animated TV show. It was created by Alex Toth and made by Hanna-Barbera Productions. The series first aired on September 9, 1967, on CBS.
The show is all about science fiction adventures. It features a brave family and their amazing creature friends. They live on a faraway planet and work together to keep it safe. The original series had 18 episodes. Later, in 1981, 11 new episodes were made as part of the Space Stars show.
The story follows the family Zandor, Tara, and their son Dorno. They team up with their giant pets, known as the Herculoids. These special creatures include Zok, a laser dragon; Tundro, a space rhinoceros; Igoo, a rock ape; and the shape-shifting Gloop and his son Gleep. Together, they fight against many different villains. These bad guys include robots, mad scientists, and strange mutants. They protect their planet from threats like the Faceless People, Destroyer Ants, and Zorbots.
Contents
Meet the Herculoids Characters
There are eight main characters in The Herculoids who protect their home.
The Human Heroes
These three characters are the only ones who can speak English.
- Zandor (voiced by Mike Road) - He is the leader of the Herculoids and the protector of their planet, Amzot (also called Quasar).
- Tara (voiced by Virginia Gregg) - She is Zandor's wife and a brave member of the team.
- Dorno (voiced by Ted Eccles in the original series, Sparky Marcus in 1981) - He is the son of Zandor and Tara. Dorno is always ready for adventure.
The Amazing Creatures
The five creature characters are the heart of the Herculoids team.
- Zok (voiced by Mike Road) - Zok is a dragon with bat-like wings. He can shoot powerful laser beams from his eyes and tail. Zok can also fly through space and breathe fire. His eyes can even create a "nega-beam" to stop energy attacks.
- Igoo (voiced by Mike Road) - Igoo is a huge, strong rock ape. His skin is like solid rock, making him almost impossible to hurt. He is very kind and gentle, especially towards Tara. But if his friends or home are in danger, he becomes a fierce protector.
- Tundro (voiced by Mike Road) - Tundro is a creature with ten legs and four horns, like a rhinoceros or Triceratops. He can fire explosive energy rocks from his main horn. His body is covered in strong armor. Tundro can also stretch his legs very long, like stilts, and spin his head to drill through rock.
- Gloop and Gleep (both voiced by Don Messick) - These two are unique creatures made of protoplasm. They can absorb and bounce back energy blasts, acting as shields for their friends. They can also change their shapes to help the team. For example, they can become cushions for soft landings, trampolines, or even parachutes. They can also stretch to make slingshots or wrap around enemies to stop them. Gloop is the bigger one, and Gleep is the smaller one.
The Herculoids' Impact and Appearances
The Herculoids has been shown in many other TV series over the years. This includes Hanna–Barbera's World of Super Adventure and Space Stars, where new episodes were made. The show has also inspired other artists and creators. For example, video game designer David Crane said that the character Blobert from the A Boy and His Blob game was inspired by Gloop and Gleep.
Guest Appearances and Mentions
The Herculoids and their planet have appeared in or been mentioned in other cartoons.
- They appeared in an episode of Space Ghost.
- Space Ghost Coast to Coast mentioned their planet and even showed Space Ghost visiting it.
- Gloop was mentioned in Sealab 2021 and made several guest appearances in Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law.
- Tundro and Gloop appeared in an episode of Family Guy.
- Gloop and Gleep had a cameo in Dexter's Laboratory.
- The show was also mentioned in The Venture Bros..
Episode Guide
The original series episodes were usually shown as two shorter stories in one show.
Original Series Episodes (1967-1968)
| Nº | Title | Original air date | |
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| 1a | "The Pirates" | September 9, 1967 | |
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Pirates bury treasure on Amzot. When the Herculoids arrive, Dorno is captured and held hostage.
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| 1b | "Sarko the Arkman" | September 9, 1967 | |
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Sarko captures Igoo, then uses sleeping gas to take Zandor, Dorno, and Tundro.
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| 2a | "The Pod Creatures" | September 16, 1967 | |
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An alien ship drops mechanical pods onto Amzot. These robotic creatures attack Dorno, Igoo, and Gleep.
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| 2b | "Mekkor" | September 16, 1967 | |
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A group of strong robots, led by a larger one, attack the Herculoids.
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| 3a | "The Beaked People" | September 23, 1967 | |
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Krokar, leader of the Beaked People, plans to invade. He captures Zandor to rule Amzot.
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| 3b | "The Raiders" | September 23, 1967 | |
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Sta-Lak flies over Amzot in an invisible ship, planning to capture Tara.
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| 4a | "The Mole Men" | September 30, 1967 | |
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Zandor discovers the Mole Men's plan to invade the surface world and saves a prisoner.
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| 4b | "The Lost Dorgyte" | September 30, 1967 | |
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Zandor rescues a boy who cannot live in sunlight. Insect-like creatures attack the Herculoids.
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| 5a | "The Spider Men" | October 7, 1967 | |
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Spider-like creatures kidnap Dorno and try to take Tara. The Herculoids launch a big attack.
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| 5b | "The Android People" | October 7, 1967 | |
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Zandor is captured by Gorvac, who creates an evil clone of Zandor to build an army.
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| 6a | "Defeat of Ogron" | October 14, 1967 | |
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Andropon and his robots invade Amzot. Zandor and Zok face Andropon's top warrior, Ogron.
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| 6b | "Prisoners of the Bubblemen" | October 14, 1967 | |
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Brotak and his Bubblemen kidnap Zandor and Tara for scientific experiments.
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| 7a | "Mekkano, the Machine Master" | October 21, 1967 | |
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Mekkano escapes prison and plans to destroy Zandor and the Herculoids with his trained machines.
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| 7b | "Tiny World of Terror" | October 21, 1967 | |
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Torrak shrinks the Herculoids to tiny size, planning to destroy them with microorganisms.
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| 8a | "The Gladiators of Kyanite" | October 28, 1967 | |
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Neron captures Tundro. Zandor and the Herculoids go to the arena to rescue him and fight gladiators.
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| 8b | "Temple of Trax" | October 28, 1967 | |
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The high priest of Trax kidnaps Tara to sacrifice her. Zandor and Zok race to save her.
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| 9a | "The Time Creatures" | November 4, 1967 | |
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Oton wants to rule Amzot by changing its past, starting with destroying the Herculoids.
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| 9b | "The Raider Apes" | November 4, 1967 | |
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Gotron and his Raider Apes burn a village for gold. The Herculoids come to help the villagers.
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| 10a | "The Zorbots" | November 11, 1967 | |
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Konar is destroying Amzot's atmosphere. Zandor and the Herculoids fight Konar and his giant Zorbots.
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| 10b | "Invasion of the Electrode Men" | November 11, 1967 | |
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Volton and his Electrode Men set up a base to take over Amzot. They capture Tara and Dorno.
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| 11a | "Destroyer Ants" | November 18, 1967 | |
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A lightning storm hatches giant ant eggs. The huge ants cause destruction, and the Herculoids must stop them.
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| 11b | "Swamp Monster" | November 18, 1967 | |
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A radioactive swamp monster attacks. It traps Dorno and Gleep, and the Herculoids must rescue them.
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| 12a | "Mission of the Amatons" | November 25, 1967 | |
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Amak and the Amatons try to enslave animals and the Herculoids. Gloop and Gleep save the day.
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| 12b | "Queen Skorra" | November 25, 1967 | |
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Queen Skorra unleashes a mud creature and tries to force the Herculoids into exile.
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| 13a | "Laser Lancers" | December 2, 1967 | |
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The Laser Lancers capture Dorno and Tara. With Gleep's help, the Herculoids repel the attackers.
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| 13b | "Attack of the Faceless People" | December 2, 1967 | |
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Darkon of the Faceless People pursues Princess Serena and captures Tara. The Herculoids fight back.
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| 14a | "The Mutoids" | December 9, 1967 | |
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A Mutoid lands on Amzot, planning to use it as a missile launch site. The Herculoids must stop them.
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| 14b | "The Crystallites" | December 9, 1967 | |
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A meteor turns into a giant crystal. Zandor is attacked by Crystallites, and Tara and Dorno are captured.
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| 15a | "Return of Sta-Lak" | December 16, 1967 | |
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Sta-Lak returns with robot copies of Igoo, Zok, and Tundro. He captures Zandor, Tara, and Dorno.
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| 15b | "Revenge of the Pirates" | December 16, 1967 | |
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The pirate captain returns and immobilizes the Herculoids. Zok frees them, and they fight back.
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| 16a | "Ruler of the Reptons" | December 23, 1967 | |
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Tara is captured by the Reptons and mind-controlled. The Herculoids rescue her and destroy the lair.
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| 16b | "The Antidote" | December 23, 1967 | |
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Zandor is poisoned by a giant spider. Dorno and the Herculoids seek an antidote from the Spider People.
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| 17a | "Attack from Space" | December 30, 1967 | |
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The planet Luvanuum bombards Amzot. The Herculoids travel to Luvanuum to stop Zaygot.
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| 17b | "The Return of Torrak" | December 30, 1967 | |
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Torrak returns and sends a giant fly to capture Tara. The Herculoids defeat his stronger microorganisms.
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| 18a | "The Island of the Gravites" | January 6, 1968 | |
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The Herculoids investigate Gravite Island, where Lotak creates giant gravite creatures.
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| 18b | "Malak and the Metal Apes" | January 6, 1968 | |
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Malak sends Metal Apes to attack the Sea People. The Herculoids destroy the Metal Apes and Malak's base.
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Space Stars Revival Episodes (1981)
| Nº | Title | Original air date | |
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| 1 | "The Ice Monster" | September 12, 1981 | |
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An ancient, indestructible robot monster emerges from ice, causing trouble for the Herculoids.
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| 2 | "The Purple Menace" | September 19, 1981 | |
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Glowing purple rocks bring purple vines to life, which cause chaos on the planet.
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| 3 | "The Firebird" | September 26, 1981 | |
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A volcano erupts, revealing a firebird that threatens the Herculoids from its crater home.
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| 4 | "The Energy Creature" | October 3, 1981 | |
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A meteorite brings an energy creature to Quasar. It takes on the forms of creatures it traps.
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| 5 | "The Snake Riders" | October 10, 1981 | |
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Dorno and Gleep discover the Snake Riders' plan to take over the planet. The Herculoids must stop them.
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| 6 | "The Buccaneer" | October 17, 1981 | |
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The Buccaneer and his pirate crew arrive on Quasar, searching for buried treasure.
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| 7 | "The Thunderbolt" | October 24, 1981 | |
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Saiju eats electrically-charged rocks and becomes a living electrical monster. The Herculoids try to revert him.
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| 8 | "Return of the Ancients" | October 31, 1981 | |
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Descendants of an ancient race return to Quasar after 1,000 years, unhappy their civilization is gone.
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| 9 | "Space Trappers" | November 7, 1981 | |
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Space Trappers arrive on Quasar and capture the Herculoids to put them in their intergalactic circus.
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| 10 | "The Invisibles" | November 14, 1981 | |
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A special rock makes enemies invisible. The Herculoids must fight foes they cannot see.
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| 11 | "Mindbender" | November 21, 1981 | |
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Dorno, Gloop, and Gleep release a big-brained alien who once ruled Quasar. The Herculoids try to recapture him.
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Voice Actors
- Ted Eccles (original series), Sparky Marcus (1981) as Dorno
- Virginia Gregg as Tara
- Don Messick as Gleep, Gloop
- Mike Road as Zandor, Zok, Igoo, Tundro
The Herculoids Around the World
The show was known by different names in other languages:
- French: Les Défenseurs interplanétaires (The Interplanetary Defenders)
- Chinese: 宇宙泰山 (Space Tarzan) in Hong Kong
- Italian: Gli Erculoidi in Italy
- Portuguese: Os Herculóides in Portugal
- Spanish: Los Defensores Interplanetarios or Spanish: Los Herculoides in Spanish-speaking countries
- Hungarian: A Herkuloidák in Hungary
- Japanese: 怪獣王ターガン Kaijû Ô Tâgan (Monster King Targan) in Japan. The characters had different names there too!
- Welsh: Sandor in Welsh, shown on BBC2 Wales and BBC1 Wales.
In Other Media
Comic Books
Super TV Heroes #1 (1968) and Cartoon Network Presents #17 (1999), featuring the Herculoids on their covers
The Herculoids have also appeared in several comic books.
- In 1968-1969, they were in the Hanna-Barbera Super TV Heroes series.
- In 1978, they appeared in a Marvel Comics series called TV Stars.
- From 1997 to 1999, they were featured in the DC Comics series Cartoon Network Presents.
- In 2016, the Herculoids played a big part in the DC Comics series Future Quest. This comic also included characters from other Hanna-Barbera shows like Jonny Quest and Space Ghost.
See also
In Spanish: Los Herculoides para niños
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The Herculoids Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.