The Mighty Hercules facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids The Mighty Hercules

Created by	Adventure Cartoon Productions
Directed by	Joe Oriolo
Voices of	Gerry Bascombe Jimmy Tapp Helene Nickerson
Country of origin	Canada United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of episodes	128
Production
Producer(s)	Joe Oriolo
Running time	5 minutes (usually compiled into 30-minute omnibuses)
Production company(s)	Adventure Cartoons For Television, Inc.
Distributor	Trans-Lux Television (former) NBCUniversal Television Distribution (on behalf of Classic Media) (current)
Release
Original network	first-run syndication
Original release	September 1, 1963 (1963-09-01) – May 1, 1966 (1966-05-01)

The Mighty Hercules is a cartoon TV show from Canada and the United States. It's based on the famous hero Hercules from Greek mythology. The show first aired in 1963 and ran until 1966. Each episode is about 5 and a half minutes long. Often, several episodes were shown together to fill a 30-minute TV slot.

About the Show
How the Show Was Made
Music in the Show
Episode List
Audio Recording
DVD Release
See also

About the Show

The cartoon follows Hercules, a legendary hero who lives on Mount Olympus. When bad guys threaten the people of ancient Greece, especially in the kingdom of Calydon, Hercules always comes to help.

When he's in serious trouble, Hercules uses a special magic ring. When he puts on the ring and raises his fist, lightning flashes hit the ring. This gives Hercules amazing super-strength! He often battles villains like Daedalus, an evil wizard who is the main bad guy. Daedalus sometimes has a pet cat named Dydo. Other villains include Wilhelmine the Sea Witch, who has a pet bird named Elvira, and Murtis, who wears a special iron helmet called the Mask of Vulcan that makes him super tough.

Hercules has many friends and helpers:

Newton, his main helper, is a kind centaur boy. He calls Hercules "Herc" and often repeats what he says.
Helena, Hercules's girlfriend.
Prince (who later becomes King) Dorian of Calydon.
Tewt, a small satyr who talks by playing his syrinx.
Timon, a young human from Calydon.
Pegasus, Hercules's flying horse.

Up on Mount Olympus, Hercules's father Zeus and Dodonis (who has a crystal rock that can see things) often warn Hercules about problems happening on Earth, especially around Calydon or in the Lernaean Forest.

The very first episode of the show has special animation. In this episode, Hercules beats his friend Theseus in a footrace and a wrestling match. Because he won, Zeus promises to give Hercules anything he wishes. Hercules wants to go to Earth to fight evil. Zeus tells him that going to Earth would make him lose his god-like powers. So, Zeus creates a magic ring that lets Hercules keep his super-strength while on Earth. In this first episode, Hercules meets Helena and fights a giant named Cacus and his pet dragon. The other friends don't appear in this first episode, and Hercules and Helena look a bit different.

The show often used ideas from real Greek myths, but sometimes changed them. For example, Daedalus is an evil wizard in the cartoon, but in real Greek myths, he was a skilled inventor, not a villain. The giant Cacus from the first episode is based on a monster from myths. Other creatures like the Nemean lion, the Lernaean Hydra, the Erymanthian Boar, and the Stymphalian birds are from the famous Twelve Labors of Hercules. However, in the cartoon, these creatures are usually just monsters Hercules fights, not special challenges he has to overcome.

Besides his magic ring, Hercules later gets new tools like a "moonstone beam" in his belt and a super-strong sword and shield. Every episode usually ends with Hercules flying back to Mount Olympus, shouting "Olympia!" after he defeats the bad guy.

How the Show Was Made

The Mighty Hercules was made by Adventure Cartoon Productions with Trans-Lux Television. This is the same company that later brought the Japanese cartoon Speed Racer to the United States. They made 128 episodes of The Mighty Hercules, each about 5 minutes long. Joe Oriolo was the producer and director. Many experienced animators from New York City worked on the show.

The characters in the show had two different sets of voices. The biggest change was Newton's voice. At first, his voice sounded like it was cracking, like someone going through puberty. Later, he had a high-pitched voice, a bit like Mickey Mouse. This change wasn't gradual; it just switched. In one episode called "Double Trouble," Newton's voice actually changes during the episode! Hercules's voice also changed. In early episodes, David Hartman voiced Hercules, but then a different actor took over. However, the show always gave credit to Jimmy Tapp as Hercules's voice. The voice of Daedalus was done by either Jack Mercer or Gerry Bascombe. Helene Nickerson voiced all the female characters. Even the animation for Hercules putting on his magic ring and powering up changed a little along with the voices.

Music in the Show

The Mighty Hercules has a famous theme song sung by Johnny Nash. He was an American reggae singer known for songs like "I Can See Clearly Now". The music for the theme song was by Winston Sharples, and his son, Winston Sharples, Jr., wrote the words. The special "ring anthem" music that plays when Hercules uses his magic ring, and other music in the episodes, came from a 1954 movie called The Black Shield of Falworth.

In 2005, The Mighty Hercules was updated and re-released on TV. It had new title music sung by a different person. But the version shown on the Canadian TV channel Teletoon Retro still used the original theme song by Johnny Nash.

Episode List

Season 1
1. Hercules Comes to Earth 2. Hercules vs. the Hydra 3. Hercules and the Stolen Ring 4. Hercules and the Magic Arrows 5. Daedalus Kidnaps Helena 6. Theft of the Magic Seal 7. Double Trouble 8. Hercules Rescues Timon 9. The Chair of Forgetfulness 10. The Strength Potion 11. Hercules vs. the Hideous Bird Beast 12. Pegasus Kidnapped 13. The Invisible Potion 14. Medusa's Scepter 15. Search for the Golden Apple 16. The Thieving Bird Hoard 17. Daedalus Becomes a Giant 18. The Stolen Treasure 19. The Cure 20. The Thunderbolt Disc 21. Sun Diamond of Helios 22. Hercules Lends a Hand 23. The Defiant Mask of Vulcan 24. The Golden Goblet 25. The Lexas Lagoon 26. Guarding of the Olympic Torch 27. Helena Cries Wolf 28. Hercules Saves the Villagers 29. Hercules and the Magic Arrows 30. Hercules Battles the Krudes Beast 31. The Cave of Death 32. Medusa's Sceptre 33. The Bewitch Birds 34. The Enchanted Pool 35. The Endless Chasm 36. Hercules Protects Helena and Newton 37. Hercules Helps King Neptune 38. The Return of the Mask 39. Hercules Saves Helena 40. The Magnetic Stone 41. The Magic Rod 42. The Minotaur 43. Hercules and the Eternal Sleep

Season 2
44. The Clutching Clay Pool 45. Princess Rhea 46. The Valley of Whirlwinds 47. The Wild Boar 48. The Magic Belt of Hercules 49. The Errand of Mercy 50. The Nemean Lion 51. The Magician 52. Dorian's Wreath 53. The Unicorns 54. Wilhelmine 55. The Witch and the Magic Ring 56. Diomedes' Evil Plot 57. Hercules' Unwanted Powers 58. The Enchanted Wolf 59. Hercules and His Two Rivals 60. Hercules Saves the King 61. The Thracian Army 62. The Gems of Venus 63. The Golden Torch 64. Hercules vs. Teron, the Evil Spirit 65. Hercules Saves the Kingdom 66. Kidnapped by Wilhelmine 67. The Chameleon Creature 68. Earthquake Valley 69. Newton the Centaur 70. Helena Kidnapped – Hercules to the Rescue 71. Hercules and His Friends 72. The Magic Sword 73. Timon's Grandfather and Hercules 74. Hercules Loses His Memory 75. The Hall of Justice 76. The Cave of Callisto 77. The Powerless Hercules 78. Omar, the Sultan's Champion 79. Sandals of Electra 80. The Sea Witch 81. The Giant 82. Helena's Beauty 83. The Island of the Miros Monster 84. Hercules and the Fireball 85. Hercules Outwits the Magician 86. The Evil Weapon

Season 3
87. The Giant Ruby 88. The Owl Man 89. The Chameleon Man 90. Hercules Foils the Mask of Vulcan 91. The Exploding Diamond 92. Hercules and the Sea Witch 93. The Magic Lamp 94. The Owl-Man of Parnassus 95. The Eruption of Mount Sirius 96. The Deadly Gift 97. The Thesian Thunderhorn 98. The Dreaded Beast of Charon 99. Hercules, Newton, and the Evil Magician 100. The Fiery Abyss 101. The Giant Dragonfly 102. Tewt's Magic Wand Trouble 103. The Wings of Mercury 104. The Sea Beast 105. Prometheus in Dire Danger 106. The Crafty Chameleon 107. Kingdom Under the Glass Dome 108. The Fantus Beast 109. The Lyssidian Locusts 110. Hercules Saves Caledon 111. Helena's Jinx 112. The Sinister Statue 113. Friend or Foe of Centaur 114. The Young Olympians 115. The Feast of Calydon 116. The Lava Flow 117. The Dreaded Draught 118. Underwater Battle 119. The Sidian Illusion Stone 120. Timon to the Aid of Hercules 121. The Fiery Pits of Pyros 122. The Clovis Creature 123. The Valley of Storms 124. The Centaur on Mischief Day 125. The Throne of Calydon 126. Battle of the Magic Rings 127. Diomedes and His Warriors 128. King for a Day

Audio Recording

In 1963, Golden Records released a special record for children called The Mighty Hercules. It featured songs and music by Winston Sharples.

DVD Release

On October 4, 2011, Classic Media (now DreamWorks Classics) released The Mighty Hercules on DVD for the first time. This single DVD included 20 episodes from the first season.