The Perils of Penelope Pitstop facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Perils of Penelope Pitstop
Genre	Comedy-drama
Created by	William Hanna Joseph Barbera
Written by	Joe Ruby Ken Spears Michael Maltese
Directed by	William Hanna Joseph Barbera
Starring	Mel Blanc Paul Lynde (uncredited) Don Messick Janet Waldo Paul Winchell
Narrated by	Gary Owens
Composer(s)	Ted Nichols
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	17 (list of episodes)
Production
Producer(s)	William Hanna Joseph Barbera Alex Lovy (associate)
Running time	21 minutes
Production company(s)	Hanna-Barbera Productions
Distributor	Warner Bros. Television Distribution
Release
Original network	CBS
Audio format	Monaural
Original release	September 13, 1969 (1969-09-13) – January 17, 1970 (1970-01-17)
Chronology
Preceded by	Wacky Races (1968)
Followed by	Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines (1969)
Related shows	Wacky Races

The Perils of Penelope Pitstop is an American animated TV show. It was made by Hanna-Barbera Productions. The show first aired on CBS on September 13, 1969.

This fun series ran for one season. It had 17 episodes, each about half an hour long. The last new episode aired on January 17, 1970. Later, the show was repeated on CBS until 1971. It also appeared in other TV packages from 1976 to 1982.

The Perils of Penelope Pitstop is a spin-off from another popular cartoon, Wacky Races. It features the same characters: Penelope Pitstop and the Ant Hill Mob. You can still watch reruns of the show today. They air on Cartoon Network's channel Boomerang. The whole series is also available on the Boomerang streaming service.

What is The Perils of Penelope Pitstop About?

This cartoon series brings back characters from Wacky Races. These characters are Penelope Pitstop and the Ant Hill Mob. In this show, the Ant Hill Mob are heroes. This is different from their earlier, less friendly roles.

Penelope's Dangerous Adventures

In every episode, Penelope faces danger. Her guardian, Sylvester Sneekly, is the bad guy. He wants Penelope's money for himself. He secretly becomes the evil Hooded Claw. The Hooded Claw tries to get rid of Penelope. He often uses his two helpers, the Bully Brothers. They always speak at the same time.

The Hooded Claw creates complicated traps. These traps are like Rube Goldberg inventions. They are designed to cause trouble for Penelope. The Ant Hill Mob often tries to save her. But sometimes, Penelope has to save them! This happens when their rescue attempts go wrong.

Penelope often gets out of one trap. But then she quickly falls into another one. Even though the Ant Hill Mob can be clumsy, they always save Penelope. They also stop the Hooded Claw's evil plans.

Penelope's Clever Escapes

When the Hooded Claw catches Penelope, she seems helpless. But once he ties her up, she becomes very smart. She often finds creative ways to escape her own problems. She uses her quick thinking to get free from his tricky traps.

Meet the Characters

Let's learn about the main characters in the show.

• Penelope Pitstop: She is the main character. Penelope is a rich heiress. She has a lot of money from her family. But she doesn't know her guardian, Sylvester Sneekly, wants to harm her. He is secretly the Hooded Claw. The Ant Hill Mob often saves her. But Penelope is also very smart. She can often save herself when she is in danger.

• The Ant Hill Mob: This is a group of seven small mobsters. They are like the Seven Dwarfs from the Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs fairy tale. They are usually the ones who rescue Penelope. They save her from the Hooded Claw's tricky plans.

The Ant Hill Mob Members:

• • Clyde: He is the leader of the group. He acts a bit like Moe Howard.
  • Dum Dum: He is a bit clueless and not very smart.
  • Pockets: He can pull almost anything from his very large pockets.
  • Snoozy: He is almost always sleeping.
  • Softie: He cries easily, even at happy times. He often says, "Penelope is saved!"
  • Yak Yak: He is the opposite of Softie. He laughs at everything, even bad things.
  • Zippy: He is very fast.

• Chugga-Boom (also called Chuggie): This is the Ant Hill Mob's car. It's a special car that seems to have its own thoughts.

• Sylvester Sneekly/the Hooded Claw: He is Penelope's guardian. He is also the main bad guy. He wants Penelope's money. The show's narrator calls him "that villain of villains." He captures Penelope often. She doesn't know he is her guardian. He makes deadly traps for Penelope. But he always fails. The Ant Hill Mob saves her, or Penelope outsmarts him. When his plans fail, he yells, "Blast!"

• The Bully Brothers: These are the Hooded Claw's two big helpers. They usually speak together. They often say, "Right, Claw."

Who Are the Voice Actors?

These are the talented people who gave voices to the characters:

• Janet Waldo – Penelope Pitstop
• Mel Blanc – Yak Yak, Chug-a-Boom, the Bully Brothers
• Don Messick – Dum Dum, Snoozy, Pockets, Zippy
• Paul Winchell – Clyde, Softie
• Gary Owens – Narrator
• Paul Lynde – Sylvester Sneekly/the Hooded Claw (his role was not listed in the credits)

Episodes of The Perils of Penelope Pitstop

There are 17 exciting episodes in the series. Each one shows Penelope in a new danger.

Where to Watch The Perils of Penelope Pitstop

You can find The Perils of Penelope Pitstop on DVD. Warner Home Video released the full series on DVD in 2005. This was for people in North America. The UK also got the full series on DVD in 2006. You can also buy the series from the iTunes Store.

See also

In Spanish: Los peligros de Penélope Glamour para niños