The Plastic Man Comedy/Adventure Show facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Plastic Man Comedy/Adventure Show |
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| Based on | Plastic Man by Jack Cole |
| Developed by | Joe Ruby Ken Spears |
| Written by | Mark Jones Elana Lesser Cliff Ruby |
| Directed by | Rudy Larriva Manny Perez Charles A. Nichols John Kimball |
| Starring | Taylor Marks as Plastic Man (live-action sequence) |
| Voices of | Joe Baker Michael Bell Melendy Britt |
| Narrated by | Michael Rye |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Joe Ruby Ken Spears |
| Producer(s) | Jerry Eisenberg |
| Running time | 120 minutes (1979–80) 90 minutes (1980–81) |
| Production company(s) | Ruby-Spears Productions DC Comics |
| Distributor | Filmways |
| Release | |
| Original network | ABC |
| Original release | September 22, 1979 – February 28, 1981 |
The Plastic Man Comedy/Adventure Show was a fun cartoon show made by Ruby-Spears Productions. It aired from 1979 to 1981 on the ABC Network, often right after Super Friends.
This show was all about the DC Comics superhero Plastic Man and his amazing adventures. It was like a collection of different mini-shows, featuring Plastic Man, his family, and other cool characters like Mighty Man and Yukk, Fangface and Fangpuss, and Rickety Rocket.
Later, for the 1980-81 season, the show became shorter. It focused mainly on Plastic Man and Baby Plas and was renamed The Plasticman/Baby Plas Super Comedy. The show was also repackaged and shown daily in 1984. A special live-action "Plastic Man" played by Taylor Marks was part of the show's syndication.
Contents
Meet Plastic Man and His Friends
Plastic Man (voiced by Michael Bell) is a superhero with incredible stretching powers. The show hinted that he used to be a small-time crook named Patrick "Eel" O'Brian. He changed his ways after a dangerous event gave him his powers.
Plastic Man travels the world with his girlfriend Penny (voiced by Melendy Britt) and his funny sidekick Hula-Hula (voiced by Joe Baker). They get their missions from the Chief (also voiced by Melendy Britt), whose job is to protect the world from danger. Plastic Man always keeps his sense of humor, even when things get tough!
Most of the villains in the show were created just for the series. Only a few, like Doctor Dome, Doctor Honctoff, and Carrot-Man, came from the original comics.
In the first season, Penny had a crush on Plastic Man, but he was more interested in the Chief. However, in the second season, Plastic Man started to like Penny back, and they even got married! They had a son (voiced by Clare Peck) who also had stretching powers, just like his dad. These episodes, called "Baby Plas", showed their son having lighter adventures, like saving his friends from bullies.
Cool Segments of the Show
The first season of the show had several different cartoon segments. Besides Plastic Man, Baby Plas, and the Plastic Family, here are some of the others:
- Mighty Man and Yukk: This segment followed a tiny superhero named Mighty Man (voiced by Peter Cullen) and his talking dog, Yukk (voiced by Frank Welker). Yukk was so ugly that he had to wear a doghouse-helmet! If he took it off, he could destroy almost anything just by looking at it. They protected their city from villains.
- Fangface and Fangpuss: This was the second season of the Fangface cartoon. It was about a boy named Sherman who unwillingly turned into a werewolf called Fangface (voiced by Frank Welker). His baby cousin, Baby Fangs (also voiced by Frank Welker), could also turn into a werewolf. They had adventures with their friends Biff, Kim, and Puggsy.
- Rickety Rocket: This segment featured a smart rocket (voiced by Al Fann) created by a group of smart African-American kids: Sunstroke, Splashdown, Cosmo, and Venus. They solved mysteries in the future, similar to the cartoon Speed Buggy.
In the second season, the show's length was cut down. Plastic Man and Baby Plas were the main segments, and three new cartoons were added:
- Heathcliff
- Dingbat and the Creeps
- Thundarr the Barbarian
Who Voiced the Characters?
Many talented voice actors brought these characters to life! Taylor Marks, a stand-up comedian, played Plastic Man in the live-action parts of the show when it was shown in syndication.
- John Anthony Bailey – Sunstroke
- Joe Baker – Hula-Hula, Professor Friday
- Michael Bell – Plastic Man, Dr. Astro, Marak, Junior Macintosh, Half-Ape (2nd Time), Gearshift Swift, Krime Klown, Nefario
- Susan Blu – Kim, Sally Jones
- Bart Braverman – Puggsy
- Melendy Britt – Chief, Penny
- Johnny Brown – Splashdown
- Peter Cullen – Brandon Brewster/Mighty Man
- Jerry Dexter – Biff
- Bobby F. Ellerbee – Cosmo
- Al Fann – Rickety Rocket
- Clare Peck – Baby Plas
- Michael Rye – Main Title Narrator, Dr. Lazarus Web, Skullman
- John Stephenson – Mayor, Fangface Narrator, Weed, Royal Rajah, Computerhead (2nd Time), Anthead, Big Mouse, Magnet Man, Catman, Dr. Rufus T. Gadgets, Marble Man, Mr. Van Pire, Dr. Decay, Dr. Lash, Ironmask
- Dee Timberlake – Venus
- Frank Welker – Sherman Fangsworth/Fangface, Baby Fangs/Fangpuss, Yukk
Note: John Stephenson is listed twice in the credits because he voiced many different characters!
Behind the Scenes Team
The people who wrote the stories and directed the episodes helped make the show exciting.
- Story editors: Mark Jones, Elana Lesser, Cliff Ruby
- Directors: Rudy Larriva, Manny Perez, Charles A. Nichols
Images for kids
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The main characters of the show.
See also
In Spanish: El Programa de Aventuras y Comedia del Hombre Plástico para niños
