Tom Terrific facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Tom Terrific |
|
|---|---|
| Genre | Animated television series |
| Created by | Gene Deitch |
| Developed by | Gene Deitch |
| Written by | William Bernal, Phil Eastman, Bud Evsalin, Bob Kuwahara, Ralph Newman |
| Directed by | Gene Deitch |
| Starring | Lionel Wilson |
| Theme music composer | Thomas Lee Morrison, Philip A. Scheib |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 26 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | William M. Weiss |
| Producer(s) | Gene Deitch |
| Editor(s) | Jack MacConnell |
| Production company(s) | Terrytoons |
| Release | |
| First shown in | 1957-1958 |
| Original release | June 10, 1957 – 1959 (pre-reruns) |
Tom Terrific was a popular animated TV show from 1957 to 1959. It was shown as part of the Captain Kangaroo children's television program. The show was known for its simple, black-and-white drawings. It looked a lot like pictures kids might draw themselves.
The series followed the adventures of Tom Terrific, a smart and brave boy hero. He lived in a treehouse and had a special "thinking cap." This cap looked like a funnel and helped him change into anything he wanted. It also made him super smart! Tom was always ready to help people and solve problems.
Contents
Meet the Characters
Tom Terrific had a funny sidekick named Mighty Manfred. Manfred was a lazy but loyal wonder dog. Together, they faced many silly villains.
Tom's Enemies
Their main enemy was Crabby Appleton. His famous motto was, "I'm rotten to the core!" Crabby Appleton was always trying to cause trouble. Other bad guys included:
- Mr. Instant, the Instant Thing King
- Captain Kidney Bean
- Sweet Tooth Sam, the Candy Bandit
- Isotope Feeney, the Meany
How Tom Terrific Was Made
The show was created by Gene Deitch. It was made by the Terrytoons studio. Terrytoons was part of CBS, the same network that showed Captain Kangaroo.
Episode Format
There were 26 stories in total. Each story was split into five short episodes. One five-minute episode was shown every day, Monday through Friday. This meant you had to watch all week to see a whole story! The first 13 stories were made in 1957. The rest were made in 1958. Captain Kangaroo kept showing these episodes for many years.
The Voice Behind the Characters
A talented voice actor named Lionel Wilson did all the voices for every character. This included Tom, Manfred, Crabby Appleton, and all the others! Lionel Wilson later voiced Eustace Bagge in the Courage the Cowardly Dog cartoon.
From Comic Strip to TV Show
Gene Deitch got the idea for Tom Terrific from an earlier comic strip he made. It was called "Terr'ble Thompson!" This comic strip was about a six-year-old boy. He imagined himself as a "Hero of Hist'ry." He would travel back in time to help famous people.
Tom Terrific's Legacy
TV Guide magazine thought Tom Terrific was a great show. They ranked Tom Terrific as #32 on their list of "50 Greatest TV Cartoon Characters."
No Official Home Video Release
As of 2020, you can't buy Tom Terrific on VHS, DVD, or Blu-ray. There has never been an official release of the series for people to watch at home.
Tom Terrific in Pop Culture
The show and its characters have appeared in other places too:
- Tom Terrific had his own comic book series for six issues in 1957.
- He also appeared in some Wonder Books, which were like Little Golden Books.
- A rock band in the 1970s was named Crabby Appleton. They even used the character's image on their album called Rotten to the Core.
- Famous American football player Tom Brady tried to trademark "Tom Terrific" for himself. But his request was turned down in 2019. This was to avoid confusion with the baseball player Tom Seaver, who also went by that nickname.
