Wacky Races (1968 TV series) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Wacky Races
Title card
Created by	William Hanna Joseph Barbera
Written by	Larz Bourne Dalton Sandifer Tom Dagenais Michael Maltese
Directed by	William Hanna Joseph Barbera
Voices of	Paul Winchell Don Messick Janet Waldo Daws Butler John Stephenson Dave Willock
Narrated by	Dave Willock
Composer(s)	Hoyt Curtin
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	17 (34 segments)
Production
Producer(s)	William Hanna Joseph Barbera
Editor(s)	Richard Allen Milton Krear
Running time	20 minutes (10 minutes per segment)
Production company(s)	Hanna-Barbera Productions Heatter-Quigley Productions
Distributor	Taft Broadcasting
Release
Original network	CBS
Audio format	Mono
Original release	September 14, 1968 (1968-09-14) – January 4, 1969 (1969-01-04)
Chronology
Followed by	The Perils of Penelope Pitstop Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines
Related shows	Wacky Races (2017)

Wacky Races is a fun animated TV show made by Hanna-Barbera Productions. It's all about 11 different cars racing against each other. These races happen across North America. All the drivers want to win the title of "World's Wackiest Racer." The show was inspired by a funny movie from 1965 called The Great Race.

The cartoon had many regular characters. There were 23 people and animals spread across the 11 race cars. Wacky Races first aired on CBS from September 14, 1968, to January 4, 1969. Later, it was shown again from 1976 to 1982. There were 17 episodes made. Each episode was 20 minutes long and had two 10-minute parts.

The series led to many other shows over the years. Many of these featured Dick Dastardly. A similar show was "Fender Bender 500" in 1990. In 2017, a new version of the series, called a reboot, started airing on Boomerang.

What is Wacky Races About?

This cartoon is about several racers with unique styles. Each racer uses strange tricks to compete against others. The races take place in many different parts of the United States.

Let's meet some of the racers:

• Dick Dastardly is the main bad guy. He has a twirly mustache and a snickering dog named Muttley. They drive the Mean Machine (00). This car is purple and rocket-powered. It has lots of hidden weapons and can even fly! Dastardly always tries to get ahead. Then, he sets traps to stop the other racers. But his plans usually go wrong. This makes him fall to last place. Dastardly never wins a race. He never even finishes in the top three. In the opening, he tries to chain the cars. But he accidentally backs up, breaks the chain, and frees everyone.
• The Slag Brothers, Rock and Gravel, are caveman-themed. Their car is the Boulder Mobile (1). It's made of rock! The brothers talk in caveman sounds. They make their car go faster by hitting it with their clubs. They can even rebuild it from scratch using their clubs.
• The Gruesome Twosome, Tiny "Big Gruesome" and Bela "Little Gruesome", are monsters. They drive the Creepy Coupe (2). This car looks like something from a horror movie. It has a small bell tower with a fire-breathing dragon. Bats and other creatures also live in it. The Creepy Coupe's special boost is "dragon power." The dragon acts like a rocket.
• Professor Pat Pending is an inventor. He drives the Convert-a-Car (3). He can change his car into almost anything that moves.
• The Red Max is an aviator, like a pilot from an old war movie. He speaks with a German accent. His car is a mix of a car and an airplane. It's called the Crimson Haybaler (4). His vehicle can fly, but only for short distances close to the ground.
• Penelope Pitstop is the only female driver. She wears a 1930s racing outfit. Her car is the Compact Pussycat (5). Penelope is a Southern belle. She seems to care more about her looks than the race. She often gets into trouble. But she is a skilled racer. She usually finishes in the top three and wins many times.
• Sergeant Blast and Private Meekly drive an armored car and tank mix. It's called the Army Surplus Special (6). The Sergeant uses "fire power." This means shooting cannonballs from his turret. It gives the car a temporary power boost.
• The Ant Hill Mob is a group of small gangsters. Clyde leads them. The group includes Ring-A-Ding, Rug Bug Benny, Mac, Danny, Kirby, and Willy. Their car is the Bulletproof Bomb (7). They sometimes worry about getting caught by the police. They can use "getaway power." This is when all the gangsters (except Clyde) stick their legs out. Then, they run to make the car go faster.
• Lazy Luke is a hillbilly. His partner is Blubber Bear, a shy bear who cries a lot. They drive the Arkansas Chuggabug (8). Luke steers with his bare feet. His car runs on steam from an old, shaky boiler. Luke has also used a balloon as an air jet for a quick speed boost.
• Peter Perfect is a polite racer. He drives the Turbo Terrific (9). Peter is very strong but also a bit vain. He often brags about his high-tech car. But his car often falls apart right after he praises it! He likes Penelope and often helps her.
• Rufus Ruffcut is a lumberjack. His friend is Sawtooth, a beaver. They drive the Buzz Wagon (10). Their car is made entirely of wood. It has four circular saw blades as wheels. Sawtooth can cut through things like trees very quickly.

Who Are the Voices Behind the Characters?

The voices for the characters are:

• Paul Winchell – Dick Dastardly, Private Meekly, Clyde
• Don Messick – Muttley, Professor Pat Pending, Gravel Slag, Bella Gruesome, Ring-a-Ding, Sawtooth
• Daws Butler – Rock Slag, Tiny Gruesome, Red Max, Sergeant Blast, Peter Perfect, Rufus Ruffcut
• John Stephenson – Luke, Blubber Bear
• Janet Waldo – Penelope Pitstop
• Dave Willock – Commentator/Narrator

Episodes of Wacky Races

Race Results and Winners

At the end of each episode, the show tells who came in first, second, and third. The narrator also sometimes shows other cars crossing the finish line. The show never said how to decide who won the "Wacky Races" overall. Below are the total first, second, and third-place finishes for each racer.

Race Standings by Episode

		1. The Boulder Mobile	2. The Creepy Coupe	3. The Convert-A-Car	4. The Crimson Haybaler	5. The Compact Pussycat	6. The Army Surplus Special	7. The Bulletproof Bomb	8. The Arkansas Chuggabug	9. The Turbo Terrific	10. The Buzzwagon	00. The Mean Machine
1a	See-Saw to Arkansas		2nd		1st						3rd
1b	Creepy Trip to Lemon Twist		2nd			1st					3rd	DSQ
2a	Why Oh Why Wyoming	2nd	1st	8th	7th	6th	5th	10th	3rd	9th	4th	11th
2b	Beat the Clock to Yellow Rock	5th	3rd	7th	10th	9th	6th	4th	1st	8th	2nd
3a	Mish-Mash Missouri Bash		3rd	1st	4th	2nd
3b	Idaho a Go-Go	1st		3rd							2nd
4a	The Baja-Ha-Ha Race	1st	5th	4th	3rd	7th	6th	2nd	9th	8th	10th	11th
4b	Real Gone Ape	9th	5th	7th	2nd	6th	1st	4th	10th	8th	3rd
5a	Scout Scatter	2nd	4th	3rd						5th	1st
5b	Free Wheeling to Wheeling	5th	4th		6th	3rd	7th	1st		2nd
6a	By Rollercoaster to Upsan Downs	2nd			1st				3rd
6b	The Speedy Arkansas Traveler	1st				4th		2nd		3rd
7a	The Zippy Mississippi Race	7th	6th	5th	8th	3rd	10th	2nd	9th	1st	4th
7b	Traffic Jambalaya		3rd			1st				2nd
8a	Hot Race at Chillicothe	3rd				2nd	1st
8b	The Wrong Lumber Race	9th	3rd	6th	8th	7th	4th	2nd	10th	5th	1st
9a	Rhode Island Road Race	2nd	1st						3rd
9b	The Great Cold Rush Race	4th	5th		1st		7th	3rd	2nd	6th	8th
10a	Wacky Race to Ripsaw	3rd			2nd						1st
10b	Oils Well That Ends Well	10th	6th	1st	4th	5th	2nd	9th	7th	8th	3rd	11th
11a	Whizzin' to Washington	7th	5th	2nd		6th	4th		3rd	1st
11b	The Dipsy Doodle Desert Derby	4th	3rd				5th			1st	2nd
12a	Eeny, Miny Missouri Go!	5th		1st		3rd		2nd			4th
12b	The Super Silly Swamp Sprint	5th			4th	3rd			1st	6th	2nd
13a	The Dopey Dakota Derby	9th	8th	2nd	3rd	4th	6th	1st	5th	7th	10th
13b	Dash to Delaware			3rd					1st		2nd
14a	Speeding for Smogland		2nd		3rd				1st		4th
14b	Race Rally to Raleigh	2nd	4th	5th				1st		3rd
15a	Ballpoint, Penn. or Bust!	4th	9th	10th	2nd	1st	8th	3rd	7th	5th	6th
15b	Fast Track to Hackensack	2nd	3rd					1st
16a	The Ski Resort Road Race	8th	9th	3rd	5th	7th	1st	10th	6th	4th	2nd
16b	Overseas Hi-Way Race	2nd	8th	6th	5th	3rd	9th	4th	10th	1st	7th
17a	Race to Racine	2nd	1st	3rd	10th	4th	6th	9th	7th	5th	8th
17b	The Carlsbad or Bust Bash	3rd		6th	2nd	1st	4th		5th

Other Shows and Comics Inspired by Wacky Races

Penelope Pitstop and the Ant Hill Mob got their own cartoon in 1969. It was called The Perils of Penelope Pitstop. In the same year, Dick Dastardly and Muttley got their own show too. It was called Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines. People sometimes mistakenly call it Stop the Pigeon. Both of these spin-off shows lasted for one season.

In 1977, Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels was made. The main character, Captain Caveman, was based on the Slag Brothers.

In 1990, a cartoon part of Wake, Rattle and Roll was made. It was called Fender Bender 500. This show was like Wacky Races but it was a World Tour. Only Dick Dastardly from the original show was in it. The other racers were from different Hanna-Barbera shows. These included "Yogi Bear" and "Augie Doggie and Doggie Daddy".

In 2006, a pilot episode for a new show was made. It was called Wacky Races Forever for Cartoon Network. This show had both new and old racers. Penelope Pitstop and Peter Perfect were married. They owned Perfect Industries, which sponsored the new races. Their children, Parker and Piper, competed. Other characters included the Slag Brothers and Professor Pat Pending. There was also a teenage version of the Gruesome Twosome. Dick Dastardly and Muttley worked for a new bad guy, Mr. Viceroy. This new show was not picked up by Cartoon Network.

In 2016, DC Comics started a comic series called Wacky Raceland. It was a darker version of the series. It was set after a big disaster, like the Mad Max movies. The comic had six issues from May to December 2016.

A new version of the show, a reboot, was made by Hanna-Barbera in 2017. It was released on Boomerang's streaming service. It also aired on Boomerang channels around the world later that year.

Wacky Races in Movies

Hanna-Barbera Cinematic Universe

Dick Dastardly and Muttley appeared in the Scooby-Doo movie, Scoob!. It came out on May 15, 2020. Rock Slag and Gravel Slag also made small appearances. Drawings of the Wacky Racers were seen on Dick Dastardly's prison cell wall. A movie based on Wacky Races is currently being planned.

Video Games Based on Wacky Races

Many video games have been made based on the series:

• Wacky Races (1991)
• Wacky Races (2000)
• Wacky Races/Wacky Races: Starring Dastardly and Muttley
• Wacky Races: Mad Motors
• Wacky Races: Crash and Dash

In 1993, Sega released a game in Japan. It was a racing game where winning depended on luck. In 2007, another game called Wacky Races: Mad Motors came out for the PlayStation 2. A new video game for the Wii and Nintendo DS was released on June 27, 2008. It was called Wacky Races: Crash and Dash. This game was made by Eidos. In 2009, Banpresto released another arcade game. It was a more traditional racing game.

Wacky Races on Home Video

The full series was released on a three-disc DVD set in Japan on August 10, 2001. It had both English and Japanese audio. In Great Britain, Warner released a three-disc set without extra features. It was only sold in Virgin Megastores. The complete Wacky Races box set came out on July 31, 2006. It was an HMV exclusive. It was basically the same as Volumes 1–3 with no new extras. Australia released Volume 1 and 2 in 2005, and Volume 3 in 2007.

Warner Home Video released the whole series in a DVD box set on October 19, 2004. This set included comments and other bonus features. A two-and-a-half-hour VHS video was available in 1996. All 34 episodes can also be bought on the iTunes Store.

On February 14, 2017, Warner Archive re-released Wacky Races: The Complete Series on DVD. It was part of their Hanna-Barbera Classics Collection.

Wacky Races in Different Languages

Here are some titles for Wacky Races in other languages:

• Bosnian: Uvrnute trke (Strange racing)
• Catalan: Els cotxes esbojarrats (The bumpy cars)
• Dutch: Hotse-knotse-kneuzen-rally (Wild bumpy loser rally)
• French: Les Fous du volant (The Fools of the Wheel)
• Frisian: Hotse-knotse-kneuzen-rally (Rally of hot knees)
• Galician: Os tolos do volante (The Fools of the Wheel)
• German: Autorennen Total (Total car race)
• Hungarian: Flúgos futam (Wacky race)
• Italian: Le corse pazze (The crazy races) or La corsa più pazza del mondo (The craziest race of the World)
• Japanese: チキチキマシン猛レース – Chikichikimashin mō rēsu (Chiki Chiki Racing Machines)
• Polish: Odlotowe wyścigi (Cool races)
• Portuguese:
  • Portugal: A Mais Louca Corrida do Mundo (The Craziest Race of the World)
  • Brazil: Corrida Maluca (Crazy Race)
• Romanian: Curse Trăsnite (Wacky Races)
• Spanish: Los autos locos (The crazy cars)
• Serbian: Уврнуте трке (Strange racing)
• Swedish: Fartdårarna (Speed freaks)

Cars and Characters in Other Media

Real-life working copies of the Wacky Races cars have been built in the U.K. The show was very popular there. These cars appear every year at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. New cars are added each year. In 2008, the last car, the Ant Hill Mob's Bulletproof Bomb #7, was added. This made a complete set of all the cars.

• Goodwood Festival of Speed Wacky Races replicas
• 

  Mean Machine #00

• 

  Boulder Mobile #1

• 

  Creepy Coupe #2

• 

  Convert-a-Car #3

• 

  Crimson Haybailer #4

• 

  Compact Pussycat #5

• 

  Army Surplus Special #6

• 

  Turbo Terrific #9

In 2006, the car company Vauxhall made a TV commercial for the British market. It was a funny copy of Wacky Races. It showed Corsa cars in a similar race. The commercial used many ideas from the cartoon. It also used the show's theme music and Muttley's famous snicker.

The English comic book Viz had a one-time parody comic strip. It was called "Wacky Racists."

In 2013, the car company Peugeot made a TV commercial for Brazil (and later Spain and Turkey). It showed the cartoon characters in a real-life world.

Wacky Races was also seen in the South Park episode "Handicar".

See Also

In Spanish: Los autos locos para niños