megamanj2004
01-07-2012, 01:06 AM
Hanna-Barbera debuted two shows that marked firsts for any H-B cartoon!
Hanna-Barbera debuted Shirt Tales on NBC-TV and Pac-Man, the animated series for ABC-TV!!!
Shirt Tales are characters that were created in 1980 by greeting card designer Janet Elizabeth Manco and were featured on Hallmark Cards greeting cards and were animal characters that wore T-shirts upon which featured messages. The Shirt Tale cards were among Hallmark's best sellers at that time, which led the company to team with Hanna-Barbera Productions to adapt the Shirt Tales into a Saturday morning cartoon, which premiered on NBC on September 18, 1982.
The animated Shirt Tales cartoon featured Tyg Tiger (in orange), Pammy Panda (in pink), Digger Mole (in light blue), Rick Raccoon (in red), and Bogey Orangutan (in green) (so called because he spoke using a Humphrey Bogart-style voice). They lived in Oak Tree Park and wore shirts which flashed various brightly lit messages reflecting the characters' thoughts. They spent their time teasing the park ranger, Mr. Dinkle, and battling crime in and out of their hometown of Mid City. They zipped around the world in a vehicle known as the STSST (Shirt Tales' SuperSonic Transport) which could operate as a car, jet, boat, submarine, and other forms of transportation. Though most law enforcement agencies knew of the Shirt Tales as crime fighters by reputation, few people seemed aware that they were talking animals—including, Mr. Dinkle, whom the group often had to trick to keep their secret safe.
Shirt Tales was very successful in its 1st season, which saw an additional 10 episodes comissioned for season 2 but the show saw a semi re-booting and Kip Kangaroo (in yellow) was added to the cast of characters without context for her joining the Shirt Tales. There is a difference in leadership among the Shirt Tales. In the first season Rick appeared to be the de facto leader. In the second season Tyg appeared to be the leader. Also several stories in season two either omit Rick altogether or give him a minor role in the story. The second season also added some superhero elements to the dyanmic of the group as well; most notably the color of all their T-Shirts changing to a Bright Red Color when "Shirt Tale Time" is called for.
After its initial 2-season run on NBC, selected reruns from Season 2 appeared on CBS in the 1984-85 TV season, which replaced The Biskitts' old time slot.
On March 23, 1985, Shirt Tales was pulled from broadcast television for good ("Shirt Tales" was airing on CBS at the time), and the Hallmark franchise faded not long after as well.
Kip Kangaroo who joined the crew in S2 was voiced by voice actor extraordinaire Nancy Cartwright, best known as the voice of Bart Simpson on The Simpsons.
Digger Mole was voiced by the late Bob Ogle who died during the production of Shirt Tales
Pammy Panda was voiced by Pat Parris
Tyg Tiger was voiced by Steve Schatzberg
Rick Raccoon was voiced by Ronnie Schell
Bogey Orangutan was voiced by the late comedian Fred Travalena
Mr. Dinkle was vocied by the late Herb Vigran, who also did vocie work on another H-B series in The Adventures of Gulliver in 1968.
The Commissioner who was only seen in Season 1 was voiced by William Woodson.
The show continued for a number of years as part of the USA Network's "Cartoon Express" and on Cartoon Network. Shirt Tales continues to be broadcast in selected countries around the world, including current Boomerang reruns.
The show had two theme songs:
Season 1 Opening Credits:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PiYanDEANI&feature=related
The 1st season was the standard H-B fare w/ a few lyrics.
Season 2 Opening Credits:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myoOZSJmxKw&feature=related
The 2nd season had FAR more lyrics in the theme song than in S1, plus the theme song was remixed into a more clapping rhythmic remix as well.
Plus, Shirt Tales became the 1st H-B series to air alongside fellow hit NBC H-B show The Smurfs to last 2 or more seasons (the others were The Snorks and Foofur). Also, in its 2nd season, Shirt Tales, alogn w/ Spiderman and His Amazing Friends, The Incredible Hulk and The Smurfs were joined by two other popular successful cartoons in the massively successful Alvin and the Chipmunks and hit series Mr. T (both produced by Ruby-Spears) for the 1983-84 TV season, one of NBC's Saturday Morning Cartoon juggernaut line-ups.
Hanna-Barbera debuted Shirt Tales on NBC-TV and Pac-Man, the animated series for ABC-TV!!!
Shirt Tales are characters that were created in 1980 by greeting card designer Janet Elizabeth Manco and were featured on Hallmark Cards greeting cards and were animal characters that wore T-shirts upon which featured messages. The Shirt Tale cards were among Hallmark's best sellers at that time, which led the company to team with Hanna-Barbera Productions to adapt the Shirt Tales into a Saturday morning cartoon, which premiered on NBC on September 18, 1982.
The animated Shirt Tales cartoon featured Tyg Tiger (in orange), Pammy Panda (in pink), Digger Mole (in light blue), Rick Raccoon (in red), and Bogey Orangutan (in green) (so called because he spoke using a Humphrey Bogart-style voice). They lived in Oak Tree Park and wore shirts which flashed various brightly lit messages reflecting the characters' thoughts. They spent their time teasing the park ranger, Mr. Dinkle, and battling crime in and out of their hometown of Mid City. They zipped around the world in a vehicle known as the STSST (Shirt Tales' SuperSonic Transport) which could operate as a car, jet, boat, submarine, and other forms of transportation. Though most law enforcement agencies knew of the Shirt Tales as crime fighters by reputation, few people seemed aware that they were talking animals—including, Mr. Dinkle, whom the group often had to trick to keep their secret safe.
Shirt Tales was very successful in its 1st season, which saw an additional 10 episodes comissioned for season 2 but the show saw a semi re-booting and Kip Kangaroo (in yellow) was added to the cast of characters without context for her joining the Shirt Tales. There is a difference in leadership among the Shirt Tales. In the first season Rick appeared to be the de facto leader. In the second season Tyg appeared to be the leader. Also several stories in season two either omit Rick altogether or give him a minor role in the story. The second season also added some superhero elements to the dyanmic of the group as well; most notably the color of all their T-Shirts changing to a Bright Red Color when "Shirt Tale Time" is called for.
After its initial 2-season run on NBC, selected reruns from Season 2 appeared on CBS in the 1984-85 TV season, which replaced The Biskitts' old time slot.
On March 23, 1985, Shirt Tales was pulled from broadcast television for good ("Shirt Tales" was airing on CBS at the time), and the Hallmark franchise faded not long after as well.
Kip Kangaroo who joined the crew in S2 was voiced by voice actor extraordinaire Nancy Cartwright, best known as the voice of Bart Simpson on The Simpsons.
Digger Mole was voiced by the late Bob Ogle who died during the production of Shirt Tales
Pammy Panda was voiced by Pat Parris
Tyg Tiger was voiced by Steve Schatzberg
Rick Raccoon was voiced by Ronnie Schell
Bogey Orangutan was voiced by the late comedian Fred Travalena
Mr. Dinkle was vocied by the late Herb Vigran, who also did vocie work on another H-B series in The Adventures of Gulliver in 1968.
The Commissioner who was only seen in Season 1 was voiced by William Woodson.
The show continued for a number of years as part of the USA Network's "Cartoon Express" and on Cartoon Network. Shirt Tales continues to be broadcast in selected countries around the world, including current Boomerang reruns.
The show had two theme songs:
Season 1 Opening Credits:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PiYanDEANI&feature=related
The 1st season was the standard H-B fare w/ a few lyrics.
Season 2 Opening Credits:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myoOZSJmxKw&feature=related
The 2nd season had FAR more lyrics in the theme song than in S1, plus the theme song was remixed into a more clapping rhythmic remix as well.
Plus, Shirt Tales became the 1st H-B series to air alongside fellow hit NBC H-B show The Smurfs to last 2 or more seasons (the others were The Snorks and Foofur). Also, in its 2nd season, Shirt Tales, alogn w/ Spiderman and His Amazing Friends, The Incredible Hulk and The Smurfs were joined by two other popular successful cartoons in the massively successful Alvin and the Chipmunks and hit series Mr. T (both produced by Ruby-Spears) for the 1983-84 TV season, one of NBC's Saturday Morning Cartoon juggernaut line-ups.