Not sure if there's a thread for this one, but it's time for... Wacky Races!!

This Hanna-Barbera cartoon which originated in the 60's has become a very popular influential piece of animation, leading to various spin-offs and reboots.
And most notably, the ever-present image of everyone's favorite bad-guy/sidekick duo, Dastardly and Muttley, with the hound's familiar hissing laugh.

Let's take a look at this Saturday morning staple which lasted for only one season yet went on to take on a life of its own.

Muttley is hilarious.

'Wacky Races' first aired on September 14, 1968 and lasted until January 4, 1969. The show featured two episodes where eleven cars were pitted against each other to become the world's wackiest racer. The cartoon was possibly inspired by the 1965 comedy film 'The Great Race' starring Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis, and Natalie Wood.

Each car in Wacky Races had an interesting motif, with some featuring certain abilities to assist its driver and provide an advantage over the other racers.

Car #1 was the Boulder Mobile, a sort of prehistoric car in the shape of a large rock, driven by two cavemen, the Slag Brothers, Rock and Gravel. The furry cave-dwellers communicate in mostly grunts with a few familiar words, and often they power their car by pounding each other over the head with clubs.
This was one of the most influential prehistoric characters by Hanna-Barbera next to 'The Flintstones' in that the Slag Brothers appear to be the inspiration for the 1970's superhero Captain Caveman.

Car #2, the Creepy Coupe, is driven by the Gruesome Twosome, Tiny, a giant character resembling Frankenstein, and his brother Bella, a diminutive Dracula figure named after horror actor Bela Lugosi. This interesting car resembles an old haunted house complete with a dragon in the belfry. Often bats emerge from the belfry as do thunder clouds and an occasional witch. When the Creepy Coupe faces snow and ice, the dragon comes in handy to breathe fire to melt it down.

The car and its drivers appear to be inspired by 'The Munsters', which was popular at the time.

The Creepy Coupe was actually made into a real car in the second photo:

Car #3, the Convert-a-Car, driven by Professor Pat Pending, is a vehicle which can turn into any kind of device this intrepid inventor choses, from a flying machine to a motorized pogo stick.

Pat Pending was even made into a Funco doll, seen below:

Professor Pat Pending


My favorite, though he seldom won. He seemed to come in third a lot.

Car #4, the Crimson Haybaler, was a hybrid car/airplane driven, or flown, by The Red Max, an aviator fashioned after the World War I flying ace Manfred von Richtofen, aka the Red Baron. Max spoke with a sort of German accent and was able to make his car-plane fly for short distances.

My favorite, though he seldom won. He seemed to come in third a lot.

He always reminded me of Larry Fine.

After this show, some of the racers got their own spin-offs.

Car #5, the Compact Pussycat, was driven by none other than Penelope Pitstop, the only female racer in the roster, and one of the most popular. Her car was designed to look as ultra-feminine as possible, with eyelashes on the headlights and lips on the bumper, as well as a prettified parasol umbrella for a sort of cover. The entire car was bubblegum pink, remaining one of the most distinctive cars in the lineup. Pitstop was a blonde, charming Southern belle who remained polite and vulnerable to the other drivers who would gladly assist her when she had troubles. She was dressed in a bright pink 1930's racing outfit. Her dashboard was s virtual beauty salon with push buttons to press when she needed a touch of lipstick, makeup, rouge, or some other cosmetic accessory (which otherwise would get her pulled over and ticketed for distracted driving).

Penelope Pitstop was voiced by Janet Waldo, the voice of Judy Jetson, Josie of Josie And the Pussycats, and others.

Her popularity would win her a spinoff series, 'The Perils Of Penelope Pitstop'.

Penelope Pitstop is shown in the Compact Pussycat in the first image, and in the second, showing a joyful, exuberant prance:

The real-life, full-size Compact Pussycat is displayed:

Car #6, the Army Surplus Special, driven by Sargeant Blast and Private Meekly, is a hybrid car/tank which fires cannonballs from the turret at Blast's command.
Blast barks out orders to Meekly, who remains simply a dimwitted underling behind the wheel.

The pairing appears to be inspired by the sitcom 'Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.'

Car #7 was the Bulletproof Bomb, driven by 1940's-style gangsters, The Ant Hill Mob, led by Clyde. These miniature figures, named Ring-a-Ding, Rug Bug Benny, Mac, Danny, Kirby, and Willy would often give the car a burst of speed by popping their legs out from under the vehicle and sprinting in what the narrator called "Getaway power". The group always acted as if they were on the run from the police.

The Ant Hill Mob would be added to 'The Perils Of Penelope Pitstop'.

The Ant Hill Mob and Clyde in particular appear to be inspired by the 1968 movie about the actual gangster duo Bonnie and Clyde in the 30's.

Clyde was voiced by Paul Winchell, who also did the voices for Dick Dastardly and Private Meekly.

Car #8, the Arkansas Chuggabug, is driven by Lazy Luke, who actually steers with his feet on the wheel while reclining back. He is accompanied by Blubber Bear, aptly name for his tendency for blubbering in fright at oncoming obstacles
and dangers. Lazy Luke seems more preoccupied with snoozing away while driving, which alarms the bear. Every so often, Luke will employ some crude means such as releasing air from a balloon to give an added burst of speed.

The car and its driver appear to be inspired by 'The Beverly Hillbillies' and other "rural" sitcoms of the 60's.

A full-size likeness of the car is shown here:

Car #9, the Turbo Terrific, is driven by Peter Perfect, a handsome yet vain driver who brags about his sleek car and his racing abilities--until suddenly his stellar vehicle falls apart. He is quite the gentleman and poses himself as sort of a "heroic" figure lacking the idiosyncrasies of his fellow racers. He seems to have an ongoing romantic relationship with Penelope Pitstop, though this is more implied than stated. In one episode, he and Penelope go through an automated bakery and appear as a wedded couple on top of a giant-sized wedding cake--until the assembly goes in reverse and separates the pair. Peter laments the lost opportunity, to which Penelope replies, "Better luck next time, Peter."

The Turbo Terrific lacks the "wacky" motif of the other cars and resembles any top-of-the-line racing car, all until it falls apart to Peter's dismay.

Car #10, The Buzz Wagon, driven by lumberjack Rufus Ruffcut, is a car completely made of wood with saw blade wheels. Ruffcut is accompanied by an animal companion, a beaver named Sawtooth who is able to cut and bore through trees and objects at a very high speed. Ruffcut grins with a broad set of teeth much like Sawtooth. Rufus is able to mow through forests and wooden objects to clear a path for the races.

A real-life, full-size Buzz Wagon is shown here:

And lastly but certainly not the least, Car 00 (Double-Zero), driven by none other than Dick Dastardly, The Mean Machine, never wins due to its driver's underhanded schemes to cheat. Dastardly's plans always seem backfire on him. He is of course accompanied by his sidekick Muttley, who is known primarily for his hissing, wheezing laugh at Dastardly's failures. The only other utterances by Muttley are his muttered rants beneath his breath at his owner, presumably with muffled obscenities (i.e., "Razzle frazzle grazzle Dick Dastardly", or sounds to that effect). Often, when Dastardly overheard Muttley's not-so-subtle rant, he would call out Muttley's act of insolence: "What was THAT?" To which Muttley would respond by profusely kissing Dastardly's arm in an attempt to placate him. Dastardly would be appeased by saying, "That's better!"

Another utterance by Muttley is an expression of agreement, "Yeahyeahyeahyeahyeah!"

Dick Dastardly is a character who, like Wile E. Coyote, seems to make more trouble than it is worth to cheat to win. His black and purple car, a nefariously shaped vehicle equipped with bombs, rockets, and other devices, is faster than most of the other racers, in order to set up traps and other obstacles well in advance. But some hilarious setback foils Dastardly, to which he responds with his venomous catch phrase, "Drat, drat, and double-drat!"

In addition to his egotistical nature (such as posing for the camera in a photo finish as a race draws to a close, thus missing his chance to win), he embodies the stereotypical bad-guy villain with the handlebar mustache and sinister leer.

Great thread!

'Wacky Races' also featured an unseen announcer, voiced by Dave Willock, who narrated the action of the racers as well as commenting on Dick Dastardly's attempts at cheating. Dastardly would often address the narrator through the fourth wall.

Don Messick, the voice actor on many Hanna Barbera cartoons such as Ranger Smith on 'Yogi Bear', Dr. Benton Quest and Bandit on 'Jonny Quest' and others, provided the voices of as Muttley, Professor Pat Pending, Gravel Slag, Bella Gruesome, Ant Hill Mob member Ring-a-Ding, and the beaver Sawtooth.

Daws Butler, who also provided the voices of many characters on Hanna Barbera cartoons, provided the voices of Rock Slag, Tiny Gruesome, Red Max, Sergeant Blast, Peter Perfect, and Rufus Ruffcut.

'Wacky Races' even inspired a contest where children and viewers could vote in which racer they wanted to see win, but this concept was soon shelved. However, plans were in the works by game show producers Heatter-Quigley to create a live-action version of the show, but this idea never got past the planning stage.

Toys such as model kits were made of the cars:

It was easy and understandable as to why Muttley became a favorite of viewers of 'Wacky Races'. Muttley employed a certain schadenfreude, a "shameful joy" over Dastardly's mishaps and misfortunes, with his trademark laugh. It was hard to relate tp Dastardly's cruelty and vindictiveness, particularly when Dastardly would bonk Muttley on the head, while often Muttley would protect himself with a bucket over his face--but Dastardly would respond with a blow from a wrench.

There seemed to be a love/hate relationship between Dastardly and Muttley. While his tusked-tooth canine companion sneered at his human benefactor, Dastardly relied on Muttley to save him from scrapes. Muttley remained a fan of Dastardly and remained inexplicably slavish in his devotion in Dastardly. Muttley's laugh became the staple of the series in spite of Dastardly's woes at the attempts to cheat his way to winning.

While 'Wacky Races' lasted only one season, a number of characters returned in spinoff form. One was Penelope Pitstop, who was given her own series in 'The Perils Of Penelope Pitstop', which began airing on September 13, 1969 and ran to January 17, 1970. The cartoon was based on the Silver Screen movie, 'The Perils Of Pauline', a melodramatic cliffhanger drama which was released in 1914 and became the staple of "damsel-in-distress vs. evil-villain" storylines beginning in the silent era of films.

The opening credits feature the sinister cackle of the cartoon's villain, The Hooded Claw,as his eyes focus on his prey in the dark, Penelope Pitstop, who cries for help as her sinister nemesis approaches with a flashlight. She opens her eyes to view this nefarious character.

The opening narration, delivered by voice actor Gary Owens, details that Penelope Pitstop, the heiress to a sizeable fortune, is beset by desperate attempts by her loyal guardian, Sylvester Sneakly, who is in fact the mysterious villain, The Hooded Claw, voiced by an uncredited Paul Lynde, a figure determined to inherit her vast wealth after her untimely demise!

Fortunately for Penelope, her rescuers come in the form of the Ant Hill Mob, led by Clyde of 'Wacky Races' fame, who inexplicably sense her danger.

Penelope Pitstop faces the mastermind of her fate, The Hooded Claw, as he details her fiendish end as she is tied to a torpedo:

'The Perils Of Penelope Pitstop' put her and the other characters in a setting of the late 1910's/early 1920's. Where the Ant Hill Mob in 'Wacky Races' resembled 1940's gangsters in fedora hats and other apparel from that era, the group in 'Perils' was dressed in various hats and outfits from the early 20th century, in keeping with 'The Perils Of Pauline' motif, such as Clyde in a bowler hat. The Ant Hill Mob was also given more distinctive names and personalities than shown in 'Wacky Races':

Dum Dum: A dim-bulb dunce of a gangster given to dopey expressions and observations;
Pockets: A resourceful gangster who retrieves necessary (or often unnecessary) items out of his pockets when needed;
Snoozy: A constantly sleeping character whose only dialogue appears to be muttering in the midst of slumber. He is often seen driving the group's car, oddly enough;
Softy: An emotional gangster who cries at everything, even sobbing at ironic moments: "Penelope is saved!"
Yak Yak: Unlike the ultra-sensitive Softy, this character laughs and chuckles at everything, even in inappropriate opportunities with his distinctive chortle:
"Hee-hee-hee-hee-hee-hoo! We're gonna crash!" Or, "We're going to be blown to smithereens! Hee-hee-hee-hee-hee-hoo!"
Zippy: A character who races around with immense speed.

The gang's car, which was the 40's-style Bulletproof Bomb in 'Wacky Races', is now a 20's-style "Flivver" or touring car with an open top named Chugga-Boom, or "Chuggie" for short. The car speaks in sputters as a sentient vehicle.

Even the music during the episodes was of a Ragtime piano style.

Clyde and The Ant Hill Mob in 'Perils':

Paul Lynde, the actor who appeared as the nutty Uncle Arthur on 'Bewitched' with his mischief, as well as his appearances on 'Hollywood Squares', was chosen to play an uncredited role on 'The Perils Of Penelope Pitstop'. His distinctive cackle was most likely a factor in the decision to make him the villain.

The Hooded Claw employed what was referred to as a Rube Goldberg style of entrapment of Penelope, in the sense that a series of mechanical sequences would usher in her doom. Such as, a ball hits a dart launcher to fling a projectile to its intended destination, thus releasing a rope which sets forth a set of other devices calculated to send his intended victim to an untimely demise.

In addition to Penelope replying with, "You fiend!", she seemed to regard her impending doom as more of a major inconvenience. When she faced mummification, she replied to the narrator's comments of being "up to her elbows in tape" with "Oh, I hate tapey elbows!"

The Hooded Claw, realizing one of his plans is about to go awry:

Voice actor Paul Winchell was very versatile in making his characters sound uniquely different. In 'Wacky Races', he voiced both Dick Dastardly and Clyde, as well as Private Meekly. While Dastardly had a sort of sinister yet debonair accent resembling that of a British man, Clyde had a rough, East Coast, perhaps Bostonian voice reminiscent of Humphrey Bogart.

Clyde:

Clyde sits in the passenger seat of Chugga-Boom while Dum Dum, the dim bulb of the group, drives:

Penelope with Clyde:

One member of the Ant Hill Mob, Softy, cries at everything, including happy moments:

Another character of the Ant Hill Mob, Yak Yak, is the opposite of Softy in that he maniacally cackles at everything, even impending danger:

"Hee-hoo-hee-hee-hee-hoo, we're all going to be blown to smithereens! Hee-hoo-hee-hee-hee-hoo!"

Dum Dum is a member of the Ant Hill Mob who is not the brightest bulb in the bunch. He often makes inane, dull-witted comments and questions to Clyde and the others.

The Hooded Claw intends to do away with Penelope in a toy store, of all places, with a cleverly-positioned lawn mower at the top of a playground slide.

The Claw's two henchmen, the Bully Brothers, who always speak in unison ("Right, Claw!") assist him in his fiendish deed:

Interestingly, did Penelope exactly why the Hooded Claw wanted to do her in?
Did she make the connection between his nefarious, sinister actions and a possible motive by the obviously-named Sylvester Sneakley? Was she so good and kind-hearted, yet naive? When the Ant Hill Mob often bungled their rescue attempts, she found a way to elude and escape her danger.

And how in fact did Clyde and the Ant Hill Mob know that Penelope was in danger? Like Spider-Man, Peter Parker had the help of his "spidey-senses". Did Clyde possess his own "Clyde-ey" senses to be aware of Penelope's desperate situations?

The Hooded Claw inexplicably holds up a corn cob as he watches a pendulum with a massive blade lower toward Penelope as she remains tied down:

Sylvester Sneakley, The Hooded Claw's true identity, appears with Penelope in a pleasant scene:

Penelope is yet again trapped on a rocket-powered railroad cart:

Penelope with the Ant Hill Mob:

Going back to 'Wacky Races' for a moment, it is understood that Dick Dastardly was dispicable in his attempts to cheat to win. But there are a few questions about his attempts.

Why did he always pull out so far ahead to thwart the other races who remained well down the road, with many of his ingenious, yet flawed traps and devices? If he was at some point so well in front of the others, would it not make sense for him to keep going and win the race fairly?

Dastardly and Muttley read a map:

And while Dick Dastardly was certainly underhanded in his schemes to outwit his rival racers, were not the other contestants equally ruthless in their cars' abilities? Rufus Ruffcut had sawblade wheels which not only could buzz through trees and terrain, but slice through other cars, such as when he cut the Ant Hill Mob's Bulletproof Bomb, which landed them on top of Peter Perfect's car.

Red Max could fly, and the Army Surplus Special could fire cannonballs at others. The Slag Brothers pounded The Compact Pussycat's parasol top--with Penelope in it! The Creepy Coupe used a fire-breathing dragon, and Pat Pending had a car which could change into anything. Who said that Dick Dastardly was the only one adept at having an unfair advantage?

Running at the same time of 'The Perils Of Penelope Pitstop' was the other spinoff of 'Wacky Races', titled 'Dastardly And Muttley In Their Flying Machines'. The name of the spinoff came from the 1965 comedy film 'Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines', a satire about the early days of aviation.

The cartoon revolved around the adventures of Dick Dastardly, who, with Muttley, leads a bungling group of pilots known as the Vulture Squadron, whose sole goal is to catch a messenger pigeon, Yankee Doodle Pigeon, who carries messages to the enemy side in a war.

The theme song's lyrics, which were based on the 1917 jazz standard "Tiger Rag", were some of the most memorable and fun in any cartoon or television show:

Muttley, you snickering, floppy eared hound.
When courage is needed, you're never around.
Those medals you wear on your moth-eaten chest
Should be there for bumbling at which you are best.

So, stop that pigeon
Stop that pigeon
Stop that pigeon
Stop that pigeon
Stop that pigeon
Stop that pigeon
Stop that pigeon
Howwww!

Nab him
Jab him
Tab him
Grab him
Stop that pigeon now.

You, Zilly, stop sneaking, it's not worth the chance.
For you'll be returned by the seat of your pants.
And Klunk, you invent me a thingamabob
That catches that pigeon or I'll lose my job.

So, stop that pigeon
Stop that pigeon
Stop that pigeon
Stop that pigeon
Stop that pigeon
Stop that pigeon
Stop that pigeon
Howwww!

Nab him
Jab him
Tab him
Grab him
Stop that pigeon NOW!

Dick Dastardly is no longer a scheming, underhanded racing cheater, but a flying ace who orders his men to stop Yankee Doodle Pigeon from delivering messages to an opposing army. It is not explained as to which side is the "good side" or the "bad side", nor are either The Vulture Squadron or Yankee Doodle Pigeon given nationalities. But, as in 'Wacky Races', Dastardly's plans backfire on him and his crew. He is shrewd, yet not treacherous as in 'Wacky Races', but no less malicious. He remains simply inept at his crass attempts to bring down a tiny bird. His efforts were met with failure and Dastardly, recast as a different sort of "villain", continued to bring in the laughs.

Paul Winchell resumed the voice of Dastardly, as well as the voice of the unseen General, who is only heard as an indistinguishable grumble on an old-style phone from the 1910's/1920's. Dastardly repeats back the General's inquiries:
"Oh, you're asking whether we've caught the pigeon yet? Well..." When Dastardly replies with a comment less to the General's satisfaction, the General's arm reaches through the phone line to swat or club Dastardly with an object--or snatch away a medal from Dastardly in an act of demotion.

Dastardly, who wears a driver's cap in 'Wacky Races', dons a pilot's gear with goggles in his own series:

An excellent series of posts!

As in 'Wacky Races', Muttley remained the sidekick to Dick Dastardly in this airborne spinoff. He grumbled his usual under-the-breath rants at his "master", emitted his familiar hissy laugh at Dastardly's failures, and had a special motivation which changed his relation with his owner: He craved receiving medals in exchange for rescuing Dastardly from tight scrapes. Often Dastardly was indignant at this and refused. But Muttley frequently got his way, though his master considered him lazy and undeserving of such prizes.

When Dastardly attempted to take back a medal from him, Muttley would bite him in response. When the General's arm reached through the phone to retrieve a medal, Muttley bit him as well!

Muttley in flying gear:

One member of the Vulture Squadron was Zilly, whose name appears to be a combination of zany and silly. This character was known for being extremely timid and cowardly, and sneaks out through his flight suit to burrow under floorboards like a prairie dog to escape a dangerous mission. Dastardly sends Muttley to bring back Zilly, to which Muttley mutters under his breath about the awol aviator, "Sassafrassin rassafrassin scaredy-cat!"

Zilly's flying uniform is appropriately yellow, to indicate his tendency to be afraid of everything. His voice and body tremble at nearly everything:

The other member of the Vulture Squadron, Kiunk, is an intrepid inventor who speaks in a strange dialect filled with sound effects, bird whistles, and other incomprehensible utterances, with his head and face idiosyncratically contorting and erupting much like a cuckoo clock. He speaks words and partial sentences punctuated by his quirky vocal noises. Dastardly asks Zilly, "What did he say? What did he say?" To which Zilly replies, in practically the only useful ability of the cowardly crew member, "He says this plane will catch the pigeon by..." then explains Klunk's illustrious design, which inevitably backfires on them.

Klunk, whose hair covers his face, except for his mouth which often twists and gyrates as he speaks in his usual gibberish:

I have always wondered if Dick Dastardly was patterned after Dishonest John, Beany and Cecil's adversary.

The hero of the cartoon was Yankee Doodle Pigeon, who was presumably American due to his name. His name was strangely identical to Yakky Doodle, the duck voiced earlier by Jimmy Weldon, who died last week at the age of 99.
The pigeon had no speaking parts, yet often blow a trumpet to announce his arrival. Like the Roadrunner in Looney Toons cartoons, he always outsmarted his enemies, if they were not adept at sabotaging themselves. Often the pigeon would stop in mid-air at alarm of the Vulture Squadron's sinister attempts to subdue him, and while they often came very close, the attempts with their ingenious planes and traps would hilariously backfire. The pigeon would close out each episode with a glorious, victorious flight into the sunset to deliver a necessary message.

The pigeon often dressed in a pilot's headgear with goggles, and carried a satchel containing a message for the other side.

Dastardly and Muttley, ever so vigilant, are alarmed by the toot of the pigeon's bugle:

At the close of each episode, the 'Dastardly And Muttley' cartoon would feature a Muttley cameo titled, 'The Magnificent Muttley', where the canine would enter a dream with him being a hero in various adventures, with Dastardly, of course, being the "bad guy" in a twisted take on 'The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty". The short clip would have its own theme song with Dastardly ranting:

Muttley, wake up! You're dreaming again.
You're not Robin Hood, and you're not Gunga Din.
You're not a brave knight, nor a king to be crowned,
You're just plain old Muttley, that snickering hound.

In addition to 'Magnificent Muttley', a brief series of shorts, titled 'Wing Dings', was installed with gags and jokes to break up the more lengthy episodes.

'Dastardly And Muttley' had their run ended by January 3, 1970, but the duo was about to continue throughout the rest of the decade.

Dastardly, with Muttley, answers an airborne phone courtesy of the general, who ultimately reprimands them for failing to catch the pigeon. Most likely the general's arm extends from the phone to backhand Dastardly:

Over most of the 1970's, little was heard of any of the 'Wacky Races' nor of Dastardly And Muttley. However, a version of Muttley was brought back in 1976 to 1977 in the form of Mumbly, a deliberate knock-off of the original character but with bluish fur and an indistinct mutter. Mumbly was called a cousin of Muttley, due to Hanna-Barbera having ownership disputes with Heatter-Quigley over the rights to the characters of 'Wacky Races', so Muttley was brought back as a sort of different character. He was the central figure in 'The Mumbley Cartoon Show'. The cartoon was added to a revamped version of the 'Tom And Jerry Show'.

Actor Peter Falk was supposed to be an inspiration behind Mumbly by wearing a raincoat and driving in a broken-down car.

Mumbly:

For over a decade, not much was heard from the 'Wacky Races' camp or any spinoffs derived from it. However, a sort of spinoff occurred in 1990, 'Wake, Rattle, And Roll', where classic Hanna-Barbera characters drove in monster trucks, such as Yogi Bear and Boo-Boo driving in a truck styled after a giant picnic basket, and Winsome Witch drove around on a massive cauldron on wheels. Various other characters had their own vehicles, including Dastardly and Muttley in The Dirty Truckster, Car #00, as before.

The Dirty Truckster was essentially the Mean Machine on elevated wheels, which was made into a toy:

For the next fifteen years plus, the 'Wacky Races' franchise lie dormant--until 2006 when the franchise was resurrected with 'Wacky Races Forever', where the racers were upgraded with a modern, twisted take on the cartoon. Dastardly and Muttley, of course, were there with their fiendish schemes, but with a few tweaks in their plans thrown in. They appeared to be guided by a holographic entity at the behest of an evil corporation. Professor Pat Pending was now a mad scientist, and the Gruesome Twosome were depicted as teens.

There was an interesting twist as well to the relationship between Penelope Pitstop and Peter Perfect: They had married and had two teen children who seemed pitted against each other in these new races. The couple had formed a company called Perfect Industries which was the corporate sponsor of the new Wacky Races. Dastardly and Muttley were now under the employ of Mr. Viceroy, who sought to steal Perfect Industries.

Ten years later, in 2016, DC Comics released a comic series called 'Wacky Raceland', a dark reimagining of the races set in a post-apocalyptic world similar to 'Mad Max'.

In 2017, the 'Wacky Races' animated series was given a re-boot: This time, several of the original characters of the 1968 series were featured: Dick Dastardly and Muttley, Penelope Pitstop, Peter Perfect, the Gruesome Twosome Tiny and Bella, and a new character named I.Q.

Another figure was added, the announcer named Brick Crashman.

Why were only a handful of the original racers featured on this reboot? It appears that there was more story potential with these characters than to have all eleven racers in the original series distracting from it.

Two of the characters from the 1968 original series, Tiny and Bella, the Gruesome Twosome, were re-introduced with very little changes. However, their vehicle from the original series, the Creepy Coupe, was replaced by an upgraded car known as the DoomBuggy. Tiny retained his hulking Frankenstein features with a rather brain-dead, monosyllabic vocabulary. Bella, the diminutive Dracula figure, seemed to take pleasure in dreary, disturbing situations. Whatever was void of hope or pleasure, it brought him contentment.

Penelope assists Tiny is a personal improvement session in the episode
'My Fair Tiny':

The narrator stated at the beginning of each 2-race episode that they were “competing for the title of ‘The World’s Wackiest Racer’.” However, none of the 34 races ever left North America, with one entirely in Canada, another entirely in Baja California, Mexico, and a third starting in Canada but ending in the US. None of the remaining 31 races left the States. For me the most memorable race was the “Overseas Hi-Way Race” which was based entirely on the REAL Overseas Highway (US 1) from Key Largo to Key West, Florida.

As for which competitor won the aforementioned title: the Mean Machine 00 never won, placed or showed. The remaining 10 won either 3 or 4 of the 34 races. So it was decided on the runner-ups. The Boulder Mobile 1 won 3 times but placed an incredible 8 times out of 34, making Rock and Gravel Slag “The World’s (or at least North America’s) Wackiest Racer” title. Congrats to them!