Tag Archives: Hanna Barbera

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The Bootleg Files: Sinbad Jr. and His Magic Belt

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BOOTLEG FILES 912: “Sinbad Jr. and His Magic Belt” (1965-55 syndicated animated series).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube and other online video sites.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: It fell through the proverbial cracks.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Not likely at the moment.

The other day, I was scrolling through an animation history forum on Facebook and I saw a post where someone asked a question about a series called “Sinbad Jr. and His Magic Belt.” While I would like to imagine that I have some degree of expertise regarding animated television series, I found myself stumped – this was the first time that I ever saw any mention of “Sinbad Jr. and His Magic Belt.”
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The Bootleg Files: A Weighty Problem

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BOOTLEG FILES 907: “A Weighty Problem” (1980 educational filmstrip featuring characters from “The Flintstones”).

LAST SEEN: A restored version is on YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: Educational filmstrips have no perceived commercial reissue value.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Not likely, unless a documentary on the subject is made.

If you were a K-12 student in American schools during the 1960s and 1970s, you probably remember the use of filmstrips in your classes. Filmstrips were a spool of 35mm film that featured still photographs on each frame. The filmstrips were shown via a hand-operated projector, with one frame at a time projected on a screen while a soundtrack recording on either an album or a cassette tape provided narration or character dialogue to match the images. The soundtrack recording would offer a beep or a ding, which was the cue to the projector’s operator to turn the spool to the next image.
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The Banana Splits in Hocus-Pocus Park (1972)

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Before they became hacking and slashing horror movie characters (?), “The Banana Splits” were a niche kids program from the seventies. They were performers dressed in animal outfits that performed original pop rock like “The Monkees” and got in to various misadventures. They’d also show various animated shorts during the program. While I was never personally a fan, “The Banana Splits” were so much more interesting than “The Monkees” ever were. Their animated Halloween special is also one of the highlights of their television life, even if you’re not a fan.

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Scooby-Doo and the Legend of the Vampire (2003)

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“The Legend of the Vampire” is a bittersweet occasion. As it is one of the many, many “Scooby Doo” animated movies, it is also apparently the first Scooby-Doo movie to feature Casey Kasem, Heather North, Nicole Jaffe and Frank Welker together since 1973. The gang are back together to bring what is a pretty strong and fun mixing of the usual Mystery Inc. exploits and some great rock and roll music. Once again, we see the appearance of The Hex Girls who should, by all rights, have their own animated spin off by now. Ah well, a man can dream.

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Scooby-Doo! and Krypto, Too! (2023) (DVD)

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Warner Bros. killed it and decided to throw it away, never to really be seen. Then thanks to uproar from the hardcore comic, Superman, and Scooby-Doo fan bases, “Scooby-Doo! and Krypto, Too!” was thankfully saved and thrown in to the already massive library of “Scooby-Doo” movies. This was of course put over in to the straight to home media market where Hanna Barbera’s cash cow rests comfortably. But that’s not at all a slight, as “Scooby-Doo! and Krypto, Too!” is a very good mixing of the crime fighting mutt, and Superman’s poochy pal.

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The Bootleg Files: Hokey Wolf

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BOOTLEG FILES 806: “Hokey Wolf” (a short series of Hanna-Barbera cartoons from 1960-1961).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: Two episodes were included in a DVD release.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: It fell through the cracks.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Probably not.

During the early 1960s, the Hanna-Barbera animation studio flooded television viewers with a surplus amount of cartoon mischief that quickly became incorporated into the popular culture. Creations including Yogi Bear, Huckleberry Hound, The Flintstones, Top Cat and The Jetsons gained instant iconic status.
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TV on DVD: The Herculoids: the Complete Series [Blu-Ray]

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I was born in 1983, so most of my education of classic Hanna Barbera cartoons comes from the early days of Cartoon Network on cable television. In the early to mid-nineties, the channel was treasure trove of their classics. Among some of their best on constant rotation was “The Herculoids.” A mix of “Swiss Family Robinson,” “He-Man,” and “Kazar,” the series mixed some great character dynamics and sleek monster designs in what was a show primarily centered around action and adventure.

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