Wednesday, December 12, 2007

The Best Cartoons From the Past

Laff-A-Lympics was the co-headlining segment, with Scooby-Doo, of the package Saturday morning cartoon series Scooby's All-Star Laff-A-Lympics, produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions. The show was a spoof of the Olympics and the ABC television series Battle of the Network Stars. It featured 45 Hanna-Barbera characters organized into three teams - The Scooby Doobies, The Yogi Yahooeys and The Really Rottens - which would compete each week for gold, silver and bronze medals. One season of 16 episodes were produced in 1977-78, and eight new episodes combined with reruns for the 1978-79 season as Scooby's All-Stars.

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[edit] Format

The sporting competitions that the characters would be called upon to perform in would often be comical and offbeat versions of Olympic sports and scavenger hunts. Each segment took place in a different location somewhere on the planet, including excursions to Africa, Italy, Canada, Washington D.C., and even the North Pole. Each episode was presented in a format similar to an Olympic television broadcast, with hosting/announcing duties and color commentary provided by Snagglepuss from The Yogi Bear Show and Mildew Wolf from the It's the Wolf segments of The Cattanooga Cats (though unlike It's the Wolf, Mildew was no longer voiced by Paul Lynde; he is now voiced by John Stephenson). Non-competing Hanna-Barbera characters such as Fred Flintstone, Barney Rubble and Jabberjaw made appearances as guest announcers. Since the show was airing on ABC, Snagglepuss and Mildew wore the then-traditional yellow jackets of ABC Sports announcers.

The Laff-A-Lympics competition was based upon a point system. Various events were worth a certain point total for the first, second, and third place winners (usually 25, 15, and 10 respectively, but the last event usually was worth either double points or a larger point bonus for the winner), and the team that had the most points by the end of the half-hour--usually the Scooby Doobies or Yogi Yahooeys--was declared the winner and received the gold medal. Points could also be subtracted for treachery and sabotage, which were the specialties of the villainous Really Rottens team.

As with most Hanna-Barbera Saturday morning cartoons of the 1970s, the basic plot and theme of each episode was mostly generic and repetitive. The two "good guy" teams, the Scooby Doobies and the Yogi Yahooeys, were good friends and their respective team members gladly helped each other whenever they got into a jam. The Really Rottens, however, always cheated and pulled dirty tricks -- and ultimately they would wind up the losers in most episodes. Much like Dick Dastardly typically the Really Rottens would be just on the verge of winning, before they would make a fatal error at the very end that allowed one of the other two teams to end up at the top. Occasionally, though, the Rottens' cheating technique wouldn't actually be against the rules, with them actually winning in a few episodes (there was even one episode where they won through sheer chance). The final episode, climaxing on the moon, was a three-way tie.

Only one complete season of Laff-A-Lympics episodes were produced, with eight new episodes combined with reruns for the second season of Scooby's All-Star Laff-A-Lympics (billed as Scooby's All-Stars). When it premiered in the fall of 1977, the series consisted of several segments, including "Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels" (which led off the two-hour program and later was spun off onto its own half-hour show), "Scooby-Doo" and "Dynomutt" (both of which featured a small number of newly-produced segments alongside repeated segments from earlier seasons) and the "Laff-A-Lympics" segments themselves. The show resurfaced in 1980 as a half-hour series on its own (sans the "Captain Caveman," "Scooby-Doo" and "Dynomutt" cartoons) and titled Scooby's Laff-A-Lympics, and was rerun at various other points during the 1980s on ABC. It has also been frequently re-run in later years as Laff-A-Lympics on USA Cartoon Express, Cartoon Network and Boomerang.

[edit] Teams

[edit] The Scooby Doobies

The Scooby Doobies
The Scooby Doobies

This team drew mainly from the 1970s Hanna-Barbera cartoons, particularly the "mystery-solving" series derived from Scooby-Doo, whose titular character served as team captain. Among its members are:

[edit] The Yogi Yahooeys

This team drew mainly from the 1950s and 1960s Hanna-Barbera cartoons, and is the only team made up completely of anthropomorphic animals. Grape Ape is the only post-1962 character in the line-up. Among its members are:

[edit] The Really Rottens

The Really Rottens
The Really Rottens

This team is made up of villain characters, and, excepting Mumbly, is composed of original characters (though various Dalton Brothers appeared in 1950s and 1960s shorts, these particular three were new). Among its members are:

[edit] Episodes

[edit] Scooby's All-Star Laff-A-Lympics (1977-78)

  • The Swiss Alps and Tokyo, Japan (September 10, 1977)
    • Events - Downhill Ski Contest, Ice Skating, Toboggan Race, Sumo Wrestling, One-Point Tennis, Baseball Batting Contest
    • Guest stars - Fred Flintstone & Barney Rubble
    • Winners - The Scooby Doobies (105 points)
  • Acapulco and England (September 17, 1977)
    • Events - Cliff Diving, Underwater Relay, Speed Boat Race, Big Ben Tower Climb, Fox Hunt, Skateboard Polo
    • Guest star - Jabberjaw
    • Winners - The Scooby Doobies (70 points)
  • Florida and China (September 24, 1977)
    • Events - Swamp Buggy Race, Waterski Contest, Auto Track Race, Rickshaw Race, Ping Pong, Gymnastics
    • Winners - The Scooby Doobies (115 points)
  • The Sahara Desert and Scotland (October 1, 1977)
    • Events - Dune Buggy Race, Fill Up the Oasis Race, Loch Ness Photograph Race, Three Legged Kilt Race
    • Winners - The Yogi Yahooeys (70 points)
  • France and Australia (October 8, 1977)
    • Events - Tour de France Bicycle Race, Eiffel Tower Climb, Boomerang Throw, Kangaroo Race
    • Winners - The Scooby Doobies (120 points)
  • Athens, Greece and the Ozarks (October 15, 1977)
    • Events - Pole Vault, Disco Throw (Discus), Rail Cart Race, Keelboat Race
    • Winners - The Scooby Doobies (105 points)
  • Italy and Kitty Hawk, North Carolina (October 22, 1977)
    • Events - Motor Scooter Race, Canal Boat Race, Hang Gliding, Skydiving, Hot Air Balloon Race
    • Winners - The Scooby Doobies (85 points)
  • Egypt and Sherwood Forest (October 29, 1977)
    • Events - Touch the Tip of the Pyramid, Camel Race, Armor Foot Race, Princess Rescue Contest
    • Winners - The Scooby Doobies (90 points)
  • Spain and the Himalayas (November 5, 1977)
    • Events - Bullfight, Gypsy Wagon Race, Hang the Bell on the Abominable Snowman, Climbing Mount Everest
    • Winners - The Scooby Doobies (90 points)
  • India and Israel (November 12, 1977)
    • Events - Tiger Hunt, Elephant Bark Race, Sun Sail Sledding Contest, Reed Boat Race
    • Winners - The Yogi Yahooeys (100 points)
  • Africa and San Francisco (November 19, 1977)
    • Events - Jungle Boat Race, Vine Swinging Contest, Rollerskating, Fishing
    • Guest star - Jabberjaw
    • Winners - The Yogi Yahooeys (80 points)
  • The Grand Canyon and Ireland (November 26, 1977)
    • Events - Burro Race, Tightrope Race, Catch the Leprechaun, Hole-in-one Golf Tournament
    • Winners - The Yogi Yahooeys (135 points)
  • Hawaii and Norway (December 3, 1977)
    • Events - Surfing, Outrigger Race, Viking Longboat Races, Long Jump Wearing Snowshoes
    • Winners - The Scooby Doobies (90 points)
  • North Pole and Tahiti (December 10, 1977)
    • Events - Dog Sled Races, Igloo Building Contest, Around the Reef Paddleboat Race, Sandcastle Building Contest
    • Guest stars - Fred Flintstone & Barney Rubble
    • Winners - The Scooby Doobies (120 points)
  • Arizona and Holland (December 17, 1977)
    • Events - Wild Bronc Riding Contest, Steer Roping, Windmill Riding contest, Dyke Building Contest
    • Winners - The Scooby Doobies (75 points)
  • Quebec and Baghdad (December 24, 1977)
    • Events - Lacrosse Batting, Canadian Tree Cutting, Flying Carpet Races, Magic Rope Climbing
    • Winners - The Scooby Doobies (65 points)

[edit] Scooby's All-Stars (1978-79)

  • Russia and the Caribbean (September 9, 1978)
    • Events - Siberian Moose Marathon, Dancing Race Through Moscow, Porpoise Race, Bluebeard's Treasure Hunt
    • Winners - The Scooby Doobies (100 points)
  • New York and Turkey (September 16, 1978)
    • Events - Hansom Carriage Race, Crown the Statue of Liberty, Unicycle Race, Swimming Relay Race
    • Winners - The Really Rottens (75 points)
  • South America and Transylvania (September 23, 1978)
    • Events - Bull Lasso Contest, Rubber Raft Race, Spooky Scavenger Hunt, Log Roll Race
    • Winners - The Yogi Yahooeys (90 points)
  • French Riviera and New Zealand (September 30, 1978)
    • Events - Soapbox Derby, Free Flight Kite Contest, Ostrich Race, Mud Puddle Tug-of-War
    • Guest star - Fred Flintstone
    • Winners - The Scooby Doobies (90 points)
  • New Orleans and Atlantis (October 7, 1978)
    • Events - Antique Aircraft Distance Race, Chinese Dragon Race, Sea Horse Race, Mermaid Rescue
    • Guest star - Jabberjaw
    • Winners - The Yogi Yahooeys (70 points)
  • Morocco and Washington, D.C. (October 14, 1978)
    • Events - Roller Scooter Race, Sand Chariot Race, Rally Race, Marine Corp. Obstacle Course
    • Winners - The Really Rottens (75 points)
  • Canada and Warsaw, Poland (October 21, 1978)
    • Events - Get Your Man Contest, Dog Sled Race, Freestyle Pole Vault, Pogostick Race
    • Winners - The Yogi Yahooeys (85 points)
  • Siam and the Moon (October 28, 1978)
    • Events - Siamese Sampan Race, 3-Way Soccer, Rocket Race, Moon Foot Race
    • Winners - For the last episode, all three teams win (80 points)

Overall standings: The Scooby Doobies 14 wins, The Yogi Yahooeys 7 wins, The Really Rottens 2 wins and 1 three way tie.

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