Like Hanna-Barbera stablemate Magilla Gorilla, Peter Potamus began in syndication in 1964, and then was picked up by ABC a year later. By then, the two series had traded backup features, with Ricochet Rabbit joining Peter, and Breezly & Sneezly going over to Magilla's show. Ideal Toys, a Long Island-based company, sponsored both series.
Peter wasn't essentially a hero, but he was a time traveling adventurer, with So-So as his faithful sidekick. The lone thing that would put him with Ricochet and Touche Turtle in terms of being a funny animal superhero is his Hippo Hurricane Holler, which he uses as a last resort to defeat the bad guys. As you'll see in the following clip, Peter had a certain charm that enamored him to the ladies. Seems the idea was that Peter had a bit of a singing cowboy to him, too.
Toontracker uploaded this black & white clip montage, which includes the season 2 closing with Ricochet & Droopalong.
In recent years, Peter traded away his pith helmet for a three-piece suit as he appeared frequently on [adult swim]'s Harvey Birdman, Attorney-at-Law. The [as] idiots turned Peter into a bit of an annoyance based on one simple catchphrase. It's going to be hard developing a revival of Peter's original series as a result, since today's fans are only familiar with his [as] appearances. Personally, I'd rather see Peter unleash the holler on the [as] crew...........
Rating: B.
2 comments:
I do remember Peter Potamus & So So!
It's a shame few cartoons today did what shows like that one used to: allowing for time travel and exploration all from a giant balloon!
Peter did give off a man about town vibe didn't he? The opening credits showed how he and So-So met: I never knew Peter had rescued him! Darn those syndication editors!!
I'd never before seen the opening nor closing credits for the show. All I remember was the Magilla Gorilla syndication credits along with whatever HB toon was crammed into that package. In fact if it were not for Boomerang or Youtube, I would not have seen them at all.
I think the playboy aspect can be revived, as long as you get rid of the stigma of his [adult swim] stint.
Peter Potamus, secret agent. It has possibilities!
Post a Comment