This episode kicks off with "Doctor Fright", featuring Superman and Wonder Woman.
Batman and Robin teaches a kid about being safe while skateboarding (the dumb kid wheels right into traffic!).
Following that, the Wonder Twins star in "Drag Race", and then Aquaman stars in the De-Coder segment:
Next, all the Super Friends star in the truly creepy "Day of the Plant Creatures":
The swamp creatures run afoul of some humans, turning them into swamp creatures, too.
Meanwhile, Aquaman is giving some lessons to the Wonder Twins, in his super-cool-looking AquaLab:
Anyway, Aquaman gets a lot to do in this story. The Super Friends meet up at the Hall of Justice, assessing the situation, and then split up to deal with it.
Superman takes on some of the creatures, and gets infected himself, slowly turning into a swamp creature!
When Batman gets in over his head, trying to scoop up the glowing meteor that seems to be causing all the problems, he gets surrounded by the swamp creatures. Just as they're about to get him, Aquaman swoops in and pulls his bat out of the fire:
Aquaman comes up with a plan--to grab one of the swamp creatures, and bring it to the AquaLab to try and come up with an antidote. Aquaman consults with a scientist, who tells him the only antidote is an element that is only found at the very bottom of the Marianass Trench, so deep not even submarines can get to it!
Aquaman heads there, and gets what he needs, pausing only when he is grabbed by a very angry giant octopus. Luckily, he calls on some finny friends who help him escape.
While Aquaman comes up with an antidote, the Super Friends do their best to hold off the swamp creatures. He eventually does, and when he sprays it on their captive swamp creature, it does what its supposed to, turning it back into a harmless plant.
He then sprays it on Superman and Wonder Woman:
This causes the all the swamp creatures to devolve back into plants, and all the infected humans revert back too. Earth is saved!
Back at the Hall of Justice, the Super Friends even make time to thank Aquaman for coming up with the antidote in time, as well as delivering a gentle ecological message about "the delicate balance of Nature."
There's a Craft segment starring Wonder Woman, and then Batman teams-up with...Rima the Jungle Girl?!?:
Finally, there's a safety segment starring Superman, where he teaches a young girl how to care for a mild burn.
...and so ends another fun episode of The All-New Super Friends Hour!
This episode's Aqua-Content: Medium
14 comments:
DC published a 5-issue (I think) series in the 70s. I think Nestor Redondo did some art on it. I've never read them so I don't know.
Rima made three appearances on Super Friends. There was the Batman one you mention, followed by a Wonder Woman team-up.
Then a couple years later, Rima teams up with Wonder Woman and...
AQUAMAN!!!!
They fight some renegade offshoots of either the Amazons or the Atlanteans. Forgive me as my memory is rather faulty on all the details. I remember Aquaman being captured, telling them he comes in peace. He was told to be silent.
I know it takes place around South America because we cut to WW and Rima in the invisible jet and Rima says, "We're all clear over South America, Wonder Woman." Diana replies, "OK, Rima, let's head back to the Hall of Justice."
The fact that I remember any of this is is simple. I remember just about anything I encountered featuring Aquaman. The other reason is I used to tape record Super Friends cartoons right off the TV. This was the late 70s/early 80s before VCRs were all the rage. This one and a team-up of Aquaman, Superman and Green Lantern where they fought a Kryptonian named Zy-Kre who escaped the Phantom Zone were my favorites. I also liked any time that Aquaman teamed up with Black Vulcan.
I hope this helps and maybe even (wishful thinking) qualifies me for membership in FOAM.
Okay --- I would have played the HELL out of that underwater lab if it had been made into a playset! Damn!
Randy-
I knew that DC did the 70s series, but its still bewildering to me that they thought to include her on the show.
But I didn't know she ever made any return appearances, especially one with Aquaman!
Can you help me track down what show that was? I don't mean sending me shots from it or anything, just what season/version of SF it was. I'd love to see if its on DVD.
Joe-
Yeah, that would've been one awesome playset!
Okay, you '70's-era smartypantsers!
How about Rima's early '50's CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED appearance?
Or her '00's (that's 19 - '00's) novel?
OR - her late '50's portrayal by AUDREY HEPBURN?
-Craig
Craig-
the Hepburn movie is Green Mansions, right? Or is that the book?
--Intelligent Trousers Rob
Both (and the Classics Comic), Brilliant Pantaloons Kelly!
-Craig
The memory of the Aqua Lab stuck with me for years. As a kid I always thought it was the coolest hangout since the Bat-Cave. Any of you F.O.A.M.ers know which episode of Super-Friends it is where Aquaman devolves into a giant, 4-legged shark? Sometimes I think I imagined that story?
Rob, if Aquaman saving Earth ranks as a "Medium" Aqua-Content, what the %$### constitutes "High"???
Point well taken, Russell. I've been going by, out of the number of segments, how many Aquaman is in. But he does get a lot to do in that one section, so maybe I'm off.
Aaron-
I don't remember Aquaman devolving into a shark, but I know I want to see it!
They have not come to the DVD of it yet, Rob. That much I know. It was after Challenge of the Superfriends because Norman Alden had stopped doing Aquaman's voice then. And the WW/Rima team-up was after Challenge.
I want to say the episode is from 1979/1980. Probably when it was titled The World's Greatest Superfriends.
I THINK the Super Friends with Aquaman de-evolving into the shark creature is on the 2nd Super Friends season set. I think it is called "Challenge of the Super Friends Season 2" although there was only one season of Challenge. It's from the 2nd half hour that continued to use the 5 main SF and the Wonder Twins that year.
I know my son and I have watched that one a few times, so I'm pretty certain it's on DVD.
Chris
OK... The Wonder Woman, Rima, Aquaman episonde is from 1980... Here is a You Tube Link...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpxLjP3h2jI this episode is called "Return of Atlantis". Not yet on DVD... - George
Rima was introduced around the turn of the century in a novel called "Green Mansions." Whether DC lisencsed her or she was public domain, I don't know, but she's a great character.
And yeah, the Aqualab as a toy would have rocked.
(See my posts above, Glenn!)
Great weekend,
-Craig W.
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