| Laff-A-Lympics | |
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| Also known as | Scooby's All-Star Laff-A Lympics Scooby's All-Stars |
| Genre | Comedy,sports |
| Created by | |
| Written by |
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| Directed by |
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| Presented by | |
| Voices of | |
| Theme music composer | Hoyt Curtin |
| Opening theme | "Laff-A-Lympics" (Main Title) by Hoyt Curtin |
| Composer | Hoyt Curtin |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 24 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | |
| Producers |
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| Editors |
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| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production company | Hanna-Barbera Productions |
| Original release | |
| Network | ABC |
| Release | September 10, 1977 (1977-09-10) – October 28, 1978 (1978-10-28) |
Laff-A-Lympics is an Americananimatedcomedy television series produced byHanna-Barbera Productions. The series premiered as part of theSaturday-morning cartoon program blockScooby's All-Star Laff-A-Lympics, which consists of 24 episodes, onABC on September 10, 1977.[1] The show is a spoof of theOlympics and the ABC primetime seriesBattle of the Network Stars,[2] which debuted one year earlier. It featured 45 Hanna-Barbera characters organized into teams (the Scooby Doobies, the Yogi Yahooeys, and the Really Rottens) which competed each week forgold,silver, andbronze medals. In each episode, the Really Rottens would try in each event to cheat only to get caught bySnagglepuss each time. One season of 16 episodes was produced in 1977–78, and eight new episodes combined with reruns for the 1978–79 season asScooby's All-Stars. Unlike most cartoon series produced by Hanna-Barbera in the 1970s,Laff-A-Lympics did not contain alaugh track.Scooby’s Laff-a-Lympics was originally owned byTaft Broadcasting;Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution currently owns the series through its two in-name-only units,Warner Bros. Family Entertainment andTurner Entertainment.
The "all-star" cast was mostly made up of characters from other Hanna-Barbera series. The "Scooby Doobies" included characters fromScooby-Doo, Where Are You!,Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels,Speed Buggy andDynomutt, Dog Wonder; the "Yogi Yahooeys" had characters fromThe Yogi Bear Show,The Huckleberry Hound Show andThe Quick Draw McGraw Show. The only original characters were some members of the Really Rottens.[1]
In 1978, Hanna-Barbera produced another "all-star" show with a similar theme, titledYogi's Space Race.[3]
Thesporting competitions in which the characters are called upon to compete are often comical or offbeat versions ofOlympic sports, races, or scavenger hunts. Each segment is set in a different location around the world.
Episodes are presented in a format similar to an Olympic television broadcast, with an unseen announcer. Hosting duties andcommentary are provided bySnagglepuss andMildew Wolf (fromIt's the Wolf! segments ofCattanooga Cats voiced byJohn Stephenson impersonatingPaul Lynde). Snagglepuss and Mildew wear animated versions of the contemporary yellow jackets ofABC Sports announcers. Other Hanna-Barbera characters such asFred Flintstone,Barney Rubble,Jabberjaw andPeter Potamus made appearances as guest announcers and judges. Other non-competing characters include parents of contestants (interviewed by Mildew before the events) and variousmonsters andcreatures that serve as antagonists during the events.
The "good guy" teams, consisting of the Yogi Yahooeys and the Scooby Doobies, are cooperative and loyal. The Really Rottens, however, always cheat. Typically, the Really Rottens would be poised to win before making a fatal error at the last moment, allowing one of the other two teams to end up on top.[2] Occasionally, though, the Rottens' cheating was not actually against the rules, resulting in their winning (overall, the Scooby team dominated, winning 14 times, against seven victories for the Yahooies, two for the Rottens, and a three-way-tie in the final episode).
Only one complete season ofLaff-A-Lympics episodes was produced, with eight new episodes combined with reruns for the second season ofScooby's All Star Laff-A-Lympics (billed asScooby'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 the two-hour program and later was spun off into its own half-hour show), "The Scooby-Doo Show" and "Dynomutt, Dog Wonder" (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 (without the "Captain Caveman", "Scooby-Doo" and "Dynomutt" cartoons) simply titledLaff-A-Lympics and was later rerun on ABC in 1986. In later years, it has been frequently rerun onUSA Cartoon Express,Cartoon Network andBoomerang, often during the time periods when theSummer andWinter Olympics were held (until 2014).[clarification needed] It most recently aired on Boomerang in September 2023.
This team drew mainly from the 1970s Hanna-Barbera cartoons, particularly the "mystery-solving" series derived fromScooby-Doo, whose titular character served as team captain.
The early production art for the series showed Jeannie from theJeannie TV cartoon show, as well as Melody, Alexander, Alexandra, and Sebastian the Cat, all fromJosie and the Pussycats, as members of the Scooby Doobies. However, legal problems withColumbia Pictures Television, Screen Gems' successor, as well asArchie Comics, prevented them from appearing in the series. Although Hanna-Barbera happened to have the ownership ofJeannie character Babu, Columbia had all rights to Jeannie's image, including her cartoon form at the time. Similarly, Archie Comics held the rights to theJosie characters.
As a result of all these issues, in the actual series, Babu appeared all by himself as a member of the Scooby Doobies, while Jeannie was replaced byHong Kong Phooey and theJosie characters were replaced by characters fromCaptain Caveman and the Teen Angels.
Among the members of the Scooby Doobies are:
| Name | Note |
|---|---|
| Scooby-Doo | Team captain; Character fromScooby-Doo, Where Are You!,The New Scooby-Doo Movies andThe Scooby-Doo Show |
| Shaggy Rogers | Character fromScooby-Doo, Where Are You!,The New Scooby-Doo Movies andThe Scooby-Doo Show |
| Scooby-Dum | Character fromThe Scooby-Doo Show |
| Dynomutt | Character fromDynomutt, Dog Wonder |
| TheBlue Falcon | |
| Captain Caveman | Character fromCaptain Caveman and the Teen Angels |
| Brenda Chance | |
| Taffy Dare | |
| Dee Dee Skyes | |
| Speed Buggy | Character fromSpeed Buggy |
| Tinker | |
| Babu | Character fromJeannie |
| Hong Kong Phooey | Character fromHong Kong Phooey |
This team drew mainly from the 1950s and 1960s Hanna-Barbera cartoons and was the only team of characters made up completely ofanthropomorphicanimals. Grape Ape was the only post-1962 character in the line-up.
Among the members of the Yogi Yahooeys are:
| Name | Note |
|---|---|
| Yogi Bear | Team captain; Character fromThe Huckleberry Hound Show andThe Yogi Bear Show |
| Boo-Boo Bear | Character fromThe Huckleberry Hound Show andThe Yogi Bear Show |
| Cindy Bear | Character fromThe Yogi Bear Show |
| Yakky Doodle | |
| Huckleberry Hound | Character fromThe Huckleberry Hound Show |
| Pixie | |
| Dixie | |
| Mr. Jinks | |
| Hokey Wolf | |
| Quick Draw McGraw | Character fromThe Quick Draw McGraw Show |
| Snooper | |
| Blabber | |
| Augie Doggie | |
| Doggie Daddy | |
| Wally Gator | Character fromThe Hanna-Barbera New Cartoon Series |
| Grape Ape | Character fromThe Great Grape Ape Show |
This team was composed of villainous characters thatfrequently cheated by either giving themselves an unfair advantage in a contest or sabotaging the other teams, often getting themselves penalized for such conducts. With the exception of Mumbly and the Dalton Brothers, all of the team members were original characters.
Originally,Muttley andDick Dastardly were planned as the leaders of the Really Rottens; however, they could not appear as those characters were co-owned byHeatter-Quigley Productions.[4] In their place, Hanna-Barbera used the existing character Mumbly and created the new character Dread Baron. Prior toLaff-A-Lympics, on his original show, Mumbly was a heroic detective rather than a villain. Following the character's revision as the villainous team leader, he remained a villain inYogi Bear and the Magical Flight of the Spruce Goose, which was also Dread Baron's only appearance outside ofLaff-A-Lympics.
The Dalton Brothers appeared in 1950s and 1960s shorts (including the 1958 shortSheriff Huckleberry Hound, which featured appearances by Dinky, Dirty, and Dastardly Dalton, as well as their other brothers Dangerous, Detestable, Desperate, and Despicable). However, they were given new character designs for theLaff-A-Lympics series. AfterLaff-A-Lympics, Dinky reappeared inThe Good, the Bad, and Huckleberry Hound with brothers Stinky (who bore a resemblance to theLaff-A-Lympics design of Dastardly Dalton), Finky, and Pinky.
Among the members of the Really Rottens are:
| Name | Note |
|---|---|
| Mumbly | Team captain; Character fromThe Mumbly Cartoon Show; Bears a strong resemblance to theWacky Races characterMuttley; Mumbly's retcon from good detective (as depicted in his preceding cartoon show) to villain was never addressed inLaff-a-Lympics |
| Dread Baron | Original character; Bears a strong resemblance toDick Dastardly[5] (who is revealed to be his twin brother in the comic bookLaff-A-Lympics #13)[6] and the Red Max, both fromWacky Races |
| Dinky Dalton | Character fromThe Quick Draw McGraw Show andThe Huckleberry Hound Show; Towering villainouscowboy brother whoseStetson obscures his eyes |
| Dirty Dalton | Character fromThe Quick Draw McGraw Show andThe Huckleberry Hound Show; Short villainous cowboy brother with mustache |
| Dastardly Dalton | Character fromThe Quick Draw McGraw Show andThe Huckleberry Hound Show; Short villainous cowboy brother with blond hair |
| Mr. Creepley | Original character; Patriarch of villainous monster family based onThe Gruesomes andMr. & Mrs. J. Evil Scientist;[7] His voice resembles that ofPeter Lorre |
| Mrs. Creepley | Original character; Matriarch of villainous monster family based on The Gruesomes and Mr. & Mrs. J. Evil Scientist[7] |
| Junior Creepley | Original character; Child of villainous monster family based on The Gruesomes and Mr. & Mrs. J. Evil Scientist[7] |
| Orful Octopus | Original character; Pet of the Creepleys; Villainous hybrid version ofSquiddly Diddly and Occy the Octopus (pet of The Gruesomes) |
| The Great Fondoo | Original character; Evilmagician whose tricks and spells hardly ever work as intended, often backfiring on his part; Bears a resemblance to Abner K. Dabra from the 1963 bookYogi Bear and the Cranky Magician |
| Magic Rabbit | Original character; Pet rabbit of the Great Fondoo whose only speaking line is "Brak"; Bears a resemblance to theWhite Rabbit fromAlice in Wonderland or What's a Nice Kid like You Doing in a Place like This? |
| Daisy Mayhem | Original character; Mean-spiritedhillbilly withsplit ends in her hair; Though her name is similar toLi'l Abner character "Daisy Mae", she bears a much stronger resemblance to a lesser-known supporting character from that same comic strip:Moonbeam McSwine |
| Sooey | Original character; Daisy Mayhem's eyepatch-wearing pet pig |
| No. overall | No. in season | Title/Location | Guest star(s) | Winner | Original release date | Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "The Swiss Alps and Tokyo" | Fred Flintstone, Barney Rubble & Mrs. Mumbly (Mumbly's mom) | The Scooby Doobies (105 points) | September 10, 1977 (1977-09-10) | SDLA-1 |
Events: downhill ski race, ice skating, toboggan race, sumo wrestling, one-point tennis match, baseball batting contest | ||||||
| 2 | 2 | "Acapulco and England" | Jabberjaw | The Scooby Doobies (70 points) | September 17, 1977 (1977-09-17) | SDLA-2 |
Events: cliff diving, underwater relay, speed boat race, Big Ben tower climb, fox hunt, skateboard polo | ||||||
| 3 | 3 | "Florida and China" | None | The Scooby Doobies (115 points) | September 24, 1977 (1977-09-24) | SDLA-3 |
Events: swamp buggy race, waterski contest, auto track race, rickshaw race, ping pong, gymnastics | ||||||
| 4 | 4 | "The Sahara Desert and Scotland" | None | The Yogi Yahooeys (70 points) | October 1, 1977 (1977-10-01) | SDLA-4 |
Events: dune buggy race, fill-up-the-oasis contest, Loch Ness photograph contest, three-legged kilt race | ||||||
| 5 | 5 | "France and Australia" | None | The Scooby Doobies (120 points) | October 8, 1977 (1977-10-08) | SDLA-5 |
Events: Tour de France bicycle race, Eiffel Tower climb, boomerang throw, kangaroo race | ||||||
| 6 | 6 | "Athens and the Ozarks" | None | The Scooby Doobies (105 points) | October 15, 1977 (1977-10-15) | SDLA-6 |
Events: pole vault, disco throw (discus), rail cart race, keelboat race | ||||||
| 7 | 7 | "Italy and Kitty Hawk, North Carolina" | None | The Scooby Doobies (85 points) | October 22, 1977 (1977-10-22) | SDLA-7 |
Events: motor scooter race, canal boat race, hang gliding contest, skydiving contest, hot air balloon race | ||||||
| 8 | 8 | "Egypt and Sherwood Forest" | None | The Scooby Doobies (90 points) | October 29, 1977 (1977-10-29) | SDLA-8 |
Events: Great Pyramid climb, camel race, armor foot race, princess rescue | ||||||
| 9 | 9 | "Spain and the Himalayas" | None | The Scooby Doobies (90 points) | November 5, 1977 (1977-11-05) | SDLA-9 |
Events: bullfight, gypsy wagon race, abominable snowman hunt, Mount Everest climb | ||||||
| 10 | 10 | "India and Israel" | Jabberjaw, Peter Potamus, Fred Flintstone & Barney Rubble | The Yogi Yahooeys (100 points) | November 12, 1977 (1977-11-12) | SDLA-10 |
Events: tiger hunt, elephant back race, sun sail sledding race, reed boat race | ||||||
| 11 | 11 | "Africa and San Francisco" | Jabberjaw | The Yogi Yahooeys (80 points) | November 19, 1977 (1977-11-19) | SDLA-11 |
Events: jungle boat race, vine-swinging contest, roller-skating race, fishing contest | ||||||
| 12 | 12 | "The Grand Canyon and Ireland" | None | The Yogi Yahooeys (135 points) | November 26, 1977 (1977-11-26) | SDLA-12 |
Events: burro race, tightrope race, leprechaun hunt, hole-in-one golf tournament | ||||||
| 13 | 13 | "Hawaii and Norway" | None | The Scooby Doobies (90 points) | December 3, 1977 (1977-12-03) | SDLA-13 |
Events: surfing contest, outrigger race, Viking longboat races, long-jump wearing snowshoes | ||||||
| 14 | 14 | "North Pole and Tahiti" | Fred Flintstone & Barney Rubble | The Scooby Doobies (120 points) | December 10, 1977 (1977-12-10) | SDLA-14 |
Events: dog-sled races, igloo-building contest, around-the-reef paddleboat race, sandcastle-building contest | ||||||
| 15 | 15 | "Arizona and Holland" | Mr. and Mrs. Mayhem (Daisy Mayhem's parents) | The Scooby Doobies (75 points) | December 17, 1977 (1977-12-17) | SDLA-15 |
Events: wild bronc riding contest, steer roping, windmill-riding contest, dyke-building contest | ||||||
| 16 | 16 | "Quebec and Bagdhad" | Fred Flintstone, Barney Rubble & Ranger Smith | The Scooby Doobies (65 points) | December 24, 1977 (1977-12-24) | SDLA-16 |
Events: lacrosse batting contest, Canadian tree-cutting contest, flying carpet race, magic rope climb | ||||||
| No. overall | No. in season | Title/Location | Guest star(s) | Winner | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | 1 | "Russia and the Caribbean" | None | The Scooby Doobies (100 points) | September 9, 1978 (1978-09-09) | |
Events: Siberian moose marathon, dancing race through Moscow, dolphin race, Bluebeard's treasure hunt | ||||||
| 18 | 2 | "New York and Turkey" | Jabberjaw | The Really Rottens (75 points) | September 16, 1978 (1978-09-16) | |
Events: hansom carriage race, Statue of Liberty climb, unicycle race, swimming relay | ||||||
| 19 | 3 | "South America and Transylvania" | None | The Yogi Yahooeys (90 points) | September 23, 1978 (1978-09-23) | |
Events: bull lasso contest, Amazon raft race, spooky scavenger hunt, Black Lagoon log-roll race | ||||||
| 20 | 4 | "French Riviera and New Zealand" | Fred Flintstone | The Scooby Doobies (90 points) | September 30, 1978 (1978-09-30) | |
Events: soapbox derby, free-flight kite contest, emu race, 3-way tug-of-war | ||||||
| 21 | 5 | "New Orleans and Atlantis" | Jabberjaw | The Yogi Yahooeys (70 points) | October 7, 1978 (1978-10-07) | |
Events: antique aircraft distance contest, Chinese dragon race, sea horse race, mermaid rescue | ||||||
| 22 | 6 | "Morocco and Washington, D.C." | Mr. and Mrs. Octopus (Orful Octopus' parents) | The Really Rottens (75 points) | October 14, 1978 (1978-10-14) | |
Events: roller-scooter race, sand chariot race, rally race, marine corps obstacle course | ||||||
| 23 | 7 | "Canada and Warsaw" | None | The Yogi Yahooeys (85 points) | October 21, 1978 (1978-10-21) | |
Events: get-your-man contest, dog-sled race, freestyle pole-vault contest, pogo-stick race | ||||||
| 24 | 8 | "Siam and the Moon" | None | All three teams tie (80 points) | October 28, 1978 (1978-10-28) | |
Events: Siamese sampan race, 3-way soccer match, rocket race, lunar foot race | ||||||
In 1996, fourVHS editions of the show were released in the US on theNTSC format, each containing two episodes for a running time of approximately 50 minutes:
At the same time a "bumper special" VHS tape was released in the UK on thePAL format containing the following episodes[8] (these UK episodes were the US episodes divided in two, with just one location per episode):
Warner Home Video (viaHanna-Barbera andWarner Bros. Family Entertainment) released episodes 1–4 onRegion 1DVD on January 19, 2010, asScooby's All-Star Laff-A-Lympics Volume 1. Episodes 5–8 were on a second DVD titledScooby's All-Star Laff-A-Lympics Volume 2, released the same day byTarget[9] and by other stores on October 19, 2010.[10] A two-disc DVD set entitledScooby-Doo! Laff-A-Lympics: Spooky Games was released on July 17, 2012. The set contains an all-new Scooby Doo special, "Spooky Games", plus 12 episodes ofLaff-a-Lympics – including episodes 9–16, which complete the first season, plus four earlier first-season episodes which appear on Volume 1 and 2. The set also includes an UltraViolet digital copy of the 12 contained episodes.[11] Later in the year, the Warner Brothers shop renamed this releaseLaff-a-Lympics: The Complete First Collection.[12]
On July 4, 2016, Volume 1 and Volume 2 were released separately in Region 2,[13][14] as was a 'Gold Edition' with the previously releasedSpooky Games DVD;[15] this Region 2 version of theScooby-Doo! Laff-A-Lympics: Spooky Games DVD is only a separate version of the first disc from the R1 set, containing "Spooky Games" and four further episodes; therefore, only 12 episodes are currently available in R2, as of July 2016.
Region 4 received Volume 1 and 2 in July 2010.[16][17]
| DVD name | Release date | Episodes included | Notes | No. of discs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scooby's All-Star Laff-A-Lympics Volume 1 | January 19, 2010 (US) |
|
| 1 |
| Scooby's All-Star Laff-A-Lympics Volume 2 | January 19, 2010 (USTarget stores) October 19, 2010 (wider retail) |
|
| |
| Scooby-Doo! Laff-A-Lympics: Spooky Games | July 17, 2012 |
|
| 2 |
In March 1978,Marvel Comics produced a comic book series based on the cartoon. Creative staff for the comic book includedMark Evanier, Carl Gafford,Scott Shaw!, Jack Manning, Owen Fitzgerald and others. The series lasted 13 issues. ALaff-A-Lympics comic book was also published in Australia in 1978 by Sydney-basedK.G. Murray Publishing Company. From 1980 to 1982, variousLaff-A-Lympics stories were reprinted inLaff-A-Lympics Annualhardback books in the United Kingdom by Fleetway.
An updated Laff-A-Lympics called the "Superstar Olympics" appeared inHanna-Barbera Presents #6 in 1996. The Superstar Olympics featuredAtom Ant,Augie Doggie and Doggie Daddy,Barney Rubble,Betty Rubble,Boo-Boo Bear,Chopper,Cindy Bear,Dick Dastardly,Fred Flintstone,Grape Ape,Hokey Wolf,Huckleberry Hound,Jabberjaw,Magilla Gorilla,Muttley,Peter Potamus,Pixie and Dixie and Mr. Jinks,Quick Draw McGraw,Ranger Smith,Secret Squirrel,Snagglepuss,Snooper and Blabber,Squiddly Diddly,Top Cat,Touché Turtle,Wally Gator,Wilma Flintstone, andYogi Bear.
ALaff-A-Lympics hand-heldpinball game was released in 1978. The game featured Scooby-Doo, Captain Caveman, Dee Dee, Taffy, Blue Falcon, Yogi Bear, Boo-Boo Bear, Huckleberry Hound, Grape Ape, Mumbly, Dread Baron, Mr. Creepley, Dalton Brothers, Snagglepuss, and Mildew Wolf.
ALaff-A-LympicsPresto Magix dry transfer game was released in 1978 by Papermate that featured Scooby-Doo, Shaggy, Captain Caveman, Blue Falcon, Babu, Speed Buggy, Yogi Bear, Wally Gator, Huckleberry Hound, Hokey Wolf, Mr. Jinks, Quick Draw McGraw, Mumbly, Dread Baron, Orful Octopus, Mrs. Creepley, Dastardly Dalton, Snagglepuss and Mildew Wolf.
In 1979, Hanna-Barbera released aLaff-A-LympicsOld Maid card game that included Scooby-Doo, Shaggy, Dynomutt, Blue Falcon, Hong Kong Phooey, Yogi Bear, Boo-Boo Bear, Huckleberry Hound, Grape Ape, Quick Draw McGraw, Pixie and Dixie, Yakky Doodle, Mumbly, Dread Baron, Snagglepuss, and Mildew Wolf.
Dread Baron and Mumbly appear inYogi Bear and the Magical Flight of the Spruce Goose. While Don Messick reprised Mumbly, Dread Baron was voiced byPaul Winchell.
Dinky Dalton appears in theYogi's Treasure Hunt episode "The Return of El Kabong", voiced byStacy Keach, Sr. He is shown to be with his brothers Desperate Dalton and Despicable Dalton.
Dinky Dalton appears inThe Good, the Bad, and Huckleberry Hound, voiced byAllan Melvin. As mentioned above, he has brothers named Finky Dalton (voiced byPat Fraley), Pinky Dalton (voiced byCharlie Adler), and Stinky Dalton (voiced byMichael Bell). This same Dalton line-up also appeared in an episode ofthe 2017 version ofWacky Races with Dinky voiced byChristopher Judge, Finky voiced byTom Kenny, Pinky voiced byDiedrich Bader, and Stinky voiced byBilly West.
The Dread Baron appears inJellystone!. He was seen in "Jailcation" where he was apprehended by the Jellystone Police Department and became an inmate at Santo Relaxo. The majority of the Really Rottens appeared in the season 3 episode "LAFF Games" with Daisy Mayhem voiced by Georgie Kidder, Dinky Dalton voiced byDwight Schultz, Orful Octopus voiced by Bernardo de Paula, and Magic Rabbit voiced by Niccole Thurman. In it, the Really Rottens are from New Bedrock and are led by MayorDick Dastardly andMuttley instead of the Dread Baron and Mumbly (similar to the original concept).
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