Black Cartoon Stars

Maxine Gibson

2011-05-29T19:34:00.001-07:00

In the animated series, Batman Beyond, "Maxine Gibson was the smartest girl of Terry McGinnis' class. She figured out his secret identity after a fight with Terminal, the would-be valedictorian Carter Wilson, and his Jokerz." Known as 'Max", Maxine is a computer hacking genius that is a close personal friend and has helped the new Batman on various occasions.

Like the show's title character, Max was invented for the show but has since shown up in the current ongoing Batman Beyond comic and is apparently an important part of the cast. There are absolutely no romantic ties between Max and the Batman. Her importance to the cast seems to be her hacking ability and that she can be trusted. Max is smart, pretty, resourceful, and a good friend. She is still in High School.

Pete Jones

2011-05-09T02:31:00.000-07:00

The Hardy Boys are famous mystery solving amateur detectives whose first appearance was back in 1927. The characters began in story books which have since been revised to, among other things, remove racist stereotypes. In 1969, The Hardy Boys cartoon debuted on television,
about the same time as Scooby Doo. In this incarnation, The Hardy Boys were a traveling rock band that traveled the country and solved mysteries. Sound familiar?

One of the cast was Pete Jones. He played the drums and sometimes a guitar in the band and assisted the boys on their detective adventures. He has the distinction of being one of the first Black characters to appear on Saturday morning television. This was one year before Valerie Smith from Josie and the Pussycats debuted. He was smart, talented, and a positive role model overall.

The cartoon ran on ABC opposite Scooby Doo on CBS. The series ran from 1969 to 1971, for 34 episodes. Despite never achieving the success of the Scooby gang, the show spawned an actual live-action Hardy Boys band which released two full length albums, both of which flopped. Included in the merchandise were action figures, more like statues actually, and Pete Jones was one of them.

Outside of the Hardy Boys themselves, every other member of the cast seemed to be a token of sorts. There was the token girl, the token fat kid, and of course the token Black guy. I barely remember this show. It was probably in syndication when I did catch it. Regardless, it was good to see a character of color in my Saturday morning cartoon soup. Here's a clip from the show:

Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids

2011-04-24T13:02:00.000-07:00

You can't have a list of Black cartoon characters and not include Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids. Created by Bill Cosby himself as part of one of his stand-up routines, this show was one of the longest running cartoons with a Black cast. Bill Cosby voiced many of the characters, even a young version of himself. The actual cartoon began as a special for NBC but was later rejected as a series because it was too educational. Bill Cosby got a new production company, Filmation, and took the show to CBS who ultimately picked it up.

The cartoon show stared a live action Bill Cosby whose segment ran before and after each episode. He helped explain the educational/moral portion of the story. There was also a laugh track as well as music. The characters called themselves the Junkyard Gang which is where they hung out most of the time. They also had a band and, at least in the earlier episodes, would perform a musical number using instruments made out of junk.

The show appealed to low income Black families but also apparently had an impact on children regardless of race. The series lasted for 12 years (from 1972 to 1984), though not in continuous production. All in all there were 110 episodes plus 4 specials and of course, a movie in 2004. The show changed a bit each season as it began to deal with more serious content and even introduced it's own Superhero called The Brown Hornet.

Here's one of the earlier intros to the cartoon show:

The LeBrons

2011-04-11T08:44:00.000-07:00

LeBron James has a new animated series out called "The LeBrons" starring different versions of himself all in one family. It's pretty good actually. Each character while also a different aspect of LeBron is pretty distinct. It's not on television,
but there is a YouTube channel. Apparently each episode is some kind of long Nike ad, an animated evolution of the live action commercials, but that doesn't stop them from being entertaining. Check out the first episode:

Numbuh Five

2011-04-06T04:31:00.000-07:00

Numbuh Five is a character on Cartoon Networks's Codename: Kids Next Door animated series. Her real name is Abigal Lincoln and she is voiced by Cree Summer on the show. She is an intelligent and laid back tomboy of African American and French descent. Larger than life and full of attitude, she often speaks in the third person. She's the cool one and while her number may be five, she's clearly second in command and probably only by choice.
Level headed, though sometimes quick to anger, it's made clear that there's probably nothing she can't do. It's clear from her voice and attitude that she's Black but that never becomes an issue on the show. It's just one of the things that make her unique on the show. She's a pretty good role model for girls too I think.

The show debuted in December 2000 but the series actually ran from 2002 to 2008, 6 seasons, 78 episodes. I'd call that a success. Amazingly, the character was originally supposed to be mute. Thank goodness they went a different way. Here's the intro for the show:

John Stewart, Green Lantern

2011-03-05T04:05:00.000-08:00

John Stewart is the name of a DC Universe comic book character who's superhero name is Green Lantern. His animated debut came in 2001 in the Justice League animated series. He was a core member of the group, appearing in most of the episodes of the show which lasted for 52 episodes. His power came from his power ring with which he was able to will himself to fly and create green constructs. The character was a former marine and he brought that ethic to the team. He was voiced by Phil LaMarr in the show.
He was not the first character to bear the name Green Lantern, not even the second actually, but he was the first African-American to do so. As the story is told, there are many Green Lanterns policing various sectors across the universe and more than one of them are human.
For the most recent generation of children, he is the only Green Lantern they know which has caused some small controversy as the character to wear the ring in the upcoming movie is Hal Jordan, a white guy. For the record, Hal Jordan did actually become a Green Lantern in the comics long before John Stewart.

Another interesting tidbit is that he may possibly have performed one of the first cartoon interracial kisses as he had a romantic relationship with Hawkgirl. John even met his future son, Warhawk, who appeared to be the offspring of the two in one of the episodes. Here's a video tribute to the character:

Kid 'n Play

2011-02-27T00:32:00.000-08:00

Kid 'n Play was an animated cartoon based on the real life rap duo Kid 'n Play. In the cartoon the characters were teenagers with a similar rap career to their real selves. The cartoon ran for one season (13 episodes) on NBC from 1990 to 1991.
The show was aimed at kids and each episode had a moral to the story, usually stressing something that would keep kids out of trouble. There were live actions portions of the show with the real Kid ' Play but the voices of the cartoon characters were performed by other actors.

The show wasn't very good. There's no surprise it lasted only one season. It was silly and the animation was simple but it seemed to be standard fare for Saturday morning type cartoons of that time. Here's the intro:

ProStars: Michael Jordan & Bo Jackson

2011-01-23T20:03:00.000-08:00

ProStars was a Saturday morning cartoon that featured Michael Jordan, Bo Jackson and Wayne Gretzky fighting crime using their abilities to fight crime. At the time, these three represented the pinnacle of their respective careers. While their characters would do some of their signature moves in the cartoon, none of their animated selves were voiced by the actual sports star. There were, however, short live action segments before the animated portions that showed the real characters mostly answered kids questions. The show was heavily geared toward younger children. In fact, they received their missions from children each episode. The subject matter dealt with bad things that could happen to children or environmental issues.

Michael Jordan, voiced by Dorian Harewood, was the leader. In addition to his basketball talents he was good with contraptions and used a lot of math. (...probably trying to encourage more kids to stay in school.) Bo Jackson, voiced by Dave Fennoy, was the team muscle and used both his baseball and football skills. Sometimes his strength seemed superhuman. Wayne Gretsky's character was generally the comic relief.

They were all armed special gadgets that took advantage of their particular area of sports. They even had a flying vehicle that looked like a big sneaker. The show debuted in 1991 and lasted for one season (13 episodes). The animation was average for normal Saturday morning fare of that time. Check out the opening clip and after that a portion of an actual episode:

The Top Black Cartoons Of All Time

2010-12-31T02:26:00.000-08:00

News One has rated the Top Black Cartoons Of All Time. They have most of the gems except for the animal shows like Hong Kong Phooey and Panthro from the Thundercats. I can get over that but I do have other issues with the list. Maybe I'm old but I don't get how the Mister T show rates higher than the Harlem Globetrotters. And I love the Blokhedz but they were only on the Web and had about three episodes.

Mister T

2010-10-16T17:55:00.000-07:00

Mr. T, the character originated from the A-Team live action show in the 1980's. He has been seen in numerous movies and TV shows. At the height of his fame on A-Team, Mr. T joined the rank of other action heroes such as Chuck Norris, and Rambo. Ruby-Spears created the Mister T television series (They spelled out the word "Mister"). The show aired on NBC for 2 seasons, a total of 30 episodes, from 1983 to 1984.

In the cartoon Mr. T was the owner of a gym and trained a group of gymnasts. Together they traveled the world solving mysteries Scooby Doo style. Like many of the cartoons in this time period, there was a message embedded for kids. The beginning and ending of each episode featured a live-action short of Mr T. himself. In the beginning he would explain what was going on and in the ending he would share the intended moral lesson of the episode. One of the notably funny things about the show was that he had a dog who also had his signature mohawk.

Here's the intro:

Valerie Smith

2010-09-06T14:20:00.000-07:00

Valerie Smith has the distinction of being the first African-American female cartoon character on a regular animated television series. She is the third member of the music group Josie and the Pussycats. The group first started as a comic strip in the Archie universe. They weren't a band at first and Valerie wasn't one of the original characters but in 1969 when Josie and Melodie wanted to start a band, they hired Valerie to play the bass. The rest is history...

Josie and her friends did well enough in the comic world but when the Archie's made the successful transition to television, even gaining a Billboard top #1 hit, it paved the way for Josie and her crew to follow. Hanna-Barbera put together a real band to do the music and even tried to have Valerie removed so they could cast an all white band. There was an actual stand off over the issue but apparently the final decision was to keep the cast looking like the comic. After that, the TV series was born.

Valerie is very talented. In the group, she performs back-up vocals, occasionally sings lead and plays the bass, (tambourine in the cartoon). She's the group's main song writer and actually plays multiple instruments. She's also the brains of the group. In addition to her street smarts, she's a mechanical and scientific genius. It's her skills that most often get the group out of whatever jam they're in.

Josie and the Pussycats, the TV series ran for only one season, a mere 16 episodes from 1970 to 1971. In 1972 a spin off called Josie and the Pussycats in Outer Space had the cast traveling though space, trying to find their way back home but still using their musical talents. This series only lasted for one season as well (16 episodes). Despite their short seasons, they made enough of an impression to spawn a children's book, a guest appearance on the Scooby Doo Movies, and a live action motion picture in 2001.

The cartoons still exist in perpetual reruns and the characters still exist in the Archie comic universe with new stories and ongoing adventures. Most recently there was a love affair between Valerie and Archie that threatened to ruin their mutual bands. This received a suprising amount of public notice in real newspapers and blogs. The drama continues.

In the meantime, enjoy the opening themes to each of the two TV shows:

Muhammad Ali Was The Greatest

2010-08-15T01:32:00.000-07:00

I Am The Greatest: The Adventures of Muhammad Ali starred the champ himself, animated of course, as an action hero. He and his crew would solve mysteries and bring bad people to justice not unlike most Saturday morning cartoon shows of that time. Muhammad Ali also had the additional challenge of getting his young wards out of trouble as well. The champ did his own voice work and so did his then real-life public relations agent, Frank Bannister.

The show premiered in 1977. At the time Muhammad Ali was the heavyweight champion of the world, had an autobiographical, major motion picture released the same year, and even a song dedicated to him, ("The Greatest Love Of All" sung originally by George Benson). None of that seemed to help the cartoon though. It lasted for only 13 episodes, one season, and ended in September of 1978. Here's a decent sized clip of the show:

Cornelius Fillmore

2010-08-08T00:32:00.000-07:00

Fillmore! was a Disney animated series that centered around African-American Middle School student Cornelius Filmore. The lead character was a reformed juvenile delinquent that was recruited into the school safety patrol and subsequently became it's lead detective. This particular school safety patrol was considerably more active than any real middle school counterpart. Filmore and his partner
Ingrid actively investigated and caught counterfeiters, smugglers, chop shops, and saboteurs. It was basically a children friendly crime drama and it was nicely done though that school must have been huge and well funded to have all those activities. Check out the intro:

Even though he was the man, Fillmore was quite the positive role model both in demeanor and his actively working to make things right. He was intelligent, daring, and very good at his job. He had no real super powers but he had a keen mind and an incorruptible sense of right and wrong. He was also a great leader. I was surprised and pleased to see this show appear. Not only did it appear on Disney but the Black characters seemed genuine and the stories were well written.

Alas, all good things end too soon. Unlike most Disney animated series, Filmore! only lasted two seasons. The show debuted in 2002 and the last new episode aired in 2004. I can only speculate as to what caused the show to be cut short but if you missed it don't despair. The series is set to return on Disney XD. It doesn't look like there will be any new episodes though. Here's a clip:

Hong Kong Phooey

2010-08-01T02:29:00.000-07:00

Penrod Pooch was a mild-mannered Police Station janitor but when injustice abounded, he became Hong Kong Phooey. He was voiced by Scatman Crouthers, who voiced many a cartoon Black man in his time. This Saturday Morning Cartoon ran from 1974 to 1976 for a total of 31 episodes. This cartoon was a comedy and included a laugh track like many Hanna Barbara cartoons. Here's the intro:

This show was great but things never went right for Hong Kong Phooey because he really was a bumbling buffoon. In the end he would always prevail, mainly due to blind luck or his pet cat, Spot, who unlike him, could not actually talk but was clearly much smarter. Even though he consistently screwed up, Hong Kong Phooey was literally the idol of millions. No matter how many people got hurt or inconvenience due to his mistakes, like over the top fans, they considered it an honor just to screwed over by him. The villains didn't seem to think much of him though. The henchmen feared him but their bosses never did.

Hong Kong Phooey knew Kung Fu but sometimes his basic skills weren't enough. When his knowledge failed him, he would pull out "The Hong Kong Book Of Kung Fu" from his sleeve for more ideas. His only gadget was the Phooeymobile which transformed into any kind of vehicle he needed when he banged a gong. When he would change into superhero mode, he'd jump into some hidden lockers, then into a trash bin which housed the hidden Phooeymobile.

Hong Kong Phooey lasted one season and was never seen again. Many Hanna Barbera characters came back in other shows that put them together with characters from other shows but Hong Kong Phooey never made the cut and no one seems to know why. Maybe they could never find a suitable voice after Scatman died. I've seen his image in a few shorts on Cartoon Network but they're weren't speaking parts.

There is a rumor that Hong Kong Phooey may get the remake treatment and become a movie but who knows if that will ever happen? I did see Hong Kong Phooey re-imagined in what I though was a great video but nothing came of it. He doesn't speak in this one either but here he is bad-ass. Check it out.

Agent J

2010-07-18T04:20:00.000-07:00

The Men In Black animated series was based on the first Blockbuster film where the role of Agent J was played by Will Smith. The series continued the story that began in the movie with Agent J, while increasingly capable, still providing much of the comedy as he never quite measured up to Agent K and was often kept out of the loop. Check out the intro:

The series was quite good and rather successful. It ran for 4 seasons from 1997 through 2001. While the character of Agent J was made famous by Will Smith in the movie, the character in the series was instead voiced by actor Keith Diamond. The show wasn't only about Agent J obviously but he was a major part of the cast and appeared in every episode. Here's the beginning of another episode featuring Agent J for your enjoyment:

The Jackson 5ive

2010-07-11T11:32:00.000-07:00

The Jackson 5ive was the Saturday morning cartoon series that provided a fictionalized story of the career of the Jackson 5: Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Michael. It's a bit of a shame that none of them were actually in it. In the shows opening the faces of the Jackson 5 are morphed into cartoons but they did not provide the voices of the characters or contribute to the show in any way. Their music was used as well as some concert footage but that was it. It didn't matter anyway because the show was a hit. It aired for two seasons from September 1971 to September 1973. Here's the intro:

Like most of the cartoons of this time frame, the show had a laugh track. It was produced by Ranklin/Bass and Motown; no Hanna Barbera here. The first episode guess starred Diana Ross (her real voice), as well as Barry Gordy (not his real voice) who understandably had a recurring role. Michael's fascination with weird pets apparently began at an early age as a few of them made it into the show. There was Rosie the snake and Ray and Charles his pet rats. They never talked on the show by apparently Michael understood them.

In the show, the group would go on tour, travel and do a bunch of crazy things for publicity all of which seemed to get them into enough trouble to create an episode. Each of the 23 episodes contained two Jackson 5 songs. Here's the episode that started it all:

The cartoon ended in 1973 but that didn't stop the popularity of the Jacksons as you know. They started a live-action show in 1976.

Harlem Globetrotters

2010-07-03T00:04:00.000-07:00

The first Harlem Globetrotters series called "Harlem Globe Trotters" debuted in September 1970 and ran through September 1972. It has the distinction of being the first Saturday morning cartoon that featured African-American male characters. The animated cast featured George "Meadowlark" Lemon, Freddie "Curly" Neal, Hubert "Geese" Ausbie, J.C. "Gip" Gipson, Bobby Joe Mason, and Pablo Robertson. Also included in the show was Granny (who drove the bus and kept them in line), and Dribbles the dog. Check out the funky opening sequence:

Every show followed the same formula. They traveled on the road to play a team that cheated and beat them for the first half of the game. After half-time the Globetrotters would come back with a will and a plan and win the game in the end. They would win even if they were blindfolded. The show had style, funky music, comedy, and was just fun to watch. Here's a video of them coming back after half time.

After their 3-season run, the Globetrotters show disappeared but in 1972 & 1973 the characters returned, this time as guest stars, (without granny and their dog), to help out Scooby Doo and the gang in The New Scooby-Doo Movies They did so on three separate occasions. The characters mixed well but this was no real surprise as the shows were similar and both from Hanna Barbara.

A few years later, in 1979, the Globetrotters returned with a new line-up but this time they had Super powers. Their powers weren't very original, in fact three of them had the same powers and names of The Impossibles Superhero team except where the Impossibles had Coil Man, the Globetrotters had Spaghetti Man. I guess it didn't matter since both shows were from Hanna Barbara. The Super Globetrotters took their mission from flying basketball satellite. Beyond that, the series was similar to the first one. This time they'd play the first half without their powers but after being cheated on they'd come back the second half with their powers and win. This series wasn't nearly as funky as the original and was in fact pretty silly but it was nice to see the guys one last time. The show lasted for only one season, thirteen episodes.