The Final Episode #71: SuperTed (1983 - 1986)

 

I think my favorite thing about this blog is the fact that I can discuss whatever silly television program I want, as long as it HAD a Final Episode. To me it doesn't matter as long as it ended. 8 episodes, or 800. If I can see the Final Episode so I can talk about it then it's all that matters. I enjoy talking about shows that didn't last long, and ones that went on far too long. I enjoy talking about the mainstream and popular and the weird stuff that has made you go "Was that a real thing I saw on the Disney Channel in 1986 or was I just hallucinating?" I bring you good news people who were children in 1986 that had the Disney Channel you were not hallucinating! SuperTed is a real thing. And it's not too bad either!

SuperTed for the many many masses that do not know about it was created by Mike Young, a British American animator who lived in Wales. One of those wild Welshmen. He created SuperTed as a way to help his son go to sleep in the dark in 1978. He then made around 100 books involving SuperTed between than and 1990. He then got to work with Disney for the original SuperTed and Hanna-Barbera for the second series The Further Adventures of SuperTed. I will totally watch that if I can find it, because I like to talk about Hanna-Barbera which I always enjoy. Since this is not only a show that I've never seen before it's also a show that's like 6 or 7 minutes long. I guess it aired in between shows. This won't be the only show that was like that either. We got at least two others. It's also not the only cartoon from Britain that we get to talk about either! Isn't that all so exciting??

The main plot of SuperTed was a Teddy Bear got thrown away like a piece of rubbish. I laugh at how the guy says rubbish every time. Did I write up this entire post just to talk about how funny I think a British man saying rubbish is? Yes. yes I did. Well then a Spotty Man finds him. A Spotty Man is an alien with spots. He brings him to life and then brings him to Mother Nature who gives him super powers. He fights a texan named  Texas Pete, a fat man named Bulk and a very very flamboyantly gay skeleton named.......Skeleton. These three are the best part of the cartoon. The show I must say was actually really well animated. Very nice and fluid stuff. The voice acting was done by a guy who was in some Carry On movies, the dad of the girl who was turned into a giant blueberry in Willy Wonka and a woman who was in Dr. Who. Don't count that Dr. Who thing as being a big thing because everyone in Britain has to star on Dr. Who. It's like a rite of passage.

So like usual when it's a show that I've never seen before I watch a few episodes and discuss those few episodes with you. The first one involves Texas Pete, Skeleton and Bulk going to Hong Kong to steal from a bank. The bank that's right next to the restaurant that SuperTed and The Spotty Man are eating a nice meal of Chinese food. The Spotty Man can't use chopsticks. I don't think I could use Chopsticks either. I'll use a fork dangit! Anyway what I think is supposed to be a Chinese person comes to SuperTed and The Spotty Man who end up in the room just as the wall blows up because Bulk was a moron and put the exploding mud stuff he had on the wrong wall. They don't realize this and steal some rice and run off. SuperTed pulls off his fur to reveal his SuperTed costume and I'm just wondering does he have fur on under the SuperTed costume? Does he put on more fur to disguise himself? Why am I overthinking this nonsense? Anyway they follow the rice that broke out of one bag and fight the bad guys in a place that sells vases and nothing but vases. It's probably called Vases R Us. I'm surprised I can write this much about a 7 minute cartoon. They stop the villains and The Spotty Man bitches at SuperTed about how he made a mess but got mad at him for being clumsy earlier. The Spotty Man is a whiny fuck but he's not wrong about this. SuperTed is kind of a jerk.

The Second Episode I watched was called Spotty and the Indians. Spotty is flying from Space to meet up with SuperTed who is in his super hideout in some undisclosed place. He crashes in the american west circa 1887. I really don't know when this show takes place but I think I'm overanalyzing a silly cartoon made for silly children. Spotty crashes and meets an Indian guy with spots. Texas Pete wants Buffalo Steak and yes the Buffalo has spots too. It's a spot filled episode! SuperTed comes to the rescue just to get stuck under the unconscious buffalo. He can't move him but he does wake him up. SuperTed has a weird power set for a Super Hero. They still beat Texas Pete and the other assholes. 

The Final Episode was called SuperTed and the Rattlesnake. It opens up with Texas Pete getting angry at Skeleton and Bulk and telling them in nicer terms to fuck off up a rope. They leave him and decide to steal him a rattlesnake as a present. SuperTed is at his SPACE STATION when he gets the right of way to go after the rattlesnake. The rattlesnake escape from the bad guys just to do one silly gag with a lady wearing it on her arms like one of those mink stoles or some shit. The snake is found by the bad guys and SuperTed and Spotty chase after them. Texas Pete loves the Rattlesnake but hates that they brought SuperTed to him so he ties the Rattlesnake up to try to keep SuperTed and Spotty from escaping but it really does nothing. Spotty tries to use a rocket to catch Texas Pete but he just shoves a trash can on his head. Then he pulls back a clothesline which ends up with SuperTed in a dress. Then he tries to escape completely forgot about the trash can and goes OH MY GOD WHATS THAT and Spotty crashes into him. They all end up in jail including the missing Rattlesnake who Pete lovingly puts up to his face. I think Pete and that  Rattlesnake are gonna fuck.

FINAL VERDICT: An entertaining enough little show. I would have left it on for the 7 minutes it ran between shows instead of seeing what was on another channel, which is a big thing because you ALWAYS wanted to see if something better was on another channel during the beginning of one show and the ending of another. This would probably have ended up on early in the morning here, alongside the other 7 minute shows like Ovide Video or Sharkey and George. I have the Sharkey and George theme song stuck in my head for the past 30 years and It will not leave!