Sabrina and the Groovie Goolies was both an off-shoot of the Archies, and a cartoon version of Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In. Although Sabrina had her fans, the Goolies were the main attraction.
The Goolies were Frankie, Count Drac, Wolfie, Bella, Hagatha, Mummy, Bonapart, Dr Jekyll-Hyde, Batzo, Ratzo, and Hautleroy. There were joined by musical groups the Bare Bones Band and the Mummies & the Puppies. Frankie, Drac, and Wolfie were cartoon versions of the Universal monsters, with a few twists. Frankie was big, but dimwitted. Drac was pretty much himself, if a bit inept. Wolfie was a cool cat for a wolfman, with a t-shirt and baggies and a skateboard. He spoke in a hipster fashion while skating into castle walls. Bella was a vampire, probably named for Bella Lugosi, and bore a strong resemblance to Vampira. Hagatha was a witch, mummy a , well, mummy. Bonapart was a skeleton with a Napoleonic hat. Dr Jekyll-Hyde was one man with two heads; one Jekyll, one Hyde. Batzo and Ratzo were twin vampire troublemakers and Hauntleroy was a ghostly practical joker and coward.
The gang got together for jokes, many lame, but still funny to this (then) 4 year-old. They varied between sketches and quick gags, with recurring catch phrases; such as when Frankie would be struck by lightning and utter, in a Boris Karloff-like voice, "I needed that!" There was a wall with various doors and windows for pop-up appearances and jokes, as on Laugh-In. There would be musical numbers, in a breezy pop style, much like the Archies (they were actually pretty good for that kind of bubblegum pop).
The show was fun as a kid and I always enjoyed it. A few years back, I found a couple of videotapes with episodes of the cartoon. It didn't hold up as well, but was still funny in parts. It was a Filmation cartoon, so there was plenty of stock footage. It featured great voicework by Larry Storch (F-Troop) and Howard Morris (Andy Griffith Show, Sid Ceasar). You could do a lot worse than this show. Besides, you gotta love that theme song!
The Goolies were Frankie, Count Drac, Wolfie, Bella, Hagatha, Mummy, Bonapart, Dr Jekyll-Hyde, Batzo, Ratzo, and Hautleroy. There were joined by musical groups the Bare Bones Band and the Mummies & the Puppies. Frankie, Drac, and Wolfie were cartoon versions of the Universal monsters, with a few twists. Frankie was big, but dimwitted. Drac was pretty much himself, if a bit inept. Wolfie was a cool cat for a wolfman, with a t-shirt and baggies and a skateboard. He spoke in a hipster fashion while skating into castle walls. Bella was a vampire, probably named for Bella Lugosi, and bore a strong resemblance to Vampira. Hagatha was a witch, mummy a , well, mummy. Bonapart was a skeleton with a Napoleonic hat. Dr Jekyll-Hyde was one man with two heads; one Jekyll, one Hyde. Batzo and Ratzo were twin vampire troublemakers and Hauntleroy was a ghostly practical joker and coward.
The gang got together for jokes, many lame, but still funny to this (then) 4 year-old. They varied between sketches and quick gags, with recurring catch phrases; such as when Frankie would be struck by lightning and utter, in a Boris Karloff-like voice, "I needed that!" There was a wall with various doors and windows for pop-up appearances and jokes, as on Laugh-In. There would be musical numbers, in a breezy pop style, much like the Archies (they were actually pretty good for that kind of bubblegum pop).
The show was fun as a kid and I always enjoyed it. A few years back, I found a couple of videotapes with episodes of the cartoon. It didn't hold up as well, but was still funny in parts. It was a Filmation cartoon, so there was plenty of stock footage. It featured great voicework by Larry Storch (F-Troop) and Howard Morris (Andy Griffith Show, Sid Ceasar). You could do a lot worse than this show. Besides, you gotta love that theme song!
