For this week’s Saturday Morning Superstars, I will be discussing a cartoon that has been on my mind a lot lately — Thundarr the Barbarian. The reason it’s been on my mind is because Funko released a set of Pops of the main characters, Thundarr, Princess Ariel, and Ookla the Mok. I was thrilled! I have been collecting Pops pretty from the start. I have a decent-size collection and the Thundarr Pops were must-haves for me.
These were released as exclusives to Funko.com as part of Emerald City Comic-Con. I follow several Pop channels on Youtube and Instagram and am part of a collecting group on Facebook. What was surprising to me is that so many people didn’t know what Thundarr the Barbarian even was. Many people mused that it looked like Masters of the Universe. And when it came to the question of which exclusives people wanted, very few wanted the Thundarr set!
That was great for me. It practically guaranteed I’d get them since I had almost no competition.
But the fact that so few people these days remember this cartoon made me think maybe it was time for a dive into what made this show great.
Thundarr the Barbarian was produced by Ruby-Spears Productions, an animation company founded by former Hanna-Barbera head writers Joe Ruby and Ken Spears. The Thundarr concept was created by Steve Gerber, a former Marvel writer who co-created Howard the Duck and had penned notable runs on Guardians of the Galaxy and The Defenders, among others. The comic book connection didn’t stop there as the three main characters were designed by the legendary Alex Toth (Space Ghost, Jonny Quest, Super Friends), while many of the villains and other characters and creatures were designed by Jack “King” Kirby. I don’t have to list his credits, do I?
One of Kirby’s most memorable creations for Thundarr was one of the show’s only recurring villains, the two-faced cyborg Gemini. Kirby’s design aesthetic is evident with the armor, the straps, and the squiggly lines — all elements that can be seen in the designs of DC’s New Gods, and Marvel’s Eternals and Inhumans. Gemini’s face is rocky with glowing red eyes, similar to Darkseid’s and this was four years before Darkseid would make his animation debut on Super Friends.
It should be noted that at one point, there were plans for Kirby to draw a Thundarr newspaper comic strip, but it never came to fruition.
The story of Thundarr the Barbarian is that sometime in the near future, a “runaway planet” flies between the Earth and the moon. The moon is shattered and the Earth is besieged by every manner of disaster including earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and tsunamis. Society, and most of the population, are wiped out. Pretty dark for a cartoon for kids, right?
The humans and animals that survived began to evolve and mutate. In the distant future of 3994, some semblance of society begins to emerge with various clans coming to power. Thundarr the Barbarian, Princess Ariel, and Ookla the Mok travel the globe encountering the clans. Some are peaceful, but invariably, they encounter evil warlords who use either sorcery or advance technology (or both) to reign over others.
What is particularly cool about this series is that it is based on the modern world. A lot of the war machines used by the tyrants are leftovers from our world, often restored thanks to magic. It’s also especially cool that each episode takes place in the ruins of a real city like New York, San Francisco, or Las Vegas. Thundarr and his allies even travel abroad with episodes set in London and Mexico. All of the locations are relevant to the story with settings, landmarks, and even creatures based on local wildlife. (It should be noted that these locations and creatures were always referred to by mangled names. Manhattan is called “Manhat.” Crocodile-human hybrids are known as “Carocs.”)
In the first episode, the Statue of Liberty is animated by Gemini and goes on a rampage, blasting fire from her torch. In another episode, a giant mechanical ape (in other words, King Kong) is animated and threatens the ruins of Los Angeles. That episode contains Easter eggs that refer to then-current movies like Jaws and Revenge of the Jedi. Yes, Revenge, the original name. The Thundarr episode was produced years before the third Star Wars movie was released, but it was in production under the original name and this was a wink toward that.
In the episode “Battle of The Barbarians,” it was revealed that Thundarr had previously been the slave of the wizard Sabian, but was freed by Princess Ariel who gave him his Sun Sword. Thundarr was voiced by Robert Ridgley, who also voiced Tarzan and Flash Gordon in their respective cartoons from around the same era. Thundarr is brave but impetuous and… well, kinda dumb, but that’s part of the show’s humor. He is known for his catchphrases “Demon Dogs!” and “Lords of Light!”
Gerber did not originally create Ookla for the show, but ABC insisted he add a creature that resembled Chewbacca. Gerber credits fellow comic book writer Martin Pasko with coming up with the character’s name when he pointed at the entrance to UCLA and said “Why not name him ‘Ooh-cla’?”
Indeed, Ookla was basically Chewbacca. He couldn’t talk and only communicated in animalistic noises, which were provided by Henry Corden, best known for taking over as the voice of Fred Flintstone after Alan Reed’s passing. Ookla even carries a crossbow-like weapon similar to Chewie’s bowcaster!
Princess Ariel was voiced by Nellie Bellflower who also lent her voice to The Last Unicorn and The Return of the King. Not only is she a sorceress, but she is also the scholar of the group and has extensive knowledge of the past (our present). As far as her magic, she can fire energy bolts, create force fields and bridges, and has telepathic and telekinetic abilities, among others. Her exact race is unknown, but she has brown skin and black hair.
Dick Tufeld narrated the show. Among the guest voice actors were Marlene Aragon, Michael Bell, Keye Luke, Nancy McKeon (Jo on Facts of Life), Alan Oppenheimer, Hal Smith, Joan Van Ark, Janet Waldo, and William Woodson.
Thundarr the Barbarian debuted in 1980 and lasted for two seasons on ABC and later reran on NBC. That’s four years, which was enough time to make a greater impact than many other Saturday morning cartoons.
It should be pointed out that 1980 was three years before the premiere of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. Rumor has it, Thundarr was an influence on He-Man. To those unfamiliar with Thundarr, it’s easy to see certain superficial similarities. Both lead characters wear fur and carry swords. Both shows mix sorcery and science fiction.
But the actual cartoons could not be more different. He-Man was made for children of all ages, including preschoolers. It featured strong moral messages and there was a lot of cuteness and humor. The main villain, Skeletor, is rarely shown as being truly menacing. He’s kind of a buffoon.
Thundarr is dark! It isn’t set in the fantasy world of Eternia, but rather the ruins of the real world. The villains tend to come across as frightening. There is some humor to keep things from getting too intense for Saturday morning, but overall, this is a show that didn’t shy away from presenting an idea mature and sophisticated enough that it could have just as easily been a comic book that appealed to teen and even adult readers. In fact, Kirby created a somewhat similar comic book for DC, Kamandi, in the ’70s.
Despite its lengthy run and popularity, there wasn’t a lot of Thundarr merchandising. The Mego toy company, which had ruled the 1970s with decade-defining lines like World’s Greatest Super Heroes, Star Trek, and Planet of the Apes, obtained the rights to make Thundarr action figures. However, at this point, Mego had seen its sales and income plummet after Kenner’s Star Wars became the most successful toyline in the world. Mego did create a mock-up backer card for the action figures which you can see here.
But Mego didn’t have a lot of money to invest in developing new lines, so instead of producing a Thundarr action figure assortment, it put all of its money into crafting a set dedicated to… The Love Boat. Mego went out of business in 1983.
There were small items like a lunchbox, board game, and coloring book produced. There wouldn’t be an action figure set until 2003 when Toynami produced toys of the three main characters. And of course, now I have Funk Pops. Unfortunately, they were limited con exclusives, so if you want them and missed them, be prepared to pay quite a bit on the secondary market.
Though it was created by Ruby-Spears Productions, the rights are now lumped in with the Hanna-Barbera library under the Warner Brothers umbrella. As a result, Thundarr has aired on the Cartoon Network and Boomerang. Thundarr is not streaming anywhere, but the entire series can be purchased on DVD through Warner Archive (available on Amazon).
Were you a fan of Thundarr the Barbarian? Leave a comment below! (Now, I’m going to play with my Funko Pops.)
