The Mighty Heroes was born out of a moment of desperation in a network pitch meeting.
Kevin Scott Collier, author of Ralph Bakshi’s The Mighty Heroes: Declassified, discussed the details in his 2017 article, here on Cartoon Research.
At the meeting held in 1966, Collier noted that CBS program director Fred Silverman showed no interest in any of the ideas Terrytoons had pitched and was about to leave when one of the studio’s young artists, Ralph Bakshi, spoke up.
Collier wrote:
“Bakshi, who was merely there to help set up Terrytoons presentations around the room, shouted from the back of the room, ‘Mr. Silverman, I have an idea.’
Those in the meeting were stunned, and silence gripped the room. Silverman sat back down. ‘So, what have you got?’
Bakshi then pitched The Mighty Heroes off the top of his head. It wasn’t anything he had thought of previously. But all five characters came out. Silverman liked it and bought it. What transpired was a victory for failing Terrytoons, thanks to Bakshi. Silverman stipulated he’d only take the series if Bakshi were the director and oversaw the entire project.”
And so, The Mighty Heroes took flight. Bakshi, of course, would go on to direct films such as Fritz the Cat (1972) and American Pop (1981), and he displayed some of his decidedly different slants on animation even in this early work.
The series would focus on a comical team of superheroes: Strong Man, whose power is explained in his name; Diaper Man, a gruff, Baby Herman-like infant who would wield his bottle as a weapon; Tornado Man, the secret identity of a TV meteorologist who could turn himself into a twister; Rope Man, a sailor who could transform himself into an endless supply of rope; and Cuckoo Man, the alter ego of a bird shop owner.
Celebrating its 60th anniversary this month, The Mighty Heroes debuted on October 29, 1966, as part of the final season of The Mighty Mouse Playhouse on CBS.
The first episode was entitled “The Plastic Blaster.” As it opens, the villain, Raven, flies with his raven-like minions, from his hidden mountain hideout to the city of Good Haven (the Metropolis-like setting for the show). Raven attacks the city with his “plastic blaster” gun, which seals its victims in plastic.
He dares the Mighty Heroes to come after him, and the superhero team heeds the call, battling Raven in the streets of the city. But Raven gets the upper hand, sealing four of the heroes—Tornado Man, Rope Man, Strong Man, and Cuckoo Man—in plastic and taking them back to his lair to add them to his plastic museum.
Diaper Man escapes, sneaks into the Raven’s hideout, fights the Raven by squirting milk from his bottle into the Raven’s eye, and frees the other trapped heroes. The team disposes of Raven’s minions and seals the villain in his own plastic instead, after jamming his blaster. They fly away as the cartoon ends.
The Mighty Heroes were short cartoons but packed a lot into their running time. “The Plastic Blaster” hits the ground running with dynamic animation and unique perspectives as Raven and his flying henchmen soar into the city. When the Mighty Heroes heed the call, the backgrounds quickly flash with star-studded patriotic images as they humorously transform into their hero forms (Cuckoo Man jumps into a cuckoo clock and emerges through the little door in full superhero costume).
In addition, the show’s villains had unique designs. The Raven, with his cowl and grin filled with yellow teeth, is quite imposing. Other villains in the series included originals like The Frog, the Monsterizer, and The Stretcher.
The Mighty Heroes also featured nice moments of well-timed sight gags, as seen in the debut episode, during the well-choreographed, fast-paced fight between the Heroes and The Raven in the streets of Good Haven.
All the voices in The Mighty Heroes were provided by two actors: Herschel Bernardi (Strong Man, Diaper Man, and Tornado Man) and Lionel Wilson (Cuckoo Man and Rope Man).
Bernardi, who provided the voices for famous product spokes characters such as the Jolly Green Giant and Starkist’s Charlie Tuna, starred on Broadway in Zorba, in a number of TV shows, and in films such as Irma La Douce (1963) and The Front (1976).
Wilson had an extensive career as a voice actor for animation, starring in shows from Terrytoon’s own Tom Terrific (1957) to Courage, the Cowardly Dog (1999).
The Mighty Heroes aired on Saturday mornings through March 1967 and then went into syndication for many years. From both runs, they’re well remembered by many who grew up with them.
Sixty years later, fans should be grateful that Ralph Bakshi spoke up in that meeting, as The Mighty Heroes continues to serve as a unique, entertaining parody and homage. It’s Mighty, indeed.
The Mighty Heroes can be seen each week on MeTV Toons – as part of the Mighty Mouse and Friends block (at 12noon PST/3pmEST). That block also runs the 1987 Bakshi Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures which includes this cartoon (below) – “Heroes and Zeroes”, a reunion of the Mighty Heroes 20 years later, written by Nate Kanfer, Rich Moore and Andrew Stanton; directed by Steve Gordon.
