Rocket Robin Hood

Before the Golden Age of infomercials, many television networks relied on recycled episodes of way outdated programs. During what would become the prime-time of the infomercial industry (approximately 4:00 AM until dawn), youngsters in the 70s and 80s were exposed to a brief glut of super-subpar cartoons. These included an animated version of "The Mighty Hercules", "Max the 2,000 Year Old Mouse" (forgive me if I've reported this one wrong, it's been awhile) and "The Amazing Spider-Man". In Canada specifically, there was "Rocket Robin Hood".

Taking the chintzy animation of the aforementioned programs one step lower, "Rocket Robin Hood" graced Canuck TV sets for a brief moment in time in the mid-60s. But due to its rapid demise, many kids were introduced to the 'toon in subsequent decades. Featuring the melodramatic, sometimes comedic, sometimes outright inane adventures of the ubiquitous Sherwood Forest gang, the makers of "RRH" added a like, total 60s twist. They added the limitless possibilities of...The Future. "RRH" you see, took place in 'the fantastic year 3000' in a galaxy ruled by the evil despot Prince John and his fiendish aide, the Wicked Sheriff of Nott. And as for our merry men? They threw cosmic wrench after cosmic wrench into the Prince's schemes out of their base on the lush, green Sherwood Asteroid. By this point, you either see this as way trippy or totally psycho. In this hombre's opinion, those who witnessed the spectacle of "RRH" are truly blessed individuals, exposed to an endless wealth of kitschy pop culture material. Who could forget the timeless theme song, or the cute vignettes of each character that peppered each episode? Or the one time Robin squared off against the evil Infinata of Dementia Five (a feat that was duplicated shot for shot in an episode of "Spider-Man")? This is high-calibre stuff. Seek it out.

It is hoped that one day that this show will make a comeback, as chances are it's been relegated to the TV scrapyard for good. In the future perhaps, the ever-expanding array of channels will force someone to pick it up out of sheer desperation. Let's just hope it happens before the fantastic year 3000.

I really loved the earlier episodes, done by Shamus Culhane. They were stories, the animation was pretty good, and they made "sense" in that the story resolved itself by the end of the episode. Later when Ralph Bakshi took over, he did the same hack job he did on Spiderman, Cheap acid inspired ink stain on paper backdrops, and missing cells on scenes that often left a character without a mouth, and stories didn't always get resolved or make sense. Also voices changed between characters during a scene. That having been said, some of his stories were good, like the "Minutae", "Space Ghosts" and Dimentia 5". I loved Dr. Nocturn, he was just creepy. The episode that has him encased in liquid mercury was actually a kinda scary. The show had the best score and music since Spiderman and was truly unique among the Saturday morning cartoons.

I watched this several times on teletoon retro. I also remember seeing it maybe 5 years ago too.

Like dumb kids we called it Krantz crap cartoons. It IS pretty bad animation, but I like the idea of Robin Hood in space. This is certainly not anywhere close to being a favourite show of mine. In fact almost the opposite is true. But I did get some enjoyment from it, if for nothing else the wild idea of a space Robin Hood.

I hope they keep running this even if it is old. Cause it's fun to kick back and watch it when you've got nothing else to do and see what cartoons were like way back when.

Now for you guys that like all the new stuff, you probably will dis this pretty bad, but you gotta look at when it was made. 1966 is almost ancient history.

Looking back on this, I guess I should explain the "Krantz crap" comment. Krantz films distributed several animated shows (I think Trillium in Toronto actually made Rocket Robin Hood) and the name of course always came up at the end. I think Krantz did Spiderman cartoons, Rocket Robin Hood, and maybe others.

this show has been dated quite a bit because it is so old but i was so excited to see it running in reruns on the cartoon channel! the show is very old but it is Canadian and is so "retro-cool" i could scream. i remember watching this show as a kid and can't believe i still love it this much. the drawings/animation are pretty dated but that is one of the things that makes the show so interesting. if you are a fan of today's high tech cartoons with their "smoother" animation you won't like this show to much but for those of us who do this is a can't miss show. not sure if it was on much, or well know, in the united stated. the stories can sometimes be slow paced and it is really frustrating sometimes that they always repeat the entire very long opening credits scene after each break but that is because it was filmed and put on television originally in serial style.

There is simply no explaining the appeal of Rocket Robin Hood. Many of the stories were silly tipping over into ridiculous, the animation was cut rate at best, the whole premise was largely preposterous, and yet it is one of those programs that indelibly imprints itself on the young mind, a fond memory of television cartoons of days long past.

The series was high concept to say the least: in the year 3000, a descendant of the original Robin Hood reforms the Merry Men, complete with namesakes of the originals, to combat a new Prince John, despotic ruler of the National Outer space Terrestrial Territories, and his evil, but cowardly lackey, the Sheriff of N.O.T.T.. While the bow and arrow was still Robin's weapon of choice, most everything else was updated. He now had rayguns, electro-quarter staves and rocket ships at his disposal, not to mention abandoning a dark old forest hideout for bright and cheery New Sherwood Asteroid as a headquarters.

The first year of the program was nothing special. The series at this point was definitely aimed at younger children and featured such juvenile shtick as leprechauns, friendly dinosaurs and space cowboys, not to mention having a senile Merlin the Magician, travelling salesmen and annoying relatives popping by New Sherwood for visits. It was, to say the least, an undistinguished beginning.

All that changed with years two and three. Prince John and the Sheriff were all but jettisoned from the program and the stories became darker; the villains more diabolical; the adventures more fantastic. Here begin the stories that would be remembered, the frightening, thrilling moments that decades later are still unforgotten.

Indeed, who could ever forget the giant mutant brain created by the hideous Dr. Medulla? Who could not recall the Dracula like Dr. Mortula and his plans to forever blot out the sun above his world or fail to remember the shadowy Dr. Nocturne, with his living shadows, extinguishing entire stars to plunge the entire galaxy into darkness? Then there was the most unforgettable of all, the adventure that grown adults still remember their younger selves being chilled by, the battle with the demonic Infinata, ruler of the nightmare realm called Dementia 5.

It is too easy to see the many flaws of Rocket Robin Hood. The silly early episodes, the poor man's animation and the blatant splicing together of whole sequences from earlier episodes to make "new" stories in the final days of the series: these failings are obvious and indisputable to any adult eye. But then, Rocket Robin Hood was never meant as entertainment for adults.

There is something magical about a program that can leave memories so vivid in the mind after so many years. There was something special about the villains, the images and the concepts that were able to overcome the almost laughable poverty row production values and create an indelible impression in the minds of young viewers. There is something intangible, indefinable and inescapable about the show that still pulls those who saw it as children, now older and wiser, back to watch it again with more discerning eyes that see all the many flaws and yet remember only the magic.

"Come gather around me. Space travellers surround me. Hark now to the ballad of Rocket Robin Hood."