Marine Boy

Along with Speed Racer, Kimba the White Lion, Gigantor, and other late 60s anime, this was another that I loved. It played for a short while on PBS and then disappeared, not even in reruns. Even as an adult, I remember this show being special. Unfortunately, no one I know in my age group seems to recall it when I mentioned it, and I was beginning to think I was crazy! I vividly remember as child being struck by the magic chewing gum that allowed him to breathe underwater most of all, although having a mermaid and a dolphin as friends came in close seconds. Hopefully some day someone will get a clue and this will be released on DVD like all the other ones, especially considering some of the junk that is out there for kids nowadays.

I was about 14 yrs old when I first saw Marine Boy.The theme music for the first episodes was kind of eerie, but they came out with a better theme.Marine Boy was a member of the Ocean Patrol. Bulton and Piper were his friends on the ship.He breathed underwater by chewing oxygum, an invention of Prof. Fumbles. I have seen every episode of this series. Although it was sometimes poorly drawn, it is interesting and very watchable.Some of the people who did the voices,are the same ones used on Kimba,The White Lion and Speed Racer.Maybe this series is on the cable network now,I really dont know. But,I would like to see some of the episodes again.They bring back such memories.

Marine Boy, the TV series, was the first Manga to be shown on British television. Although it has to my knowledge never been repeated, unlike almost every other children's TV program from the sixties and seventies, its memory lives on. Marine Boy's ability to breathe underwater and swim like a fish were conferred on him by what seemed to be magic chewing gum. These abilities led to numerous aquiline adventures for Marine Boy and his friend "splasher" the dolphin. More than this it's hard to recall, except that at the time it offered a distinct and welcome alternative to Bugs Bunny, Hector's House and Bill and Ben.

Great cartoon series. Marine boy's propeller shoes, electric boomerang and oxygum: Oxygen releasing gum were unique inventions for the time and beyond. Magic series. Now I have to track it down.

Marine Boy had 2 friends - Splasher (the dolphin) and Crystal (a mermaid). Her name doesn't appear on the speaking credits because she couldn't speak, a trait she shares with her puppet counterpart from Stingray 'Marina'.

The 'Magic chewing gum' which enabled Marine Boy to breathe underwater was 'Oxygum'. And Bulton (the pilot of the sub) had a little catchphrase "Pipe down Piper", which he uttered when Piper got into a bit of a panic - as he often did.

A thoroughly enjoyable series with a strange atmosphere due to the lack of incidental music used. A marvellously distinctive, bubbly sounding' theme tune though. Ahhh - how I miss this age of innocence.