L'invincibile Ercole

Yes It was this very cartoon of which had sparked my enthusiasm for Greco-Roman Mythology.

I was first acquainted with this cartoon by watching it on both Saturday and Sunday Mornings on Boomtown of which is a Classic Little Kids Cowboy Show seen on Boston Television and lasted for so many years.It Starred The Cowboy named Rex Trailer.

Johnny Nash sings the theme song well too.It's catchy for nostalgia's sake too. So each time in a classroom when Greco-Roman Mythology was covered I was the one to participate the most of anyone in the class.

When I first heard The Story of Daedelus and his Son Icarus it reminded me of The Daedelus in the Cartoon of whom looked nothing like this one.

Truthfully, Stephen "Steve" G. Baer a.k.a. "Ste" of Framingham,Ma.USA

The Greatest Cartoon You'll Never, Ever See Again. On Earth. Period.

"The Mighty Hercules" is a bygone animated classic, the likes of which are just not made today. With "Rocket Robin Hood" and "The Amazing Spider-Man", "Hercules" created a mighty trifecta of cartoon delights for the Gen-X set.

I mean, damn. Come on. You gotta know what I mean here.

"Hercules" was one of countless shoestring-budget cartoon creations to appear on the Saturday morning scene in the 70s and 80s. And while the show's original run existed in the Mighty Sixties, its true essence revealed itself through rerun after jaw-dropping rerun. And just how cheap was this program?

In one episode, Herc's nemesis, the conniving wizard Daedelus, gains control of a deadly flying dragon and instructs it to destroy Hercules. Out of the sky it spirals towards Herc, who runs headlong into battle...behind a giant rock. No fooling. The entire tussle takes place behind this rock. Now that's thrifty cartooning.

That aside, "Hercules" did boast some cool and laugh-inducing characters and scenes, like the aforementioned Daedelus, quite possibly one of animation's most heinous individuals. With squinted, shifty eyes, a black cloak, little pointy slippers and a handlebar mustache of handlebar mustaches, Daedelus and his equally shifty feline, Dido, attempt dastardly deeds on what seems a daily basis. Occasionally the Mask Of Vulcan would appear. This hombre was pretty much a Daedelus clone with a janitor's pail on his head who was invincible so long as he wore it -- so when he showed up Herc would somehow have to get it off with a tree branch. Then there was Willimene, who essentially was a chick-Daedelus. She had a parrot and spent much of her time beating on Herc's maiden, Helena.

But really, when dissecting "Hercules", one has to go no further than the sidekicks. Herc receives help in the form of Newton, a knock-kneed bumbling centaur with slight homosexual tendencies (and more than an inspiration for "The Simpsons" Waylon Smithers), and also Toot, a spritely sort of two-legged version of Newton who can only express himself through a piccolo. And speaking of cheap and careless cartoon-making, watch out for the one where Newton's voice changes mid-episode. This blatant disregard for quality and continuity may mark this program as, well, amateur...but in the spirit of kitsch and pop-culture, it's probably what puts "The Mighty Hercules" over the top as one of TV's true diamonds in the rough.

Oh yeah, and a theme song for the ages. Absolutely kickass.

Granted it doesn't have the detail of Disney nor escape the cyclical backgrounds a la' Hanna-Barbara and many others. But there is no call to pick on The Mighty Hercules like it was the only limited animation, low cell-count animated cartoon around at the time.

As for comparison to any of the bland H&B fare of the day, the Pixie & Dixie & Wally & Yogi & Huckleberry..shall I go on? As a young boy I would pick One Episode of Mighty Hercules over a Full Hour of any of them! How exciting can seeing animals chase each other back and forth get? But Hercules had plenty of fast action, plenty of thrills - and could be quite scary to a five or six year old. But that wasn't the only thing that made it great. Hercules was a wonderful role model for youngsters, and this cartoon always promoted good moral values. Yes, where good always triumphed over evil and taught kids right from wrong.

Cartoons used to do that sort of thing, rather than just gross you out like most are designed to do so today.

True...Newton was a bumbling sidekick, but he was as loyal and devoted to Herc as they come. Addressing stupid comments about his "sexuality" is pointless (he is a cartoon, okay?) Also, ignorance can be attributed to not knowing that Newton's voice changed in mid-episode (actually it was right at the end of one) because Jack Mercer had left the production who had been doing most of the voices. If that person had really been observant they would have noticed other changes, some minor and then a major change when Jimmy Tapp joined the voice talent lineup and everything sounded different to the end of the series.

If Newton (he is a centaur) repeated himself, it was a gimmick, a hook to make him stand out and it certainly did. Oh, and Tewt's (not "toot" and he is a satyr ) little musical instrument.. those are called "panpipes". One of the cutest things you'll see on a Hercules cartoon is little Tewt playing his pipes riding on Newton's back as he sings his signature song... "I'm glad, I'm glad to have a friend, to have a friend...like Hercules, like Hercules...

Wow! I can think of quite of few other cartoons where the "action" is taking place out of sight of the camera, and puff of smoke and stars are all you see - but Hercules didn't pioneer this technique by any means.

The writers were actually professional comic book writers. That's right and I think they did an above average job. The narration is just right, not too wordy - and the dialog is consistent making the characters have their own unique personalities through out the series. What else do you want? Shakespeare? Misinformed "Gen-Xers" may want to try to discourage you from enjoying this cartoon, but if you were a Child of the Sixites or 70's then you know better. The Mighty Hercules made a tremendous impact in it's time. And it's still just as good today too!

Also try to remember thirty & under 21st century adults...this may come as a shock to you... but alas, Mighty Hercules was not produced with YOU in mind. The Mighty Hercules was produced for young children of an era where values were quite different, and frankly I am glad I was part of the original target audience.

Johnny Nash died today. After all these years of torment I have revenge for one of the most common earworms I get.

Of course to celebrate I watched about 3 hours of episodes on Youtube. It took me right back to being 8 and sitting too close to our old HMV. I always thought Newton was pretty bloodthirsty deep down, he just likes Herc to do the dirty work. Speaking of which I wonder if Daedalus was driven mad by the death of Icarus and his mistreatment by Midas long before Prince Dorian showed up. He should settle down with Wilamene and they could start a refuge for lost and abandoned familiars. At least now, after all these years I know what it is he shouts as he goes back up to Olympus. Despite the less than astounding animation I am still excited by the character design which has a slight Jack Kirby flavour.

In the end though is that theme. Mr Nash sure put his heart into it making it instantly memorable and something to tickle the memory of a (getting) old man. Softness in his eyes, Iron in his thighs, Virtue in his heart, Fire in every part, Of the Mighty Hercules.

I've read the other reviews and agree with most of them. I remember watching this when I was 4 or 5 years old. It may not have had the best animation, and it certainly had less than thrilling action, but remember the time was completely different. The children of the 60's who watched this were enthralled by a hero who had flaws and sidekicks who were unquestionably loyal. And it had the best theme song ever! Thank you, Johnny Nash for singing a song that to this day I can remember word for word! It was amazing and I wish I could find it here in Houston. Does anyone know where we can get copies of this cartoon for review? Does anyone have tapes or copies?