Hong Kong Fou Fou

Penrod Pooch leads a secret life as Hong Kong Phooey a Kung Fu crime fighter. His faithful sidekick Spot the cat usually solved the crimes, but that was only a part of the charm. Rosemary the Telephone operator had a mad crush on the hero never realizing that Penry was the one and only Hong Kong Phooey..

Too bad the show only lasted 16 episodes. Hong Kong Phooey is not totally helpless... He caught the guys in Car Theves, and caught the Cat burglar in Grandma Goody. He would have had the claw if Spot hadn't used the claw to block Phooey from really getting the claw. He would have had the Giggler too if Spot did not kick open the Jack in the Box to grab him just seconds before Phooey lands in the very spot where the giggler stood...

Scatman Coruthers was great as Phooey! As was Joe E Ross as the Gruff Sgt Flint. I hope the series gets the DVD treatment... I miss this show. It planted the seeds for the love of the Martial arts. Hong Kong Phooey had a cool car too! Classic show!

My nostalgia trip is going full-force. This year alone I have gone through the Flintstones, Top Cat, Scooby-Doo and numerous other Cartoon Network classics. Hong Kong Phooey was another one off my list, but I have to say I do not have many memories of it as a child. With so few episodes it is easy to understand why, but I was willing to pay the small amount to try and re-live my childhood.

Let's get this straight; Hong Kong Phooey comes from a simpler time when cartoonists had much more slack from censorship. The title alone is enough to stir controversy today. Add to that a stereotypical goofy robe and faux karate moves (with plenty "Hiyaaahhh's") and you have a cartoon that wouldn't even get past pre-pre- pre-production today! However, as I said, it is a reflection of the time it was created in.

Penry, a lowly janitor of a police station, forms the basis of Hong Kong Phooey's alter ego. He is clumsy and incompetent and yet somehow clings onto his job. His superhero counterpart is equally as useful, but his trusty sidekick gets the job done whilst Hong Kong Phooey gets the praise. It is a simple formula that forms the basis of every episode. For the first few episodes it was entertaining, however it grew somewhat repetitive and many episodes seemed to merge into one. Perhaps this is why I had so few memories of this as a child.

Although I have mentioned many negatives, I did enjoy watching this short series, although I do rank other Hanna-Barbera classics much higher. The villains in some episodes were hilarious in their own right. I mean, a guy with a contraption that makes it rain uses it to sell umbrellas...genius, right? Also, the racial stereotypes themselves made me laugh but not in the way they were originally intended. It was more like a "I can't believe they got away with this" kind of way!

If you have some spare time and cash, you might want to give this show a watch. It is short, will fulfil your nostalgia trip and is probably about as close as we are going to get to time travel. Despite its obvious flaws, Hong Kong Phooey remains a Hanna- Barbera classic for a reason.

As a child growing up watching the likes of HKP and other Hanna Barbera classics (yes they were) I cannot remember ever getting bored of them. They were simply animated perhaps but as a kid did I ever stop and think, "hhhmm I think the animation is a bit cheap looking" - NO I DIDN'T and the reason - because I was a child and it was good fun, with funny scripts and characters. OK so they're not as funny perhaps when you watch them again as a 30 something year old (or whatever) but don't forget they were made for kids after all. I look forward to showing the likes of Hong Kong Phooey to my son when he grows up a bit along with a few other classics thrown in for good measure.

It's funny how as a kid you watch some programs on Saturday morning and don't realise how quickly they are repeated. I was amazed to discover HKP only existed for 16 episodes. It felt like I grew up watching him for years.

I absolutely loved this show, more than Flintstones, more than Jetsons, even more than Birdman and that's saying something.

They just don't make funny harmless cartoons for kids anymore (and I should know, I'm the self appointed censor against the drivell that is on TV for my kids these days .... Pokemon? Poke Off I say!) and that's a shame because being a kid should be about growth and fun, not violence and fierce competition. Plenty of time for those life lessons once childhood is behind you

The appeal of Hong Kong Phooey can be summed by one name, Scatman Crothers. One of the most talented individuals ever hired by Hanna Barbera to do voice overs. He pretty much carried this cartoon during it's scant 16 episode run. Quirky one liners and his constant talking to the audience seperated Hong Kong Phooey from the rest. Hanna Barbera ruled the seventies TV cartoon market. IF Cartoon Network would get off the anime band wagon(FAT CHANCE)they would have time to show some American classics such as this. Great Theme Song.