Batfink
Batfink in an authoritative stance Image File history File links Batfink. ...
Genre	Animated series
Created by	Hal Seeger
Starring	Frank Buxton Len Maxwell
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	100
Production
Running time	26 mins
Broadcast
Original run	September, 1967 – 4 October 1967
External links
Official website

Batfink is an animated television series, consisting of five-minute shorts, that first aired in September 1967. The 100-episode series was quickly created by Hal Seeger, starting in 1966, to parody the popular Batman and The Green Hornet television series which had premiered the same year. An animated series or cartoon series is a television series produced by means of animation. ... Hal Seeger (1917-March 13, 2005) was an animated cartoon producer and director who owned his own studio the Hal Seeger Studio (Hal Seeger Productions). ... Frank Buxton (born February 13, 1930 in Wellesley, Massachusetts) [1] is an American actor, television writer and director. ... Len Maxwell is an American voice actor. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Year 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. ... is the 277th day of the year (278th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. ... An animated series or cartoon series is a television series produced by means of animation. ... Year 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. ... Hal Seeger (1917-March 13, 2005) was an animated cartoon producer and director who owned his own studio the Hal Seeger Studio (Hal Seeger Productions). ... Year 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... The Green Hornet is a fictional crimefighter created to be the hero of an American radio program that ran on WXYZ (a local Detroit station), the Mutual Broadcasting System and the network known through its succession of various owners as NBC Blue, the Blue Network and the ABC Network from...

Production & Syndication

The cartoon was produced at Hal Seeger Studios, in New York City. It was syndicated by Screen Gems and continued to air on local stations throughout the 1980s. Nickelodeon briefly aired episodes of Batfink on its Weinerville and Nick in the Afternoon series in the 1990s. In September 2006, it returned to the U.S. as part of "Cartoons Without a Clue", Boomerang's mystery lineup on weekends. New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article is about the TV channel. ... Weinerville was an American television series on Nickelodeon that was produced from 1993 to 1994, aired in re-runs to 1997. ... Nick in the Afternoon was a programming block on Nickelodeon that was aired from 1995 to 1997 on weekday afternoons during the summer, hosted by Stick Stickly, a talking popsicle stick. ... For the band, see 1990s (band). ... September 2006 is the ninth month of 2006 and has begun on a Friday. ... Boomerang is the name of at least four television networks owned by Cartoon Network. ...

The Batfink series was very popular in the UK, and from 1967 onwards was shown at least once every year on UK terrestrial television up until 1983, initially on the BBC network where it was allocated an early evening slot just before the BBC News started, and latterly as part of Children's ITV; it subsequently reappeared in 1986 on the ITV Saturday morning magazine show Get Fresh. In the early 1990s it was repeated again as part of TV-am's Wide Awake Club/Wacaday series; after Wacaday finished in 1992, Batfink was consigned to the vaults in the UK for the next twelve years. It was introduced to a new audience in 2004 when it was included in a number of episodes of the BBC's Saturday morning show Dick and Dom in da Bungalow, and since April 2006 has been enjoying an extended, if somewhat irregular, repeat run on BBC One and BBC Two. BBC News is the department within the BBC responsible for the corporations news-gathering and production of news programmes on BBC television, radio and online. ... This article is about ITVs childrens television brand. ... Independent Television (generally known as ITV, but also as ITV Network) is a public service network of British commercial television broadcasters, set up under the Independent Television Authority (ITA) to provide competition to the BBC. ITV is the oldest commercial television network in the UK. Since 1990 and the Broadcasting... Get Fresh was a childrens television programme that ran from 1986 to 1988 in the United Kingdom. ... TV-am was a breakfast television station that broadcast in the United Kingdom from 1983 to 1992. ... Wide Awake Club (often abbreviated to WAC) was a highly successful childrens television series broadcast in the United Kingdom on ITVs breakfast franchise TV-am between 1984 and 1989 . ... Wacaday was a childrens television series that ran in TV-ams school holidays slot from 1985 until 1992 and was hosted by Timmy Mallett. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The British Broadcasting Corporation, which is usually known as the BBC, is the largest broadcasting corporation in the world in terms of audience numbers, employing 26,000 staff in the United Kingdom alone and with a budget of more than GB£4 billion. ... Dick (left) and Dom (right) Dick and Dom in da Bungalow was an Award winning CBBC childrens television series presented by Richard McCourt (Dick) and Dominic Wood (Dom). In the final series, Series 5, five children and one celebrity guest (known as Bungalow Heads) came to stay the weekend... April 2006 : ← - January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December- → Marcos Pontes, Brazils first astronaut, reaches the International Space Station. ... BBC One is the primary television channel of the BBC, and the first in the United Kingdom. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Batfink was made quickly and cheaply by re-using many common scenes to the series, instead of having to re-animate almost identical scenes for each episode. Although most serial animations do this to some extent, Batfink did it more than most. Commonly repeated scenes include the intro to the initial briefings by the Chief (the TV screen hotline buzzing into life), Batfink and Karate getting into the Battleac, the Battleac going round mountain bends, the Battleac going over a bridge, Batfink's radar and others.

Some scenes were reused every episode, some appeared sporadically and some were only repeated once or twice out during the entire series. Often, a scene would be used in more than one scenario, e.g. the Battleac going over a bridge on their way to get to a crime would also be reused during a chase scene or when they are looking all over the country for a specific item or person. Sometimes the repeated scenes would be cut short so that only sections of them could be re-used to fit the storyline more closely.

Cast

Batfink

Batfink (Frank Buxton) is a bat with superpowers. He uses his super-sonic sonar radar and metallic wings to fight crime. Frank Buxton (born February 13, 1930 in Wellesley, Massachusetts) [1] is an American actor, television writer and director. ... “Chiroptera” redirects here. ... Superhero fiction invariably features characters with superhuman, supernatural and/or paranormal abilities, often referred to as superpowers, also spelled super-powers. Below is a list of many of those that have been known to be used. ...

Karate

Karate (Len Maxwell) is a martial arts expert and Batfink's sidekick, who drives the Battleac. He is overweight and isn't very bright, but is strong enough to help Batfink out of any situation. His voice was a caricature inspired by Don Adams as Maxwell Smart of the Get Smart series, which was popular at the time. Karate on occasion also uttered the phrase, "Sorry about that, Batfink." Len Maxwell is an American voice actor. ... Hawaiian State Grappling Championships. ... For American former professional basketball player, see Don Adams (basketball). ... Get Smart was an American comedy television series that satirized the secret agent genre. ...

The Chief

The Chief (Len Maxwell) is Batfink's consultant and informs Batfink of all the latest crimes via a direct video link to Batfink's split-level cave ("The hotline! Batfink here."). Len Maxwell is an American voice actor. ...

Hugo A-Go-Go

Hugo A-Go-Go (Frank Buxton) is the main villain of the series, who spends his time in his laboratory creating inventions to defeat Batfink and dominate the world. He somehow manages to escape jail every time when caught to antagonize Batfink in a later episode. He also sometimes talks with the narrator. Frank Buxton (born February 13, 1930 in Wellesley, Massachusetts) [1] is an American actor, television writer and director. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Miscellaneous characters

Other villains have included "Queenie Bee" (with her army of bees), "Victor The Predictor, "Judy Jitsu" and "Goldyunlocks" (with an obsession of unlocking every lock she sees).

Plot devices

Batfink had at his disposal two main superpowers: his super-sonic sonar radar and his metallic wings. At least one of these would feature in every episode in order to help him catch the bad guy. Superhero fiction invariably features characters with superhuman, supernatural and/or paranormal abilities, often referred to as superpowers, also spelled super-powers. Below is a list of many of those that have been known to be used. ...

Super-sonic sonar radar

Batfink's super-sonic sonar radar played upon his being a bat. Bats use echolocation to detect their prey and home in on it. Batfink's radar was the superpower version of this and usually took the form of the letters "BEEP" (sometimes "BEEP BEEP") emanating from his mouth and then flying wherever he needed them to go, accompanied by a distinctive beeping noise. “Chiroptera” redirects here. ... Echolocation, also called Biosonar, is the biological sonar used by several mammals such as bats (although not all species), dolphins and whales (though not baleen whales). ...

"My super-sonic sonar radar will help me!"

The "BEEP"s acted as people: they were able to see, be scared, evade capture and report back to Batfink on what they had seen. In one episode, the "BEEP" even gets beaten up after being ambushed from behind a tree. The "BEEP"s also get confused, misdirected and lost and Batfink has to rely on other means to find out what Hugo A-Go-Go (or some other major villain) has been up to. Once, when the "BEEP" was sent to investigate Queenie Bee and her swarm of villainous bees, it returned with the letters "EEP" swollen with bee stings. When Karate asked Batfink, "How come they just stung the EEP?" he replied, "Because a bee would never harm another B. But a B will tell on another bee-- Queenie Bee is in THERE!" For other uses, see Western honey bee and Bee (disambiguation). ...

Metallic wings

Batfink's main defense were his metallic wings, which he was able to curl around himself as a protective shield against most attacks, thereby spawning the most famous catchphrase of the show:

"Your bullets (knives, darts, etc.) cannot harm me-- my wings are like a shield of steel!"

(He claimed in some episodes that his wings were stainless steel, but in other episodes he explicitly stated that they were not.) His wings would also help him fly at enormous speeds and were often used to help him escape certain death or cut through bonds when he had been captured. But sometimes they also hindered him; when in water, he would sink because of the weight of his metal wings.

Batfink's life and wings are explained in the final episode, "Batfink: This Is Your Life", in which he is shown his boyhood, and how his real wings were replaced. TV Show Reference Episode is the word usually used to refer to a part of a serial television or radio program. ...

The Battleac

Batfink rides in a customized Volkswagen-type car called the "Battleac" (rhymes with "Cadillac"), that is outfitted with lots of barriers and shields. In this way, when the car falls into a valley or gets shocked by a sound wave, it remains intact. Then, Batfink says something like, "It's a good thing the Battleac is equipped with a thermo-nuclear plutonium insulated blast shield!" and Karate says, "It's also good it was a small bomb.". A humourous feature of this expression is that in most of the events that occur a thermo-nuclear plutonium insulation of any sort would not have any realistic use whatsoever and may actually have caused more harm than protection. Cadillac is a brand of luxury vehicles, part of General Motors, produced and mostly sold in the United States and Canada. ...

Karate

Batfink's sidekick, Karate, was his backup in case his superpowers couldn't help him out of a sticky situation. Unfortunately, Karate was a bit clumsy and not the brightest sidekick, but was highly trained in martial arts, most famously his Karate Chop. Usually, when Karate did help Batfink escape Hugo A-Go-Go's clutches (or some other fiend's, for that matter), it was more by dumb luck than judgement, and sometimes, it was Karate that landed them both in a situation in the first place. Hawaiian State Grappling Championships. ...

Cliffhangers & Plot Devices

In many episodes, events would come to a head with Batfink in a seemingly fatal situation. At this point, the action would freeze and the narrator would ironically ask dramatically whether Batfink would survive. Then, the action would continue with Batfink surviving, either through use of Deus Ex Machina or through him using his superpowers. // The phrase deus ex machina (literally god out of a machine) describes an unexpected, artificial, or improbable character, device, or event introduced suddenly in a work of fiction or drama to resolve a situation or untangle a plot (e. ...

As an example, Beanstalk Jack, a fiendish farmer who liked to throw beans and spray them with his water gun to make them grow into beanstalks, had a unique Rube Goldberg-style contraption that went like this: "When I shoot Bean (A) onto Floor (B), it will grow into Beanstalk (C), and push up Seesaw (D), tilting Acid (E), which will burn Rope (F), releasing Bomb (G) onto Target (H), blowing up Batfink (I), and Karate (J)." He then shot the bean up, sprayed it with water, and the narrator said, "Bean A did land on Floor B, and Beanstalk C is rising toward Seesaw D. WILL Acid E burn Rope F, drop Bomb G onto Target H, and send Batfink I and Karate J to Kingdom Come K?!" So, Batfink sent out a "BEEP" that turned into a slide, diverting the acid to the base of the stalk he was on, causing it to fall over and free him. He then flew out onto the road, put up a wing in front of Jack's getaway tractor and shattered it, allowing him to capture Jack. Then Karate tried a contraption of his own at the police station: "I pick him up by his Neck (A), throw him into Cell (B), and slam Door (D)." The chief asked, "What happened to C?" and Karate replied, "Oh, C is the Key, and I threw that away." For other uses, see Farmer (disambiguation). ... Rube Goldberg Reuben Garret L. Goldberg (July 4, 1883 - December 7, 1970) was an American cartoonist. ... Kingdom Come is an informal phrase meaning the next world or the end of time, derived from Thy kingdom come in the Christian Lords Prayer; e. ...

Episodes

1. "Pink Pearl of Persia" (pilot)
2. "The Short Circuit Case" (pilot)
3. "Ebenezer The Freezer"
4. "The Sonic Boomer"
5. "Big Ears Ernie"
6. "Batfink on the Rocks"
7. "Manhole Manny"
8. "The Mad Movie Maker"
9. "Nuts of the Round Table"
10. "Skinny Minnie"
11. "Fatman Strikes Again"
12. "The Kitchy-Koo Kaper"
13. "The Dirty Sinker"
14. "Gluey Louie"
15. "Brother Goose"
16. "The Chocolate-Covered Diamond"
17. "Crime College"
18. "Myron the Magician"
19. "Brain Washday"
20. "M P F T B R M"
21. "Gloves on the Go-Go"
22. "Sporty Morty"
23. "Go Fly a Bat"
24. "Ringading Brothers"
25. "Out Out Darn Spot"
26. "Goo-Goo A-Go-Go"
27. "Crimes in Rhymes"
28. "Stupidman"
29. "A Living Doll"
30. "Bat Patrol"
31. "Dig that Crazy Mountain"
32. "Spin The Batfink"
33. "Greasy Gus"
34. "The Mark of Zero"
35. "Swami Salami"
36. "The Human Pretzel"
37. "Jumping Jewelry"
38. "Roz the Schnozz"
39. "Karate's Case"
40. "The Wishbone Boner"
41. "Hugo for Mayor"
42. "The Indian Taker"
43. "The Devilish Device"
44. "Goldstinger"
45. "The Shady Shadow"
46. "Party Marty"
47. "The Beep Bopper"
48. "The Super Trap"
49. "Bride and Doom"
50. "Topsy Turvy"
51. "The Rotten Rainmaker"
52. "Gypsy James"
53. "The Kooky Chameleon"
54. "Beanstalk Jack"
55. "The Time Stopper"
56. "The Kangarobot"
57. "Presto-Chango-Hugo"
58. "Curly The Cannonball"
59. "Robber Hood"
60. "Slow Down! Speed Up!"
61. "Sandman Sam"
62. "Yo-Yo A-Go-Go"
63. "Hugo's Hoke"
64. "Backwards Box"
65. "The Great Escapo"
66. "Watch My Smoke"
67. "Daniel Boom"
68. "Queenie Bee"
69. "The Thief from Baghdad"
70. "The Mean Green Midget"
71. "Double Double Crossers"
72. "The Baffling Bluffs of Hugo A-Go-Go"
73. "Napoleon Blownapart"
74. "The Atom Boom"
75. "Magneto the Magnificent"
76. "Hugo the Crimefighter"
77. "The Trojan Horse Thief"
78. "The Zap Sap"
79. "Unhappy Birthday"
80. "Buster the Ruster"
81. "Karate's Day Off"
82. "Mike the Mimic"
83. "Cinderobber"
84. "Bouncey Bouncey Batfink"
85. "The Bomber Bird"
86. "The Copycat Bat"
87. "Old King Cruel"
88. "Victor the Predictor"
89. "Goldyunlocks and the Three Bears"
90. "Jerkules"
91. "Hugo Here, Hugo There"
92. "Bowl Brummel"
93. "Fleiderfink"
94. "Blankenstein"
95. "Whip van Winkle"
96. "Tough Macduff"
97. "Judy Jitsu"
98. "Ego A-Go-Go"
99. "Father Time Bomb"
100. "Batfink: This Is Your Life"

DVD Release

On June 19, 2007, Shout! Factory released Batfink: The Complete Series on DVD in Region 1 for the very first time. The 4-disc DVD boxset will contain all 100 episodes of the series. Shout! Factory is an entertainment company founded in 2003 and which was started by Richard Foos (co-founder of Rhino Records), Bob Emmer (former Warner Music Group and Rhino executive) and Garson Foos (former Rhino executive). ...

is the 170th day of the year (171st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ...

1980s Theme Song

The Battleac is ready, it's a wonder car,

And Batfink has his radar super-sonic sonar.

A missile that can find him he will never feel--

His wings are his protection like a shield of steel,

It's Batfink!

Airing History

• Norway
  • NRK (subtitled, 2006-)
• UK
  • BBC1 early evening slot (1967-1975); BBC2, afternoon slot (1976-1982); Children's ITV (1983, 1986); TV-am (as part of Wacaday) (late 1980s-early 1990s); CBBC (2004-present, intermittently); BBC Two (2007) (before 8 a.m.)
• USA
  • Boomerang (2005)
• India
  • Nickelodeon (2007) (in Hindi)

Norsk rikskringkasting (NRK) - the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation - is the Norwegian government-owned radio and television public broadcasting company. ... BBC One (or BBC1 as it was formerly styled) is the oldest United Kingdom, and indeed, the world. ... BBC Two (or BBC2 as it was formerly styled) was the second UK television station to be aired by the BBC. History The channel was scheduled to begin at 7:20pm on April 20, 1964 and show an evening of light entertainment, starting with the comedy show The Alberts and... This article is about ITVs childrens television brand. ... TV-am was a breakfast television station that broadcast in the United Kingdom from 1983 to 1992. ... Wacaday was a childrens television series that ran in TV-ams school holidays slot from 1985 until 1992 and was hosted by Timmy Mallett. ... Current CBBC Logo CBBC - short for Childrens BBC - is the brand-name for the BBCs childrens television programmes aimed at children aged between 6 and 12 years old. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Boomerang is the name of at least four television networks owned by Cartoon Network. ...

External links

• Official UK Batfink site
• Dave Mackey's Batfink site (complete episode guide, with screenshots)
• Hal Seeger at the Internet Movie Database (with links to each Batfink episode)
• A DVD description of Batfink: The Complete Series