Space Ghost Dearest
- Studio
- Hanna-Barbera Studios
Synopsis
After conquering the late night talk show in Space Ghost Coast To Coast, legendary cartoon superhero Space Ghost moved on to variety and sketch comedy in Cartoon Planet.
Characters
Space Ghost, Zorak, Brak, Moltar
Credits
Producing
- Producer
- William Hanna, Joseph Barbera
Voices
- Voice
- George Lowe (Space Ghost), Clay Martin Croker (Moltar, Zorak), Andy Merrill (Brak, Lokar), Don Kennedy (Tanzit)
Production notes
Originally, the program was a showcase for The Cartoon Network's massive vault of toons old and new, including shorts from Popeye, Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies, and 2 Stupid Dogs. Space Ghost, mean-spirited giant praying mantis Zorak, and dumb space pirate Brak acted as hosts, introducing the show and providing comedy bits in between the shorts.
That was the original idea, but soon the "filler" material became so popular it took over the show. Like Space Ghost Coast To Coast, the animation primarily came from old Space Ghost and Dino Boy cartoons, clipped out of the space setting and placed in a Ghost Planet television studio. With such limited movement from the characters, the writers had to make the dialogue and situations even more ludicrous, and so they did. Segments ranged from "Brak's Cartoon Planet Monday Ratings Report" to poetry readings to impromptu sing-alongs to cooking lessons to messages from Space Ghost's imaginary friend, Mr. Blinky. It was always unpredictable, and audiences loved it.
The vault cartoons were dropped, and the show focused entirely on the comedy sketches. At the same time, Cartoon Planet changed from a daily to a weekly program, and from a full hour to half an hour. Eventually, the comedy bits were edited into 22 half-hour episodes, with titles like "Forbidden Socks" and "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad." These episodes, the new official Cartoon Planet, became cult classics, spawning a string of CD compilations and years of perpetual reruns on The Cartoon Network and sister station TBS.
That was the original idea, but soon the "filler" material became so popular it took over the show. Like Space Ghost Coast To Coast, the animation primarily came from old Space Ghost and Dino Boy cartoons, clipped out of the space setting and placed in a Ghost Planet television studio. With such limited movement from the characters, the writers had to make the dialogue and situations even more ludicrous, and so they did. Segments ranged from "Brak's Cartoon Planet Monday Ratings Report" to poetry readings to impromptu sing-alongs to cooking lessons to messages from Space Ghost's imaginary friend, Mr. Blinky. It was always unpredictable, and audiences loved it.
The vault cartoons were dropped, and the show focused entirely on the comedy sketches. At the same time, Cartoon Planet changed from a daily to a weekly program, and from a full hour to half an hour. Eventually, the comedy bits were edited into 22 half-hour episodes, with titles like "Forbidden Socks" and "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad." These episodes, the new official Cartoon Planet, became cult classics, spawning a string of CD compilations and years of perpetual reruns on The Cartoon Network and sister station TBS.