The Main Course

When Hoppo convinces the Wuzzles to take a vacation, they manage to meet up with the pirats (part parrot, part rat.) Soon after, they manage to get on an Island and Hoppo nearly gets sacrificed by the pigmice (part pig, part mouse.) The Wuzzles find a mine and convince the angry miner that the pigmice are dropping party favors and other stuff into it, not to mention a whole lot of potamus to follow. As soon as the miner reveals himself to the pigmice, they throw away Hoppo in fright and the Wuzzles begin their journey home back to the Land of Wuz.

Bumblelion, Eleroo, Hoppopotamus, Moosel, Rhinokey, Butterbear, Woolrus, Tycoon, Pandeaver, Piggypine, Koalakeet, Skowl, Croc, Flizard, Brat

The Wuzzles were another band of tiny, adorable creatures with cute names who lived in a magical land. But what set these folks apart from your average Smurf or Monchichi was that each Wuzzle was a mutation of two different animal species. The hybrid menagerie included such synergistic cuties as Bumblelion (Bumblebee + Lion), Eleroo (Elephant + Kangaroo), Butterbear (Butterfly + Bear), and several more. The whole herd lived on the Isle of Wuz and were constantly threatened by invaders, usually humans seeking to capture the small curiosities of nature.

The other distinguishing mark of this Disney series was its keen sense of humor. Scripts often included pop culture references as well as jokes that made fun of the cartoon itself. Comedy legend Stan Freberg lent his voice to the series as the announcer, who loved to let kids know what they had missed during the commercials, even when nothing had happened.

In addition to Freberg, the talented voice cast included Laugh-In regulars Jo Anne Worley and Henry Gibson. Despite the clever premise, The Wuzzles never achieved the lasting power of its cute and cuddly contemporaries like The Smurfs and The Care Bears. After two seasons on two different networks, the show moved into the Disney Channel lineup.