Buffaloed

Arthur and Cecil trick Khan into fighting an injured elderly water buffalo in order to eat the carcass of the loser.

Kaa, Prince Louie, Shere Khan, Bagheera, Cecil, Arthur, Hathi, Water Buffalo, Baloo, Winifred, Ned, Mahra

The stars of Disney's 1967 animated smash hit The Jungle Book were regressed to cubs for this syndicated animated series. Jungle Cubs suggested that when they were younger, both the good and evil animals lived together in relative peace in a shared cave. Kind of makes "man cub" Mowgli look like the bad guy, doesn't it?

Uptight panther Bagheera, free spirit bear Baloo, headstrong tiger Shere Khan, wild orangutan Prince Louie, neurotic elephant Hathi, and hypnotic snake Kaa all returned from the film, putting aside their differences to live and learn together. Noting the lack of representation from the female of the species, the show introduced a new character in the debut episode, an elephant named Winifred.

The cubs braved a variety of jungle dangers, often matching wits with sneaky vultures Cecil and Arthur. Living up to new federal regulations for educational television, Jungle Cubs offered lessons on friendship, self-respect, and other healthy traits, delivered in a way young children could easily understand.

Another carryover from the film was the Oscar-nominated tune "The Bare Necessities," which served as Jungle Cubs' theme song. The show was a hit with the kids, running for two seasons in syndication before moving its reruns to the Disney Channel.