Atom Ant is a

cartoon A cartoon is a type of visual art that is typically drawn, frequently animated, in an unrealistic or semi-realistic style. The specific meaning has evolved over time, but the modern usage usually refers to either: an image or series of imag ...

ant Ants are eusocial insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from vespoid wasp ancestors in the Cretaceous period. More than 13,800 of an estimated total of ...

and

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...

, created by

Hanna-Barbera Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. ( ) was an American animation studio and production company which was active from 1957 to 2001. It was founded on July 7, 1957, by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera following the decision of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to c ...

in 1965. Atom costarred in ''

The Atom Ant/Secret Squirrel Show ''The Atom Ant/Secret Squirrel Show'' is an hour-long Saturday morning cartoon produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions from 1965 to 1967 for NBC. In fall 1965, the show aired as two independent half-hour programs. ''The Atom Ant Show'' featured the ...

'' (sharing top billing with

Secret Squirrel ''Secret Squirrel'' is a cartoon character created by Hanna-Barbera and also the name of his segment in ''The Atom Ant/Secret Squirrel Show'', which debuted in 1965. He was given his own show in 1966, titled ''The Secret Squirrel Show'', but was ...

). In syndication, Atom Ant aired alongside '' Precious Pupp'' and '' The Hillbilly Bears''. Reruns aired on cable on

Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (often abbreviated as CN) is an American cable television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is a part of The Cartoon Network, Inc., a division that also has the broadcasting and production activities of Boomerang, ...

and

Boomerang A boomerang () is a thrown tool, typically constructed with aerofoil sections and designed to spin about an axis perpendicular to the direction of its flight. A returning boomerang is designed to return to the thrower, while a non-returning ...

in the 1990s and 2000s.

Biography

Atom Ant (originally voiced by

Howard Morris Howard Jerome Morris (September 4, 1919 – May 21, 2005) was an American actor, comedian, and director. He was best known for his role in ''The Andy Griffith Show'' as Ernest T. Bass, and as "Uncle Goopy" in a celebrated comedy sketch on Sid Ca ...

, then by

Don Messick Donald Earle Messick (September 7, 1926 – October 24, 1997) was an American voice actor. He was best known for his performances in Hanna-Barbera cartoons. His best-remembered vocal creations include Scooby-Doo, Bamm-Bamm Rubble and Hoppy in ...

in later episodes) is a superhero

who operated out of an anthill in the countryside, where he possessed such things as a

mainframe computer A mainframe computer, informally called a mainframe or big iron, is a computer used primarily by large organizations for critical applications like bulk data processing for tasks such as censuses, industry and consumer statistics, enterprise ...

and

exercise equipment Exercise equipment is any apparatus or device used during physical activity to enhance the strength or conditioning effects of that exercise by providing either fixed or adjustable amounts of resistance, or to otherwise enhance the experience or ...

. His powers mostly consisted of the ability to fly, superspeed, incredible strength, and invulnerability. His catchphrase was "Up and at 'em, Atom Ant!" He was often contacted by the police, who sent him out on an assignment. Some of these missions parodied the missions of

Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on March 30, 1939. I ...

. The police force was constantly shown to be underfunded and inept, as they relied on Atom Ant to do all their police work. As seen in "Nobody's Fool," the only two police officers were the

chief of police Chief may refer to: Title or rank Military and law enforcement * Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force * Chief of police, the head of a police department * Chief of the boa ...

and deputy chief. The department only possessed one rusted

patrol car A police car (also called a police cruiser, police interceptor, patrol car, area car, cop car, prowl car, squad car, radio car, or radio motor patrol) is a ground vehicle used by police and law enforcement for transportation during patrols a ...

. Atom Ant fights various villains, including recurring ones like Ferocious Flea (also voiced by Messick) and

mad scientist The mad scientist (also mad doctor or mad professor) is a stock character of a scientist who is perceived as " mad, bad and dangerous to know" or "insane" owing to a combination of unusual or unsettling personality traits and the unabashedly am ...

Professor Von Gimmick.

List of episodes

Other appearances

* Atom Ant appeared in a comic book, ''Atom Ant'' #1, published by Gold Key/

Western Publishing Western Publishing, also known as Western Printing and Lithographing Company, was a Racine, Wisconsin, firm responsible for publishing the Little Golden Books. Its Golden Books Family Entertainment division also produced children's books and ...

in January 1966. * Atom Ant later appeared in ''

Yogi's Ark Lark ''Yogi's Ark Lark'' is a 1972 animated television special produced by Hanna-Barbera, intended to raise ecological awareness. It was broadcast on September 16, 1972, as part of '' The ABC Saturday Superstar Movie'' and served as the four-part episod ...

'' and its spin-off series '' Yogi's Gang'', voiced again by Don Messick. * In the early 1990s series, '' Yo Yogi!'' with Don Messick reprising Atom Ant. He appears as Jellystone Town's residential superhero. In the episode "Super Duper Snag," it was revealed that his Atomic Helmet is his source of power. * Hi-Tech Software released a budget labeled computer game for the

Commodore 64 The Commodore 64, also known as the C64, is an 8-bit home computer introduced in January 1982 by Commodore International (first shown at the Consumer Electronics Show, January 7–10, 1982, in Las Vegas). It has been listed in the Guinness W ...

in 1990 called ''Atom Ant: Up and Atom''. The idea of the game is to fly and collect a certain amount of bombs scattered around high rise buildings and 'atomize' them in a special bubble-like device at the top of each area (a game design influenced by

Tehkan , was a Japanese video game corporation founded in 1967. It had its headquarters in Kudankita, Chiyoda, Tokyo. Its subsidiary, Tecmo Inc, was located in Torrance, California. Tecmo was formerly known as Tehkan. Tecmo is known for the ''Captain ...

's ''

Bomb Jack ''Bomb Jack'' is a platform video game developed and published by Tehkan for arcades in and later ported to various home systems. The game was a commercial success for arcades and home computers. It was followed by several sequels: the console a ...

''). * In 2000,

produced a short cartoon as a part of their "Groovies" series, called "We Must All Get Ready Now". Featuring Atom Ant as the lead character, the short contained several audio tracks from the Atom Ant cartoon, and some audio from the classic

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because t ...

civil defense film, ''Duck and Cover''. The short could formerly be seen as interstitial programming on

; its last time on the channel being June 1, 2014, due to the network's rebrand in January 2015. The short was directed by

Jonas Odell Jonas Odell (born 10 November 1962 in Stockholm) is a Swedish music video and film director and founder of FilmTecknarna. Odell, who specializes in a mix of animation and live action, has directed a number of short films, music videos and commerci ...

, with its music by Michael Kohler. Sometimes, at that point it was followed by another cartoon that

produced in their "Groovies" or "Shorties" series. * Atom Ant appeared in '' Yogi's Treasure Hunt''. * Atom Ant as a picture made a cameo in the "Agent Penny" episode of the Super Secret Secret Squirrel segment of ''

2 Stupid Dogs ''2 Stupid Dogs'' is an American animated television series created and designed by Donovan Cook and produced by Hanna-Barbera Cartoons. It originally ran from September 5, 1993, to May 15, 1995, on TBS as a part of their ''Sunday Morning in Fr ...

''. * Atom Ant makes a cameo appearance in a

MetLife MetLife, Inc. is the Holding company, holding corporation for the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (MLIC), better known as MetLife, and its affiliates. MetLife is among the largest global providers of insurance, Annuity (US financial produc ...

television commercial that aired in 2012. * Atom Ant's catchphrase, "Up and Atom!", is also used by comic book superhero Radioactive Man in ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, ...

''. * Atom Ant as a toy made a cameo in the '' What's New, Scooby-Doo?'' episode "Roller Ghoster Ride". * Atom Ant is featured in the ''

Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law ''Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law'' is an American adult animated television sitcom created by Michael Ouweleen and Erik Richter for Cartoon Network's late-night programming block, Adult Swim. A spin-off of ''Space Ghost Coast to Coast'', the ...

'' episode "Incredible Hippo" and voiced by

Maurice LaMarche Maurice LaMarche (born March 30, 1958) is a Canadian voice actor, comedian, and impressionist. He has voiced the Brain in '' Animaniacs'' as well as its spin-off '' Pinky and the Brain'', Big Bob in ''Hey Arnold!'' (1996–2004), and a variety of ...

. He appears as the defendant accused of radioactive contamination by the

EPA The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an independent executive agency of the United States federal government tasked with environmental protection matters. President Richard Nixon proposed the establishment of EPA on July 9, 1970; it be ...

. * Atom Ant makes a cameo in the direct-to-video film '' Scooby-Doo! Mask of the Blue Falcon'' in a framed picture. * Atom Ant appeared in a back-up feature in '' Scooby Apocalypse''. * Atom Ant appears in the end credits of ''

Scoob! ''SCOOB!'' is a 2020 American computer-animated mystery comedy film produced by the Warner Animation Group, and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is a reboot of the theatrical'' Scooby-Doo'' film series and the third theatrical film b ...

'' as a new recruit of the Falcon Force, a new team made by the Blue Falcon. In this version, he has four arms. * Atom Ant appears in the

HBO Max HBO Max is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in the United States on May 27, 2020, the service is built around the libraries of HBO, Warner Bros., Cartoon Ne ...

original series '' Jellystone!''.

Home video

The episode "Up And Atom" is available on the DVD ''Saturday Morning Cartoons 1960s Vol. 1''. The episode "Atom Ant Meets Karate Ant" is available on the DVD ''Saturday Morning Cartoons 1960s Vol. 2'', as well as a part of the "A Sample of Boomerang" tape, from Cartoon Network's sister channel, Boomerang. The episode "The Big Gimmick" is available on the DVD ''Best of Warner Bros. 25 Cartoon Collection Hanna-Barbera''. On October 6, 2015,

Warner Archive The Warner Archive Collection is a home video division for releasing classic and cult films from Warner Bros.' library. It started as a manufactured-on-demand (MOD) DVD series by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment on March 23, 2009, with the inten ...

released ''Atom Ant: The Complete Series'' on DVD in region 1 as part of their

Hanna–Barbera Classics Collection Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. ( ) was an American animation studio and production company which was active from 1957 to 2001. It was founded on July 7, 1957, by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera following the decision of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer ...

. This is a Manufacture-on-Demand (MOD) release, available exclusively through Warner's online store and Amazon.com. In 2016, ''The Atom Ant Show'' was made available for download via iTunes Store. Both seasons of ''The Atom Ant Show'' are available on the streaming

Boomerang (TV network) Boomerang is an American cable television network and streaming service owned by Warner Bros. Discovery Networks, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. Boomerang debuted in 1992 as a programming block on Cartoon Network, dedicated to cla ...

subscription app.

Voices

as Atom Ant (''Season One''), Muscles' Boss *

as Atom Ant (''Season Two''), Ferocious Flea, Mr. Muto, Narrator * John Stephenson as Narrator *

Allan Melvin Allan John Melvin (February 18, 1923 – January 17, 2008) was an American actor and impressionist, who was cast in hundreds of television episodes from the 1950s to the early 1990s, often appearing in recurring roles on various series. Some of th ...

as Muscles, Big Fats Dynamo, additional voices *

Ted Cassidy Theodore Crawford Cassidy (July 31, 1932 – January 16, 1979) was an American actor noted for his tall stature at and deep voice. He tended to play unusual characters in offbeat or science-fiction series such as ''Star Trek'' and ''I Dream of ...

as Opening Announcer (uncredited)

Production credits

* produced and directed by

Joseph Barbera Joseph Roland Barbera ( ; ; March 24, 1911 – December 18, 2006) was an American animator, director, producer, storyboard artist, and cartoon artist who co-founded the animation studio and production company Hanna-Barbera. Born to Italian ...

William Hanna William Denby Hanna (July 14, 1910 – March 22, 2001) was an American animator and cartoonist who was the creator of ''Tom and Jerry'' as well as the voice actor for the two title characters. Alongside Joseph Barbera, he also founded the anim ...

* story by Tony Benedict,

Warren Foster Warren Foster (October 24, 1904 – December 13, 1971) was an American writer, cartoonist and composer for the animation division of Warner Brothers and later with Hanna-Barbera. Early life He was born in Brooklyn, New York to Marion B. Fos ...

, Dalton Sandifer,

Michael Maltese Michael Maltese (February 6, 1908 – February 22, 1981) was an American story man for classic animated cartoon shorts. He is best known for working in the 1950s on a series of '' Merrie Melodies'' cartoons with director Chuck Jones, notably " ...

* musical direction Ted Nichols * story direction

Alex Lovy Alexander Lovy (September 2, 1913 – February 14, 1992) was an American animator. He spent the majority of his career as an animator and director at Walter Lantz Productions. He was later a producer at Hanna-Barbera, and also supervised the cart ...

, Lew Marshall, Paul Sommer, Art Scott, Steve Clark, Art Davis * voices

Janet Waldo Janet Waldo (born Jeanette Marie Waldo; February 4, 1919 – June 12, 2016) was an American radio and voice actress. In animation, she voiced Judy Jetson in various Hanna-Barbera media, Nancy in ''Shazzan'', Penelope Pitstop, Princess from '' ...

Henry Corden Henry Corden (born Henry Cohen; January 6, 1920 – May 19, 2005) was a Canadian-born American actor, best known for taking over the role of Fred Flintstone after Alan Reed's death in 1977. His official debut as Fred's new voice was in the 1 ...

, Alan Melvin,

Paul Frees Solomon Hersh "Paul" Frees (June 22, 1920November 2, 1986) was an American actor, comedian, impressionist, and vaudevillian. He is known for his work on Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Walter Lantz, Rankin/Bass, and Walt Disney theatrical cartoons during ...

Mel Blanc Melvin Jerome Blanc (born Blank ; May 30, 1908July 10, 1989) was an American voice actor and radio personality whose career spanned over 60 years. During the Golden Age of Radio, he provided character voices and vocal sound effects for comedy r ...

Jean Vander Pyl Jean Thurston Vander Pyl (October 11, 1919 – April 10, 1999) was an American voice actress. Although her career spanned many decades, she is best known as the voice of Wilma Flintstone for the Hanna-Barbera cartoon '' The Flintstones''. In ...

* aimation direction Charles A. Nichols * production supervision Howard Hanson * animation George Kreisl, Irv. Spence, Edward Aardal, Don Lusk, Bob Carr, Don Patterson, C. L. Hartman, Bill Hutten, Dick Lundy, Allan Wilzback, Carlo Vinci, Ken Southworth, Jack Parr, Rudy Cataldi, Jerry Hathcock, Louis Kachivas * layout: Willie Ito, Richard Bickenbach, Brad Case, Lin Larsen, Homer Jonas, Bruce Bushman, Alex Ignatiev, Walt Clinton, Morris Gollub * backgrounds Richard H. Thomas, Ron Dias, Fernando Montealegre, Bob Gentle, Fernando Arce * camera Frank Paiker, Charles Flekal, Norm Stainback, Roy Wade, Frank Parrish * film editing Warner Leighton, Donald A. Douglas, Larry Cowan, Greg Watson, Dan Finnerty, Tony Milch, Ken Spears, Edward Warschilka, Milton Krear * sound direction Richard Olson * Approved MPAA Certificate No. 19034 * RCA Sound Recording * Atom Ant * A Hanna-Barbera Production * Screen Gems * NBC Television Network * 1965 /October /2nd

References

External links

*
Atom Ant
at

Don Markstein's Toonopedia Don Markstein's Toonopedia (subtitled A Vast Repository of Toonological Knowledge) is an online encyclopedia of print cartoons, comic strips and animation, initiated February 13, 2001. Donald D. Markstein, the sole writer and editor of Toonopedi ...

Archived
from the original on April 6, 2012.
The Cartoon Scrapbook
– Informational profile on ''Atom Ant''.

at the

Big Cartoon DataBase The Big Cartoon DataBase (or BCDB for short) is an online database of information about animated cartoons, Feature film, animated feature films, Animated television series, animated television shows, and cartoon Short film, shorts. The BCDB proj ...

{{Hanna-Barbera Television characters introduced in 1965 Hanna-Barbera characters Animated television series about insects Hanna-Barbera superheroes NBC original programming 1960s American animated television series 1965 American television series debuts 1968 American television series endings Animal superheroes American children's animated action television series American children's animated adventure television series American children's animated comic science fiction television series American children's animated science fantasy television series American children's animated superhero television series Television series by Hanna-Barbera Television series by Screen Gems Fictional ants Roc (mythology)