''The Little Rascals'' is a 30-minute Saturday morning animated series produced by

Hanna-Barbera Productions 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 ...

and

King World Productions King World Productions, Inc. (also known as King World Entertainment, King World Enterprises, or simply King World) was a production company and syndicator of television programming in the United States independently established in 1964 until acq ...

. It first aired on

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

on September 25, 1982. A spin-off based on the live-action '' Our Gang'' comedy shorts, it was broadcast as part of ''

The Pac-Man/Little Rascals/Richie Rich Show ''The Pac-Man/Little Rascals/Richie Rich Show'' is a 90-minute Saturday morning animated package show co-produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and King World Productions and broadcast on ABC from September 25, 1982 to September 3, 1983. The show ...

'' in 1982 and then as part of ''

The Monchhichis/Little Rascals/Richie Rich Show ''The Monchhichis/Little Rascals/Richie Rich Show'' is a 60-minute Saturday morning animated package show co-produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and King World Productions and broadcast on ABC from September 10, 1983, to September 1, 1984. Th ...

'' in 1983. The characters were designed by

Iwao Takamoto Iwao Takamoto (April 29, 1925 – January 8, 2007) was a Japanese-American animator, television producer, and film director. He began his career as a production and character designer for Walt Disney Animation Studios films such as ''Cinderella ...

and

Bob Singer Bob Singer (born 1928) is an American animation artist, character designer, layout and background artist and storyboard director of animated television programs, most memorably of several Hanna-Barbera productions such as ''The Flintstones'', ''Jonn ...

by using tracing paper on top of actual photographs of the real-life characters, and used a pencil to sketch the characters. The same technique was also used in previous Hanna-Barbera spin-offs such as ''

The Fonz and the Happy Days Gang ''The Fonz and the Happy Days Gang'' is an American animated science fiction comedy series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and Paramount Television and originally broadcast during the Saturday morning schedule on ABC from November 8, 1980 ...

'' and '' Laverne and Shirley in the Army''.

Overview

Previous ''Little Rascals''/''Our Gang'' animated television programs

''The Little Rascals'' had been animated for television twice before. In the 1960s, a series of nine clay-animated ''Little Rascals Color Specials'' were produced for syndication, presumably by Bura & Hardwick, the British studio responsible for ''

Camberwick Green ''Camberwick Green'' is a British children's television series that ran from January to March 1966 on BBC1, featuring stop motion puppets. ''Camberwick Green'' is the first in the ''Trumptonshire'' trilogy, which also includes ''Trumpton'' and ...

'', using soundtracks from the original ''Our Gang'' films. The episodes include "

Shiver My Timbers ''Shiver My Timbers'' is a 1931 ''Our Gang'' short comedy film directed by Robert F. McGowan. It was the 109th (21st talking) ''Our Gang'' short that was released. Plot A loud sea captain (Billy Gilbert) tells violent stories about adventure ...

", "

Our Gang Follies of 1936 ''Our Gang Follies of 1936'' is a 1935 '' Our Gang'' short comedy film directed by Gus Meins. Produced by Hal Roach and released to theaters by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, it was the 140th ''Our Gang'' short to be released and the first of several ...

", " Second Childhood", "

Hearts Are Thumps ''Hearts Are Thumps'' is a 1937 '' Our Gang'' short comedy film directed by Gordon Douglas. It was the 152nd ''Our Gang'' short released (153rd episode, 64th talking short, and 65th talking episode). An audio clip from the short was included ( ...

", "

Came the Brawn ''Came the Brawn'' is a 1938 '' Our Gang'' short comedy film directed by Gordon Douglas. Produced by Hal Roach and released to theaters by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, it was the 165th entry in the ''Our Gang'' series. Notes ''Came the Brawn'' marked ...

", "

Bear Shooters ''Bear Shooters'' is a 1930 '' Our Gang'' short comedy film directed by Robert F. McGowan. It was the 98th (tenth talking) '' Our Gang'' short that was released. Plot Spud wants to go camping and shoot many bears with Jackie, Chubby, and Farin ...

", "

Readin' and Writin' ''Readin' and Writin is a 1932 ''Our Gang'' short comedy film directed by Robert F. McGowan. It was the 111th (22nd talking episode) ''Our Gang'' short that was released. Plot It is the first day of school and children are beginning school fo ...

", "

The Pinch Singer ''The Pinch Singer'' is a 1936 '' Our Gang'' short comedy film directed by Fred C. Newmeyer. It was the 142nd ''Our Gang'' short released. Plot The gang's Eagles Club holds auditions for a performer to send to a local amateur radio talent cont ...

", and "

Teacher's Beau ''Teacher's Beau'' is a 1935 '' Our Gang'' short comedy film directed by Gus Meins. It was the 136th ''Our Gang'' short (48th talking episode) that was released. Plot On the last day of school, the gang learns that their beloved teacher Miss Jon ...

". In 1979, Fred Wolf produced an animated ''

The Little Rascals Christmas Special ''The Little Rascals' Christmas Special'' is an animation, animated Christmas by medium, Christmas television special based on the ''Our Gang'' comedies of the 1920s-40s. The special was produced by King World Productions, and first aired Decembe ...

'' for

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

. That company's version was further used in animated

public service announcement A public service announcement (PSA) is a message in the public interest disseminated by the media without charge to raise public awareness and change behavior. In the UK, they are generally called a public information film (PIF); in Hong Kong, ...

Differences between the animated series and the live-action ''Our Gang'' films

The animated series and the original live-action ''Our Gang'' films differ in a number of ways. The gang now lives in a contemporary 1980s setting, with

computer A computer is a machine that can be programmed to Execution (computing), carry out sequences of arithmetic or logical operations (computation) automatically. Modern digital electronic computers can perform generic sets of operations known as C ...

s and

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

. Buckwheat is now a clever

inventor An invention is a unique or novel device, method, composition, idea or process. An invention may be an improvement upon a machine, product, or process for increasing efficiency or lowering cost. It may also be an entirely new concept. If an ...

and is interested in science, always creating new devices for the gang, and Darla's eyes were changed from hazel to blue (although this detail was trivial given that all of the ''Our Gang'' shorts were in black-and-white). Also in the animated series, the Rascals met in a treehouse and drove around the town of Greenpoint in a dog-drawn vehicle. Also, the

theme music Theme music is a musical composition that is often written specifically for radio programming, television shows, video games, or films and is usually played during the title sequence, opening credits, closing credits, and in some instances at so ...

was completely different. Furthermore, many characters such as Stymie don't appear.

Lawsuit

In March 1984, ''Our Gang'' actor Eugene Lee, who had played Porky in the original theatrical short films as a child from 1935 to 1939, sued Hanna-Barbera Productions for nearly $2 million, claiming that the animated character was a violation of his likeness rights. He was joined in the lawsuit by other former ''Our Gang'' kids: George McFarland, who had played Spanky,

Tommy Bond Thomas Ross Bond (September 16, 1926 – September 24, 2005) was an American actor, director, producer and writer. He was best known for his work as a child actor for two nonconsecutive periods on ''Our Gang'' (''Little Rascals'') comedies (fir ...

, who had played Butch, and Sidney Kibrick, who had played The Woim. Carl Switzer,

Darla Hood Darla Jean Hood (November 8, 1931 – June 13, 1979) was an American child actress, best known as the leading lady in the ''Our Gang'' series from 1935 to 1941. She was born in Leedey, Oklahoma, the only child of music teacher Elizabeth Da ...

and

Billie Thomas Billie may refer to: People * Billie Allen (1925-2015), American actress * Billie Bird (1908-2002), American actress and comedian * Billie Burke (1884-1970), American actress * Billie Joe Armstrong (born 1972), American singer and guitarist for ...

, who had played Alfalfa, Darla and Buckwheat respectively were already deceased. It was found that Hanna-Barbera's license from King World did not include the likeness rights of the former child actors, and the case was settled out of court.

Other languages

The French dub for

Antenne 2 France 2 () is a French public national television channel. It is part of the state-owned France Télévisions group, along with France 3, France 4 and France 5. France Télévisions also participates in Arte and Euronews. Since 3:20 CET on 7 ...

, ''Les Petites Canailles'', replaced the original theme music with a new theme song, performed by a chorus of children over a montage of clips from both the theatrical ''Our Gang'' shorts and the animated shorts.

Episode titles

Season 1 (1982)

Aired as part of ''The Pac-Man/Little Rascals/Richie Rich Show''

Season 2 (1983)

Aired as part of ''The Monchhichis/Little Rascals/Richie Rich Show'' "Tiny Terror", "Class Act", "Porky-O and Julie-Et" and "Cap'n Spanky's Showboat", previously aired during the first season, were rebroadcast on October 8 and 22, and November 5 and 26, 1983 respectively.

Cast

Main voices

Peter Cullen Peter Claver Cullen (born July 28, 1941) is a Canadian voice actor. He is best known as the voice of Optimus Prime in the original 1980s ''Transformers'' animated series, reprising the role many times since 2007. He has also voiced many other c ...

Pete the Pup Pete the Pup (original, 1924 – June 1930; second Pete, September 9, 1929 – January 28, 1946) was a character in Hal Roach's '' Our Gang'' comedies (later known as ''The Little Rascals'') during the 1930s, otherwise known as "Pete, the dog w ...

and Officer Ed *

Patty Maloney Patricia Anne Maloney (born March 17, 1936) is an American actress. Early life She was born in Perkinsville, New York. She stands and weighs . Career Maloney is best known as Honk from '' Far Out Space Nuts'', as Lumpy from the ''Star War ...

Julie McWhirter Julie McWhirter, also known as Julie Dees and Julie McWhirter-Dees (born October 12, 1947), is a retired American voice actress and impressionist best known for her work as Jeannie in the animated version of '' Jeannie'', Bubbles in ''Jabberjaw' ...

Alfalfa Alfalfa () (''Medicago sativa''), also called lucerne, is a perennial flowering plant in the legume family Fabaceae. It is cultivated as an important forage crop in many countries around the world. It is used for grazing, hay, and silage, as w ...

, Porky, and The Woim *

Scott Menville Scott David Menville (born February 12, 1971) is an American actor who is known for his voice work in animated films, television series and video games. Life and career Menville was born on February 12, 1971, to television animator and writer ...

as Spanky * Shavar Ross as

Buckwheat Buckwheat (''Fagopyrum esculentum''), or common buckwheat, is a flowering plant in the knotweed family Polygonaceae cultivated for its grain-like seeds and as a cover crop. The name "buckwheat" is used for several other species, such as '' Fago ...

* B.J. Ward as Butch and

Waldo Waldo may refer to: People * Waldo (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Waldo (surname), a list of people * Waldo (footballer) (1934-2019), full name Waldo Machado da Silva, Brazilian footballer Places Canada * Waldo, ...

Additional voices

* Richard Balin * Jered Barclay *

Julie Bennett Julie Bennett (January 24, 1932 – March 31, 2020) was an American actress and later talent agent and realtor. Early years Bennett was born in Manhattan, New York, on January 24, 1932. Acting career A native of Hollywood, Bennett worked as a ...

* Susan Blu *

Bill Callaway William Ronald Callaway (born March 11, 1940) is an American retired voice actor. He is also known as Bill Callaway and Bill Calloway. He is known for playing Aquaman in ''Super Friends''. Filmography Animated roles * ''Aladdin'' - Zarasto * '' ...

Brian Cummings Brian Douglas Cummings (born March 4, 1948) is an American voice actor, known for his work in radio and television commercials, television and motion picture promos, cartoons and as the announcer on '' The All-New Let's Make a Deal'' from 1984 to ...

Jeff Doucette Jeffrey Doucette (born November 25, 1947) is an American character actor. Growing up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, he was the second of eight children born to Elizabeth (Betty Andres) and William (Bill) Doucette. Jeffrey attended Marquette Universit ...

Peggy Frees Peggy may refer to: People * Peggy (given name), people with the given name or nickname Arts and entertainment * ''Peggy'' (musical), a 1911 musical comedy by Stuart and Bovill * ''Peggy'' (album), a 1977 Peggy Lee album * ''Peggy'' (191 ...

Phil Hartman Philip Edward Hartman (; September 24, 1948 – May 28, 1998) was a Canadian-American actor, comedian, screenwriter and graphic designer. Hartman was born in Brantford, Ontario, Canada, and his family moved to the United States w ...

* Ery Immerman *

Kip King Kip King (born Jerome Charles Kattan; August 11, 1937 – July 15, 2010) was an American film, television and voice actor. He was the father of American television sketch comedian Chris Kattan. Life and career King was born Jerome Charles Ka ...

Earl Kress Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. The title originates in the Old English word ''eorl'', meaning "a man of noble birth or rank". The word is cognate with the Old Norse, Scandinavian form ''jarl'', and meant "Germanic ch ...

Sherry Lynn Sherry Lynn is an American voice actress who has played roles in anime, animated television series and video games. She portrayed Sasami Jurai in the ''Tenchi Muyo!'' franchise. In January 2010, in terms of total film gross, she was the Highest ...

* Larry D. Mann *

Kenneth Mars Kenneth Mars (April 4, 1935 – February 12, 2011) was an American actor. He appeared in two Mel Brooks films: as the deranged Nazi playwright Franz Liebkind in '' The Producers'' (1967) and Police Inspector Hans Wilhelm Friedrich Kemp in ''Youn ...

* Joe Medalis *

Robert Ridgely Robert Ridgely (December 24, 1931 – February 8, 1997) was an American actor, known for both on-camera roles and extensive voice-over work. Biography Born in Teaneck, New Jersey, Ridgely worked as a cabaret entertainer.Staff"Robert Ridgely, 65 ...

* Michael Sheehan * Gary Stamm *

Jeffrey Tambor Jeffrey Michael Tambor (born July 8, 1944) is an American actor. He is known for his television roles such as Jeffrey Brookes, the uptight neighbor of Stanley and Helen Roper in the television sitcom ''The Ropers'' (1979–1980), as Hank Kings ...

* Russi Taylor *

Lennie Weinrib Leonard Weinrib (April 29, 1935 – June 28, 2006) was an American actor, comedian and writer. He is best known for playing the title role in the children's television show '' H.R. Pufnstuf'', Grimace in McDonaldland commercials, the title role in ...

Jimmy Weldon Jimmy Weldon (born Ivy Laverne Shinn, September 23, 1923) is an American retired voice actor, ventriloquist, and former television host. He is best known as the voice of the Hanna-Barbera cartoon character Yakky Doodle and the host and ventrilo ...

Frank Welker Franklin Wendell Welker (born March 12, 1946) is an American voice actor. He began his career in the 1960s, and holds over 860 film, television, and video game credits as of 2022, making him one of the most prolific voice actors of all time. With ...

* Ted Zeigler

Home media

It was announced on Facebook on April 23, 2016 that the series will not be released on DVD due to reasons beyond

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 inte ...

's control.

References

External links

*
''The Little Rascals''
at BCDB {{DEFAULTSORT:Little Rascals, The (animated TV series) 1980s American animated television series 1982 American television series debuts 1983 American television series endings American animated television spin-offs American Broadcasting Company original programming American children's animated comedy television series Animated television series about children Animation based on real people English-language television shows Our Gang Television series by King World Productions Television series by Hanna-Barbera Television articles with disputed naming style