SuperTed

SuperTed
Created by Mike Young
Written by Mike Young
Robin Lyons
Directed by David Edwards
Starring Derek Griffiths
Melvyn Hayes
Roy Kinnear
Jon Pertwee
Victor Spinetti
Sheila Steafel
Myfanwy Talog
Narrated by Peter Hawkins
Country of origin Wales
Original language(s) Welsh, English
No. of series 3
No. of episodes 36
Production
Executive producer(s) Mike Young
Roger Fickling
Running time 10 mins
Production company(s) Siriol Animation
S4C
Williams and Glyn Leasing Group Ltd.
Release
Original network S4C (in Welsh)
BBC1 (in English)
RTÉ 2 (in Irish)
TF1 (in French)
Picture format 4:3
Original release 4 October 1983 – 20 February 1986

SuperTed is a Welsh fictional anthropomorphic bear character created by Mike Young. Originally created by Young as a series of stories to help his son overcome his fear of the dark, SuperTed became a popular series of books and led to an animated series produced from 1983 to 1985.[1] An American-produced series, The Further Adventures of SuperTed, was produced by Hanna Barbera in 1989. A modern reboot of the series is currently being developed by Young. Australia Broadcast by the ABC (23 January 1989 – 7 April 1995)

Creation

"SuperTed" was created by Mike Young in 1978[2] for his son to help him overcome his fear of the dark. Later Mike decided to put the stories into book form. Superted originally was a bear from the woods who was also afraid of the dark, until one day Mother Nature give him a magic word which gives him superpowers and transform him to SuperTed. After a while, Mike started to write actual story books about SuperTed. Then after some unsuccessful attempts, he was able to get his book published by a local printer. This led Mike to a successful career, writing and publishing over 100 SuperTed books, with illustrations done by Philip Watkins, until 1990. Just after his first book was published, his wife suggested he should produce a stuffed toy version of SuperTed, which was done in 1980.[3]

The process also drew the attention of Warner Brothers, who in 1980 made an offer of £250,000 for the film rights. Mike was determined to keep SuperTed Welsh,[4] as he wanted to help create local jobs and prove that places outside London had talent.[3] In 1981, S4C enquired about making SuperTed into animations, but Mike decided to create Siriol Productions to produce the series himself. Siriol management wished to create SuperTed in a way which their own kids could be proud of, free from facile plots and hard-line violence. This concept continued to be adopted in all series made by Siriol, which proves that "soft edge and quality animation can be more appealing to children than any amount of violence".[4] Superted was also turned into a stage show. Melvyn Hayes reprised his role but other parts were taken by other actors. Superted's popularity even led to the production of a line of vitamin supplements for children.[4]

In 1989 Mike Young sold the rights to SuperTed to Abbey Home Media.[5]

Premise

The story follows an ordinary teddy bear who, upon his creation at a toy factory, was deemed defective and thrown away into an old dark storeroom. By chance, he is discovered by Spotty, a visiting alien from the Planet Spot, who decides to bring the bear to life using his cosmic dust. Spotty then brings the now living teddy bear to Mother Nature, who gives the bear special powers, transforming him into SuperTed. Whenever trouble arises, SuperTed whispers his "secret magic word" and transforms into a superhero adorned with a red suit, cape and rocket boots. As SuperTed and Spotty travel across the world, and sometimes even space, to help others in need, they find themselves up against the nefarious and greedy cowboy, Texas Pete, and his two henchmen; the overweight and bumbling Bulk and the cowardly and effeminate Skeleton, as he seeks to either rule the world or increase his own wealth.

The Further Adventures of SuperTed

The Further Adventures of SuperTed is an American-produced series, produced by Hanna Barbera and broadcast in 1989. The revival was one of four series aired as part of The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera syndicated animation block.

Public Service Film

SuperTed, along with Spotty and his sister Blotch, appeared in a Public Information Film in 1986. The film, commissioned by the Central Office of Information, was entitled "Supersafe with SuperTed", and featured the three characters being flown to Earth by SuperTed, in order to teach Spotty how to cross the road safely. A flashback during the short reveals an incident when Spotty was nearly killed, running across the road on the planet Spot (his home), to talk to his sister. It was released on two VHS videos: Magic Of SuperTed (1986) and The Biggest Ever SuperTed Video (1994).

SuperTed proceeds during the animation to teach Spotty the right way to cross the road, including not running, not standing behind vehicles, etc. He then warns the viewer: "Remember, I can't be there to save you, especially on the planet Earth". The animated "setting" for the film was based on Castle Street in Cardiff city centre, Wales[6] with Cardiff Castle as a backdrop.

This SuperTed public information film was first broadcast on BBC on 26 March 1986.

2016 Reboot

In July 2014, SuperTed co-creator Mike Young announced that he is currently developing a brand new series of SuperTed with Abbey Home Media. The series, which will consist of 26 half-hour episodes,[7] will be pitched at trade shows in Autumn 2014, with the hope of a television broadcast in the United Kingdom in 2016. In an interview with Radio Times magazine, Young mentioned that certain aspects of the series would have to be changed for modern audiences. He stated, "In SuperTed, we had a gun-slinging cowboy, a flamboyantly gay skeleton and a fat guy who had jokes made about his weight. And all these things you just wouldn’t do today. But you can still write the show in a funny, entertaining way.” He also added that he wants to avoid making the reboot look too slick and lose some of its original charm like some other rebooted franchises, with hopes Derek Griffiths will return as the voice of SuperTed.[8][9]

Characters

Heroes
Villains

Episodes

As Mike was determined to keep SuperTed Welsh, he entered into partnership with S4C (the newly formed Welsh television channel) in 1981 who approached him about producing an animated series of SuperTed. He set up Siriol Animation with his wife, to procure the series locally, which first aired on 1 November 1982 on S4C in Welsh. The following year, it was dubbed into English and broadcast throughout the whole of the United Kingdom on BBC1, from 4 October 1983.

Unlike the books the television series was ghost written by Robin Lyons and director Dave Edwards, who were also Directors of Siriol Animation, and between 1982–1986, 3 series were made:

Series 1 (1983)

This series consisted of 12 episodes, as listed below. In 1994 all 12 episodes of Series 1 were released as part of The Biggest Ever SuperTed Video by Tempo Video (Cat No 97192)

# Title Broadcast Date Summary
1 SuperTed and the Inca Treasure4 October 1983 In the pilot episode of the series, SuperTed and Spotty go to find the lost Temple of the Incas, but Texas Pete, Bulk and Skeleton plan to beat them to it.
2 SuperTed and the Pearl Fishers 6 October 1983 SuperTed and Spottyman fly to the South Pacific Islands to stop Texas Pete, Bulk and Skeleton from stealing pearls from the ocean floor.
3 SuperTed and the Stolen Rocket Ship 11 October 1983 Texas Pete, Bulk and Skeleton plan to sabotage three astronauts' mission to travel deeper into space than any man has ever been before, but SuperTed and Spotty come to the rescue.
4 SuperTed and the Giant Kites 13 October 1983 In the mountains of Wales, SuperTed and Spotty must stop Texas Pete and his cronies from stealing the eggs of a rare bird known as the Giant Red Kite.
5 SuperTed and the Elephant's Graveyard 18 October 1983 SuperTed and Spotty go to East Africa to stop Texas Pete, Bulk and Skeleton from stealing bones from the elephant's graveyard.
6 SuperTed and the Train Robbers 20 October 1983 SuperTed and Spotty's skiing holiday in the Alps is interrupted by Texas Pete's plan to steal a train carrying a cargo of chocolate.
7 SuperTed at Creepy Castle 25 October 1983 A girl's father has gone missing at the Creepy Castle in Eastern Europe and SuperTed and Spotty go to find him. However, Texas Pete, Bulk and Skeleton are also using the area as a hideout after robbing a bank.
8 SuperTed and Nuts in Space 27 October 1983 SuperTed and Spotty must thwart Texas Pete's plan to take over a freighter carrying a special consignment of nuts for the planet Polly.
9 SuperTed and the City of the Dead 1 November 1983 SuperTed and Spotty travel to the ancient city of the dead to find an archaeologist who has gone missing.
10 SuperTed at the Funfair 3 November 1983 A boy is kidnapped by Texas Pete on his visit to the funfair. With Spotty unwell, SuperTed goes alone to find him.
11 SuperTed and the Goldmine 8 November 1983 In the heart of Africa, Texas Pete, Bulk and Skeleton go to steal gold inside a mine. SuperTed and Spotty head off to the rescue.
12 SuperTed on Planet Spot 10 November 1983 SuperTed's holiday on the friendly Planet Spot is interrupted when Texas Pete's rocket crash-lands on the planet. Tex is after the cosmic dust that brought SuperTed to life.

Series 2 (1984-1985)

This series consisted of 12 episodes as listed below. In 1994, 7 of the episodes: "Bulk's Story", "SuperTed at the Toy Shop", "SuperTed In the Arctic", the 2 parts of "Superted and Trouble In Space", "SuperTed and the Gun Smugglers" and "SuperTed and The Lumberjacks" were released as part of The Biggest Ever SuperTed Video by Tempo Video (Cat No 97192)

# Title Broadcast Date Summary
1 SuperTed at the Toy Shop 3 October 1984Whilst searching for a birthday present for Spotty, SuperTed discovers that Texas Pete and his cronies are planning to rob the biggest toy shop in the world.
2 SuperTed in Texas 10 October 1984A girl called Judy has had her long horn cattle stolen. SuperTed and Spotty fly down to Texas to retrieve the cattle. Once there, they meet up with a cowboy who is similar to Texas Pete.
3 SuperTed in the Arctic 17 October 1984Texas Pete is after the rare creature of the Arctic, the Mammoth. But soon SuperTed and Spotty Man arrive, ready to fight back and save the day.
4 SuperTed and Trouble in Space – Part 1 24 October 1984After destroying the space satellite, Texas Pete, Bulk and Skeleton sneak into SuperTed's space station to take Spotty by surprise. SuperTed, on his way back, encounters a crash and soon is drifting away into space with no memory.
5 SuperTed and Trouble in Space – Part 2 31 October 1984SuperTed has lost his memory, Spotty's parents have lost their daughter Blotch and Spotty himself is being held prisoner by Texas Pete, Bulk and Skeleton. To make matters worse, Texas Pete arranges for our heroes to be tied up in a rocket heading straight for the sun.
6 SuperTed and the Gun Smugglers 7 November 1984While investigating a strange light, a girl is captured by Texas Pete, who is smuggling weapons into North Wales via a submarine in a cavern, forcing SuperTed and Spotty to put their beach holiday on hold.
7SuperTed and the Crystal Ball 14 November 1984Texas Pete steals a crystal ball from a couple of gypsies and uses it to read other people's fortunes for his own wealth...and forecast doom for SuperTed.
8Spotty and the Indians 21 November 1984On his way to Planet Earth to see SuperTed, Spotty's rocket breaks down and he crash-lands in North America where he befriends a Red Indian. Also there, are Texas Pete, Bulk and Skeleton who plan to shoot a buffalo to in order to have some buffalo steaks for dinner.
9 SuperTed's Dream 28 November 1984After being catty with Spotty for making him get out of bed to retrieve him from outside the space station, he has a horrible nightmare which shows him what life might be like if he didn't have Spotty with him.
10 SuperTed and the Lumberjacks 6 December 1984A flying squirrel turns to SuperTed and Spotty for help when Texas Pete is responsible for cutting down the trees to sell.
11 Bulk's Story 13 December 1984Bulk tells the story of how he first met Texas Pete in jail and how they escaped and entered the tomb of Skeleton.
12 SuperTed Meets Father Christmas 20 December 1984Texas Pete, Bulk, and Skeleton disguise themselves as Father Christmas and rob children of their presents on Christmas Eve. It's up to SuperTed and Spotty to clear the real Father Christmas' name and stop the villains from ruining Christmas for the children.
13SuperTed and the Great Horrendo2 January 1985At a seaside town in England, Texas Pete takes up a magician's act under the alias "Great Horrendo" to cheat children out of their allowances and briefly sidetrack Superted by making Spotty Man a volunteer in his hypnosis trick.

Series 3 (1985-1986)

This series consisted of 11 episodes as listed below. In 1994, 6 of the episodes: "SuperTed and Mother Nature", "SuperTed and the Pothole Rescue", "SuperTed Kicks Up the Dust", "SuperTed and the Gorilla", "SuperTed and the Great Horrendo" and "SuperTed in ChinaTown" were released as part of The Biggest Ever SuperTed Video by Tempo Video (Cat No 97192).

# Title Broadcast Date Summary
1SuperTed Kicks Up the Dust12 November 1985A museum in the Middle East wishes to display the Cosmic Dust that Spotty Man uses, but SuperTed thinks it could be dangerous and his fears prove correct when Texas Pete and his cronies plan to steal the Cosmic Dust from the museum.
2 SuperTed and the Magic Word – Part 1 19 November 1985Texas Pete has hatched a plot to discover SuperTed's magic word. First, Bulk throws Skeleton off the Statue of Liberty where Skeleton his holding onto the sleeve of the statue. Secondly, once SuperTed and Spotty Man have gone to rescue him, Texas Pete hides small microphones in the treehouse. Thirdly, Texas Pete throws Skeleton into the sea, a hundred miles off the coast to be exact. Finally, once SuperTed gets the call for help, he'll say his magic word...and Bulk will be listening.
3SuperTed and the Magic Word – Part 2 26 November 1985Bulk now wears the suit of SuperTed and is able to fly like a bear. Before long, SuperTed and Spotty Man discover this and try to catch him. However luckily...Bulk has forgotten the magic word...making Texas Pete cry after spending all the trouble of organising the plot.
4SuperTed and the Pothole Rescue3 December 1985SuperTed is called to the Pennines to rescue two geologists who are trapped in a cave, but soon finds himself in an awful dilemma when Spotty Man disappears and he has to choose to save his friend or the geologists first.
5SuperTed and the Whales10 December 1985After rescuing a beached blue whale in Wales, SuperTed and Spotty Man aid the whale in saving its family from a whaling boat piloted by none other than Texas Pete.
6SuperTed and the Gorilla17 December 1985Texas Pete, Bulk, and Skeleton capture a gorilla while in Africa, but when SuperTed and Spotty Man come to the rescue, Bulk unknowingly plays a part in helping the now captive gorilla.
7SuperTed and Mother Nature9 January 1986Mother Nature's place is invaded by Texas Pete, Bulk and Skeleton. Texas Pete plans to drink some of the potion that Mother Nature gave to SuperTed in order to gain super powers. But soon SuperTed and Spotty Man come to rescue as usual.
8SuperTed and Tex's Magic Spell16 January 1986While SuperTed and Spotty Man relax in an island in the South Pacific, Texas Pete and his cronies steal SuperTed's spotted teddy bear and use it as part of a voodoo act to incapacitate SuperTed.
9SuperTed and the Rattlesnake23 January 1986In a large Eastern city in the United States, Texas Pete has the blues about being unable to beat SuperTed, so Bulk and Skeleton decide to cheer him up by stealing a rattlesnake from the city zoo...attracting the attention of SuperTed and Spotty Man once more.
10SuperTed in Chinatown13 February 1986Texas Pete, Bulk, and Skeleton plan to rob a bank in Hong Kong, using Hong Kong's old secret passageways, but Bulk blows open the wall into a restaurant...where SuperTed and Spotty Man are having dinner.
11SuperTed Goes Round the Bend20 February 1986Spotty Man reluctantly agrees to take driving lessons from SuperTed. However, Skeleton and Bulk steal it to drive it to the bank where Texas Pete is, robbing it. But unknown to the three villains, the car is running out of brake fluid, causing the brakes to fail.

Commercial availability

DVD releases

The complete original series of Superted was released on June 2008 in Region 2 (UK). There has also been several individual volumes with various episodes on each disc, released in the UK. The series has since also been released in Region 4 (Australia), but is yet to be released in other regions.

VHS releases

Episodes featured- 'SuperTed and the Stolen Rocket', 'SuperTed and the Inca Treasure', 'SuperTed and the Elephant's Graveyard', 'SuperTed and the Train Robbers', 'SuperTed and the Giant Kites' and 'SuperTed and the Pearlfishers'

Episodes featured- 'SuperTed and Nuts In Space', 'SuperTed and the City of the Dead', 'SuperTed at Creepy Castle', 'SuperTed on Planet Spot', 'SuperTed at the Funfair' and 'SuperTed and the Gold Mine'

Episodes featured- 'SuperTed at the Toyshop', 'SuperTed Goes to Texas', 'SuperTed in the Artic', 'Trouble in Space (Parts 1 & 2)' and 'SuperTed and the Gun Smugglers'.

Episodes featured- 'SuperTed in Spotty and the Indians', 'SuperTed and the Crystal Ball', 'SuperTed and the Lumerjacks', 'SuperTed's Dream', 'Bulk's Story' and 'SuperTed meets Father Christmas'.

Episodes featured- 'SuperTed and Mother Nature', 'SuperTed and the Magic Word (Parts 1 & 2)', 'SuperTed and the Pothole Rescue', 'SuperTed Kicks Up the Dust', 'SuperTed and the Whales', 'SuperTed and the Gorilla' and 'SuperTed and the Great Horrendo'.

Episodes featured- 'SuperTed Goes Round the Bend', 'SuperTed and Tex's Magic Spell', 'SuperTed in Chinatown', 'SuperTed and the Rattlesnake', 'SuperTed at the Toyshop', 'SuperTed and the Whales', 'SuperTed in Spotty and the Indians' and 'SuperTed and the Crystal Ball'.

Episodes featured: 'Be Safe with SuperTed' (as episode 1) and 25 other episodes that are all 12 episodes of Series 1 (as episodes 2–13 on the video), 5 episodes of Series 2 (as episodes 14–18), 5 episodes of Series 3 (episodes 19–23), Both parts of 'Trouble In Space' (from series 2 and as episodes 24 & 25 on the video) and 'SuperTed in ChinaTown' (from series 3 and as the 26th and last episode on the video).

Tempo Kids Club

Episodes featured- 'Trouble in Space Part 1', 'Trouble in Space Part 2' and 'SuperTed's Dream'.

Episodes featured- 'SuperTed Goes to Texas', 'SuperTed and the Magic Word Part 1' and 'SuperTed and the Magic Word Part 2'

US Home video

All 36 episodes were released over six videocassettes by Walt Disney Home Video. There are unconfirmed reports that it will return to the US on Hulu, DVD, or iTunes form NCircle or Mill Creek Entertainment.

Children's Favourites

References

  1. ↑ "SuperTed set to return to the BBC as the latest revival of popular children's television shows". The Independent. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
  2. ↑ "Principals". Mikeyoungproductions.com. Retrieved 2011-11-15.
  3. 1 2 Stares, Judith (1980-05-23). "Teddy shacks off his fur and takes off". The Guardian. p. 19.
  4. 1 2 3 "Siriol and SuperTed – Animator Magazine Library". Animatormag.com. 13 February 2010. Retrieved 2011-11-15.
  5. ↑ "Brands | SuperTed". Abbey Home Media. Retrieved 2011-11-15.
  6. ↑ "Castle Street – Google Maps". Maps.google.co.uk. 1 January 1970. Retrieved 2011-11-15.
  7. ↑ "SuperTed makes TV comeback without the fat jokes". Telegraph.co.uk. 15 July 2014. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
  8. ↑ Ben Dowell and Vincent Graff. "SuperTed is being remade for modern audiences". RadioTimes. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
  9. ↑ Hannah Jones. "SuperTed to make comeback - Wales Online". walesonline. Retrieved 15 November 2014.

External links

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