The Brady Kids
Encyclopedia
The Brady Kids was an animated television series, produced by Filmation
in association with Paramount Television
and seen on ABC
from 1972
to 1974
. It was an animated spinoff of ABC's live action situational comedy, The Brady Bunch
and spun off another Filmation series, Mission: Magic! which starred rock star Rick Springfield
.
and The New Adventures of Gilligan
) headed up the project.
, Christopher Knight, Mike Lookinland
, Maureen McCormick
, Eve Plumb
, and Susan Olsen
) voiced their animated counterparts in the first season; however, as the series' name implies, the parents and Alice the housekeeper characters were omitted from the show. At the end of the first season, Filmation asked the kids to continue on their existing contracts for another five episodes in a second season. The kids' original answer was no, prodded on by their agent Harvey Shotz. Filmation threatened to both sue the children over breach of contract, and to continue the show without their voices. Lookinland, Plumb, and Olsen agreed to the extended Filmation contract, while Williams, Knight, and McCormick did not. Williams's and McCormick's voices were replaced by the children of producer Lou Schiemer (Lane and Erika Scheimer, respectively).
The animated series also added some animal characters. Marlon (voiced by Larry Storch
) was an intelligent, red, talking mynah bird and also a wizard who used his magic to help the kids out of jams. Marlon was also notable for his method of flight: he spun his tail feathers like a helicopter
rotor rather than using his wings, which were instead used as hands, often for grand gestures as he cast spells.
The Bradys' dog from the live-action series, Tiger, was replaced by a dog named Mop Top (also voiced by Storch). There were also twin panda
cubs, Ping and Pong (voiced by Jane Webb
), named after the game ping-pong
. The pandas only spoke in a Chinese
-like gibberish.
There were three human characters created for this show: Chuck White (Storch) was a boastful, self-absorbed teenager (about Greg's age) who was not above cheating to get whatever he wanted, Fleetwood (Storch) was his easygoing sidekick and rounding out this trio was Babs (voiced by Webb), a cute redhead who was smitten with Greg. The three of them went to the same school as the Bradys, and Chuck was sometimes central to the plot as an antagonist.
Originally aired as a one-hour segment on The ABC Saturday Superstar Movie
, the pilot episode was split into two half-hour segments on The Brady Kids. A total of 22 episodes were produced. Season 1 aired Saturday mornings from 10:30 to 11:00 AM, and season 2 aired Saturday mornings from 11:00 to 11:30 AM. Season 1 contained 17 episodes, and season 2 contained 5. Season 2 was specifically created by Filmation with the intent on 5 episodes to bring the total count of episodes to 22, the minimum required for syndication. Like most 1970s-era Saturday morning cartoon series', The Brady Kids contained an adult laugh track
.
The opening sequence featured the "grid" familiar to The Brady Bunch viewers, without the center column that is normally occupied by the elder Bradys and Alice; as the theme song (new lyrics set to the original Brady Bunch theme with a 70's style beat) plays, Marlon flies up and down the center, "magically transforming" the live-action children into their animated counterparts.
CBS Home Entertainment currently holds the rights to all Brady Bunch-related properties, including The Brady Kids, but currently has no plans to release the show on DVD.
Filmation
Filmation Associates was an American production company that produced animation and live action programming for television during the latter half of the 20th century. Located in Reseda, California, the animation studio was founded in 1963...
in association with Paramount Television
Paramount Television
Paramount Television was an American television production/distribution company that was active from January 1, 1968 to August 27, 2006.Its successor is CBS Television Studios, formerly CBS Paramount Television...
and seen on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
from 1972
1972 in television
The year 1972 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1972.For the American TV schedule, see: 1972-73 American network television schedule.-Events:...
to 1974
1974 in television
The year 1974 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1974.For the American TV schedule, see: 1974-75 American network television schedule.-Events:...
. It was an animated spinoff of ABC's live action situational comedy, The Brady Bunch
The Brady Bunch
The Brady Bunch is an American sitcom created by Sherwood Schwartz and starring Robert Reed, Florence Henderson, and Ann B. Davis. The series revolved around a large blended family...
and spun off another Filmation series, Mission: Magic! which starred rock star Rick Springfield
Rick Springfield
Rick Springfield is an Australian-born singer-songwriter, musician, and actor. He was a member of pop rock group Zoot from 1969 to 1971 and then started his solo career with his début single "Speak to the Sky" reaching the top 10 in Australia. In mid-1972, he relocated to the United States...
.
Background
In 1972, with the live action sitcom The Brady Bunch preparing for the start of its fourth season, show creator and executive producer Sherwood Schwartz approached Filmation about the creation of an animated series featuring the Brady Kids. Filmation agreed, and Lou Schiemer and Norm Prescott (creators of other Schwartz properties Gilligan's PlanetGilligan's Planet
Gilligan's Planet is a Saturday morning cartoon produced by the Filmation animation studio and MGM/UA Television which aired during the 1982-1983 season on CBS...
and The New Adventures of Gilligan
The New Adventures Of Gilligan
The New Adventures of Gilligan is an animated series produced by Filmation and was aired on ABC during the 1974-1975 season. It was based on the 1964-1967 CBS television series Gilligan's Island and featured almost all the actors from the show, except for Tina Louise, who was determined to distance...
) headed up the project.
Characters
The original show's six children (Barry WilliamsBarry Williams
Barry William Blenkhorn , known professionally as Barry Williams, is an American actor best known for his role as Greg Brady in the ABC television series The Brady Bunch.-Early life and career:...
, Christopher Knight, Mike Lookinland
Mike Lookinland
Michael Paul "Mike" Lookinland is an American actor. He is best known for his role as the youngest brother Bobby Brady on The Brady Bunch from 1969 until 1974.-Early life:...
, Maureen McCormick
Maureen McCormick
Maureen Denise McCormick is an American actress, celebrity and recording artist. She is most widely known as a child actress who played Marcia Brady in the television series The Brady Bunch from 1969 to 1974.- Early life and career :...
, Eve Plumb
Eve Plumb
Eve Aline Plumb is an American actress and painter. She is best known for her portrayal of Jan Brady in the iconic television sitcom The Brady Bunch.-Early career:...
, and Susan Olsen
Susan Olsen
Susan Marie Olsen is a former American child television actress and current animal welfare advocate. Olsen is best known for her role as Mike and Carol Brady's youngest daughter, Cindy Brady, on the 1970s television sitcom The Brady Bunch for the full run of the show, from 1969-1974.-Early...
) voiced their animated counterparts in the first season; however, as the series' name implies, the parents and Alice the housekeeper characters were omitted from the show. At the end of the first season, Filmation asked the kids to continue on their existing contracts for another five episodes in a second season. The kids' original answer was no, prodded on by their agent Harvey Shotz. Filmation threatened to both sue the children over breach of contract, and to continue the show without their voices. Lookinland, Plumb, and Olsen agreed to the extended Filmation contract, while Williams, Knight, and McCormick did not. Williams's and McCormick's voices were replaced by the children of producer Lou Schiemer (Lane and Erika Scheimer, respectively).
The animated series also added some animal characters. Marlon (voiced by Larry Storch
Larry Storch
Lawrence Samuel "Larry" Storch is an American actor best known for his comic television roles, including voice-over work for top cartoon shows, including Mr...
) was an intelligent, red, talking mynah bird and also a wizard who used his magic to help the kids out of jams. Marlon was also notable for his method of flight: he spun his tail feathers like a helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
rotor rather than using his wings, which were instead used as hands, often for grand gestures as he cast spells.
The Bradys' dog from the live-action series, Tiger, was replaced by a dog named Mop Top (also voiced by Storch). There were also twin panda
Panda
Panda or Panda bear most often refers to:*Giant panda, an animal in the Bear familyPanda may also refer to:*Red panda, the only living member in the Ailuridae family-In biology:* Species related to the Giant panda...
cubs, Ping and Pong (voiced by Jane Webb
Jane Webb
Jane Webb, a.k.a. Joanne Louise, is a movie actor and voice actor; as a voice actor, she has worked on a large number of animated cartoons, mostly for Filmation.-Film career:...
), named after the game ping-pong
Table tennis
Table tennis, also known as ping-pong, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight, hollow ball back and forth using table tennis rackets. The game takes place on a hard table divided by a net...
. The pandas only spoke in a Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
-like gibberish.
There were three human characters created for this show: Chuck White (Storch) was a boastful, self-absorbed teenager (about Greg's age) who was not above cheating to get whatever he wanted, Fleetwood (Storch) was his easygoing sidekick and rounding out this trio was Babs (voiced by Webb), a cute redhead who was smitten with Greg. The three of them went to the same school as the Bradys, and Chuck was sometimes central to the plot as an antagonist.
The Bradys
- Greg Brady: Barry WilliamsBarry WilliamsBarry William Blenkhorn , known professionally as Barry Williams, is an American actor best known for his role as Greg Brady in the ABC television series The Brady Bunch.-Early life and career:...
(season 1), Lane Scheimer (season 2) - Peter Brady: Christopher Knight (season 1), David E. Smith (season 2)
- Bobby Brady: Mike LookinlandMike LookinlandMichael Paul "Mike" Lookinland is an American actor. He is best known for his role as the youngest brother Bobby Brady on The Brady Bunch from 1969 until 1974.-Early life:...
- Marcia Brady: Maureen McCormickMaureen McCormickMaureen Denise McCormick is an American actress, celebrity and recording artist. She is most widely known as a child actress who played Marcia Brady in the television series The Brady Bunch from 1969 to 1974.- Early life and career :...
(season 1), Erika ScheimerErika ScheimerErika Scheimer is an occasional voice-actress in the cartoons of the defunct Filmation animation-studio. She is the daughter of Lou Scheimer, who was an integral member of Filmation and a voice actor in his own right....
(season 2) - Jan Brady: Eve PlumbEve PlumbEve Aline Plumb is an American actress and painter. She is best known for her portrayal of Jan Brady in the iconic television sitcom The Brady Bunch.-Early career:...
- Cindy Brady: Susan OlsenSusan OlsenSusan Marie Olsen is a former American child television actress and current animal welfare advocate. Olsen is best known for her role as Mike and Carol Brady's youngest daughter, Cindy Brady, on the 1970s television sitcom The Brady Bunch for the full run of the show, from 1969-1974.-Early...
Other characters
- Marlon: Larry StorchLarry StorchLawrence Samuel "Larry" Storch is an American actor best known for his comic television roles, including voice-over work for top cartoon shows, including Mr...
- Ping and Pong: Jane WebbJane WebbJane Webb, a.k.a. Joanne Louise, is a movie actor and voice actor; as a voice actor, she has worked on a large number of animated cartoons, mostly for Filmation.-Film career:...
- Mop Top: Larry Storch
- Chuck White: Larry Storch
- Fleetwood: Larry Storch
- Babs: Jane Webb
Production
While Schwartz originally intended to hand off full editorial control to Schiemer and Prescott, he eventually returned to become an active part of production, reviewing scripts and advising on creative input.Originally aired as a one-hour segment on The ABC Saturday Superstar Movie
The ABC Saturday Superstar Movie
The ABC Saturday Superstar Movie — renamed The New Saturday Superstar Movie in its second season — is a series of one-hour animated TV-movies , broadcast on the ABC television network on Saturday mornings from September 9, 1972, to November 17, 1973.Intended as a "Movie of the Week" for kids, this...
, the pilot episode was split into two half-hour segments on The Brady Kids. A total of 22 episodes were produced. Season 1 aired Saturday mornings from 10:30 to 11:00 AM, and season 2 aired Saturday mornings from 11:00 to 11:30 AM. Season 1 contained 17 episodes, and season 2 contained 5. Season 2 was specifically created by Filmation with the intent on 5 episodes to bring the total count of episodes to 22, the minimum required for syndication. Like most 1970s-era Saturday morning cartoon series', The Brady Kids contained an adult laugh track
Laugh track
A laugh track is a separate soundtrack invented by Charles "Charley" Douglass, with the artificial sound of audience laughter, made to be inserted into television programming of comedy shows and sitcoms.The term "laugh track" does not apply to the genuine audience laughter on shows that shoot in...
.
The opening sequence featured the "grid" familiar to The Brady Bunch viewers, without the center column that is normally occupied by the elder Bradys and Alice; as the theme song (new lyrics set to the original Brady Bunch theme with a 70's style beat) plays, Marlon flies up and down the center, "magically transforming" the live-action children into their animated counterparts.
Season 1 (1972–1973)
| № | Ep | Title | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|---|
Season 2 (1973–1974)
| № | Ep | Title | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|---|
DVD release
Two episodes of this series (the two part "Jungle Bungle") were released in The Brady Bunch - The Complete Series 21-disc DVD set.CBS Home Entertainment currently holds the rights to all Brady Bunch-related properties, including The Brady Kids, but currently has no plans to release the show on DVD.