The Get-Along Gang
Encyclopedia
The Get Along Gang were characters created in 1983 by American Greetings
' toy design and licensing division, "Those Characters from Cleveland" (now American Greetings Properties), for a series of greeting cards. The Get Along Gang was a group of twelve (and later, fourteen) pre-adolescent
anthropomorphic
animal
characters in the fictional town of Green Meadow, who had formed a club that met in an abandoned caboose
and who had various adventures whose upbeat stories intended to show the importance of teamwork and friendship. The success of the greeting card line led to a Saturday morning television series
, which aired on CBS
for two seasons, from September 1984 until June 1986.
Each of the characters had obvious faults, which they learned to overcome with the aid of their friends. Montgomery Moose, the group's leader, was quite clumsy, Woolma Lamb was extremely vain and self-centered, Dotty Dog could be careless, Portia Porcupine had temper tantrums, Zipper Cat could be overbearing, and Bingo Beaver could be greedy and tended to get himself and/or others into trouble, although he was not mean-spirited like the Gang's enemy, Catchum Crocodile.
's Our Gang
series of short films. The following six members of the gang were the core members:
Six other members of the gang did not make many appearances in the series, but they were regulars in merchandising and on storybooks:
Two new members to the gang were added sometime after the thirteen television episodes were produced:
The two regular villain
s of the show were the only non-mammal
s in the series (Braker excepted):
Other characters included:
produced a pilot episode
of The Get Along Gang, which was broadcast on the Nickelodeon
cable network in April 1984. The plot revolved around the twelve members of the gang as they try to win a scavenger hunt
despite Catchum's cheating and their own competition-fueled infighting. Although all twelve characters were involved, only the six core gang members (Montgomery, Dotty, Zipper, Bingo, Woolma, and Portia) had speaking roles. Among the voice talents in the pilot were Charles Haid
(then of Hill Street Blues
) as Montgomery and Dave Thomas
(fresh from his days on SCTV
) as Leland. The pilot also aired in syndication nationwide during the summer of 1984. John Sebastian
, famous for working for Nelvana at the time, wrote and sang for the pilot.
For reasons unknown, in between the pilot episode and the series premiere on CBS
, production of the series was handed over to DIC Entertainment
. Thirteen half-hour episodes were produced, each containing two eleven-minute segments. As with the pilot, the focus was on the six core members of the gang, with the other six members making very sporadic appearances. Out of those six, only Braker Turtle had a regular speaking role. The show returned to CBS in reruns from January–June 1986. From September 1986 until August 1987, all thirteen DIC-produced episodes were rerun as part of a short-lived syndicated cartoon package called Kideo TV. Reruns of the series later aired on The Family Channel (now ABC Family
) from 1990–1993 and on the children's programming block of Pax TV (now Ion Television) from 1999-2001.
Voice talent on the DIC-produced series included Timothy Gibbs
(Catchum), Scott Menville
(Bingo), Don Messick
(Officer Growler, Mr. Hoofnagel, others), Frank Welker
(Braker, others), and a young Nicky Katt
(Leland).
s made by Tomy
and a series of storybooks published by Scholastic Press
. The Tomy action figure line and Scholastic Press books actually lasted longer than the DiC cartoon series itself.
The characters were also adapted into comic book
s. In America
, their series, which ran for six bi-monthly issues in 1985 and 1986, was published by Marvel Comics
' Star Comics
imprint. In the United Kingdom
, Marvel UK
published a weekly Get Along Gang comic, which ran for 93 issues from April 1985 until January 1987.
The series was the product of an era in the 1980s when television watchgroups held great influence over children's programming, demanding that shows intended for young viewers emphasise positive values rather than violence or conflict. Consequently, many of the series' stories attempted to reinforce the importance of group harmony over individualism
.
In an August 8, 1997 article written by television/cartoon writer Mark Evanier
for his website, POVonline, in which he recalled writing for the Dungeons & Dragons cartoon series
, which premiered one year before The Get Along Gang, Evanier noted:
In mid-2004, the Joester Loria Group, a licensing and marketing agency, announced the addition of The Get Along Gang to its stable of classic properties. Plans called for the availability of merchandise, such as clothing, toys, games and home decor; this relaunch never materialized. In 2005, American Greetings started plans for an official relaunch of the franchise, which was going to feature 5 new characters: Mogo (a moose), Reagan (a dog), Hatch (a cat), Mayfield (a lamb) and Domino (a beaver), accompanied by an elderly Portia Porcupine, now named Mrs. Bristlemore. There was even a CGI pilot in development at Richcrest Animation (an unfinished version of this pilot has been posted online). However, for unknown reasons the revival project was shelved by late 2007.
In April 2007, plans for a DVD release of the series were announced by S'More Entertainment (who released The Littles
, another DIC series, to DVD); however, the planned release was announced to be cancelled a month later because American Greetings
, who owns the property (and thus had the final say on the matter), would not approve it. Before the announcement of the cancellation, a representative of S'More stated that it was unlikely the release would include the pilot episode, since it involved royalty issues with Nelvana (producer of the special) and with John Sebastian (whose performing in the episode required music clearances).
On July 19, 2011 Mill Creek Entertainment
released The Best of The Get Along Gang, a 1-disc set featuring 10 of the 13 half-hour episodes (20 of the 26 individual stories). The episodes not included on the set are Nose for News, Camp Get Along, School's Out, The Bullies, That's the Way the Cookie Crumbles and Snowbound Showdown.
, the series was released in several countries and dubbed into local languages. In Spanish, the series was translated as La Pandilla Feliz (The Happy Gang) and aired on local channels in Mexico
, Costa Rica
, Venezuela
and Chile
, but did not have the same impact or popularity of other 1980s cartoons. In Brazil
the series was translated as Nossa Turma (Our Gang) and was a modest success running on SBT
during the late 1980s and early 1990s. In France
, it was known as Les Amichaines. The series also aired in the United Kingdom
in the late 1980s, where it was a modest success too, also generating merchandise in the country.
American Greetings
American Greetings Corporation, Inc. is the world's largest publicly-traded greeting card company. It is based in Brooklyn, Ohio and sells paper greeting cards, electronic greeting cards, party products , and electronic expressive content...
' toy design and licensing division, "Those Characters from Cleveland" (now American Greetings Properties), for a series of greeting cards. The Get Along Gang was a group of twelve (and later, fourteen) pre-adolescent
Preteen
Preadolescence is a stage of human development following early childhood and prior to adolescence. It may be defined as ending with the beginning of puberty or with the beginning of the teenage stage, the time frames in which adolescence is considered to begin. In terms of age in years,...
anthropomorphic
Anthropomorphism
Anthropomorphism is any attribution of human characteristics to animals, non-living things, phenomena, material states, objects or abstract concepts, such as organizations, governments, spirits or deities. The term was coined in the mid 1700s...
animal
Animal
Animals are a major group of multicellular, eukaryotic organisms of the kingdom Animalia or Metazoa. Their body plan eventually becomes fixed as they develop, although some undergo a process of metamorphosis later on in their life. Most animals are motile, meaning they can move spontaneously and...
characters in the fictional town of Green Meadow, who had formed a club that met in an abandoned caboose
Caboose
A caboose is a manned North American rail transport vehicle coupled at the end of a freight train. Although cabooses were once used on nearly every freight train, their use has declined and they are seldom seen on trains, except on locals and smaller railroads.-Function:The caboose provided the...
and who had various adventures whose upbeat stories intended to show the importance of teamwork and friendship. The success of the greeting card line led to a Saturday morning television series
Saturday morning cartoon
A Saturday morning cartoon is the colloquial term for the animated television programming that has typically been scheduled on Saturday mornings on the major American television networks from the 1960s to the present; the genre's peak in popularity mostly ended in the 1990s while the popularity of...
, which aired on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
for two seasons, from September 1984 until June 1986.
Each of the characters had obvious faults, which they learned to overcome with the aid of their friends. Montgomery Moose, the group's leader, was quite clumsy, Woolma Lamb was extremely vain and self-centered, Dotty Dog could be careless, Portia Porcupine had temper tantrums, Zipper Cat could be overbearing, and Bingo Beaver could be greedy and tended to get himself and/or others into trouble, although he was not mean-spirited like the Gang's enemy, Catchum Crocodile.
Characters
The Get Along Gang franchise was loosely inspired by Hal RoachHal Roach
Harold Eugene "Hal" Roach, Sr. was an American film and television producer and director, and from the 1910s to the 1990s.- Early life and career :Hal Roach was born in Elmira, New York...
's Our Gang
Our Gang
Our Gang, also known as The Little Rascals or Hal Roach's Rascals, was a series of American comedy short films about a group of poor neighborhood children and the adventures they had together. Created by comedy producer Hal Roach, the series is noted for showing children behaving in a relatively...
series of short films. The following six members of the gang were the core members:
- Montgomery "Good News" MooseMooseThe moose or Eurasian elk is the largest extant species in the deer family. Moose are distinguished by the palmate antlers of the males; other members of the family have antlers with a dendritic configuration...
(Sparky MarcusSparky MarcusSparky Marcus is an American actor born December 6, 1967 in Hollywood, California. He had a prolific career as a child actor.-Career:...
) - The leader of the Get Along Gang who was sometimes awkward. Well-rounded, he excelled in athletics while tinkering in electronics and science. - Dotty DogDogThe domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...
(Bettina BushBettina BushBettina Bush is an American voice actress and pop music singer. She was born the youngest daughter out of three children. Her father was of African American descent and her mother was of Irish, Cherokee, and Polynesian descent.- Voice acting :...
) - A cheerleader and second-in-commandSecond-in-commandThe Second-in-Command is the deputy commander of any British Army or Royal Marines unit, from battalion or regiment downwards. He or she is thus the equivalent of an Executive Officer in the United States Army...
to Montgomery, who was not always careful. - Woolma LambDomestic sheepSheep are quadrupedal, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Like all ruminants, sheep are members of the order Artiodactyla, the even-toed ungulates. Although the name "sheep" applies to many species in the genus Ovis, in everyday usage it almost always refers to Ovis aries...
(Georgi IreneGeorgi IreneGeorgi Irene was an actress from the late 70s to early 90s. Her final voiceover role was as John from Garfield in Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue. She also played a character named Samantha in Married... With Children .-External links:*...
) - An aspiring ballet dancer who seemed to be defined by her vanity. She was often seen carrying a mirror to admire herself. - Zipper CatCatThe cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
(Robbie Lee) - An athletic feline who was always playing the tough guy, despite being friendly to the rest of the gang. - Portia PorcupinePorcupinePorcupines are rodents with a coat of sharp spines, or quills, that defend or camouflage them from predators. They are indigenous to the Americas, southern Asia, and Africa. Porcupines are the third largest of the rodents, behind the capybara and the beaver. Most porcupines are about long, with...
(Sherry LynnSherry LynnSherry Lynn is a veteran American voice actress, known for young girl roles in animation and video games. She is represented by Arlene Thornton & Associates...
) - The youngest member of the Gang. She was very inquisitive, but tended to cry or throw tantrums when frustrated. - Bingo "Bet-It-All" BeaverBeaverThe beaver is a primarily nocturnal, large, semi-aquatic rodent. Castor includes two extant species, North American Beaver and Eurasian Beaver . Beavers are known for building dams, canals, and lodges . They are the second-largest rodent in the world...
(Scott MenvilleScott MenvilleScott David Menville is primarily an American voice actor, actor, musician, and comedian.-Early life and career:The son of Chuck Menville, he was bassist for the Southern California rock band Boy Hits Car, which released three albums until he left the band in 2006. He was with the group since...
) - A prankster and gambler who was, on the other hand, quite nice.
Six other members of the gang did not make many appearances in the series, but they were regulars in merchandising and on storybooks:
- Braker TurtleTurtleTurtles are reptiles of the order Testudines , characterised by a special bony or cartilaginous shell developed from their ribs that acts as a shield...
(Frank WelkerFrank WelkerFranklin Wendell "Frank" Welker is an American actor who specializes in voice acting and has contributed character voices and other vocal effects to American television and motion pictures.-Acting career:...
/Don MessickDon MessickDonald Earl "Don" Messick was an American voice actor best known for his work for Hanna-Barbera. Perhaps his most well-known voice creations include Scooby-Doo, Papa Smurf, and Dr. Benton Quest....
) - Ironically, the fastest runner in Green Meadow. He enjoyed being hip, despite his nerdy appearance. Braker made occasional speaking appearances in the DIC cartoon series, usually as a friend of the gang kids, but did not appear to be a full-time member of the gang. - Rocco RabbitRabbitRabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world...
- A reformed bully. - Rudyard LionLionThe lion is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger...
- A foreign-exchange student, who had a crush on Woolma. - Flora "Forget-Me-Not" FoxFoxFox is a common name for many species of omnivorous mammals belonging to the Canidae family. Foxes are small to medium-sized canids , characterized by possessing a long narrow snout, and a bushy tail .Members of about 37 species are referred to as foxes, of which only 12 species actually belong to...
- An avid botanistBotanyBotany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...
and photographerPhotographyPhotography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
who was extroverted despite appearing shy to others. - Bernice BearBearBears are mammals of the family Ursidae. Bears are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans, with the pinnipeds being their closest living relatives. Although there are only eight living species of bear, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Northern...
- Very sensible and liked to keep things neat and tidy. She was also proficient in cooking and sewing. - Lolly SquirrelSquirrelSquirrels belong to a large family of small or medium-sized rodents called the Sciuridae. The family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels, chipmunks, marmots , flying squirrels, and prairie dogs. Squirrels are indigenous to the Americas, Eurasia, and Africa and have been introduced to Australia...
- Her father owned a candy factory. She tended to be a bit of a tattletale at times.
Two new members to the gang were added sometime after the thirteen television episodes were produced:
- Hocus HareHareHares and jackrabbits are leporids belonging to the genus Lepus. Hares less than one year old are called leverets. Four species commonly known as types of hare are classified outside of Lepus: the hispid hare , and three species known as red rock hares .Hares are very fast-moving...
and Pocus Possum - A pair of magicians.
The two regular villain
Villain
A villain is an "evil" character in a story, whether a historical narrative or, especially, a work of fiction. The villain usually is the antagonist, the character who tends to have a negative effect on other characters...
s of the show were the only non-mammal
Mammal
Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...
s in the series (Braker excepted):
- Catchum CrocodileCrocodileA crocodile is any species belonging to the family Crocodylidae . The term can also be used more loosely to include all extant members of the order Crocodilia: i.e...
(Timothy GibbsTimothy GibbsTimothy Gibbs is an American actor who has starred in films, such as 11-11-11 as Joseph Crone, The Kings of Brooklyn as Maximilian Sentor and television programs, such as Sex and the City as Detective Stevens....
) - A constant troublemaker who was always trying to take whatever he wanted, regardless of whose it was. More than once he tried to steal the Gang's clubhouse caboose. - Leland LizardLizardLizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with nearly 3800 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica as well as most oceanic island chains...
(Nicky KattNicky KattNicholas Lea "Nicky" Katt is an American actor known for his role as unorthodox teacher Harry Senate on David E. Kelley's Fox drama Boston Public.-Career:...
) - Catchum's dopey sidekick, who was sometimes not as dumb as he looked. In the pilot he was able to change colorChameleonChameleons are a distinctive and highly specialized clade of lizards. They are distinguished by their parrot-like zygodactylous feet, their separately mobile and stereoscopic eyes, their very long, highly modified, and rapidly extrudable tongues, their swaying gait, the possession by many of a...
, but he showed no such ability in the series. His main clothes worn were his pants, suspenders, captain hat, and shoes. He later wears a shirt.
Other characters included:
- Officer Growler (Don MessickDon MessickDonald Earl "Don" Messick was an American voice actor best known for his work for Hanna-Barbera. Perhaps his most well-known voice creations include Scooby-Doo, Papa Smurf, and Dr. Benton Quest....
) - A bulldogBulldogBulldog is the name for a breed of dog commonly referred to as the English Bulldog. Other Bulldog breeds include the American Bulldog, Olde English Bulldogge and the French Bulldog. The Bulldog is a muscular heavy dog with a wrinkled face and a distinctive pushed-in nose...
policePoliceThe police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
officer. - Mr. Hoofnagel (Don MessickDon MessickDonald Earl "Don" Messick was an American voice actor best known for his work for Hanna-Barbera. Perhaps his most well-known voice creations include Scooby-Doo, Papa Smurf, and Dr. Benton Quest....
) - An old goatGoatThe domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...
who owned and operated the local ice cream parlorIce cream parlorIce cream parlors are places that sell ice cream and frozen yogurt to consumers. Ice cream is normally sold in two varieties in these stores: soft-serve ice cream , and hard-packed, which has an assortment of flavors, as well as frozen yogurt, which is a low-fat alternative and tastes slightly...
. - Miss Deering (Sherry LynnSherry LynnSherry Lynn is a veteran American voice actress, known for young girl roles in animation and video games. She is represented by Arlene Thornton & Associates...
) - A deerDeerDeer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...
who was the kids' teacherTeacherA teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
. - Susie (Sherry LynnSherry LynnSherry Lynn is a veteran American voice actress, known for young girl roles in animation and video games. She is represented by Arlene Thornton & Associates...
) - Bingo's pen palPen palPen pals are people who regularly write to each other, particularly via postal mail.-Purposes:A penpal relationship is often used to practice reading and writing in a foreign language, to improve literacy, to learn more about other countries and life-styles, and to make friendships...
, a squirrel who likes exercise. - Mayor Bascombe BadgerBadgerBadgers are short-legged omnivores in the weasel family, Mustelidae. There are nine species of badger, in three subfamilies : Melinae , Mellivorinae , and Taxideinae...
- The mayorMayorIn many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Green Meadow. - Schneider Squirrel - Lolly's father and owner of the candy factory. Schneider appeared only in the Marvel comic book stories.
TV series
NelvanaNelvana
Nelvana Limited is a Canadian entertainment company founded in 1971 known for its work in children's animation. It was named by founders Michael Hirsh, Patrick Loubert and Clive A. Smith after a Canadian comic book superheroine created by Adrian Dingle in the 1940s...
produced a pilot episode
Television pilot
A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...
of The Get Along Gang, which was broadcast on the Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
cable network in April 1984. The plot revolved around the twelve members of the gang as they try to win a scavenger hunt
Scavenger hunt
A scavenger hunt is a game in which the organizers prepare a list defining specific items, using which the participants — individuals or teams — seek to gather all items on the list — usually without purchasing them — or perform tasks or take photographs of the items, as specified...
despite Catchum's cheating and their own competition-fueled infighting. Although all twelve characters were involved, only the six core gang members (Montgomery, Dotty, Zipper, Bingo, Woolma, and Portia) had speaking roles. Among the voice talents in the pilot were Charles Haid
Charles Haid
Charles Maurice Haid III is an American actor and director, with notable work in both movies and television. He is known for his portrayal of Officer Andy Renko in Hill Street Blues....
(then of Hill Street Blues
Hill Street Blues
Hill Street Blues is an American serial police drama that was first aired on NBC in 1981 and ran for 146 episodes on primetime into 1987. Chronicling the lives of the staff of a single police precinct in an unnamed American city, the show received critical acclaim and its production innovations ...
) as Montgomery and Dave Thomas
Dave Thomas (actor)
David "Dave" Thomas is a Canadian comedian and actor. He was born in St. Catharines, Ontario, but moved to Durham, North Carolina where his father, John E. Thomas, attended Duke University and earned a PhD in Philosophy. Thomas attended George Watts and Moorehead elementary schools...
(fresh from his days on SCTV
Second City Television
Second City Television is a Canadian television sketch comedy show offshoot from Toronto's The Second City troupe that ran between 1976 and 1984.- Premise :...
) as Leland. The pilot also aired in syndication nationwide during the summer of 1984. John Sebastian
John Sebastian
John Benson Sebastian Jr. is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and autoharpist. He is best known as a founder of The Lovin' Spoonful, a band inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000...
, famous for working for Nelvana at the time, wrote and sang for the pilot.
For reasons unknown, in between the pilot episode and the series premiere on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
, production of the series was handed over to DIC Entertainment
DiC Entertainment
DIC Entertainment was an international film and television production company. In addition to animated television shows such as Ulysses 31 , Inspector Gadget , The Littles , The Real Ghostbusters , Captain Planet and the Planeteers , and the first two seasons of the English adaptation of...
. Thirteen half-hour episodes were produced, each containing two eleven-minute segments. As with the pilot, the focus was on the six core members of the gang, with the other six members making very sporadic appearances. Out of those six, only Braker Turtle had a regular speaking role. The show returned to CBS in reruns from January–June 1986. From September 1986 until August 1987, all thirteen DIC-produced episodes were rerun as part of a short-lived syndicated cartoon package called Kideo TV. Reruns of the series later aired on The Family Channel (now ABC Family
ABC Family
ABC Family, stylized as abc family, is an American television network, owned by ABC Family Worldwide Inc., a subsidiary of the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company...
) from 1990–1993 and on the children's programming block of Pax TV (now Ion Television) from 1999-2001.
Voice talent on the DIC-produced series included Timothy Gibbs
Timothy Gibbs
Timothy Gibbs is an American actor who has starred in films, such as 11-11-11 as Joseph Crone, The Kings of Brooklyn as Maximilian Sentor and television programs, such as Sex and the City as Detective Stevens....
(Catchum), Scott Menville
Scott Menville
Scott David Menville is primarily an American voice actor, actor, musician, and comedian.-Early life and career:The son of Chuck Menville, he was bassist for the Southern California rock band Boy Hits Car, which released three albums until he left the band in 2006. He was with the group since...
(Bingo), Don Messick
Don Messick
Donald Earl "Don" Messick was an American voice actor best known for his work for Hanna-Barbera. Perhaps his most well-known voice creations include Scooby-Doo, Papa Smurf, and Dr. Benton Quest....
(Officer Growler, Mr. Hoofnagel, others), Frank Welker
Frank Welker
Franklin Wendell "Frank" Welker is an American actor who specializes in voice acting and has contributed character voices and other vocal effects to American television and motion pictures.-Acting career:...
(Braker, others), and a young Nicky Katt
Nicky Katt
Nicholas Lea "Nicky" Katt is an American actor known for his role as unorthodox teacher Harry Senate on David E. Kelley's Fox drama Boston Public.-Career:...
(Leland).
Other merchandise
The brief series spawned a large range of merchandise and spin-off projects including stuffed toys and action figureAction figure
An action figure is a posable character figurine, made of plastic or other materials, and often based upon characters from a film, comic book, video game, or television program. These action figures are usually marketed towards boys and male collectors...
s made by Tomy
TOMY
is a Japanese toy, children's merchandise and entertainment company created from the March 2006 merger of two companies: Tomy and long-time rival, Takara...
and a series of storybooks published by Scholastic Press
Scholastic Press
Scholastic is a global book publishing company known for publishing educational materials for schools, teachers, and parents, and selling and distributing them by mail order and via book clubs and book fairs. It also has the exclusive United States' publishing rights to the Harry Potter book...
. The Tomy action figure line and Scholastic Press books actually lasted longer than the DiC cartoon series itself.
The characters were also adapted into comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
s. In America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, their series, which ran for six bi-monthly issues in 1985 and 1986, was published by Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
' Star Comics
Star Comics
Star Comics was an imprint of Marvel Comics that began in 1984 and continued to publish comic books until early 1988. Titles published by the imprint were aimed at child readers and were often adaptations of children's television series, animated series or toys...
imprint. In the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Marvel UK
Marvel UK
Marvel UK was an imprint of Marvel Comics formed in 1972 to reprint US produced stories for the British weekly comic market, though it later did produce original material by British creators such as Alan Moore, John Wagner, Dave Gibbons, Steve Dillon and Grant Morrison.Panini Comics obtained the...
published a weekly Get Along Gang comic, which ran for 93 issues from April 1985 until January 1987.
Reception and criticism
In 1986, Ralph Novak of People Weekly observed that Nelvana's pilot special "is enlivened by the music of John Sebastian and some relatively sophisticated (for television) animation. Cartoon violence is only the most innocuous sort."The series was the product of an era in the 1980s when television watchgroups held great influence over children's programming, demanding that shows intended for young viewers emphasise positive values rather than violence or conflict. Consequently, many of the series' stories attempted to reinforce the importance of group harmony over individualism
Individualism
Individualism is the moral stance, political philosophy, ideology, or social outlook that stresses "the moral worth of the individual". Individualists promote the exercise of one's goals and desires and so value independence and self-reliance while opposing most external interference upon one's own...
.
In an August 8, 1997 article written by television/cartoon writer Mark Evanier
Mark Evanier
Mark Stephen Evanier is an American comic book and television writer, particularly known for his humor work. He is also known for his columns and blogs, and for his work as a historian and biographer of the comics industry, in particular his award-winning Jack Kirby biography, Kirby: King of...
for his website, POVonline, in which he recalled writing for the Dungeons & Dragons cartoon series
Dungeons & Dragons (TV series)
Dungeons & Dragons is an American fantasy animated television series based on TSR's Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. A co-production of Marvel Productions and TSR, the show originally ran from 1985 through 1987 for three seasons on CBS for a total of twenty seven episodes.The show focused on a...
, which premiered one year before The Get Along Gang, Evanier noted:
Decline and attempted revival
In mid-to-late 1985 the toy and greeting card sales began to decline, the first sign of the Gang's popularity waning. A few products (plastic figurines, some greeting cards, and a coloring book) were released, with Hocus Hare and Pocus Possum joining at the tail-end of the Gang's run. The greeting card and toy line ended in 1987.In mid-2004, the Joester Loria Group, a licensing and marketing agency, announced the addition of The Get Along Gang to its stable of classic properties. Plans called for the availability of merchandise, such as clothing, toys, games and home decor; this relaunch never materialized. In 2005, American Greetings started plans for an official relaunch of the franchise, which was going to feature 5 new characters: Mogo (a moose), Reagan (a dog), Hatch (a cat), Mayfield (a lamb) and Domino (a beaver), accompanied by an elderly Portia Porcupine, now named Mrs. Bristlemore. There was even a CGI pilot in development at Richcrest Animation (an unfinished version of this pilot has been posted online). However, for unknown reasons the revival project was shelved by late 2007.
Home entertainment releases
Karl-Lorimar released the Nelvana pilot on VHS shortly after it premiered on television in 1984. During the show's run, Kideo Video released several VHS tapes that included select episodes.In April 2007, plans for a DVD release of the series were announced by S'More Entertainment (who released The Littles
The Littles
The Littles is a series of children's novels by American author John Peterson, the first of which was published in 1967. Peterson's books were adapted into the The Littles animated series by DIC Entertainment 16 years later...
, another DIC series, to DVD); however, the planned release was announced to be cancelled a month later because American Greetings
American Greetings
American Greetings Corporation, Inc. is the world's largest publicly-traded greeting card company. It is based in Brooklyn, Ohio and sells paper greeting cards, electronic greeting cards, party products , and electronic expressive content...
, who owns the property (and thus had the final say on the matter), would not approve it. Before the announcement of the cancellation, a representative of S'More stated that it was unlikely the release would include the pilot episode, since it involved royalty issues with Nelvana (producer of the special) and with John Sebastian (whose performing in the episode required music clearances).
On July 19, 2011 Mill Creek Entertainment
Mill Creek Entertainment
Mill Creek Entertainment is a home entertainment company that manufactures movie and television DVD compilation box sets at "value" prices. Nashville's Amity Entertainment is an affiliate to Mill Creek...
released The Best of The Get Along Gang, a 1-disc set featuring 10 of the 13 half-hour episodes (20 of the 26 individual stories). The episodes not included on the set are Nose for News, Camp Get Along, School's Out, The Bullies, That's the Way the Cookie Crumbles and Snowbound Showdown.
In other countries
While the characters' popularity was strong only in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, the series was released in several countries and dubbed into local languages. In Spanish, the series was translated as La Pandilla Feliz (The Happy Gang) and aired on local channels in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
, Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
and Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, but did not have the same impact or popularity of other 1980s cartoons. In Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
the series was translated as Nossa Turma (Our Gang) and was a modest success running on SBT
SBT
Sistema Brasileiro de Televisão is a Brazilian television network. The network first aired in 1981, and its headquarters are based in Osasco, at the CDT Anhanguera complex. SBT is owned by Silvio Santos , a popular Brazilian TV host...
during the late 1980s and early 1990s. In France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, it was known as Les Amichaines. The series also aired in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in the late 1980s, where it was a modest success too, also generating merchandise in the country.
DIC
| № | Title | Airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Zipper's Millions / Half a Map is Better Than None" |
15 September 1984 |
| 2 | "Caboose on the Loose / Montgomery's Mechanical Marvel" |
22 September 1984 |
| 3 | "Head in the Clouds / Hunt for the Beast" |
29 September 1984 |
| 4 | "Woolma's Birthday / The Get Along Detectives" |
6 October 1984 |
| 5 | "The Get Along Gang Go Hollywood / Them's the Brakes" |
13 October 1984 |
| 6 | "A Pinch of This, a Dash of That / Bingo's Tale" |
20 October 1984 |
| 7 | "Engineer Roary / Pick of the Litter" |
27 October 1984 |
| 8 | "Nose for News / The Lighthouse Pirates" |
3 November 1984 |
| 9 | "The Wrong Stuff / Uneasy Rider" |
10 November 1984 |
| 10 | "The Get Along Gang Minus One / Camp Get Along" |
17 November 1984 |
| 11 | "Bingo's Pen Pal / Follow the Leader" |
24 November 1984 |
| 12 | "School's Out / The Bullies" |
1 December 1984 |
| 13 | "That's the Way the Cookie Crumbles / Snowbound Showdown" |
8 December 1984 |