'My wings are like a shield of steel...'
This week its Batfink, the superhero with wings of steel
Batfink was an American animated television series which consisted of five-minute shorts that first aired in April 1966. Hal Seeger created the 100-episode series as a parody of the Batman and Green Hornet television series, which debuted the same year.
Batfink is a bat superhero with metal wings and supersonic sonar radar. With the support of his aide, Karate, he fights crime, usually against his nemesis villain, Hugo- A-Go-Go.
Batfink
Batfink was a cyborg bat voiced by Frank Buxton. He wore a yellow costume, red gauntlets and boots, and a red ‘B’ emblazoned on his chest. Batfink used his supersonic sonar radar, a ‘BEEP’, to track down the villains in the local area, always using his catchphrase ‘, I will use my super-sonic sonar radar.’ Batfink also had amazing wings of steel that nothing seemed to be able to penetrate, from arrows, bombs and bullets and, as he often said, ‘my wings are like a shield of steel.’
Like Batman, Batfink lived in a cave with a direct video link to the chief of police’s office, and he even (like Batman) had his car - The Battillac. This was equipped with an insulated blast shied, guns and bombs, to list but a few. All of this aided Batfink and Karate in keeping the city safe.
Karate
Karate, voiced by Len Maxwell, is a direct parody of Kato. He is a gi-clad martial arts expert and Batfink's lumbering sidekick who drives the Battillac. He’s oversized and a little dim but strong enough to help Batfink in any dilemma. Carrying a wide range of gadgets in his ‘utility sleeve’ again, a parody of Batman’s utility belt, he will often have trouble finding what he needs. Karate usually succeeds through blind luck rather than skill; his involvement can often worsen a bad situation. At the end of each episode, Karate will make a cheesy pun to end the show.
Top Villains
Amazingly over fifty different villains appeared in the series. The main villain was the mad scientist Hugo-A-Go-Go, and I followed him with a few others.
Hugo A-Go-Go
You have to start here with the blue-smocked, wild-haired Hugo A-Go-Go, the main villain of the series. He speaks English with a bad German accent and is called ‘the world's maddest mad scientist.’ He spends most of his time in his secret laboratory, creating crazy inventions - one of my favourites was the robot bride, complete with robot mother-in-law! All in an attempt to defeat our heroes and dominate the world. Hugo A-Go-Go often converses with the show's narrator - breaking the fourth wall. He always succeeds in evading jail to antagonise our hero in later episodes.
Big Ears Ernie- He was the villain with a sensitive hearing that he tried to use to defeat Batfink.
Skinny Minnie - The world's thinnest thief who used their skills to steal and get Batfink on their case.
Mr Bouncy - Who was an ex-bouncer who now owned a special spay that could turn everything into rubber
Production & Episodes
The cartoon was produced at the Hal Seeger Studios in New York and the Bill Ackerman Productions in New Jersey, then syndicated through Screen Gems. It was broadcast throughout the 1980s in the US and was part of the ‘Cartoons Without a Clue’ shown on Boomerang in September 2006. Batfink was made cheaply using stock sequences, using the same scenes repeatedly, with some of these sections cut short to fit around the storyline.
Over in the UK, the series became very popular from 1967 onwards, becoming a cult show, being shown up until 1993, initially on the BBC and then on ITV. It was then consigned to history for a twelve-year break returning in 2004 to Saturday mornings again on the BBC.
Since 2006 it has been shown intermittently, on the BBC, with video series released in 2004 and 2006.
Many episodes ended with Batfink in a dangerous situation. This was typically when he was tied up, placed over a boiling vat of oil or trapped on a bomb. The action would freeze to cause a cliff-hanger, and the narrator would take over in dramatic style, asking if our hero would survive, ready for the next episode.
Fun Facts
Karate’s dad made Batfink’s wings.
There are 100 episodes to choose from
In a childhood flashback sequence, his super strength ability is only shown in one episode (This is Your Life).
There were over 50 different villains.
The main characters were conceived as a parody of the popular superheroes of the day (Batman and Green Hornet)
I can see why he was such a great character. For me I was always sympathetic to Hugo-A-Go-Go 🙃
Excellent nostalgic reminder! I think Karate was my favourite character in this one : )