Saturday Supercade is an animated television series produced for Saturday mornings by Ruby-Spears Productions. It ran for two seasons on CBS beginning in 1983. Each episode is composed of several shorter segments featuring video game characters from the Golden age of video arcade games.

Ownership/Licensing issues[link]

Saturday Supercade is presumably under the ownership of Warner Bros. Entertainment (through Turner Entertainment Co., who acquired the Ruby-Spears library in 1991, which coincidentally owns Pac-Man, another animated series based on a video game produced by RS's former sister company Hanna-Barbera). However, in the 1980s, MCA TV held the international distribution rights to the Donkey Kong and Donkey Kong Junior segments (possibly as part of the settlement with Nintendo over the King Kong plagiarism issue), and it is unknown if those rights have reverted to WB/Turner or are now owned by MCA's successor, NBC Universal.^{[citation needed]} Also, a Minisode version of the Q*bert episode "Thanksgiving for the Memories" has appeared on the Minisode Network, suggesting that the Q*bert segments might be owned by Sony Pictures Television (whose corporate predecessor, Columbia Pictures Industries, owned Gottlieb/Mylstar at the time).

Warner Archive announced via their Facebook page that Saturday Supercade will be released through their MOD DVD program in 2011. However, due to rights issues, some segments may not appear. The Space Ace segments from the show occasionally appear as filler in between shows on Boomerang.

Featured characters[link]

The debut characters included:

• Frogger (from the Frogger arcade game)
• Donkey Kong with Mario and Pauline (from the Donkey Kong game)
• Donkey Kong Jr. (from the Donkey Kong Jr. game)
• Q*bert with Coily, Ugg, Wrongway, Slick and Sam (from the Q*Bert arcade game)
• Pitfall Harry with his pet mountain lion Quickclaw and his niece Rhonda (unlike others, which are arcade games, this is from home console games, which are Pitfall! and Pitfall II: Lost Caverns) The cartoon was simply called Pitfall!.

Pitfall and Q-Bert rotated weekly while the other three were weekly.

During the second season, Q-Bert (now weekly) and Donkey Kong remained while the Frogger, Donkey Kong Jr. and Pitfall Harry segments were replaced by shorts featuring:

• Space Ace with Space Ace/Dexter (depending on his form), Kimberly, and Borf (from the Space Ace arcade game).
• Kangaroo with friends and the "Monkey Business Gang". (from the Kangaroo arcade game).

Segments[link]

Frogger[link]

Frogger (voiced by Bob Sarlatte) is an ace reporter of the swamp who works at the Swamp Gazette. He and his friends Shellshock "Shelly" Turtle (voiced by Marvin Kaplan) and Fanny Frog (voiced by B.J. Ward) go out in search of crazy stories (sometimes about human behavior) to publish in the swamp's newspapers. Frogger also has to deal with his gruff boss Tex Toadwalker (voiced by Ted Field Sr.). As in the game, he often gets flattened or has an encounter with an alligator.

Episodes[link]

1. The Ms. Fortune Story / 1983·Sep·17
2. Spaced Out Frogs / 1983·Sep·24
3. The Who-Took-Toadwalker Story / 1983·Oct·01
4. Hydrofoil & Seek / 1983·Oct·08
5. The Great Scuba Scoop / 1983·Oct·15
6. The Headline Hunters / 1983·Oct·22
7. The Legs Croaker Story / 1983·Oct·29
8. The Blackboard Bungle / 1983·Nov·05
9. Good Knight, Frogger / 1983·Nov·12
10. Fake Me Out to the Ball Game / 1983·Nov·19
11. I Remember Mummy / 1983·Nov·26
12. Here Today, Pawned Tomorrow / 1983·Dec·03
13. Hop-Along Frogger / 1983·Dec·10

Donkey Kong[link]

Donkey Kong (voiced by Soupy Sales) has escaped from the circus. He is on the lam, and Mario (voiced by Peter Cullen) and Pauline (voiced by Judy Strangis) are chasing the ape. As with the original game, Donkey Kong will often grab Pauline, and Mario has to save her. It must be noted that Pauline's portrayal as Mario's niece is an original Ruby-Spears concept. It is not a part of Nintendo's official canon, in which Pauline is Mario's girlfriend.

Episodes[link]

1. Mississippi Madness / 1983·Sep·17
2. Gorilla Gangster / 1983·Sep·24
3. Banana Bikers / 1983·Oct·01
4. The Incredible Shrinking Ape / 1983·Oct·08
5. Movie Mania / 1983·Oct·15
6. Gorilla My Dreams / 1983·Oct·22
7. Little Orphan Apey / 1983·Oct·29
8. Circus Daze / 1983·Nov·05
9. The Great Ape Escape / 1983·Nov·12
10. Apey and the Snowbeast / 1983·Nov·19
11. How Much is That Gorilla in the Window? / 1983·Nov·26
12. Private Donkey Kong / 1983·Dec·03
13. Get Along Little Apey / 1983·Dec·10
14. Sir Donkey Kong / 1984·Sep·08
15. The Pale Whale / 1984·Sep·15
16. El Donkey Kong / 1984·Sep·22
17. New Wave Ape / 1984·Sep·29
18. Greenhouse Gorilla / 1984·Oct·06
19. Hairy Parent / 1984·Oct·13

Q*Bert[link]

In a 1950s inspired world set in the town of Q*Berg, a teenage fur-covered creature named Q*Bert (voiced by Billy Bowles), his girlfriend Q*Tee (voiced by Robbie Lee), his brother Q*Bit (voiced by Dick Beals), and his friends Q*Ball (voiced by Frank Welker), Q*Val (voiced by Robbie Lee), and Q*Mongus (voiced by Frank Welker) must deal with the resident bullies Coily, Ugg, Wrong Way (all three voiced by Frank Welker), and Viper (voiced by Julie McWhirter). Features both "block-hopping" scenes, "swearing" bubbles and occasional flying disc, all from the original game. New to the cartoon was Q*Bert's use of "slippy-doos", a black ball projectile which he loaded and fired through his nose, producing an oil slick wherever the balls splattered. Slick and Sam (both voiced by Frank Welker) are also featured.

Episodes[link]

1. Disc Derby Fiasco / 1983·Oct·01
2. The Great Q*Tee Contest / 1983·Oct·15
3. Q*Ball Rigamarole / 1983·Oct·29
4. Crazy Camp Creature / 1983·Nov·12
5. Thanksgiving for the Memories / 1983·Nov·26
6. Dog Day Dilemma / 1983·Dec·10
7. Take Me Out to the Q*Game / 1984·Sep·08
8. Noser P.I. / 1984·Sep·15
9. Hook, Line, and Mermaid / 1984·Sep·22
10. Q*Historic Days / 1984·Sep·29
11. Q*Bert's Monster Mix-Up / 1984·Oct·06
12. Game Shoe Woe / 1984·Oct·13
13. The Wacky Q*Bot / 1984·Oct·20
14. Q*Beat It / 1984·Oct·27
15. Q*Urf's Up / 1984·Nov·03
16. Little Green Noser / 1984·Nov·10
17. Rebel Without a Q*Ause / 1984·Nov·17
18. Looking For Miss Q*Right / 1984·Nov·24
19. The Goofy Ghostgetters / 1984·Dec·01

Donkey Kong Jr.[link]

Donkey Kong Jr. (voiced by Frank Welker) is sad to find that his father is running away from Mario and the circus. He befriends a greaser nicknamed "Bones" (voiced by Bart Braverman) who has a motorcycle and offers to help Junior by finding his dad together. Donkey Kong Jr's catchphrase is "Monkey muscle!", which he tells to himself and Bones to inspire self-confidence. Bones often serves as the voice of reason when Donkey Kong Jr. bites off more than he can chew.

Episodes[link]

1. Trucknapper Caper / 1983·Sep·17
2. Sheep Rustle Hustle / 1983·Sep·24
3. Rocky Mountain Monkey Business / 1983·Oct·01
4. Magnificent 7-Year-Olds / 1983·Oct·08
5. The Ventriloquist Caper / 1983·Oct·15
6. The Great Seal Steal / 1983·Oct·22
7. The Jungle Boy Ploy / 1983·Oct·29
8. Junior Meets Kid Dynamo / 1983·Nov·05
9. Amazing Rollerskate Race / 1983·Nov·12
10. A Christmas Story / 1983·Nov·19
11. Gorilla Ghost / 1983·Nov·26
12. Teddy Bear Scare / 1983·Dec·03
13. Double or Nothing / 1983·Dec·10

Pitfall![link]

Pitfall Harry (voiced by Robert Ridgely), his niece Rhonda (voiced by Noelle North), and their cowardly pet Quick Claw the Mountain Lion (voiced by Kenneth Mars) explore jungles for hidden treasures, having many different adventures along the way. Quick Claw and Rhonda later appeared in Pitfall II: Lost Caverns.

Episodes[link]

1. Pitfall's Panda Puzzle / 1983·Sep·17
2. Amazon Jungle Bungle / 1983·Sep·24
3. Raiders of the Lost Shark / 1983·Oct·08
4. Tibetan Treasure Trouble / 1983·Oct·22
5. Masked Menace Mess / 1983·Nov·05
6. The Sabretooth Goof / 1983·Nov·19
7. The Pyramid Panic / 1983·Dec·03

Space Ace[link]

Space Ace (Jim Piper) is the always smiling self-confident champion of the "Space Command", whereas when always 'wimping out' to Dexter (Sparky Marcus) after being hit by the Infanto-Ray, he becomes clumsy and weak. With officer Kimberly (voiced by Nancy Cartwright), he works for Space Marshall Vaughn (voiced by Peter Renaday) to keep the peace in the universe. They fight the evil alien commander Borf (voiced by Arthur Burghardt) and keep him from invading Earth. Ace and Kim try to keep his 'wimping' situation secret and pretend that Dexter is Kim's little brother.

Again, as with Donkey Kong, Ruby Spears took artistic license; in the video game, Dexter had certain chances to revert to Ace, his full-grown self, whereas in the cartoon the Ace/Dexter phases seemed to happen on their own and at often inconvenient times for the hero.

It was aired late night on Cartoon Network in the late 1990s, and segments have been shown between programs on Boomerang.

Episodes[link]

1. Cute Groots / 1984·Sep·08
2. Cosmic Camp Catastrophe / 1984·Sep·15
3. Dangerous Decoy / 1984·Sep·22
4. Moon Missile Madness / 1984·Sep·29
5. Perilous Partners / 1984·Oct·06
6. Frozen in Fear / 1984·Oct·13
7. Age Ray Riot / 1984·Oct·20
8. Wanted: Dexter! / 1984·Oct·27
9. Phantom Shuttle / 1984·Nov·03
10. Spoiled Sports / 1984·Nov·10
11. Calamity Kimmie / 1984·Nov·17
12. Three-Ring Rampage / 1984·Nov·24
13. Infanto Fury / 1984·Dec·01

Kangaroo[link]

Joey Kangaroo (voiced by David Mendenhall), his mother Katy (voiced by Mea Martineau) and Sidney Squirrel (voiced by Marvin Kaplan) must stop Bingo, Bango, Bongo, and Fred; four meddlesome monkeys called the Monkeybiz Gang (voiced by both Pat Fraley and Frank Welker) from making trouble at the local zoo, usually by trying to escape.

Episodes[link]

1. Trunkfull of Trouble / 1984·Sep·08
2. Zoo for Hire / 1984·Sep·15
3. Bat's Incredible / 1984·Sep·22
4. The White Squirrel of Dover / 1984·Sep·29
5. The Birthday Party / 1984·Oct·06
6. Having a Ball / 1984·Oct·13
7. The Tail of the Cowardly Lion / 1984·Oct·20
8. It's Carnival Time / 1984·Oct·27
9. Lost and Found / 1984·Nov·03
10. Joey and the Beanstalk / 1984·Nov·10
11. Zoo's Who / 1984·Nov·17
12. The Egg and Us / 1984·Nov·24
13. The Runaway Panda / 1984·Dec·01

Cast[link]

• Soupy Sales - Donkey Kong
• Dick Beals - Q*Bit
• Billy Bowles - Q*Bert
• Bart Braverman - Bones
• Arthur Burghardt - Borf, Mr. Friendly
• Nancy Cartwright - Kimberly
• Peter Cullen - Mario
• Ted Field Sr. - Tex
• Pat Fraley - Bingo
• Marvin Kaplan - Shellshock "Shelly" Turtle, Sidney Squirrel
• Robbie Lee - Q*Tee, Q*Val
• Sparky Marcus - Dexter
• Kenneth Mars - Quick Claw the Mountain Lion
• Mea Martineau - Katy Kangaroo
• Julie McWhirter - Q*Bertha, Q*Mom, Viper
• David Mendenhall - Joey Kangaroo
• Noelle North - Rhonda
• Jim Piper - Space Ace
• Peter Renaday - Space Marshall Vaughn, Legrin
• Robert Ridgely - Pitfall Harry
• Bob Sarlatte - Frogger
• Judy Strangis - Pauline
• B.J. Ward - Fanny Frog
• Frank Welker - Bango, Bongo, Donkey Kong Jr., Coily, Fred, Q*Ball, Q*Dad, Q*Mongus, Sam, Slick, Ugg, Wrongway