Challenge of the SuperFriends

Series Summary
Episode Length of the new SUPER FRIENDS: 30 minutes

Episode Length of THE CHALLENGE OF THE SUPER FRIENDS: 30 minutes

The year 1978 was a great year for the Super Friends if not the best year. SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE was a smash hit at the box office and the live action WONDER WOMAN TV show with Lynda Carter was airing its third and final season on CBS Friday nights. And there were toys and merchandise galore of not only Superman and Wonder Woman, but also Batman, Robin, Aquaman and Shazam. That year, Hanna-Barbera animated what is considered among fans to be the all time best version of the Super Friends ever.

1st Incarnation / Segment
In addition to making the 16 episode Challenge of the Super Friends series, Hanna-Barbera also animated 16 episodes featuring the established core group of the Super Friends to run alongside the Challenge episodes. The core group of this new SuperFriends series were the original five heroes who made up the team and their Exxorian trainees, Zan and Jayna and their monkey Gleek. These episodes actually aired first before the Challenge episodes to serve as a warm up to the headliner. This new SuperFriends series is unlike the episodes from the previous series in 1977. It is less interested in delivering a moral message like the 2 previous series. It is more cosmic and sci-fi minded, journeying into space to battle villains on other worlds as well as on Earth. Plus, there are plenty of mutations and mind control for our heroes to endure and deal with in this season. It would appear that some of these episodes may have taken cues from Star Wars and SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE.

In Syndication, these episodes were shown using the opening credits of The All-New Super Friends Hour along with the close from the Challenge series. Therefore, it is often mistakenly believed that it was not part of this season.

2nd Incarnation / Segment
Challenge of the Super Friends was a 16 episode series that came the closest to the comic books. Not only did Challenge have the Justice League of America, it was the first official Super Friends series to feature DC Super Villains from the comics. And this series had 13 of them together as an alliance called the Legion of Doom. Superman foes like Lex Luthor, Brainiac, Toyman, and Bizarro, and Batman foes like the Riddler and Scarecrow. The Legion of Doom dwelled in a murky swamp and launched their attacks for global conquest from a sinister looking, swamp-based, mechanical, flying headquarters, called the Hall of Doom (which resembled Darth Vader’s helmet) as a suitable contrast with the Super Friends' gleaming Hall of Justice. Every week, the Legion schemed to either get rid of or destroy the Super Friends so they can conquer the world. The Super Friends themselves consisted of 11 Justice League heroes. No teen tagalongs or pet comic reliefs in this show (as did the previose versions of the Super Friends and this shows running-companion, the new SuperFriends).

The show also featured the newly invented multicultural heroes, from The All-New Super Friends Hour, like Apache Chief, Samurai, Black Vulcan and El Dorado.

This hour became so popular, that an extra 30 minutes of reruns from The All-New Super Friends Hour was added in 1979 extending the show to 90 minutes.

The other networks served up some Super Hero competition. NBC offered up the Godzilla Power Hour and Jana of the Jungle and Marvel Comics first family was back on with the New Fantastic Four by DePatie Freleng while over at CBS, Filmation served up Tarzan and the Super 7, a 2 hour variety show consisting of 6 cartoons and one live show. One of the features was the 1977 Batman cartoons still in reruns for all the Batman fans. But Challenge of the SuperFriends still ruled the airwaves despite these competitive shows.

Intro and Cast
thumb|300px|right|Intro to the 'Challenge of the Superfriends'
 * Narrator – voiced by William Woodson (1977-1978)

Super Friends Cast

 * Superman – voiced by Danny Dark (1978)
 * Batman – voiced by Olan Soule (1978)
 * Robin – voiced by Casey Kasem (1978)
 * Aquaman – voiced by Bill Calloway (1978)
 * Wonder Woman – voiced by Shannon Farnon (1978)
 * Hawkman – voiced by Jack Angel (1978)
 * Green Lantern – voiced by Michael Rye (1978)
 * Black Vulcan – voiced by Buster Jones (1978)
 * Samurai - voiced by Jack Angel (1978)
 * Apache Chief - voiced by Michael Rye (1978)

Legion of Doom Cast

 * Lex Luthor – voiced by Stan Jones (1978)
 * Brainiac - voiced by Ted Cassidy (1978)
 * Black Manta – voiced by Ted Cassidy (1978)
 * Sinestro – voiced by Vic Perrin (1978)
 * Cheetah – voiced by Marlene Aragon (1978)
 * Gorilla Grodd – voiced by Stanley Ralph Ross (1978)
 * Captain Cold – voiced by Dick Ryal (1978)
 * Scarecrow – voiced by Don Messick (1978)
 * Toyman – voiced by Frank Welker (1978)
 * Solomon Grundy – voiced by Jimmy Weldon (1978)
 * The Riddler – voiced by Michael Bell (1978)
 * Giganta – voiced by Ruth Forman (1978)
 * Bizarro - voiced by Bill Calloway (1978)

DVD / Media info
This DVD series is available through Amazon – The Challenge of the Super Friends, Volumes 1-2 (DVD - 2005).
 * Volume One are episodes from The Challenge of the SuperFriends
 * Volume Two are episodes from the new Superfriends

Episodes from The Challenge of the SuperFriends:

 * 1) Wanted: The Superfriends
 * 2) Invasion of the Fearians
 * 3) The World's Deadliest Game
 * 4) The Time Trap
 * 5) Trial of the Superfriends
 * 6) Monolith of Evil
 * 7) The Giants of Doom
 * 8) Secret Origins of the Superfriends
 * 9) Revenge on Gorilla City
 * 10) Swamp of the Living Dead
 * 11) Conquerors of the Future
 * 12) The Final Challenge
 * 13) Fairy Tale of Doom
 * 14) Doomsday
 * 15) Superfriends: Rest in Peace
 * 16) History of Doom

Episodes from the new Superfriends:
There was also a segment during this season in which the story focus was not on the Legion of Doom, and instead, the main five members of the SuperFriends and the Wonder Twins were spotlighted.


 * 1) The Demons of Exxor
 * 2) Rokan: Enemy from Space
 * 3) Battle at the Earth's Core
 * 4) Sinbad and the Space Pirates
 * 5) The Pied Piper from Space
 * 6) Attack of the Vampire
 * 7) The Beasts are Coming
 * 8) Terror from the Phantom Zone
 * 9) The Anti-Matter Monster
 * 10) World Beneath the Ice
 * 11) Invasion of the Brain Creatures
 * 12) The Incredible Space Circus
 * 13) Batman: Dead or Alive
 * 14) Battle of the Gods
 * 15) Journey Through Inner Space
 * 16) The Rise and Fall of the Superfriends