Underdog, also known as The Underdog Show, is an American Saturday morning animated television series that ran from October 3, 1964, to March 4, 1967, starting on the NBC network until 1966, with the rest of the run on CBS, under the primary sponsorship of General Mills, for a run of 62 episodes. It is one of the early Saturday morning cartoons. The show went into syndication starting in 1969.
Underdog, Shoeshine Boy's heroic alter ego, appears whenever love interest Sweet Polly Purebred is being victimized by such villains as Simon Bar Sinister or Riff Raff. Underdog always speaks in rhyming couplets, as in "There's no need to fear, Underdog is here!" His voice was supplied by Wally Cox. When appearing as Shoeshine Boy, he described himself as "humble and lovable"; possibly a tongue-in-cheek reference to "mild-mannered reporter" Clark Kent from the opening narration of the Adventures of Superman television series.
History In 1959, handling the General Mills account as an account executive with the Dancer Fitzgerald Sample advertising agency in New York, W. Watts Biggers teamed with Chet Stover, Treadwell D. Covington, and artist Joe Harris in the creation of television cartoon shows to sell breakfast cereals for General Mills. The shows introduced such characters as King Leonardo, Tennessee Tuxedo, and Underdog. Biggers and Stover contributed both scripts and songs to the series. When Underdog became a success, Biggers and his partners left Dancer Fitzgerald Sample to form their own company, Total Television, with animation produced at Gamma Studios in Mexico. In 1969, Total Television folded when General Mills dropped out as the primary sponsor, but continued to retain the rights to the series until 1995 and TV distribution rights, through NBCUniversal Television Distribution, to the present day.
Abroad and in syndication The syndicated version of The Underdog Show consists of 62 half-hour episodes. The supporting segments differ from the show's original network run. The first 26 syndicated episodes feature Tennessee Tuxedo as a supporting segment (Tennessee Tuxedo originally aired as a separate show and also has its own syndicated adaptation). Thereafter, for most of the balance of the package, the middle segments include Go Go Gophers and Klondike Kat for three consecutive half-hours and Tennessee Tuxedo in the fourth. Commander McBragg is featured in the majority of episodes, replaced by three segments of The Sing-A-Long Family (in shows one-three, 28–30, and 55–57). The final two syndicated Underdog half-hours feature two one-shot cartoons that were originally part of an unsold pilot for a projected 1966 series, The Champion (Cauliflower Cabbie and Gene Hattree), with Commander McBragg appearing in show 61 and Go Go Gophers in show 62.
The syndicated series, as shown in the United States, is a potpourri of segments from previously aired versions of the show. Prior to a 1994 remaster, each episode included a "teaser" at the top of the show, asking viewers to stay tuned for a clip from "today's four-part story" (This originated from a 1969-1973 NBC Saturday morning rerun version of the show, though this bumper was also seen during CBS reruns in the preceding years.); however, outside of CBS-TV airings of the show, no more than two parts of the Underdog stories were ever shown in any half-hour program. There have also been different syndication packages bundled with both elements from Jay Ward's The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends, and The Most Important Person short films. Prints of such would either be followed by a closing and credits or no credits at all. The closing (which showed the first portion of a variation of the Underdog theme showing a giant terrorizing the city with George S. Irving, the series narrator, saying, "Looks like this is the end! But don't miss our next Underdog Show!" in place of the theme music) followed by the end credits (re-edited from the cast credits for Underdog and Tennessee Tuxedo), originated from a 1969 repackaged syndicated series, Cartoon Cut-Ups, which originally featured Underdog, Tennessee Tuxedo, and Commander McBragg. As the Underdog, Rocky and Bullwinkle, and The Most Important Person segments are all now separately owned by different entities, the syndicated prints are no longer in distribution.
Most stories were split into 4 parts, but the first three were stand-alone stories: "Safe Waif", the pilot, featured a rescue from a bank vault, but no villain. Underdog is shown causing major destruction while trying to help people. "March of the Monsters", the first appearance of Sweet Polly Purebred, has giant robots running amok. "Simon Says" is the first appearance of Simon Bar Sinister. "Simon says HOLD IT!" is the maniacal refrain, as Bar Sinister uses a weird camera to turn his victims into full-sized, two-dimensional photographs. "Tricky Trap by Tap Tap" is the epilogue to the multi-part story "From Hopeless to Helpless" featuring Riff Raff; this episode was created due to story arcs not airing in their proper order (parts 2 & 3 of a story arc were shown in one half-hour show, then part 4 of the previous arc and part 1 of the next arc in another half-hour show).
Reruns of the show aired on Nickelodeon from 1992 to 1994, Cartoon Network from 1996 to 1999, Boomerang from 2002 to 2007, and on MeTV Toons since 2024. However, during its broadcasting on Cartoon Network and Boomerang, two notable episodes, "The Molemen" and "A New Villain", were not included on the channels' schedule due to depicted dangerous elements subjected within the segments.
In 1995, Biggers, Stover, Covington, and Harris (with General Mills) negotiated a sale of their creations to Saturday Night Live producer Lorne Michaels' Broadway Video, who later sold the rights to Golden Books Family Entertainment in 1996. When Classic Media took over Golden Books in August 2001, it acquired the underlying rights to Underdog. In 2012, Classic Media was sold to DreamWorks Animation, and ultimately became the property of the series' current owners, Universal Television as a result of Comcast's acquisition of DreamWorks Animation in 2016. TV Guide ranked Underdog as number 23 on its "50 Greatest Cartoon Characters of All Time" list, IGN ranked it as number 74 on its Best 100 Animated Series list.
Characters
Episodes All episodes featured are broadcast copies syndicated by The Program Exchange, and do not represent what was originally broadcast on both NBC and CBS. Initially, episodes of Underdog featured episodes of Go Go Gophers, The Hunter (a segment of King Leonardo and His Short Subjects), and Aesop & Son (a segment of Jay Ward's The Bullwinkle Show); Klondike Kat was not included until the show moved to CBS in 1966, and Commander McBragg segments were not featured until it aired in syndication starting in 1969.
Episode #01 Underdog #1 (Episode 1: Safe Waif) (pilot cartoon; no on-screen title shown) Tennessee Tuxedo #2 (The Rain Makers) (902, 972) The Sing-A-Long Family #1 (Picnic) (Sing-A-Long Family cartoon titles are unofficial and do not appear on screen) (also appears in syndicated shows #328, 355) Underdog #2 (Episode 2: The March Of The Monsters)
Episode #02 Underdog #3 (Episode 3: Simon Says) Tennessee Tuxedo #4 (Telephone Terrors or Dial M For Mayhem) (904, 974) The Sing-A-Long Family #2 (Skating) (also appears in syndicated shows #329, 356) Underdog #32 (Episode 4: Tricky Trap By Tap Tap) (Note: Tricky Trap By Tap Tap is the epilogue of the four-episode serial From Hopeless To Helpless, which is featured later in the series in shows #315 and #316.)
Episode #03 Underdog #4 (Go Snow: Part 1) Tennessee Tuxedo #5 (Giant Clam) (not The Giant Clam Caper) (905, 975) The Sing-A-Long Family #3 (Fair) (also appears in syndicated shows #330, 357) Underdog #5 (Go Snow: Part 2)
Episode #04 Underdog #6 (Go Snow: Part 3) Tennessee Tuxedo #6 (Tick Tock) (906, 976) Commander McBragg #4 (The North Pole) Underdog #7 (Go Snow: Part 4)
Episode #05 Underdog #8 (Zot: Part 1) Tennessee Tuxedo #7 (Scuttled Sculptor) (907, 977) Commander McBragg #5 (Khyber Pass) Underdog #9 (Zot: Part 2)
Episode #06 Underdog #10 (Zot: Part 3) Tennessee Tuxedo #8 (Snap That Picture!) (908, 978) Commander McBragg #6 (Ace Of Aces) Underdog #11 (Zot: Part 4)
Episode #07 Underdog #12 (The Great Gold Robbery: Part 1) Tennessee Tuxedo #9 (Zoo's News) (909, 979) Commander McBragg #7 (Niagara Falls) Underdog #13 (The Great Gold Robbery: Part 2)
Episode #08 Underdog #14 (The Great Gold Robbery: Part 3) Tennessee Tuxedo #10 (Aztec Antics) (910, 980) Commander McBragg #8 (Dodge City Dodge) Underdog #15 (The Great Gold Robbery: Part 4)
Episode #09 Underdog #16 (Fearo: Part 1) Tennessee Tuxedo #11 (Coal Minors) (not Coat Minors) (911, 981) Commander McBragg #9 (Football By Tex Hex) Underdog #17 (Fearo: Part 2)
Episode #10 Underdog #18 (Fearo: Part 3) Tennessee Tuxedo #12 (Hot Air Heroes) (912, 982) Commander McBragg #10 (Rabelasia) Underdog #19 (Fearo: Part 4)
Episode #11 Underdog #20 (The Big Shrink: Part 1) (not Shrinking Water) Tennessee Tuxedo #13 (Irrigation Irritation) (913, 983) Commander McBragg #11 (Okefenokee Swamp) Underdog #21 (The Big Shrink: Part 2)
Episode #12 Underdog #22 (The Big Shrink: Part 3) Tennessee Tuxedo #14 (TV Testers) (914, 984) Commander McBragg #12 (The Flying Machine) Underdog #23 (The Big Shrink: Part 4)
Episode #13 Underdog #24 (The Bubbleheads: Part 1) Tennessee Tuxedo #15 (By The Plight Of The Moon) (915, 985) Commander McBragg #13 (The Giant Elephant) Underdog #25 (The Bubbleheads: Part 2)
Episode #14 Underdog #26 (The Bubbleheads: Part 3) Tennessee Tuxedo #17 (Bridge Builders) (917, 987) Commander McBragg #14 (The Great Bird) (not The Giant Bird) Underdog #27 (The Bubbleheads: Part 4)
Episode #15 Underdog #28 (From Hopeless To Helpless: Part 1) Tennessee Tuxedo #16 (Lever Levity) (916, 986) Commander McBragg #15 ("Chicago" Mobster) Underdog #29 (From Hopeless To Helpless: Part 2)
Episode #16 Underdog #30 (From Hopeless To Helpless: Part 3) Tennessee Tuxedo #18 (Howl, Howl, The Gang's All Here) (918, 988) Commander McBragg #16 (The Monster Bear) Underdog #31 (From Hopeless To Helpless: Part 4)
Episode #17 Underdog #33 (The Witch Of Pickyoon: Part 1) (not The Wicked Witch Of Pickyoon) Tennessee Tuxedo #19 (Sail Ho!) (not Sail On, Sail On) (919, 989) Commander McBragg #17 (The Kangaroo) Underdog #34 (The Witch Of Pickyoon: Part 2)
Episode #18 Underdog #35 (The Witch Of Pickyoon: Part 3) Tennessee Tuxedo #20 (Tell-Tale Telegraph) (920, 990) Commander McBragg #18 (The Giant Mosquito) Underdog #36 (The Witch Of Pickyoon: Part 4)
Episode #19 Underdog #37 (Weathering The Storm: Part 1) Tennessee Tuxedo #21 (Rocket Ruckus) (921, 991) Commander McBragg #19 (The Black Knight) Underdog #38 (Weathering The Storm: Part 2)
Episode #20 Underdog #39 (Weathering The Storm: Part 3) Tennessee Tuxedo #22 (All Steamed Up) (not Getting Steamed Up) (922, 992) Commander McBragg #20 (The Flying Pond) Underdog #40 (Weathering The Storm: Part 4)
Episode #21 Underdog #41 (The Gold Bricks: Part 1) Tennessee Tuxedo #23 (Tale Of A Tiger) (923, 993) Commander McBragg #21 (The Old Ninety-Two) Underdog #42 (The Gold Bricks: Part 2)
Episode #22 Underdog #43 (The Gold Bricks: Part 3) Tennessee Tuxedo #24 (Dog Daze) (Sequel to Tennessee Tuxedo #18/Howl, Howl, The Gang's All Here) (924, 994) Commander McBragg #22 (Our Man In Manhattan) (not Secret Agent In New York) Underdog #44 (The Gold Bricks: Part 4)
Episode #23 Underdog #45 (The Magnet Men: Part 1) Tennessee Tuxedo #25 (Brushing Off A Toothache) (925, 995) Commander McBragg #23 (Oyster Island) Underdog #46 (The Magnet Men: Part 2)
Episode #24 Underdog #47 (The Magnet Men: Part 3) Tennessee Tuxedo #26 (Funny Honey) (926, 996) Commander McBragg #24 (The Steam Car) Underdog #48 (The Magnet Men: Part 4)
Episode #25