Colouring Book Theatre: The Superfriends

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Today's colouring book is one I had as a kid, the Super Friends, yep, the "Wendy & Marvin" version of the show.

This isn't just a cover with stock art of the DC comics heroes, this book is completely faithful to the original series.

It's a non violent, positive message adventure from start to finish.

Whitman did an exceptional job with this one, the art mimicks Alex Toth's designs better than the DC comic adapataion ever did.

It's pretty obvious that Whitman was provided a lot of reference material from Hanna Barberra, I'll explain why down below.

It should be known that I got in a fight with a neighbourhood chum in 1977 when he decided to get liberal with his colour choices. Superman isn't yellow Michael C, where ever you are!

The story starts out rather innocently with the Superfriends working out in the park. You get pages like "walking is healthy" and shots of Marvin working out with dumbells. Then you get this scene of Robin getting grossed out by health food followed up by Wendy and Marvin hiding the health food in a bush (!)

This is a swipe of a classic Neal Adams drawing that made it onto a couple of Mego packages. After they work out, it's Superman's birthday, Supes gets a Fish from Aquaman and a Bat from Batman, I detect a theme....







The party takes a turn for the worse when the world is being invaded by the Sea Weed people, who capture Aquaman. The Sea Weed King is actually a villian from an old Galaxy Trio Cartoon, HB really dug deep for this guy. Eventually Aquaman escapes and the Superfriends find uses for their Sea Weed, which includes making crappy furniture, baskets and Wonder Woman makes a Salad.









I get it, the dynamic duo don't like to eat healthy. I imagine the Batmobile floors are just whopper wrappers and Big Gulp cups. The Seaweed King shows up and is shown all the junk that can be made from his "Weed" that he can now start selling at Flea Markets.



He thanks the "Surface People" (doesn't that **** off Aquaman?) and everything is alright in the end. Hooray!


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[The Toyroom]

OHMIGOD! Instant flashback! I had that book when I was a kid too and I most definitely remember that pic of Batman passing on the seaweed just like it was yesterday! Thanks for the memory re-charge Brian! Now I gotta find a copy of that book!

[HardyGirl]

Cool! That's my fave version of the SuperFriends. *ducks* Thanks for sharing Brian! Do you have The Partridge Family or Isis?

[PCofmisfittoys]

i bought some original drawings from a superfriends coloring book on ebay sometime ago and they had connect the dots invisible plane and a couple others. Wasn't sure if was from this one or an unproduced one. i guessi need to find that coloring book and look through it to see.

[toys2cool]

wow that looks pretty cool,I really like the Batman pics

[huedell]

Brian I HAD that coloring book! First time I've see it since!
Probably near THIRTY years ago.
Brilliant. Thanks!
Hugh

[Earth 2 Chris]

My favorite coloring book of all time. This was probably the first time I saw Wendy, Marvin, and Wonder Dog. I may have seen some of their SF episodes, but I was pretty much reared on the Wonder Twins until SF went into heavy syndiction in the 80s.

This has some of the best coloring book artwork ever. Whoever did this was more faithful to the Toth designs than SF animators EVER were.

Chris

[DocDrako]

OHMIGOD! Instant flashback! I had that book when I was a kid too and I most definitely remember that pic of Batman passing on the seaweed just like it was yesterday!...

That's so weird, me too! I haven't seen that picture for years!

[ShadowAvenger]

I had that Super Friends coloring book too

[mego73]

I had this book! We all had this book! Maybe there was a subliminal code within the book that made us all join the Mego Museum decades later.

[palitoy]

I had this book! We all had this book! Maybe there was a subliminal code within the book that made us all join the Mego Museum decades later.

You laugh, I'm beginning to think that. It's a conspiracy man!

[EmergencyIan]

Flashback for me, too! I had that very coloring book.

I really remember the cover and the picture of Aquaman shaking hands with one of the surface people, the most.


- Ian

[MIB41]

Holy cow! A memory I had lost! I had that book as well! Amazing. What a flash back!! Thanks for the pics. That really brings back the memories...

[filmation batman fan]

My favorite coloring book from childhood. I loved the look of the Alex Toth style drawings. What always bothered me was, this was the only coloring book of the SuperFriends ever made. I always wished there had been more of them, some with the Wonder Twins and it would have been awesome if there had been a coloring book based off Challenge of the SuperFriends. Other than this, the closest we got were coloring books in the 80's of the Super Powers featuring the artwork of Jose Garcia Lopez. I currently have 2 copies of the SuperFriends coloring book by Whitman.

Cheers.

[Megotu]

A connect the dot picture of the Invisible Jet in a coloring book...Wow, my left temporal lobe just exploded thinking about that...