Shirt Tales is a Saturday morning cartoon series produced in the 1980s by Hanna-Barbera, based on a series of greeting cards by Hallmark.
Overview
The Shirt Tales are a group of animals who wear shirts that show expressions or words, but they don't wear pants, they live in a hollow tree and, unknown to their human guardian, they are crime fighters. They were Rick Raccoon, Tyg Tiger, Pammy Panda, Digger Mole, Bogey Orangutan and, in the second season, Kip Kangaroo. Other minor Shirt Tales included Buck Beaver, Cubby Bear, Violette Skunk, Prairie Dog Pete, Filmore Coyote, and Whoozit Owl. Still others, such as T. J. Tiger, Sparky the dragon, and Jungle Jones' pet parrot, became honorary Shirt Tales.
The Shirt Tales gang.
The Season 1 intro had theme music that sounded traditional to Hanna-Barbera, while Season 2's opening included lyrics and had more of a disco sound.
Voice Cast
- Nancy Cartwright as Kip Kangaroo (second season only)
- Bob Ogle as Digger Mole
- Patricia Parris as Pammy Panda
- Steve Schatzberg as Tyg Tiger
- Ronnie Schell as Rick Raccoon
- Fred Travalena as Bogey Orangutan
- Herb Vigran as Mr. Dinkel
- Sparky Marcus as T.J. Tiger
Episodes
Season 1
| Ep. # | Airdate | First segment | Second segment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18 September 1982 | "The Case of the Golden Armor" | "Crumpling's Circus Caper" |
| 2 | 25 September 1982 | "The Game Masters" | "Shirt Napped" |
| 3 | 2 October 1982 | "The Big Foot Incident" | "Elephant on the Loose" |
| 4 | 9 October 1982 | "Horsin' Around" | "Mission Mutt" |
| 5 | 16 October 1982 | "Vacation for Dinkel" | "Wingman" |
| 6 | 23 October 1982 | "The Humboldt Ghost" | "Figby, the Spoiled Brat Cat" |
| 7 | 30 October 1982 | "Digger Runs Away" | "The Commissioner is Missing" |
| 8 | 6 November 1982 | "Raiders of the Lost Shark" | "The Terrible Termites" |
| 9 | 13 November 1982 | "Moving Time" | "Back to Nature" |
| 10 | 20 November 1982 | "Save the Park" | "Pam-dora's Box" |
| 11 | 27 November 1982 | "Hapless Hound" | "The Very Buried Treasure" |
| 12 | 4 December 1982 | "Nearsighted Bear" | "The Magical Musical Caper" |
| 13 | 11 December 1982 | "Dinkel's Ark" | "The Duke of Dinkel" |
Season 2
| Ep. # | Airdate | First segment | Second segment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17 September 1983 | "Bogey Goes Ape" | "The Rain, the Park and the Robot" |
| 2 | 24 September 1983 | "Digger's Three Wishes" | "Digger's Double" |
| 3 | 1 October 1983 | "Kip's Dragon" | "Double Exposure" |
| 4 | 8 October 1983 | "Taj Mahal Tyg" | "Brass Bogey" |
| 5 | 15 October 1983 | "The Outer Space Connection" | "The Forbidden Island" |
| 6 | 22 October 1983 | "Saturday Night Shirt Tales" | "Dinkel's Buddy" |
| 7 | 29 October 1983 | "Pleasure Valley" | "The Ghost Out West" |
| 8 | 5 November 1983 | "T.J.'s Visit" | "The Big Set-up" |
| 9 | 12 November 1983 | "Kip's Toy Caper" | "Dinkel's Gift" |
| 10 | 19 November 1983 (finale) |
"Mayhem on the Orient Express" | "The Cuckoo Count Caper" |
Rebroadcasts
After the initial run ended on NBC 8 September 1984, select episodes were rerun on CBS early in 1985, replacing The Biskitts. Reruns were pulled from the CBS airwaves - and broadcast television - since 23 March 1985, and was replaced by the return of The Biskitts, which continued being reran until 7 September 1985.
Reruns later aired as part of the Cartoon Express block on USA Network, and was later rerun on Cartoon Network. The series continues to be rebroadcast in other select countries, including foreign versions of Boomerang.
Home Video Releases
The series was released on VHS by Worldvision Home Video and Kids Klassics in 1986. The VHS release featured the first full episode from the second season and the first segment of another episode from the same season.
On 16 September 2014, Warner Archive released Shirt Tales: The Complete Series on Region 1 DVD.
External Links
- Shirt Tales at the Big Cartoon Database
