The Biskitts is an animated cartoon TV series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions from 1983 to 1984 and aired on CBS. The series lasted for only one season; Shirt Tales replaced the show in its time slot on the following 1984/85 Saturday morning season. The Biskitts returned to that same time slot in March 1985, but only aired reruns in the remainder of that season.
After the series' retirement from CBS, like many other cartoons, it was acquired by the Armed Forces Network and shown throughout much of the 1980s, mainly as entertainment for children of deployed American servicemen in Asia and Europe.
Plot
The Biskitts are a group of tiny anthropomorphic dogs who live on Biskitt Island and are committed to guarding the crown jewels of Biskitt Castle. Modeled after Robin Hood, the Biskitts still serve their recently deceased king while performing good deeds for the underprivileged inhabitants of their tiny island. It is explained in the opening narration that due to their good reputation for responsibility and security, other kings have entrusted their treasures to be safeguarded by the Biskitts.
The villain of the series is King John's mean-spirited, wasteful younger brother, King Max, who rules the neighboring Lower Suburbia. In lieu of a proper coronation, Max constantly schemes to steal the royal treasure with the help of his two hench-hounds, Fang and Snarl, and his jester, Shecky. The Biskitts are also in danger of being captured and eaten by a large wildcat named Scratch.
Characters
- Waggs (voiced by Darryl Hickman) - Waggs is the leader of the Biskitt. He is Sweets' boyfriend.
- Sweets (voiced by Kathleen Helppie) – Sweets is a kind, brave Biskitt. She is Waggs' girlfriend.
- Shiner (voiced by Jerry Houser) – Shiner is lazy and selfish. He tries to charm Sweets, Lady and Wiggle.
- Lady (voiced by B. J. Ward) – Lady is a pretty Biskitt. She is friends with Sweets and Wiggle.
- Bump (voiced by Bob Holt) – Bump is the strongest of the Biskitts. He protects his friends.
- Downer (voiced by Henry Gibson) – Downer is the cowardly, pessimistic Biskitt who is friends with Shiner.
- Wiggle (voiced by Jennifer Darling) – Wiggle is one of the girl Biskitts. She has a crush on Waggs. She is friends with Sweets and Lady.
- Spinner (voiced by Bob Holt) – Spinner is the oldest and wisest Biskitt. He provides information.
- Scat (voiced by Dick Beals) – Scat is a young Biskitt. He is playful and brave.
- Mooch (voiced by Marshall Efron) – Mooch is a fat Biskitt who is always hungry.
- King Max (voiced by Kenneth Mars) – The evil, mean-spirited, and wasteful King who rules the neighboring Lower Suburbia who serves as the primary villain of the series. He is the younger brother of the previous king. Why Max is not crowned the new ruler of the Biskitts is never explained (although it is presumed that the old king barred Max from succeeding him on account of Max's mean nature). He tries hard to go the Biskitts Castle to steal the royal treasure.
- Shecky (voiced by Kip King) – Shecky is King Max’s sidekick and court jester. Although Shecky was rather dimwitted and not always loyal to Max, as he even made friends with a Biskitt who shared his love of practical jokes.
- Fang and Snarl (vocal effects provided by Kenneth Mars and Peter Cullen) - Fang and Snarl are King Max's hounds.
- Moat Monster (vocal effects provided by Frank Welker) - A serpentine monster that lives in the moat surrounding King Max's castle.
- Scratch (voiced by Peter Cullen) – Scratch is a wildcat who is always trying to catch the Biskitts. In "Belling the Wildcat", he is shown to have a cousin named Itch.
- Rover (voiced by Peter Cullen) a dashing, yet sly rogue Biskitt. Appeared in only one episode/
- Flip - A laid-back Biskitt.
- Fetch (voiced by Kenneth Mars) - A silly-looking Biskitt.
- The Whiskers - A group of cats, appearing only in "Raiders of The Lost Bark".
- Mouser – Leader of Whiskers, who befriends Sweets.
- Pendora – A female cat.
- Boots – A lazy cat who is always sleeping.
- Scaredy Cat – A cowardly cat.
- Mink – A pretty cat who has a crush on Scat, after he saves her from Scratch.
- Jinks – A cat with a bad luck.
- Tiger – A tough cat with an eye patch.
Episode list
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| Episode Number | Episode Title | Synopsis |
|---|---|---|
| 1A | As The Worm Turns | Sweets befriends a worm. |
| 1B | Trouble in the Tunnel | Shiner gives Scat a reward for cleaning treasure. A mole comes to Biskitt Island and gets a ring stuck on its nose. Scat follows the mole. Can Scat save the day and stop King Max? |
| 2A | The Moonpond | Shiner teaches Downer to be brave. |
| 2B | Fly Me to the Goon | Bump lands on King Max's castle. Waggs, Sweets, Scat and Shiner must save him. |
| 3A | Spinner's Surprise | The Biskitts celebrate Spinner's birthday, |
| 3B | Two Leagues Under the Pond | King Max and Shecky use a submarine resembling a crocodile to get King John’s treasure on Biskitt Island. |
| 4A | Dogfoot | Downer is sick and the Biskitts meet Dogfoot. |
| 4B | Up to His Old Tricks | King Max uses the Trick Book to get treasure. Sweets and Downer are on the treasure box. Waggs and other Biskitts must get the treasure back and save Sweets and Downer. |
| 5A | Turnaround Hound | One of King Max’s dogs, Snarl, gets hurt and Biskitts take care of him. Shiner helps Snarl to get better. |
| 5B | A Dark and Stormy Knight | A Black Knight appears for the Biskitts' treasure, and he kidnaps Scat. The Biskitts and King Max have to work together. |
| 6A | Belling the Wildcat | The Biskitts plot to bell Scratch to keep him from sneaking up on them. Meanwhile, Scratch is visited by his cousin Itch. |
| 6B | King Max's War | King Otto and his knights arrive in Biskitt Swamp in order to claim King Max's treasure even though he doesn't have any. To keep their swamp from being burned down, the Biskitts end up arranging a duel between King Max and King Otto. |
| 7A | Moving Day | Using the rainy weather to their advantage, King Max and Shecky search for the Biskitts and do a sneak attack on them. |
| 7B | A Biskitt Halloween | On Halloween, a witch whom the Biskitts had outsmarted years ago returns to obtain two Biskitts in order to stay on Biskitt Island. Her spell ends up draining the life out of the swamp which also turns Scratch, King Max, and Shecky to stone. She kidnaps Waggs and Sweets; can the other Biskitts save them before it's too late? |
| 8A | Around the Swamp in a Daze | King Max and Shecky use a balloon to find the Biskitt Island. |
| 8B | Rogue Biskitt | A Biskitt named Rover wants to join Scat on his journey. |
| 9A | The Golden Biskitt | Lady is turned into a golden statue by a wizard’s apprentice. |
| 9B | The Bone in the Stone | When Waggs's leg is hurt, Sweets becomes the leader for the other Biskitts as they try to get the treasure back from the dragon. |
| 10A | The Trojan Biskitt | King Max plots to give Biskitts a statue of a Biskitt, so he can get the treasures. |
| 10B | Snatched from Scratch | Shiner gets kidnapped by Scratch and King Max. Can the Biskitts save their selfish friend? |
| 11A | The Biskitt Who Cried Wolf | Wiggle tries to impress Waggs, on whom she has a crush. King Max uses an eagle to capture the Biskitts; can Wiggle save them? |
| 11B | Shecky's Last Laugh | Bump befriends Shecky. |
| 12A | Raiders of the Lost Bark | Sweets meets a group of cats known as the Whiskers. |
| 12B | The Princess and the Plea | Princess Biskitt is kidnapped by King Max. The male Biskitts try to save her, while Sweets, Wiggle and Lady must show the boys that girls are better. |
| 13A | The Swamp Monster | Scat try to be brave. |
| 13B | May the Best Biskitt Win | Shiner challenges Waggs to an election for leader of the Biskitts. |
Voice cast
- Dick Beals - Scat
- Peter Cullen - Dogfoot, Snarl, Scratch
- Jennifer Darling - Wiggle
- Marshall Efron - Mooch
- Henry Gibson - Downer
- Kathleen Helppie - Sweets
- Darryl Hickman - Waggs
- Bob Holt - Bump, Flip, Spinner
- Jerry Houser - Shiner
- Kip King - Shecky
- Kenneth Mars - Fetch, King Max, Fang
- Mark L. Taylor - supporting voices
- B. J. Ward - Lady
- Frank Welker - Itch, Moat Monster (uncredited)
DVD releases
One episode of The Biskitts was included on Saturday Morning Cartoons: 1980s - Volume 1, released on May 4, 2010.
On January 22, 2018, Warner Archive announced a manufacture-on-demand Region 1 DVD release of The Biskitts: The Complete Series. The release is scheduled for February 20, 2018.
External links
- The Biskitts at the Big Cartoon Database