Super Friends (1973 TV series)

Super Friends
The opening title screen for the first Super Friends series
Also known as	'Super Friends I'
Genre	Animation Action Adventure Science fiction
Created by	E. Nelson Bridwell Carmine Infantino Julius Schwartz (consultants)
Written by	Jack Cole Gardner Fox Mort Weisinger
Directed by	Charles A. Nichols
Creative director(s)	Iwao Takamoto
Voices of	Sherry Alberoni Norman Alden Danny Dark Shannon Farnon Casey Kasem Ted Knight Olan Soule John Stephenson Frank Welker
Narrated by	Ted Knight
Theme music composer	Hoyt Curtin
Composer(s)	Hoyt Curtin Will Schaefer
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of episodes	16
Production
Executive producer(s)	William Hanna Joseph Barbera
Producer(s)	Iwao Takamoto
Running time	60 minutes (including commercials)
Production company(s)	Hanna-Barbera Productions National Periodical Publications
Distributor	Taft Broadcasting (original) Warner Bros. Television Distribution (current)
Release
Original network	ABC
Audio format	Mono
Original release	September 8 – December 22, 1973
Chronology
Followed by	The All-New Super Friends Hour

Superfriends is a 1973 animated series produced by Hanna-Barbera and National Periodical Publications. It is based on the Justice League comic books, and is the first incarnation of the Super Friends series.

Super Friends first aired on ABC on September 8, 1973, featuring the well known DC characters Superman, Batman and Robin, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman. Superman, Batman and Aquaman had each previously appeared in their own animated series produced by Filmation, and voice talent from these prior programs was brought over to work on the new show. Shortly before the Super Friends series was developed, Superman and Wonder Woman also guest-starred in two episodes of The Brady Kids, while Batman and Robin appeared in two episodes of The New Scooby-Doo Movies.

In addition to the superheroes, a trio of sidekicks was introduced, each of whom were new characters not drawn from the comic books: Wendy Harris (voiced by Sherri Alberoni), Marvin White (voiced by Frank Welker), and Wonderdog, none of whom had any special abilities (save Wonderdog’s unexplained ability to reason and “talk”). Wendy and Marvin were depicted as detectives and/or superheroes in training. These characters were a nod of sorts to the JLA's human friend Snapper Carr from the Justice League Of America comic book, who was meant to be a viewpoint character the readers could relate to.