The Impossibles (TV series)

The Impossibles was a series of animated cartoons produced by Hanna-Barbera in 1966 and broadcast on American television by CBS. The series of shorts (six minutes each) appeared as part of Frankenstein Jr. and The Impossibles.

Posing as a trio of young rock 'n roll musicians, The Impossibles were actually crime fighters, with super powers, dedicated to battling evil super-villains of all shapes and sizes. When performing for their adoring fans (usually star-struck, screaming teenyboppers), the lads would play their mod, futuristic-looking guitars atop an equally futuristic bandstand (emblazoned with their "Impossibles" logo on the side, a la Ringo Starr's drumkit) that could convert into a car (the "Impossi-Mobile"), or a jet (the "Impossi-Jet"), a speedboat, or even a submarine. Their standard catch cry when called into action was "Rally ho!"

Their humorous dialogue was typically peppered with puns. As with many Hanna-Barbera characters, The Impossibles were topical and inspired by the times, in this case resembling the rock 'n roll groups of the mid-Sixties.

Each member of The Impossibles had a specific and visual superpower:

Each episode usually began with the villain pulling off an improbable caper while The Impossibles were busy performing across town. The team is called into action by their chief "Big D" (voiced by Paul Frees) After a series of funny super powered forays, the Impossibles capture the villain and return to finish their concert.

The Impossibles faced many bizarre villains. All villains were defeated in a timely manner and justice was always served:

Some villains were made to serve a useful purpose and even went straight upon their capture:

An ad for the Saturday morning cartoon lineup in comic books of the time referred to "the Bubbler", "Bratfink", and "The Sponge".

The Impossibles episodes were written by Michael Maltese, who is known mostly for his work with director Chuck Jones.

A single issue of a Frankenstein Jr. and the Impossibles comic was released by Gold Key as a tie-in to the TV series, and the contents were reprinted in The Impossibles Annual in 1968. "The Impossibles" comic story was titled "The Impossibles vs. The Mirror-Man". A new text-based story, specially written for the annual was "The Impossibles Cure a Doctor", with the villainous Herr Doktor Adolf von Tischklautz. Big D is mistakenly called "Big B" in this story.

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