Pandamonium (TV series)
Pandamonium is an American animated short-lived television series that aired on CBS.[1] It was the first non-Tom and Jerry-related animated television series made by MGM Television. It was one of the last Saturday morning cartoon series to be fitted with a laugh track. The show ended after 13 weeks.[2]
| Pandamonium | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Adventure Fantasy |
| Voices of | David Banks Rick Dees Alan Dinehart Walker Edmiston Katie Leigh Julie McWhirter Cliff Norton Neil Ross Janet Waldo Jesse White William Woodson |
| Theme music composer | Johnny Douglas |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of episodes | 13 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Fred Silverman David H. DePatie |
| Producer | Tony Benedict |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production companies | Marvel Productions InterMedia Entertainment Company MGM/UA Television |
| Distributor | MGM/UA Television |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBS |
| Original release | 18 September – 11 December 1982 |
Synopsis
When an evil alien named Mondraggor (voiced by William Woodson) attempted to steal an ancient object called the Pyramid of Power, the pyramid shattered into many pieces, which scattered around the world. Each week, Mondraggor would race against two human siblings, Peter and Peggy Darrow, who were accompanied by three talking pandas named Chesty, Timothy, and Algernon, who were irradiated by the Pyramid's magic. The three of them can unite to form Poppapanda, a being with supernatural power.[3]
In the air, Mondraggor possessed control over wind, fire, thunder and lightning. On Earth, however, all of his powers disappeared except for his ability to control people's minds, leading him to brainwash several people in his attempt to claim the pyramid pieces.
The series was canceled after one season before all of the pieces of the Pyramid of Power were successfully found by the human and panda team. However, they did manage to collect enough pieces by the end of the series to be able to take advantage of their power to a degree in times of need.
Episodes
| No. | Title | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Beginning" | September 18, 1982 | |
| Mondraggor tries to steal the Pyramid of Power, but it breaks into hundreds of small pieces, and lands in various locations all over Earth. Peter and Peggy Darrow track one to Tibet, where it ends up with three talking male pandas, Chesty, Timothy, and Algernon. Mondragorr finds the group, and threatens them with a storm. The pandas become Poppapanda, and repel the storm with supernatural power. Afterwards, the five embark on their global quest. | |||
| 2 | "Algernon's Story" | September 25, 1982 | |
| A tribe mistakes Algernon for a volcano god. | |||
| 3 | "Timothy's Story" | October 2, 1982 | |
| Timothy is challenged to a fight by the undefeated champion Nimbus. He also accidentally swallows a piece of the pyramid, which Mondraggor tries to remove surgically. | |||
| 4 | "The Itty-Bitty City" | October 9, 1982 | |
| The group encounters a city inhabited by tiny people. | |||
| 5 | "Chesty's Story" | October 16, 1982 | |
| Chesty becomes a movie star, and thinks he has power over the animals. Truth is, Mondraggor is the one controlling the beasts. | |||
| 6 | "Amanda Panda's Story" | October 23, 1982 | |
| The pandas are smitten with Amanda Panda, an inhabitant of the Sacred City. Complicating matters are her jealous boyfriend Pondor, and Mondraggor, who decides to use Amanda to lure the group into a trap. | |||
| 7 | "Ice Hassles" | October 30, 1982 | |
| Peter and Peggy are talked into impersonating a Prince and Princess who look just like them. | |||
| 8 | "Methinks the Sphinx Jinx Stinks" | November 6, 1982 | |
| The heroes find a piece of the Pyramid in Egypt, and help out an archaeologist and his daughter. | |||
| 9 | "Prehistoric Hysterics" | November 13, 1982 | |
| The team ends up in a prehistoric valley, where they contend with cavemen, dinosaurs, Mondraggor, and Chesty, who is now in Mondragorr's power. How can Timothy and Algernon convince Chesty to combine with them to form Poppapanda, and save the day? | |||
| 10 | "Once Upon a Time Machine" | November 20, 1982 | |
| A time machine plays a key role. | |||
| 11 | "The Cybernetic City" | November 27, 1982 | |
| Can the team outwit Mondraggor in the Cybernetic City? | |||
| 12 | "20,000 Laughs Beneath the Sea" | December 4, 1982 | |
| The group locates another Pyramid piece beneath the ocean. | |||
| 13 | "The Great Space Chase" | December 11, 1982 | |
|
Peter, Peggy, and the pandas trace another Pyramid piece to outer space. The pandas are unable to become Poppapanda, so Peter combines all the pieces that they have found into a pyramid. This proves to be enough to temporarily stop Mondraggor. Note: The series finale. | |||
References
- Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 444. ISBN 978-1538103739.
- Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. pp. 602–603. ISBN 978-1476665993.
- Hyatt, Wesley (1997). The Encyclopedia of Daytime Television. Watson-Guptill Publications. p. 333. ISBN 978-0823083152. Retrieved 19 March 2020.