Richie Rich (1980 TV series)

Richie Rich is a Saturday morning animated series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and was broadcast on ABC from November 8, 1980, to September 1, 1984, based upon the Harvey Comics character of the same name.[1] The series shared time slots with Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo, The Little Rascals, Pac-Man and Monchhichis over its original four-year broadcast run.[2] 13 half-hours were produced, split into segments of 12, 7 and 4 minutes.[3]

Richie Rich
Richie Rich and Gloria, in a scene from Hanna-Barbera's Richie Rich series.
GenreAdventure
Based on
Richie Rich
by
Directed by
Voices of
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons4
No. of episodes41 (103 segments)
Production
Executive producers
Producers
  • Don Jurwich (1980–81)
  • Oscar Dufau (1982–84)
Production companies
Original release
Network
ReleaseNovember 8, 1980 (1980-11-08) –
September 1, 1984 (1984-09-01)

Many of the titles of segments were never revealed on air, but the titles were used in comic book issues then recently published at the time of production.

In 1988, the series was re-broadcast as part of the weekend/weekday programming block The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera.[3]

The series was also the voice acting debut for Nancy Cartwright who has since become better known as the voice of Bart Simpson.

Plot

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This show details the various adventures of Richie Rich, his family, and his friends.

Segments

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Richie Rich's adventures are sorted into different segments:

  • Richie Rich Riches – this segment deals with threats to the Rich family or more specifically Richie.
  • Richie Rich Treasure Chest – segments that revolve around Dollar and/or Cadbury.
  • Richie Rich Gems – short segments for humor like the Wing Dings of Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines. These segments were based on one-page comic book stories.
  • Richie Rich Zillion-Dollar Adventures – this segment deals with Richie Rich and his friends fighting master criminals, aliens, and other threats to the world. While Dr. Blemish appeared in one episode, some episodes have an exclusive villain called the Collector as a recurring enemy.

Adaptation changes

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The animated series took a number of liberties from the original comics:

  • Richie is depicted as slightly older, inconsistently voiced as a child between 10 and 14, and wears a red sweater with a large "R" on the front as well as long trousers. In the comics, he wears a black suit with a red bow tie and blue short pants.
  • Gloria is shown as the same age as Richie and wears a white long-sleeved a blouse, pantyhose, purple sweater or sweater vest and purple mini skirt. In the comics, she wore a bow in her hair and wore a white blouse with a short skirt supposedly made of tartan.
  • Dollar is more anthropomorphized with Walter Mitty-like fantasies. Dollar is similar to Scooby-Doo.
  • Irona the Robot Maid is given a greater presence in the series with additional duties as Richie's personal bodyguard as seen in the "Zillion Dollar Adventures" segments. To fulfill that role, Irona can convert her body into various alternative modes as necessary. For instance, the moment she receives a summons from Richie, she would change her body into a jet plane mode and immediately fly to the boy.

Broadcast history

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Richie Rich was originally broadcast in these following formats on ABC:

It later aired on CBS as reruns from January 11 to August 30, 1986, and then again from November 15 to December 27 the same year.

Episodes

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Season 1 – The Richie Rich/Scooby-Doo Show

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# Title/Plot Airdate
1
  • The Robotnappers
  • Treasure Chest
  • Piggy Bank Prank
  • Gems
  • Muscle Beach
November 8, 1980
2
  • The Rare Scare
  • Treasure Chest
  • Kitty Sitter
  • Gems
  • One of Our Aircraft Carriers is Missing
November 15, 1980
3
  • Silence is Golden
  • Treasure Chest
  • The Shocking Lady Strikes Again
  • Gems
  • Spring Cleaning
November 22, 1980
4
  • The Kangaroo Hop
  • Treasure Chest
  • Car Wash
  • Gems
  • The Blur
November 29, 1980
5
  • Irona Vs. Demona
  • Treasure Chest
  • Chef's Surprise
  • Gems
  • The Snow Bounders
December 6, 1980
6
  • The Abominable Snow Plan
  • Treasure Chest
  • Miss Robot America
  • Gems
  • Constructo
December 13, 1980
7
  • Counterfeit Dollar: A couple of thugs take Dollar away and one of them dresses as Dollar to get hold of Richie's fortune.
  • Treasure Chest: Gloria's Birthday
  • The Greatest Invention in the World: Professor Keanbean invents a machine to invent inventions, but Mr. Rich does not approve of the changes it makes.
  • Gems: Small Tour
  • Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Bug: During a restoration on Dollar's size, Professor Keanbean detects a coming robot alien bug invasion.
December 20, 1980
8
  • Poor Little Richbillies: In the midst of a family reunion attended by rich relatives, Richie visits his poorest relatives Alfalfy and Thistle who are hillbillies that are refusing to sell their land to greedy slickers.
  • Treasure Chest: Admirers
  • Chowhound: Dollar sneaks into the Poochie Yum-Yum's factory, but gets caught in the production line.
  • Gems: Lunchbag
  • Mystery Mountain: Richie, Dollar and Gloria travel to Mystery Mountain to investigate the disappearances of animals stolen by the evil circus owner Barnup Bullwhip.
December 27, 1980
9
  • Wiped Out
  • Treasure Chest
  • Welcome, Uncle Cautious
  • Gems
  • Disaster Master
January 3, 1981
10
  • TV Dollar
  • Treasure Chest
  • Disappearing Dignitaries
  • Gems
  • The Most Unforgettable Butler
January 10, 1981
11
  • Prankster Beware
  • Treasure Chest
  • Clothes Make the Butler
  • Gems
  • Phantom of the Movies
January 17, 1981
12
  • Cave Boy Richie
  • Treasure Chest
  • Young Irona
  • Gems
  • The Great Charity Train Robbery
January 24, 1981
13
  • Baseball Dollar
  • Treasure Chest
  • The Sinister Sports Spectacular
  • Gems
  • It's No Giggling Matter
January 31, 1981

Season 2 – The Richie Rich/Scooby-Doo Show

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# Title/Plot Airdate
14
  • Space Shark
  • Treasure Chest
  • The Chef's Watch Dog
  • Gems
  • Schoolhouse Romp
September 19, 1981
15
  • Richie of the Round Table
  • Treasure Chest
  • I Want My Mummy
  • Gems
  • Canine Cadet
September 26, 1981
16
  • Voodoo Island
  • Treasure Chest
  • Tooth is Stranger Than Friction
  • Gems
  • Butlering Made Easy
October 3, 1981
17
  • A Special Talent
  • Treasure Chest
  • Villains Incorporated
  • Gems
  • Bye-Bye Baby
October 10, 1981
18
  • Rich Mice
  • Treasure Chest
  • King Bee
  • Gems
  • Chilly Dog
October 17, 1981
19
  • Money Talks
  • Treasure Chest
  • Mischief Movie
  • Gems
  • An Ordinary Day
October 24, 1981
20
  • Dog Gone
  • Treasure Chest
  • Carnival Man
  • Gems
  • The Day the Estate Stood Still
October 31, 1981
21
  • Around the World on Eighty Cents
  • Treasure Chest
  • No Substitute for a Watch Dog
  • Gems
  • Robot Robber
November 7, 1981

Season 3 – The Pac-Man/Little Rascals/Richie Rich Show

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# Title/Plot Airdate
22
  • Born Flea
  • How Human
September 25, 1982
23
  • The Collector
  • Money Plant
24
  • The Midas Touch
  • Ball Room
October 2, 1982
25
  • Genie With the Light Brown Hair
  • Dignified Doggy
26
  • Coin Flipper
  • Mayda Munny
October 9, 1982
27
  • Busy Butler
  • The Haunting of Castle Rich: Richie, Dollar, and Gloria visit Castle Rich where they encounter the ghosts of Richie's descendants who were cursed to haunt their castle by one of the villages when they have been framed for the loss of the bank books by Cyrus Grudge. Now Richie and Gloria must find a way to break the curse by contending with Cyrus Grudge IV and his henchmen.
28
  • Shoe Biz
  • Sugar Bowl
October 16, 1982
29
  • Suavo
  • The Giant Ape Caper
30
  • Richie Goes to Shirik
  • The Pie-Eyed Piper
October 23, 1982
31
  • Guard Dog
  • Giant Pearl
32
  • The Youth Maker
  • Robot Bug Guards
October 30, 1982
33
  • I Say You All
  • Boy of the Year
34
  • Dollar's Exercise
  • Richie's Cube
November 6, 1982
35
  • The Maltese Monkey
  • Everybody's Doing It
36
  • Hard to Study
  • Gold Frame
November 13, 1982
37
  • Look Alike
  • Sky Hook

Season 4 – The Monchhichis/Little Rascals/Richie Rich Show

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  • Only Zillion-Dollar Adventures were produced for this season.
# Title/Plot Airdate
38
  • Richie Hood
  • The T.V. Phantom
September 17, 1983
39
  • A Whale of a Tale
  • Rich No More
September 24, 1983
40
  • The Ends of the Earth
  • The Snowman Cometh
October 1, 1983
41
  • The Irona Story
  • Mayda and the Monster
October 8, 1983
42
  • Video World

Cast

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The voice cast included:[4]

Home media

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On May 20, 2008, Warner Home Video released The Richie Rich/Scooby-Doo Show: Volume 1 on DVD in Region 1.

DVD name No. of episodes Release date
The Richie Rich/Scooby-Doo Show: Volume 1 7 May 20, 2008
October 3, 2017 (re-release)

References

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  1. ^ Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 503–504. ISBN 978-1538103739.
  2. ^ Woolery, George W. (1983). Children's Television: The First Thirty-Five Years, 1946-1981, Part 1: Animated Cartoon Series. Scarecrow Press. pp. 236–237. ISBN 0-8108-1557-5. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  3. ^ a b Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. pp. 665–666. ISBN 978-1476665993.
  4. ^ Hyatt, Wesley (1997). The Encyclopedia of Daytime Television. Watson-Guptill Publications. ISBN 978-0823083152. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
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