Deserting Dogpatch.

Of all the Hanna-Barbera cartoons that premiered in 1979, the only one I gave a five-star rating was "The New Shmoo."

Yes, it followed the "Scooby" format like so many others. But it held my interest as Shmoo, Mickey, Nita, and Billy Joe traveled to different towns and islands to observe and expose phony ghosts, monsters, and aliens. Some adventures took place right there in their hometown, which obviously wasn't Dogpatch. But Billy Joe, with his southern accent, sounded like he left L'il Abner territory, and took Shmoo with him.

This show would alternate between two short episodes, and one full half-hour one. The short ones had the gang meeting a female psychic who predicted crimes in advance, a mystical pyramid that restored youth, and a robot whose efforts to repair damage during a storm were mistaken for brutal attacks. The half-hour ones had Shmoo and company investigating sightings of mythical creatures on an island, visiting an underwater city that was probably Atlantis, and even going to Transylvania for an encounter with Dracula himself! Always, Shmoo's shape-shifting skills saved the day.

The show also had a segment called "Sing Along With Shmoo." This had the cast singing classic kiddie songs like "John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt," "Down By The Station," and "The Old Gray Mare." I sort of liked these, despite the fact that I was 18 by then.

H-B must have decided that the original Shmoo's abilities to mass produce eggs and milk would have been out of place in an animated series. But I didn't mind one bit. I continued to follow it when it became part of "Fred And Barney Meet The Thing," and it was retitled "Fred And Barney Meet The Shmoo."

But that was a foreshadowing of things to come, for a year later, Shmoo really did meet Fred and Barney when he was featured in "The Bedrock Cops" segment of "The Flintstones' Comedy Hour." I did see a couple of these episodes, but they couldn't hold a candle to those from the previous year. I kept thinking, " Put him back with Mickey, Nita, Billy Joe, and Mighty Mysteries Comics! Please!"

Sadly, by coincidence, Al Capp died the same year Shmoo became a cartoon character. So perhaps all this was an intentional tribute. I wish this one would come out on DVD. There's just one full episode on YouTube, and that just isn't enough for me.

Trivia Question 39: In the episode "Swamp Of Evil," what unusual physical trait did the swamp animals have?

Answer: They had two heads.