Itty-Bitty And Simply Irresistible.

Before I move on to Hanna-Barbera's big guns of 1966, I thought I'd say something about The Space Kidettes.

I saw the little spacefarers for a brief moment during the network run, and learned the names rather quickly. At that time, I never saw the opening, and thought the show was called "The Space Cadets." Guess I needed a little spell check there.

Anyway, I always thought Static was an out-and-out bully, and Captain Skyhook was unusually compassionate for a villain. Sure, he captured the youngsters often, but he refused to hurt them physically, since he just wanted their treasure map. Static, on the other hand, invariably got pounded by his boss whenever he wanted to inflict some kind of harm.

There was a kitchen tool in our house that looked somewhat like Jenny's hatlike space helmet, so I often carried it around, saying, "This is what little Jenny wears on her head."

But then, the show was pulled from its timeslot, eventually paired with "Samson And Goliath," which I'll discuss in a later thread, and even "Go Go Gophers," which wasn't even produced by H-B! The reason being, it was owned by DFS, and General Mills, along with most Total Television Productions. This was known as the The Program Exchange.

After the show went away, I was convinced I'd never see it again. Then, on April 10, 1982, while staying at a Cape Cod motel, I turned on one of the Boston channels, and there they were! I was delighted to see the itty-bitty kids and Pupstar again. But that joy was short-lived, for more than a year later, when I permanently moved to Boston, it had been pulled once again. But since I own many H-B DVD's that I bought from the Warner Archives, there's no more sorrow for me, for that one is among the titles I own.

My only gripe is that the author of the sci-fi TV book I mentioned in my thread about "The Outer Limits" called the Space Kidettes teenagers. Can't believe he'd mistake kids young enough for kindergarten for teenagers!

Trivia Question 61: Although the Space Kiddettes never went trick-or-treating, there are two episodes that could pass for Halloween stories. Name them.

Answer: "Space Witch," and "Haunted Planet."

Or even the DVR. Technology's come a good long way.