The Wacky Races was a big success when it started. Produced by
Hanna-Barbera, it spawned two spin-offs the following year, and a flood
of merchandise hit toy shelves.
The plot was simple: 11 outlandish
characters raced each other around the globe to become ‘The Worlds
Wackiest Racer’. One of them, the evil Dick Dastardly, with his
companion, Muttley, would go to any length to win the race by cheating
with the most ridiculous schemes imaginable. He of course, never won.
Luke and Blubber Bear were the race’s very own Hillbillies. Don’t be fooled by the rusty old boiler as the Chug-A-Bug can keep up with the best of ’em. Luke is as laid back as they come, in stark contrast to the nervous, jittery Blubber. The Wacky Races ran for 2 seasons, 1968/69 and 1969/70. Luke and Blubber Bear won 2 out of the 18 races in the first season and 2 out of 16 races in the second. That tied them for the title ‘Worlds Wackiest Racer’ with Penelope Pitstop, the Anthill Mob and Peter Perfect, all with four wins.
The show seems to have been inspired by the 1966 film, ‘The Great Race’, starring Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon and Natalie Wood.
We’ve got some animation-cells of Luke, Blubber Bear and The Arkansas Chugabug here.
The cars
There were eleven cars competing in the Wacky Races.
| # | car | characters |
|---|---|---|
| #0 | The Mean Machine | Dick Dastardly & Muttley |
| #1 | The Bouldermachine | The Slagg Brothers (Rock & Gravel) |
| #2 | The Creepy Coupe | The Gruesome Twosome (Big Gruesome & Little Gruesome) |
| #3 | The Convert-A-Car | Prof. Pat Pending |
| #4 | The Crimson Haybailer | The Red Max |
| #5 | The Compact Pussycat | Penelope Pitstop |
| #6 | The Army Surplus Special | The General, Sarge & Pvt. Pinkley |
| #7 | The Bulletproof Bomb | The Anthill Mob (Clyde, Dum Dum, Zippy, Pocket, Snoozy, Softy & Yak Yak) |
| #8 | The Arkansas Chugabug | Luke & Blubber Bear |
| #9 | The Turbo Terrific | Peter Perfect |
| #10 | The Buzzwagon | Rufus Ruffcut & Sawtooth |
Voices of The Wacky Races
| character | voice |
|---|---|
| Narrator | Dave Willock |
| Dick Dastardly, Clyde | Paul Winchell |
| Penelope Pitstop | Janet Waldo |
| Red Max, Rufus Ruffcut, Peter Perfect, Big Gruesome, Rock Slagg, The General, Sarge | Daws Butler |
| Luke, Blubber Bear | John Stephenson |
| Muttley, Gravel Slagg, Little Gruesome, Prof. Pat Pending | Don Messick |
| Ant Hill Mob | Mel Blanc |
