The Atom Ant/Secret Squirrel Show
The Atom Ant/Secret Squirrel Show is an hour-long American Saturday morning cartoon produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions from 1965 to 1967 for NBC.
In 1965, the show aired as two independent half-hour programs. The Atom Ant Show featured the tiny superhero Atom Ant, with additional segments The Hillbilly Bears and Precious Pupp. The Secret Squirrel Show features the master spy Secret Squirrel, backed up with Squiddly Diddly and Winsome Witch. In the winter, the shows combine into an hour-long format, The Atom Ant/Secret Squirrel Show. For the series' final NBC run under the Atom Ant/Secret Squirrel title, the show was a half-hour long.
Voices
- Don Messick as Atom Ant, Ferocious Flea, Mr. Muto, Narrator, Precious Pupp, Shag Rugg
- Paul Frees as Morocco Mole, Double-Q, Yellow Pinkie, Hi-Spy, Claude Hopper, Squiddly Diddly
- Jean Vander Pyl as Maw Rugg, Floral Rugg, Winsome Witch
- Henry Corden as Paw Rugg
- Janet Waldo as Granny Sweet
- Howard Morris as Atom Ant, Muscles' Boss
- Mel Blanc as Secret Squirrel, Bowling Champion, Officer Smith
- John Stephenson as Narrator, Chief Winchley
- Allan Melvin as Muscles, Big Fats Dynamo, Professor Von Gimmick, Little Mousey, Ali Cat, The Toadstool, additional voices
- Ted Cassidy as Opening Announcer
Production
On September 12, 1965, the series had an hour-long primetime preview on NBC called The World of Secret Squirrel and Atom Ant or The World of Atom Ant and Secret Squirrel.The Hillbilly Bears cartoon segments repeated during the second season of The Banana Splits Adventure Hour, and all 52 Atom Ant and Secret Squirrel half-hour episodes were syndicated as part of The Banana Splits and Friends Show, an umbrella title for a package combining episodes of several different Hanna-Barbera series.
Segments
The program contains six segments:Atom Ant: A cartoon about a superheroic ant. When he flew, he uses his catchphrase "Up and at'em, Atom Ant!"The Hillbilly Bears: A situation comedy about the Rugg family of hillbilly bears consisting of Paw Rugg, Maw Rugg, Floral Rugg, and Shag Rugg.Precious Pupp: A cartoon about a dog and his elderly lady mistress Granny Sweet. He is characterized by a sneaky, wheezy laugh, making him a possible precursor to Muttley from 1968's Wacky Races and one of its two spin-offs, 1969's Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines.Secret Squirrel and Morocco Mole: The adventures of a secret agent squirrel and his trusty assistant Morocco Mole.Squiddly Diddly: A cartoon about a friendly anthropomorphic squid in his quest for stardom while trying to avoid being foiled by Chief Winchley.Winsome Witch: A cartoon about a friendly yet inept witch named Winsome W. Witch . Winnie's catchphrase when casting a spell is "Ippity - Pippity - Pow!".Characters
''Atom Ant''
Atom Ant''The Hillbilly Bears''
Paw RuggMaw Rugg
Floral Rugg
Shag Rugg
''Precious Pupp''
Precious PuppGranny Sweet
''Secret Squirrel and Morocco Mole''
Secret SquirrelMorocco Mole
''Squiddly Diddly''
Squiddly DiddlyChief Winchley