‘Wheelie and the Chopper Bunch’ title card, 1974

Happy Funshine Friday! Here’s a cartoon that was a childhood favorite of mine. Hanna-Barbera’s Wheelie and the Chopper Bunch originally ran Saturday mornings on NBC from September, 1974 to August, 1975. 13 lucky episodes were produced.

Wheelie with Fishtail and Captain Tough

The show centered on a pair of anthropomorphic vehicles; a VW Beetle named Wheelie and his girlfriend, Rota Ree. Wheelie, a stunt and racing car, communicated by honking and flashing symbols across his windshield. He also had a pair of magical, mechanical hands which could produce a wide variety of helpful devices from his trunk. Wheelie and Rota Ree were at constant odds with The Chopper Bunch, a dastardly gang of motorcycles made up of Chopper, Revs, Hi-Riser and Scrambles.

The Chopper Bunch roaring into trouble

Voice acting vets; Frank Welker, Don Messick, Lennie Weinrib, Judy Strangis and Paul Winchell provided the speaking parts and mechanical mumblings.

Warner Brothers has a tight lock on what’s available on YouTube, but below you’ll find a short Wheelie and the Chopper Bunch clip. You can hop here if you’d like to order the complete collection on DVD.

Wheelie and the Chopper Bunch Wiki, IMDb

Previously, on Funshine Friday: The Plastic Man Comedy/Adventure Show