“The greatest team of superheroes the world has ever known.” (‘The Fantastic Four,’ 1978)

DePatie-Freleng’s animated version of The Fantastic Four originally ran on NBC from September to December, 1978. 13 episodes, featuring limited animation and over-the-top dialogue, were produced.

This 70s-era re-imagining of the Fantastic Four is somewhat notorious for replacing Johnny “Human Torch” Storm with a lovable robot called H.E.R.B.I.E. Apparently, rights to the Human Torch were tied up at the time in a separate, live-action TV deal (which never came to fruition).

The Thing, Mr. Fantastic, H.E.R.B.I.E. and Invisible Girl. Wait. Something’s wrong here.

The Fantastic Four voice cast included; Mike Road (Mr. Fantastic), Ginny Tyler (Invisible Girl), Ted Cassidy (The Thing) and Frank Welker (H.E.R.B.I.E.). Interestingly, famed artist and Fantastic Four co-creator, Jack Kirby actually worked on this series as a storyboard artist.

The Fantastic Four (1978) Wiki, IMDb

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