Hammerman

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Hammerman
Created byMC Hammer
Directed byMichael Maliani
StarringMC Hammer
Voices ofNeil Crone
Clark Johnson
Jeff Jones
Miguel Lee
Joe Matheson
Susan Roman
Ron Rubin
Carmen Twillie
Louise Vallance
Maurice Dean Wint
ComposersThe Music Team
Mark Simon
(additional music)
Country of originUnited States
Canada
Italy
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes13[1]
Production
Executive producersAndy Heyward
Louis Burrell
ProducerKevin O'Donnell
EditorsMark A. McNally
Susan Odjakjian
Running time23 minutes
Production companiesDIC Animation City
Bustin' Productions, Inc.
Reteitalia
Original release
NetworkABC
ReleaseSeptember 7, 1991 (1991-09-07) –
1992 (1992)

Hammerman is an animated television series, starring rapper MC Hammer, which aired for thirteen episodes on ABC in the fall of 1991. It was produced by DIC Animation City and Italian company Reteitalia S.p.A., in association with Spanish network Telecinco.[2]

Synopsis[edit]

Youth center worker Stanley Burrell (Hammer's real name) owns a pair of magical dancing shoes (which are alive and can speak), which when worn cause Burrell to transform into the superhero Hammerman.[3] He frequently gets advice from his "Gramps", who was a former owner of the shoes and was known as Soulman. While in the guise of Hammerman, Burrell was dressed in MC Hammer's signature purple Hammer pants and myriad golden chains.

The show was hosted by the real MC Hammer, who also sang the show's theme song, telling about the origin of Hammerman. Back in the 1960s and 1970s, Gramps (Robert Nameson) was the superhero Soulman, but as he grew older, he grew weaker and was forced to retire. Gramps and his granddaughter Jodie traveled to find the next new superhero. Their search was over when they met Stanley and he put on the shoes. Each episode, Hammerman faced various social issues; at the end of each episode, MC Hammer would speak to the audience and provide methods to address these issues themselves.

Cast[edit]

Additional voices[edit]

Episodes[edit]

While the airdates and order of most episodes is unknown, "Defeated Graffiti", the first episode (as confirmed by MC Hammer's comments at the beginning of the episode), aired on September 7, 1991. The cartoon aired on Saturday mornings at 10 AM on ABC.

No.TitleWritten byOriginal air date
1"Defeated Graffiti"Reed Shelly and Bruce ShellySeptember 7, 1991 (1991-09-07)

It's time for Hammerman, the super hero with super cool dancin' shoes! In 'Defeated Graffiti', Hammerman and the Oaktown Rec Center Kids confront an ugly crime wave that's messin' up the neighborhood.

If anyone can save Oaktown... Hammerman can!
2"Winnie's Winner"Martha MoranOctober 19, 1991 (1991-10-19)
3"Rapoleon"Bob Forward and Eve ForwardNovember 16, 1991 (1991-11-16)
4"If the Shoe Fits"Steven Weiss & Paul DellNovember 30, 1991 (1991-11-30)
5"Nobody's Perfect"Robert AskinDecember 7, 1991 (1991-12-07)
6"Dropping Out"Robert Askin1992 (1992)
7"Lights, Camera, Hammer!"Robert Askin1991 (1991)
8"Blast From the Past"Robert Askin1991 (1991)
9"Who's Who"Bob Forward and Eve Forward1991 (1991)
10"Work This!"Darin Scott1991 (1991)

Critical reception[edit]

Entertainment Weekly journalist Dalton Ross listed Hammerman at the top of his list "Top 5 Most Ridiculous Things to Be Turned Into a Saturday Morning Cartoon", and described the show as "idiotic".[4]

Home media[edit]

In 1994, 3 of the 13 episodes were released on VHS by Buena Vista Home Video. There are currently no plans for a DVD release.[citation needed]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Shows A - L". Dicentertainment.com. Archived from the original on 2003-04-02. Retrieved 2019-06-28.
  2. ^ Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 263–264. ISBN 978-1538103739.
  3. ^ Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. p. 393. ISBN 978-1476665993.
  4. ^ Ross, Dalton (September 16, 2006). "Giving Him Paws". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on June 8, 2007. Retrieved October 10, 2013.

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hammerman&oldid=1216737390"