Pac-Man (TV series)

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This article is about the original television series. For the Computer Generated-animated 2013 series, see Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures.
Pac-Man
Pac-Man (TV series) title card.jpg
Title card
Genre Adventure
Comedy
Created by Toru Iwatani (original game)
Developed by Jeffrey Scott
Written by Jeffrey Scott (Season 1, and Christmas Special)
Don Dougherty (Season 2)
Directed by George Gordon
Carl Urbano
Rudy Zamora
Bob Hathcock (Season 1)
Bill Hutten (Season 1)
Oscar Dufau (Season 2)
John Walker (Season 2)
Ray Patterson (Christmas Special only; also supervising director)
Starring Marty Ingels
Barbara Minkus
Russi Taylor
Frank Welker
Peter Cullen
Barry Gordon
Chuck McCann
Neil Ross
Susan Silo
Allan Lurie
Lorenzo Music (Season 2)
Darryl Hickman (Season 2)
Composer(s) Hoyt Curtin
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 2
No. of episodes 44
Production
Executive producer(s) William Hanna
Joseph Barbera
Producer(s) Kay Wright
Editor(s) Gil Iverson
Running time 22–26 minutes approx.
Production company(s) Hanna-Barbera Productions
Distributor Worldvision Enterprises (1982–1991)
Warner Bros. Television Distribution (1996–present)
Release
Original channel ABC (1982-1983) Boomerang (2000-2007)
Original release September 25, 1982 (1982-09-25) – November 5, 1983 (1983-11-05)

Pac-Man (also known as Pac-Man: The Animated Series) is an animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera based on the video game Pac-Man, made by Namco and published by Bally-Midway, which premiered on ABC and ran for 44 episodes over two seasons from 1982 to 1983. It was also the first cartoon based on a video game.

Plot[edit]

The show follows the adventures of the title character, Pac-Man, his wife Pepper Pac-Man, their child Pac-Baby, their dog Chomp-Chomp and their cat Sour Puss. The family lives in Pac-Land, a place in which the geography and architecture seem to revolve primarily around spheres and sphere-like shapes. Most episodes of the series center around the ongoing battle between the Pac family and their only known enemies, the Ghost Monsters: Blinky, Inky, Pinky, Clyde, and Sue. They work for Mezmaron, a mysterious figure who resembles Darth Vader from Star Wars (the original trilogy) and acts similarly to Gargamel (from another Hanna-Barbera show The Smurfs). His sole mission is to locate and control the source of "Power Pellets", which serve as the primary food and power source for the city, and also as the deus ex machina in virtually every episode. The second (and final) season later introduces Super-Pac and Pac-Man's nephew P.J.

Broadcast history[edit]

Pac-Man aired on ABC Saturday Morning in the following formats:

During the first airing of the show, the large number of advertisers sponsoring it caused commercial breaks to be double their normal length. Later episodes featured normal commercial break times.[citation needed] Since the original run, reruns have turned up on the USA Cartoon Express on USA in the 1980s, Cartoon Network in the 1990s and Boomerang in 2005. The Christmas-themed episode currently airs each year as part of the Boomerang Christmas Party, an annual marathon of Christmas cartoons, but otherwise is not included in the channel's rotation. The series is also available for purchase on the Xbox Live Marketplace. In the United Kingdom it was first Broadcast on TVAM as a part of the Roland Rat show.

Cast[edit]

Main voices[edit]

Additional voices[edit]

Animators[edit]

Series 1[edit]

  • Jay Sarbry (supervisor)
  • Joanna Romersa (assistant supervisor)
  • Robert Alvarez
  • Monique Barreras
  • Bob Bemiller
  • Oliver Callahan
  • Rudy Cataldi
  • Zeon Davush
  • Joan Drake
  • Jon Elford
  • Lillian Evans
  • Hugh Fraser
  • Valerie Gifford
  • Fred Hellmich
  • Bill Hutten
  • Karen Kastelman
  • Hicks Lokey
  • Tony Love
  • Mircea Mantta
  • Ken Muse
  • Constantin Mustatea
  • Ron Myrick
  • Bob Nesler
  • Margaret Nichols
  • Bill Nunes
  • Barney Posner
  • Bill Pratt
  • Don Ruch
  • Kunio Shimamura
  • Michael Silbereich
  • Jim Simon
  • Ken Southworth
  • Richard Trueblood
  • Tim Walker
  • Woody Yocum

Series 2[edit]

  • Jamie Diaz (supervisor)
  • Roger Chaisson (supervisor)
  • Sean Newton (supervisor)
  • Don Patterson (supervisor)
  • Don Spencer (supervisor)
  • Susan Beak
  • Dick Dunn
  • Peter Gardiner
  • Gerry Grabner
  • Greg Ingram
  • Jon MacClennahan
  • Paul Maron
  • Mike Stapleton

Episodes[edit]

Season 1 (1982)[edit]

No. in
series		 No. in
season		 Title Original air date
1 1 "Presidential Pac-Nappers" September 25, 1982
Mezmaron orders the Ghost Monsters to kidnap the Pac-President in order to get Pac-Man to lead them to the Power Pellet Forest.
2 2 "Picnic in Pacland" September 25, 1982
Pac-Man and his family go for a picnic. The Ghosts Monsters are also on a picnic, and plot to chomp Pac-Man with each plan going horribly awry.
3 3 "The Great Pac-Quake" October 2, 1982
The Ghost Monsters get an Earthquake-making machine by the Mezmaron.
4 4 "Hocus-Pocus Pac-Man" October 2, 1982
Pac-Man put Pac-Baby in a magic hat and made him disappear!
5 5 "Southpaw Packy" October 9, 1982
When the Ghost Monsters ruin the Pac-Land world series, Pac-Man challenges them to a baseball game to decide who leaves town.
6 6 "Pac-Baby Panic" October 9, 1982
The Ghost Monsters steal a sack of Power Pellets, and Pac-Man & Pepper go searching for Pac-Baby, not realizing he's in the sack of Power Pellets.
7 7 "Pacula" October 16, 1982
Mezmaron transforms a bat into the vampiric Count Pacula in a plot to get the citizens of Pac-Land to hand over the map to the Power Pellet Forest.
8 8 "Trick or Chomp" October 16, 1982
The Pac-Family goes trick or treating on Halloween night until the ghosts come along and spice things up.
9 9 "Super Ghosts" October 23, 1982
The Ghost Monsters try to take over the world when they are given super powers.
10 10 "The Pac-Man in the Moon" October 23, 1982
After the Ghost Monsters steal the space shuttle, Pac-Man and Pepper must retrieve it.
11 11 "Journey to the Center of Pacland" October 30, 1982
Mezmaron (with help from the Clyde and the ghosts) decides to dig underground to get the Power Pellet Forest.
12 12 "Invasion of the Pac-Pups" October 30, 1982
A litter of Pac-Pups come to the Pac-Family's house, and Pac-Man is trying to get rid of them.
13 13 "Sir Chomp-A-Lot" November 6, 1982
The Mezmaron sends the Ghost Monsters 50 years back into the past but Inky's goofiness causes them to meet Pac-Man's ancestor, Sir Chomp-A-Lot.
14 14 "The Day the Forest Disappeared" November 6, 1982
When the Mezmaron successfly gets the Power Pellet Forest, it's up to Pac-Man to get it back.
15 15 "Neander-Pac-Man" November 13, 1982
Pac-Man reads Pac-Baby a story about their prehistoric ancestor and his discovery of power pellets.
16 16 "Backpackin' Packy" November 13, 1982
Pac-Man is permitted to lead the Pac-Baby scouts after their original leader stubs his toe.
17 17 "The Abominable Pac-Man" November 20, 1982
A legendary creature is lurking the snowy hills at the time when Pac-Man and Pepper are racing to beat the Mezmaron and the Ghost Monsters to an area where Power Pellets are located.
18 18 "The Bionic Pac-Woman" November 20, 1982
The Mezmaron makes a robotic clone of Pepper to fool Pac-Man.
19 19 "Chomp-Out at the O.K. Corral" November 27, 1982
While taking a vacation out west, the Ghost Monsters along with their bratty cousin, Dinky, try to ruin the Pac-Family vacation.
20 20 "Once Upon a Chomp" November 27, 1982
The Ghost Monsters' fairy ghostmonster comes and gives them a magic fairytale book to trap Pac-Man and Pepper.
21 21 "The Pac-Love-Boat" December 4, 1982
The Ghost Monsters try to ruin Pac-Man and Pepper's anniversary while on the Love Boat.
22 22 "The Great Power-Pellet Robbery" December 4, 1982
Mezmaron gives the Ghost Monsters a truck in order to retrieve the Power Pellets from the Power Pellet Forest.
23 23 "A Bad Case of the Chomps" December 11, 1982
Pac-Man is rushed to the hospital after believing he has chompitis after chomping the Ghost Monsters.
24 24 "Goo-Goo at the Zoo" December 11, 1982
The Pac-Family goes to the zoo, but Pac-Baby frees all the animals.
25 25 "Nighty Nightmares" December 18, 1982
The Ghosts Monsters are having nightmares about Pac-Man.
26 26 "The Pac-Mummy" December 18, 1982
The Mezmaron discovers a mummy, so he uses it to kidnap Pepper and Pac-Baby.

Season 2 (1983)[edit]

No. in
series		 No. in
season		 Title Original air date
27 1 "Here's Super-Pac" September 17, 1983
Super-Pac arrives in Pac-Land and saves Pac-Man and Pepper from a Ghost Monster attack. Pepper then invites Super-Pac to lunch as the Mezmaron creates a giant robotic Ghost Monster.
28 2 "Hey, Hey, Hey... It's P.J." September 17, 1983
Pac-Man must convince cousin P.J. to stay in school.
29 3 "The Super-Pac-Bowl" September 24, 1983
After the Ghost Monsters chomp the football team, Pac-Man and his team must face them off with the help of Super-Pac.
30 4 "Journey into the Pac-Past" September 24, 1983
P.J. fixes Ms. Pac's washing machine, accidentally turning it into a "time" machine which sends him and Pac-Man into several different eras in Pac-Land's history.
31 5 "The Old Pac-Man and the Sea" October 1, 1983
The Ghost Monsters sink Pac-Man and a large oceanic shipment of power pellets. They end up in the aquatic city of Paclantis, which is under the rule of a tyrannical Pac-Queen who demand Pac-Man & his friends fight for their honor.
32 6 "Public Pac-Enemy No. 1" October 1, 1983
Pac-Man gets sent to prison after he is mistaken for a criminal named Pretty Boy Pac.
33 7 "The Genii of Pacdad" October 8, 1983
Pac-Man and Super-Pac square off against the Ghost Monsters for ownership of a bottle that houses a wish-granting genii.
34 8 "Computer Packy" October 8, 1983
P.J. tinkers with Pac-Man's computer, causing it to zap Pac-Baby à la Tron. Pac-Man and P.J. head inside the computer to save him.
35 9 "The Greatest Show in Pacland" October 15, 1983
The Ghost Monsters take their cousin Dinky to the circus for his birthday, where they encounter the Pac-Family.
36 10 "Pac-A-Thon" October 15, 1983
Legal technicalities permit the Ghost Monsters to participate in the olympics, and it's up to the Pac-Family to try to defeat them in various athletic events.
37 11 "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Pac-Man" October 22, 1983
Pac-Man turns into a werewolf after the Ghost Monsters trick him into eating Power Pellets specially created by the Mezmaron.
38 12 "Around the World in 80 Chomps" October 22, 1983
The Mezmaron and the Ghost Monsters travel around the world to find another power forest, and Pac-Man must thwart this.
39 13 "Super-Pac vs. Pac-Ape" October 29, 1983
An organ grinder's Pac-Monkey eats super-powered Power Pellets and grows to giant size. Now Pac-Man and Super-Pac must stop the giant Pac-Monkey before it wrecks Pac-Land.
40 14 "P.J. Goes Pac-Hollywood" October 29, 1983
P.J. is starring in an action movie, and when the Pac-Family visits the set, Pac-Man is goaded into taking the dangerous job of stunt double.
41 15 "Pac Van Winkle" November 5, 1983
Pac-Man drinks a potion that causes him to fall asleep for twenty years. When he awakes, he finds a nightmarish future in which the Power Pellet Forest has been captured and the Ghost Monsters have infested Pac-Land.
42 16 "Happy Pacs-Giving" November 5, 1983
Series Finale: The Pac-Family hear a story about the first Pacs-Giving.

Specials[edit]

Pac-Man Halloween Special[edit]

The Halloween special consisted of two segments from the show, "Pacula" and "Trick or Chomp". The special aired in primetime on ABC on October 30, 1982. It has been replayed on channels like Cartoon Network and Boomerang during Halloween in recent years.[1]

Christmas Comes to Pacland[edit]

Christmas Comes to Pacland In this Christmas special, Pac-Man and family help Santa Claus (voiced by Peter Cullen) after crash-landing on Pac-Land (after the reindeer were startled by the floating eyes of the Ghost Monsters after Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man and Pac-Baby munched them). Mezmeron was the only character from the cartoon that is not in the special (although his castle which is covered in snow appears). It's been speculated that he was away for the holiday, but this hasn't been confirmed by the show's writers. It is shown every December on the Boomerang Christmas Party.[2][3]

Crew[edit]

Influence[edit]

The show's initial success inspired ABC's rival CBS to create Saturday Supercade, which featured other video game characters from the golden age of video arcade games. The arcade game Pac-Land was based entirely on the cartoon, and Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures drew significant influence from it as well. Also, the Tengen release of the original Pac-Man arcade game for the Nintendo Entertainment System features box art based on the cartoon.

Home Media releases[edit]

In 1982, Worldvision Home Video Inc. (under Rainbow Products Ltd.) distributed a Pac-Man and Family VHS in Australia (catalogue number RCV 9019) and featured the episodes, Pacula, Trick or Chomp, Super Ghosts, The Pac-Man in the Moon, Invasion of the Pac-Pups, Journey to the Center of Pacland and the special Christmas Comes to Pacland. In 2012, Warner Archive released both seasons of Pac-Man on DVD in region 1 as part of their Hanna–Barbera Classics Collection. These are Manufacture-on-Demand (MOD) releases, available exclusively through Warner's online store or Amazon.com. The first season was released on January 31, 2012, followed by the release of the second season on September 11, 2012.[4][5]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Pac-Man Halloween Special, The @ Toonarific cartoons". Toonarific.com. Toonarific.com. 1998. Retrieved June 9, 2012. 
  2. ^ http://classicgames.about.com/od/popculture/p/Christmas-Comes-To-Pac-Land.htm
  3. ^ http://www.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/TV/12/10/geekiest.holiday.movies.go/
  4. ^ "Pac-Man - Warner Archive Announces 'The Complete 1st Season' on DVD!". 
  5. ^ "Pac-Man - Warner Archive is Now Selling the Second and Final Season...Santa Included!". 

External links[edit]
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Related programming and topics
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