Mission: Magic
Encyclopedia
Mission: Magic! is an animated cartoon
series starring pop singer and musician Rick Springfield
. It was produced by Filmation
, and was a spin off of the television show
, The Brady Kids
. Although only 16 episodes were ever produced, it aired on the US
television network
ABC
weekly on the Saturday morning
lineup from 1973 through 1975. It was also shown in television in Springfield's native Australia
, where Springfield was a bigger celebrity.
Despite the fact that Springfield still spoke with a pronounced Australian accent in the mid-1970s, he provided his own voice for his animated doppelgänger. On the show, Springfield always wore white pants and a white sweater which sported on the front an encircled lowercase "r" with a lightning bolt in the background; this design was taken from the back cover of his 1973 album Comic Book Heroes.
Springfield is joined by a cast of characters:
They were involved in a weekly after-school group called “The Adventurers Club,” although it was the subject of debate whether the organization was a social club or an actual class as Miss Tickle often incorporated various school subjects into the group's adventures, added to which before and after every adventure they would be visited in the classroom by Mr. Samuels, the principal of the school who knew nothing of Miss Tickle's magical abilities.
Each Mission: Magic! adventure began by way of an enchanted Gramophone; Rick would communicate with the Adventurers via the Gramophone telling them where he was and invite them to come along. At this point Miss Tickle would aim her magic ring at Tut Tut, a ceramic cat on her desk who would come to life after Miss Tickle recited the incantation:
After drawing a magic door on the blackboard
, Miss Tickle, Tut Tut and the students would meet up with Springfield and his familiar, an owl
named Ptolemy, and then in their travels to mythical lands and various times solve a variety of mysteries encountered. At the end of each show, Springfield would perform a song
, the theme of which was usually tied into the moral of the story. Springfield wrote, composed, and performed all of the songs on the program. A album with all of the songs, titled “Mission: Magic!” after the program, was released in 1974. A CD version was released in 2004.
Although Mission: Magic! was primarily intended to promote Springfield's teen idol
status in America, the cartoon
itself would be a forerunner for the 1990s PBS
series, The Magic School Bus
, in which Lily Tomlin
provided the character voice of Miss Frizzle.
Both shows featured redheaded teachers who possessed magical powers, and both featured groups of students from diverse ethnicities and backgrounds. Moreover, the themes of both shows were twofold: entertainment and educational. On each weekly episode, both groups would go off on a variety of adventures, transcending both time and space, by use of magical means.
, released Mission: Magic!: The Complete Series on DVD in Region 1 on May 8, 2007. The 2 disc set includes many special features.
Cartoon
A cartoon is a form of two-dimensional illustrated visual art. While the specific definition has changed over time, modern usage refers to a typically non-realistic or semi-realistic drawing or painting intended for satire, caricature, or humor, or to the artistic style of such works...
series starring pop singer and musician Rick Springfield
Rick Springfield
Rick Springfield is an Australian-born singer-songwriter, musician, and actor. He was a member of pop rock group Zoot from 1969 to 1971 and then started his solo career with his début single "Speak to the Sky" reaching the top 10 in Australia. In mid-1972, he relocated to the United States...
. It was produced by Filmation
Filmation
Filmation Associates was an American production company that produced animation and live action programming for television during the latter half of the 20th century. Located in Reseda, California, the animation studio was founded in 1963...
, and was a spin off of the television show
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
, The Brady Kids
The Brady Kids
The Brady Kids was an animated television series, produced by Filmation in association with Paramount Television and seen on ABC from 1972 to 1974...
. Although only 16 episodes were ever produced, it aired on the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
television network
Television network
A television network is a telecommunications network for distribution of television program content, whereby a central operation provides programming to many television stations or pay TV providers. Until the mid-1980s, television programming in most countries of the world was dominated by a small...
ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
weekly on the Saturday morning
Saturday Morning
-Album credits:*All tracks produced by Ralph Sall for Bulletproof Recording Company Inc.*Executive Producer/Concept: Ralph Sall for Bulletproof Recording Company Inc.*Engineered by Peter McCabe and Larry Fergusson....
lineup from 1973 through 1975. It was also shown in television in Springfield's native Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, where Springfield was a bigger celebrity.
Despite the fact that Springfield still spoke with a pronounced Australian accent in the mid-1970s, he provided his own voice for his animated doppelgänger. On the show, Springfield always wore white pants and a white sweater which sported on the front an encircled lowercase "r" with a lightning bolt in the background; this design was taken from the back cover of his 1973 album Comic Book Heroes.
Springfield is joined by a cast of characters:
- Miss Tickle, a bubbly teacherTeacherA teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
who is secretly an expert on magic
- and six teenaged studentStudentA student is a learner, or someone who attends an educational institution. In some nations, the English term is reserved for those who attend university, while a schoolchild under the age of eighteen is called a pupil in English...
s:- Vinnie, who spoke with a thick New York accent
- Carol, a blonde teenager who had a crush on Springfield
- Socks, a quirky JugheadArchie ComicsArchie Comics is an American comic book publisher headquartered in the Village of Mamaroneck, Town of Mamaroneck, New York, known for its many series featuring the fictional teenagers Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper, Veronica Lodge, Reggie Mantle and Jughead Jones. The characters were created by...
-like character who wore a light blue hat - Franklin, an athletic black teen
- Harvey, a short, stocky bespectacled nerd
- Kim, a younger oriental girl.
They were involved in a weekly after-school group called “The Adventurers Club,” although it was the subject of debate whether the organization was a social club or an actual class as Miss Tickle often incorporated various school subjects into the group's adventures, added to which before and after every adventure they would be visited in the classroom by Mr. Samuels, the principal of the school who knew nothing of Miss Tickle's magical abilities.
Each Mission: Magic! adventure began by way of an enchanted Gramophone; Rick would communicate with the Adventurers via the Gramophone telling them where he was and invite them to come along. At this point Miss Tickle would aim her magic ring at Tut Tut, a ceramic cat on her desk who would come to life after Miss Tickle recited the incantation:
- "O Tut Tut, cat of ancient lore,
- Tis time to draw the magic door."
After drawing a magic door on the blackboard
Blackboard
A chalkboard is a reusable writing surface.Blackboard may also refer to:* Blackboards are synonymous with "boards of infamy", an element of agitation-propaganda in the Soviet Union in 1930s, coincidental with Holodomor...
, Miss Tickle, Tut Tut and the students would meet up with Springfield and his familiar, an owl
Owl
Owls are a group of birds that belong to the order Strigiformes, constituting 200 bird of prey species. Most are solitary and nocturnal, with some exceptions . Owls hunt mostly small mammals, insects, and other birds, although a few species specialize in hunting fish...
named Ptolemy, and then in their travels to mythical lands and various times solve a variety of mysteries encountered. At the end of each show, Springfield would perform a song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
, the theme of which was usually tied into the moral of the story. Springfield wrote, composed, and performed all of the songs on the program. A album with all of the songs, titled “Mission: Magic!” after the program, was released in 1974. A CD version was released in 2004.
Although Mission: Magic! was primarily intended to promote Springfield's teen idol
Teen idol
A teen idol is a celebrity who is widely idolized by teenagers; he or she is often young but not necessarily teenaged. Often teen idols are actors or pop singers, but some sports figures have an appeal to teenagers. Some teen idols began their careers as child actors...
status in America, the cartoon
Cartoon
A cartoon is a form of two-dimensional illustrated visual art. While the specific definition has changed over time, modern usage refers to a typically non-realistic or semi-realistic drawing or painting intended for satire, caricature, or humor, or to the artistic style of such works...
itself would be a forerunner for the 1990s PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
series, The Magic School Bus
The Magic School Bus
The Magic School Bus is a series of children's books about science written by author Joanna Cole. They feature the antics of Ms. Valerie Frizzle, an elementary school teacher, and her class, who board a magical school bus which takes them on field trips to impossible locations such as the solar...
, in which Lily Tomlin
Lily Tomlin
Mary Jean "Lily" Tomlin is an American actress, comedienne, writer, and producer. Tomlin has been a major force in American comedy since the late 1960's when she began a career as a stand up comedian and became a featured performer on television's Laugh-in...
provided the character voice of Miss Frizzle.
Both shows featured redheaded teachers who possessed magical powers, and both featured groups of students from diverse ethnicities and backgrounds. Moreover, the themes of both shows were twofold: entertainment and educational. On each weekly episode, both groups would go off on a variety of adventures, transcending both time and space, by use of magical means.
Voice cast
- Miss Tickle - Lola Fisher
- Socks, Vinnie, Mr. Samuels - Howard MorrisHoward MorrisHoward Morris was an American comic actor and director who was best known for his role as Ernest T. Bass on The Andy Griffith Show.- Life and career :...
- Kim, Carol - Erika ScheimerErika ScheimerErika Scheimer is an occasional voice-actress in the cartoons of the defunct Filmation animation-studio. She is the daughter of Lou Scheimer, who was an integral member of Filmation and a voice actor in his own right....
- Harvey, Franklin - Lane Scheimer
- Rick Springfield - Rick SpringfieldRick SpringfieldRick Springfield is an Australian-born singer-songwriter, musician, and actor. He was a member of pop rock group Zoot from 1969 to 1971 and then started his solo career with his début single "Speak to the Sky" reaching the top 10 in Australia. In mid-1972, he relocated to the United States...
Episode list
- The Land of Backwards / 1973-09-08
- Modran / 1973-09-15
- Dissonia / 1973-09-22
- Land of Hyde and Go Seek / 1973-09-29
- The City Inside the Earth / 1973-10-06
- 2600 A.D. / 1973-10-13
- Something Fishy / 1973-10-20
- Giant Steppes / 1973-10-27
- Statue of Limitations / 1973-11-03
- Will the Real Rick Springfield Please Stand Up? / 1973-11-10
- Doctor Astro / 1973-11-17
- Doctor Daguerreotype / 1973-11-24
- Nephren / 1973-12-01
- Modran Returns / 1973-12-08
- Horse Feathers / 1973-12-15
- A Light Mystery / 1973-12-22
DVD release
BCI Eclipse LLC, under license from Entertainment RightsEntertainment Rights
Entertainment Rights Plc was a global media company. Its main role was in children and family television programming.The group was established in 1989 as Sleepykids. In 1999 it become entertainment rights and was focused on the creation and exploitation of major children's characters and brands...
, released Mission: Magic!: The Complete Series on DVD in Region 1 on May 8, 2007. The 2 disc set includes many special features.
| DVD Name | Ep # | Release Date | Additional Information |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mission: Magic!: The Complete Series | 16 | May 8, 2007 |
|