by Michael Lyons
The Banana Splits is a show that could have only happened in the 60s.
Anyone of a certain age and particular generation only needs to hear a few bars of that theme song:
"Tra, la la, tra la la, la
One banana, two banana, three banana, four
All bananas make a split, so do many more
Over hill and highway, the banana buggies go
Come along to bring you the Banana Splits Show."
...and we are instantly transported back to another time when Saturday morning was much more psychedelic.
On September 7, 1968, The Banana Splits debuted. The show's full title was Kellogg's of Battle Creek Presents The Banana Splits Adventure Hour (at a time when sponsors reigned supreme in TV) and was one of the most decidedly different and original outings from the Hanna-Barbera Studio.
That studio, synonymous with some of television's most popular animated characters, ventured into live-action territory with The Banana Splits. Taking the model of the "kid's cartoon host" shows from local stations, The Banana Splits was hosted by four live-action characters: actors in costumes who portrayed the titular characters, a fictional rock band.
There was Fleegle, a dog; Bingo, an orangutan; Drooper, a lion; and Snorky, an elephant. Each wore what looked like a cross between a Roman helmet and a marching band hat and hung out in their oh-so-colorful clubhouse.
Here, the Banana Splits would introduce cartoon segments, which included the adventures Arabian Knights and Three Musketeers, as well as Micro Ventures, which was about a scientist father and his kids who can shrink in size and see the world from the size of an insect.
Another live-action segment, Danger Island, was reminiscent of classic movie serial adventures (and directed by Richard Donner, many years before his Goonies and Lethal Weapon fame).
In between, the Banana Splits would take part in quick, Laugh-In-like skits and engage with the arch enemies, "The Sour Grapes" (a group of adolescent girls who looked less like villains and more like Girl Scouts).
As The Banana Splits were a musical group, they also performed songs, which were included in the show as fast-paced music videos. Some featured Fleegle, Bingo, Drooper, and Snorky, filmed at the theme parks Six Flags Over Texas and Coney Island in Ohio.
The costumes for the characters were designed for Hanna-Barbera by Sid and Marty Krofft, who would go on to be Saturday morning superstars in their own right with shows like H.R. Pufnstuf and Land of the Lost.
In his book, Pufnstuf & Other Stuff, author David Martindale featured a portion of an interview with Sid Krofft where he recalled creating the costumes:
“They came in with the idea in a rough sketch. We had to redesign them. And after it was said and done, when the Hanna-Barbera guys walked out of the door, I looked at my brother, and I said, ‘My God, because of us, they're going to make millions.’”
This incentivized the Krofft brothers to begin producing their own shows, and Sid was right. The Banana Splits' success did generate revenue for Hanna-Barbera. From comic books to lunch boxes, the characters were featured on a number of products at the time.
After their cancelation in 1970, The Banana Splits disappeared for several years, resurfacing in 1972 for a made-for-TV-movie The Banana Splits in Hocus Pocus Park, on ABC's anthology show, The Saturday Superstar Movie.
In 1977, the show came into syndication as The Banana Splits and Friends, where several other Hanna-Barbera series, such as Atom Ant and Secret Squirrel, were inserted into the show as part of this syndicated package.
This format "chopped up" the original Banana Splits Adventure Hour, but at least it allowed the show to continue for a new generation.
As both a beloved and a cult favorite, the show's legacy has been sustained as The Banana Splits celebrate their 55th anniversary this year. There was a re-boot of new shorts and music videos on Cartoon Network in 2008. That same year, the Hard Rock Cafe theme park in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, debuted a kids’ area named "Banana Splitsville," which revolved around the characters.
And, in 2019, the characters somehow found themselves the subject of a gory, R-rated horror film aptly named The Banana Splits Movie.
And, although it threatened to, that movie couldn't smudge the bright childhood memories that The Banana Splits have provided for so many of another time.
It was a time when Saturday morning cartoons were the perfect antidote kids needed at the end of a school week; a time when Hanna-Barbera were the kings of TV animation; a time when four costumed characters would joke, dance, and sing, and we would all join in with a rousing "Tra La La!"
Sources:
Pufnstuf & Other Stuff by David Martindale, Renaissance Books, 1998.
For more of my articles, podcasts, public speaking engagements and to learn more about my book, Drawn to Greatness: Disney's Animation Renaissance, head over to my website: Words From Lyons
