Saturday Morning Cartoons From The ’70s That You Need To Know About – Looper

In what feels related to a series of classic Topps monster cards of the 1960s, “Groovie Goolies” aired in 1970 for just one 16-episode run. The alliteration-filled series revolved around the goings-on at Horrible Hall, a home for the titular Goolies, a group of friendly creatures who were all pastiches of iconic movie monsters. In addition to being based on pop culture characters like Dracula, Frankenstein, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the monsters were musicians, and each episode featured musical numbers. 

Though the mileage of the laughs may vary, the humor is deliciously pun-filled from top to bottom. The characters — including the beatnik werewolf Wolfie, a medic mummy, and a female phone operator named Bella La Ghostly — lived in Horrible Hall alongside living furniture like the Ask-It-Casket and the Lovesick Loveseat. The monsters’ music was the highlight of each episode, with vampire Drac playing the organ, Frankie the Monster on drums, and Wolfie strumming a kind of guitar.

In addition to its 16 episodes, “Groovy Goolies” became part of “Sabrina the Teenage Witch” that same year, appearing in 16 animated shorts. They even made a brief comeback in 1977 for two episodes of “The New Archie and Sabrina Hour,” and popped up in a movie crossover with the Looney Tunes.