Superted

SUPERTED
Made by: S4C
Shown on: BBC
Years shown: 1982, plus repeats

Bizarrely, Superted began life as a mascot for the South Wales Electricity Board, but would later on appear on both my toothbrush and space-hopper. He was an unstoppable furry merchandising machine. The cartoon began in the same way every episode, by telling the tale of how Superted came to be imbued with super powers: he was made in a factory, but because he was faulty (see also The Raggy Dolls), he was chucked into a store room. One night, a Spotty Man from another planet came and sprinkled ‘magic dust’ on him, meaning that he could quite freakishly unzip his furry skin and reveal a bright red superhero outfit. Considering that this wasn’t animation or storytelling of a very high quality, Superted was hugely popular in playgrounds up and down the country, and it attracted a host of voice artists. Derek Griffiths played the titular ted, while Jon Pertwee was the yellow and green Spotty Man; the villains were an malevolent cowboy, Texas Pete, and his sidekicks, Skeleton (Melvyn Hayes) and Bulk (Roy Kinnear.) Although the series is now a frightening twenty years old, I noticed in my local Superdrug that Superted is still alive and kicking in the form of children’s chewable vitamin tablets. That must at least be a unique claim.

SQUARE EYES RATING: 5/10

(Thanks to www.abbeyhomemedia.com for the borrowed pic)