| Space Ghost | |
|---|---|
 Space Ghost, one of Toth's most famous designs. |
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| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Hanna-Barbera Productions DC Comics |
| First appearance | Space Ghost and Dino Boy (1966) |
| Created by | Alex Toth William Hanna Joseph Barbera |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Space Ghost (in Space Ghost and Dino Boy) Tad Ghostal (in Space Ghost Coast To Coast) Thaddeus Bach (in the DC Comic Book) |
| Team affiliations | Galactic Heroes |
| Abilities |
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Space Ghost is a fictional character created by Hanna-Barbera Productions and designed by Alex Toth for CBS. He started out as a superhero who, with his helpers Jan, Jace and Blip, fought supervillains in outer space. In more recent years, he has been retooled as a fictional talk show host on Adult Swim and revamped in a DC Comics mini-series.
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Original shows
Space Ghost debuted in 1966 in Space Ghost (TV series), where Space Ghost shared time with an unrelated segment called Dino Boy in the Lost Valley. Space Ghost was voiced by Gary Owens along with Tim Matheson as the voice of Jace and Ginny Tyler voicing Jan. Don Messick also added his voice talent to Blip. Tim Matheson had previously added his voice talent to that of the title character "Jonny" in Jonny Quest, another Hanna Barbara adventure cartoon. Space Ghost and his helpers fought supervillains with the recurring of them being Moltar, Zorak (voiced by Don Messick), Spider Woman (voiced by Ginny Tyler and also named the Black Widow in some episodes), Metallus (voiced by Ted Cassidy), Brak (voiced by Keye Luke), and Creature King (voiced by Vic Perrin).
That Space Ghost show only lasted until 1968, but re-appeared in all-new segments on Space Stars in 1981. 22 episodes were produced and introduced a new assortment of villains including an evil version of Space Ghost called Space Spectre, who came from an alternate universe. The Phantom Cruiser was also given a sleeker and more modernized look. Similar to the original series, Space Ghost often came to the aid of the Herculoids and vice versa. They also frequently crossed paths with the Teen Force, and it appeared that Jan and Teen Force member Kid Comet were dating as well.
The comeback shows
The character Space Ghost hosts a talk show, Space Ghost Coast to Coast, which began broadcasting in 1994 on Cartoon Network. One-time villains Zorak (a giant praying mantis or locust, depending on the particular show) and Moltar (a lava creature inside a metal suit) were Space Ghost's sidekicks (with guest appearances from many other old Space Ghost villains, most notably Brak). The show, as well as the short-lived Cartoon Planet, was a spoof of late-night shows such as the Late Show with David Letterman. Celebrities interviewed by Space Ghost included Beck, Bill Nye the Science Guy, Magicians Penn and Teller, Cassandra Peterson aka Elvira, Joel Hodgson, Carrot Top, Jim Carrey, Jon Benjamin, Conan O'Brien, Thurston Moore, Thom Yorke, and Mark Hamill. In this series he's played by George Lowe.
The show relied heavily on absurd, surreal, or even dadaist humour. SGC2C continued to 2004 as the oldest program on Cartoon Network's late-night comedy/action programming block, Adult Swim. The characters of Jan, Jace, and Blip, Space Ghost's old sidekicks, appeared twice on the show. After approximately seven seasons, the show went into hiatus, and the writers Dave Willis and Matt Maiellaro used characters they developed in an unaired episode ("Baffler Meal") to create the popular "would-be spin-off" Aqua Teen Hunger Force. After that show proved successful, Baffler Meal was animated and aired in 2003, the same year on Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Space Ghost was on the ground with his head ripped off by Dr. Weird with Seth Green on the monitor, in the episode The Dressing, and Steve wondering what they're going to do with his body.
The episode "Pavement" features the indie band Pavement, with them replacing Zorak as the shows house musician, although they are introduced by Space Ghost as The Beatles. Pavement later released the songs played on the extended edition the album "Brighten the Corners".
Coast to Coast in turn had its own spin-off starring Brak and Zorak, called The Brak Show. As with Coast to Coast, Space Ghost is again voiced by George Lowe, who additionally voiced the character of Dad.
Currently, new episodes of SGC2C appear on the "Animation" channel of the GameTap service. Guests seem to be either gaming celebrities or non-mainstream musicians.
Coast to Coast revealed that his birthday is June 19, 1966 in the episode Surprise, in which Space Ghost gets a package in the whole episode, and Zorak and Moltar run the show.
Action figures
Space Ghost's Coast to Coast version was released as an action figure by Toycom, complete with a desk and chair, a series of cue cards, and a mug. Also included were several different sets of hands, allowing the figure to be used either as the talk show host or the super hero or both. The shoulders and neck were ball-jointed, with a light plastic yellow cape. A transparent variant "invisible" figure was also released.
Actors
Three actors played Space Ghost in the three "main" Space Ghost series:
Gary Owens in Space Ghost and Space Stars
George Lowe in Space Ghost, Cartoon Planet, The Brak Show, Perfect Hair Forever, Robot Chicken and
The Aqua Teen Movie.
Andy Merrill in Cartoon Planet as Dancin' Space Ghost
Other media
- George Lowe voiced Space Ghost in the Robot Chicken episode "Suck It." He was seen as a member of the [adult swim] Council alongside Peter Griffin and Master Shake.
- He was also seen on an episode of "Perfect Hair Forever" being attacked by a bear.
- Lowe voiced Space Ghost in four episodes of The Brak Show also doing Dad's voice.
- Space Ghost and Zorak get cameos in Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film For Theaters. Space Ghost is killed by a missile that Meatwad launches. Space Ghost will most likely be in the second Aqua Teen film Death Fighter.
- Space Ghost is mentioned in the "Bring me the Head of Boba Fett" pilot for Welcome to Eltingville.
- Space Ghost (voiced by George Lowe) appeared on Loveline on December 18, 1998, completing the show in character, and thus being the only other fictional guest besides Triumph the Insult Comic Dog to guest on the show.
External links
- Space Ghost and Dino Boy at the Internet Movie Database
- Space Ghost and Dino Boy at TV.com
- The Original Space Ghost FAQ
- Space Ghost Coast to Coast on Adult Swim - includes a full episode guide
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