The Get Along Gang
Six animal friends learn teamwork in Green Meadow.
The Get Along Gang is a franchise centered on a group of six pre-adolescent anthropomorphic animal characters who form a club in the fictional town of Green Meadow. Originally created in 1983 for a line of greeting cards by American Greetings' toy design and licensing division, the property became notable for its Saturday morning television series that aired on CBS. The upbeat stories emphasized teamwork and friendship, reflecting the influence of 1980s children's programming watchgroups.
Quick Facts
- Runtime
- 22 minutes (2 11-minute segments, excluding the pilot)
- Company
- DIC Audiovisuel
- Those Characters From Cleveland
- Nelvana (pilot episode)
- Executive producers
- Andy Heyward; Jean Chalopin
- Composer
- Shuki Levy; Haim Saban
- Country
- United States
- France
- Canada (pilot episode)
- Language
- English
- Network
- Nickelodeon (Pilot); CBS/Syndication (TV series)
- First aired
- 6 May 1984
Facts from the source article.
Characters
The Get Along Gang drew loose inspiration from the Hal Roach Our Gang comedies. Six core characters appeared regularly in both the show and merchandise, while six others were featured less on screen but remained staples in product lines. Montgomery Moose, voiced by Sparky Marcus (Charles Haid in the pilot), acted as the group’s leader. Dotty Dog, voiced by Bettina Bush, was a cheerleader and the second-in-command. Woolma Lamb, voiced by Georgi Irene, dreamed of becoming a ballerina. Zipper Cat, voiced by Robbie Lee, was a sports standout. Portia Porcupine, voiced by Sherry Lynn, was the youngest member. Bingo Beaver, voiced by Scott Menville, enjoyed pranks and gambling. Braker Turtle, voiced by Frank Welker or Don Messick, solved problems with intelligence and calm. The cast also included Rocco Rabbit, a reformed bully; Rudyard Lion, a foreign exchange student; Flora Fox, a botanist and photographer; Bernice Bear, a tidy and sensible girl; and Lolly Squirrel, the wealthy daughter of a candy factory owner. Catchum Crocodile, voiced by Timothy Gibbs, served as the main troublemaker, taking what he wanted without care. Leland Lizard, voiced by Nicky Katt, was his sidekick. Officer Growler, voiced by Don Messick, was a bulldog police officer. Mr. Hoofnagel, also voiced by Don Messick, ran the local ice cream parlor. Miss Deering, voiced by Sherry Lynn, taught the gang’s class. Susie, voiced by Sherry Lynn, was Bingo’s squirrel pen pal who loved exercise. Mayor Bascombe Badger, voiced by Don Messick, governed Green Meadow. Schneider Squirrel, Lolly’s father and candy factory owner, appeared only in comic books. Hocus Hare and Pocus Possum were a pair of magicians.
TV series
Canadian studio Nelvana, in association with Scholastic Entertainment, Those Characters from Cleveland, and LBS, produced a pilot episode of The Get Along Gang that aired on Nickelodeon on May 6, 1984. The pilot involved the gang trying to win a scavenger hunt despite Catchum's cheating and their own infighting. All twelve gang members appeared, but only the six core members had speaking roles. Voice talents included Charles Haid as Montgomery and Dave Thomas as Leland. John Sebastian wrote and sang for the pilot. After the pilot, production moved to DIC Audiovisuel, a French animation studio, and the show moved to CBS. Thirteen half-hour episodes were produced, each containing two eleven-minute segments. The focus remained on the six core members, with the other six making sporadic appearances; only Braker Turtle had a regular speaking role among them. From September 1986 until August 1987, the thirteen DIC-produced episodes were rerun as part of a syndicated cartoon package called Kideo TV. The series spawned merchandise including stuffed toys and action figures by Tomy, and storybooks by Scholastic Press, which outlasted the cartoon. Comic books were published by Marvel Comics' Star Comics imprint in America (six bi-monthly issues in 1985 and 1986) and by Marvel UK (93 weekly issues from April 1985 until January 1987). In 1986, Ralph Novak of People Weekly noted that the pilot was enlivened by John Sebastian's music and relatively sophisticated animation, with only innocuous cartoon violence. Critics accused the series of enforcing group harmony over individualism.
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