Super Friends in Jars

I have a lot of action figures. I mean a lot of action figures. Primarily DC figures, as those are the figures that I've never sold off or traded away. I don't really collect action figures any more. The occasional action figure here and there, but nothing where I would consider it actively collecting. My wife used to be boggled by the character selection. "How many different versions of the same character do you need?"

I've never really explored where the genesis of this sub-passion to my main hobby came from. But it occurred to me as I sat down to write about what I wanted to write about today.

The Super Friends trapped in jars.


When the Super Friends cartoon first started out, it wasn't the polished show that it came to be. In fact the first sixteen episodes are vastly different from what most people remember the show to be. It was a full hour long, much more simplistic, environmentally conscious, absolutely devoid of violence, and totally awesome.





The episode I remember most from the first run is called Gulliver's Gigantic Goof. In that episode, a mad scientist (natch) has devised a shrink ray. He's not evil, oh no. The bad guys were rarely evil in the first season of the show. This dude wanted to solve the worlds hunger problem by shrinking the population. Therefore, there would be more for everyone.





The Super Friends stopped him, but not before being shrunken, trapped in jars, and put on the shelf for display. Also, guest star Green Arrow showed up to help. His only appearance in all 109 episodes.





This particular episode aired in December of 1973. I was four. It was re-run for years before the show was green-lit for new episodes. I believe in my heart that I caught EVERY airing.


Is this where my love of action figures comes from? On some level, do I really just want to stick the Super Friends in jars?

Yes.

Yes I think that's exactly what it is.


Thanks,
DCD