Super Friends is an animated series about a team of superheroes which ran from 1973 to 1985. It was produced by Hanna-Barbera and is based on the Justice League and associated comic book characters published by DC Comics.
When animation company Hanna-Barbera obtained the licensing rights to the DC Comics characters and adapted the Justice League comic to television, it made several changes in the transition, not the least of which was the change of name to the "Super Friends." The violence common in superhero comics was toned down for a younger audience. The primary characters featured in the series were Superman, Batman, Robin, Wonder Woman and Aquaman, along with original sidekicks Wendy and Marvin, and later sidekicks Zan and Jayna the Wonder Twins. The other members of the Justice League were not regularly featured except as guest stars.
The Legion of Doom was a team of recurring foes made up of the Super Friends' worst enemies. A number of original superheroes (such as Black Vulcan and Apache Chief), many of them intended to be international heroes, were created for the show as well in order to encourage racial and cultural diversity. Critics felt that these attempts were awkward at best and very stereotypical and somewhat offensive at worst.
The show was featured under several titles, though only about 60 episodes were produced altogether.
History
Series
