What’s your favorite episode of The Brady Bunch? Is it the one where the kids sing “Time to Change,” and Peter’s voice cracks? Maybe it’s when Jan pretended to have a boyfriend named George Glass? Or perhaps it was the episode where the kids met Wonder Woman?
Wait, what?!? Yes, that last episode happened, and yes, it was part of the “Brady Universe,” but it didn’t happen on The Brady Bunch; it happened on The Brady Kids.
During the height of popularity of ABC’s now iconic prime-time sitcom, The Brady Bunch, the show inspired a Saturday morning animated show focused on the three brothers and three sisters: The Brady Kids.
With this spring marking the fiftieth anniversary of when The Brady Bunch aired its final episode on March 8, 1974, it’s the perfect time to remember The Brady Kids and how Mike and Carol Brady’s children were able to embark on some very animated adventures.
Produced by Filmation studio (who had brought audiences several animated series, including the popular Archie Show), The Brady Kids started life as part of The ABC Saturday Superstar Movie, an anthology series of one-hour animated movies for kids.
One of these was The Brady Kids on Mysterious Island, which aired on September 9th, 1972, and served as the pilot for the series. Very different from the prime-time show, the kids and their dog, “Mop Top”, enter a hot air balloon race, winding up on the titular island. While there, they meet a number of fantastical characters, including a giant parakeet, Father Nature, and oversized crabs. They also meet up with three characters who would become regulars on the show, including a talking myna bird named Marlon, who wears a sorcerer’s hat and flies by turning his tailfeathers into a helicopter, and two identical pandas named Ping and Pong.
The movie’s more imaginative elements (eventually split up into two episodes as part of the show) were indicative of many of the episodes that would follow on The Brady Kids. Another involved Marlon, with his magical powers, transforming Bobby into a famous movie star named Clint Flint, and another where the kids befriend Martians from Venus.
There were even guest stars on the show, such as The Lone Ranger and Tonto, as well as DC’s famous superheroes, Superman and Wonder Woman (The Brady Kids marked the latter character’s first appearance in animation).
There were, however, some aspects of The Brady Kids that were familiar. Sherwood Schwartz, who created The Brady Bunch, was on board as The Brady Kids’ executive consultant.
The cast of young actors also joined the animated series. Barry William (Greg), Maureen McCormick (Marsha), Christopher Knight (Peter), Eve Plumb (Jan), Bobby Lookinland (Bobby), and Susan Olsen (Cindy) all provided the voices of their animated counterparts in season one. In season two, Erika Scheimer and Lane Scheimer, children of Lou Scheimer (who founded Filmation with Hal Sutherland and Norm Prescott), replaced Maureen McCormick and Barry Williams as Marcia and Greg, respectively.
The theme song of The Brady Kids was also a re-designed version of the very familiar prime-time theme. Each of the kids even appear in their “boxes,” in live-action as they do at the start of each episode of The Brady Bunch, but here, they are transformed into their animated form by Marlon as he flies by.
The kids also take the time in each show to perform a song, including “Time to Change,” and “It’s a Sunshine Day,” which were both performed on the live-action sitcom.
In these musical moments, Filmation employed some economy, recycling animation of The Archies performing and replacing those movements with The Brady Kids performing. Peter’s moves on the guitar are just like Reggie’s, Jan playing the keyboard seems a lot like Veronica playing the keyboard, etc. Even the Brady Kids’ dog, Mop Top, looks and moves like The Archie’s pet, Hot Dog.
Mop Top and Marlon
The Brady Kids even resulted in a spin-off series, Mission: Magic!, featuring the kids’ teacher, Miss Tickle, who had magical powers and also starred an animated incarnation of singer Rick Springfield.
With Sutherland credited as the show’s director, The Brady Kids employed creativity in their sometimes-outlandish adventures. The series never showed the parents or housekeeper Alice, but instead, it would feature the kids in their clubhouse as a home base before embarking on their next escapade.
This element of the kids’ independently exploring in each episode, coupled with the wild backdrops and characters encountered, helped The Brady Kids capture the imagination of children growing up with the show.
The Brady Kids also utilized fun character design, all in the recognizable Filmation-style. The kids were not only clever caricatures of the actors, but supporting players, such as their friends Fleetwood and Chuck, were well crafted.
Additionally, Don Christensen, credited as art director, created impressive settings that ranged from the comfort of the Brady Kids’ neighborhood to faraway worlds, like ancient Greece.
Sure, it didn’t have a lesson from dad Mike Brady to conclude each episode and wrap things up nicely, but for a generation who never missed The Brady Bunch on Friday night, it was also nice to know that The Brady Kids were there for them on Saturday morning.
