Atom Ant
Atom Ant is an anthropomorphic superhero ant character created by the animation studio Hanna-Barbera Productions, who possesses superhuman strength, speed, and the ability to fly, using these powers to fight crime and assist law enforcement from his high-tech anthill headquarters in the countryside.[1][2] The character first appeared in a primetime special titled The World of Secret Squirrel and Atom Ant on NBC on September 12, 1965, before starring in the Saturday morning animated series The Atom Ant/Secret Squirrel Show, which premiered on October 2, 1965, and ran for three seasons until 1968.[2][3] Created by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, Atom Ant was Hanna-Barbera's first original superhero, designed as a bipedal insect who walks on his hind legs and often utters the catchphrase "Up and at 'em, Atom Ant!" to signal his readiness for action.[3][2] The series paired Atom Ant segments with those of the detective Secret Squirrel, and included additional shorts like Precious Pupp and The Hillbilly Bears, airing on NBC and later in syndication.[2] Voiced primarily by Howard Morris in the original episodes (with Don Messick taking over in later appearances), Atom Ant's adventures typically involved battling oversized villains, natural disasters, or everyday threats scaled to his insect size, emphasizing themes of justice and heroism through humorous, action-packed storytelling.[4][2] The character expanded beyond television into comic books, including a 1966 Gold Key comic book and an issue of Hanna-Barbera Presents by Archie Comics, and has appeared in various Hanna-Barbera crossovers and modern revivals on streaming platforms.[2]Character and Setting
Description
Atom Ant is an anthropomorphic superhero ant created by the animation studio Hanna-Barbera Productions in 1965. He served as the lead character in the first half of the Saturday morning anthology series The Atom Ant/Secret Squirrel Show, which premiered on NBC on October 2, 1965, and ran for three seasons.[2][5] The character is depicted as a tiny but extraordinarily powerful insect who operates from a high-tech secret headquarters inside an anthill in a rural setting. There, he maintains equipment like computers and exercise gear to hone his abilities, embodying the resourceful lone hero archetype. Atom Ant's adventures typically involve him being summoned by an inept and underfunded police force to tackle a wide array of threats, from petty thieves and bank robbers to outlandish foes like mad scientists and giant insects.[6][7] His exploits often incorporate parodic elements drawn from contemporary superhero media, poking fun at the genre's conventions through exaggerated action and humorous scenarios. A key aspect of Atom Ant's identity is his signature catchphrase, "Up and at 'em, Atom Ant!", which underscores his enthusiastic and justice-driven personality as he springs into action.[5][8]Powers and Abilities
Atom Ant exhibits superhuman strength, enabling him to lift and manipulate heavy objects that are enormous relative to his normal-sized ant proportions, such as cars or boulders, which underscores the exaggerated scale of his heroic interventions in a world dominated by human-scale threats. This ability allows him to perform feats like stopping runaway vehicles or redirecting massive debris, emphasizing his role as a protector despite his diminutive stature.[2][9] Complementing his strength, Atom Ant possesses the power of flight through specialized wings integrated into his superhero suit, facilitating swift aerial travel and pursuit of criminals across vast distances. He also demonstrates superspeed, allowing for rapid acceleration and evasion tactics that outpace ordinary threats, as well as invulnerability to conventional physical harm, such as impacts or falls that would injure a typical insect. These attributes, powered by atomic energy, collectively empower him to combat villains and avert disasters effectively from his anthill headquarters.[10][2][6] Atom Ant's antennae serve as a sensory tool, detecting distress signals from afar to alert him to emergencies, further enhancing his responsiveness as a standalone hero without reliance on size-altering mechanics. His ensemble includes a distinctive red-and-yellow suit with a helmet featuring an antenna, which not only protects him but also symbolizes his atomic empowerment, distinguishing him from non-superpowered insect characters in animation.[6][2]Production
Development
Atom Ant was created by Hanna-Barbera Productions in 1965 as their first foray into superhero-themed animation, debuting as the lead segment in the hour-long Saturday morning program The Atom Ant/Secret Squirrel Show on NBC.[2] The series was developed by studio founders Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera, who drew upon the burgeoning popularity of superheroes in mid-1960s American pop culture to craft a pint-sized protagonist whose atomic-powered exploits offered a lighthearted twist on the genre.[3][5] This concept positioned Atom Ant as a comedic parody, emphasizing the absurdity of superhuman feats performed at an insect's scale rather than high-stakes drama, with early scripts prioritizing slapstick humor and exaggerated action sequences over serious narrative depth.[5] The initial planning for the show reflected Hanna-Barbera's strategy to produce cost-effective, multi-segment formats for television, pairing Atom Ant with the spy-themed Secret Squirrel to fill the full runtime and appeal to young audiences.[11] Envisioned as a solo feature within this anthology-style package, the Atom Ant segment was slated for 26 approximately seven-minute segments distributed across two seasons from 1965 to 1967, allowing the studio to leverage limited animation techniques while building a roster of recurring villains and gadgetry for episodic adventures.[11] Writers such as Michael Maltese and Warren Foster contributed to the foundational scripts, infusing the stories with witty dialogue and visual gags that underscored the humorous tone central to Hanna-Barbera's television output.[5]Animation and Staff
The Atom Ant segments employed limited animation techniques characteristic of Hanna-Barbera's 1960s output, focusing on minimal character movement—such as isolated limb actions, mouth flaps for dialogue, and static poses—to reduce production costs and enable rapid episode turnaround.[12] This approach often incorporated recycled backgrounds from the studio's asset library, allowing consistent urban or rural settings across episodes without redrawing, alongside reused sound effects to enhance comedic timing and action sequences efficiently.[13] The voice cast featured Howard Morris as the primary voice of Atom Ant in the first season, with Don Messick taking over the role in the second season; Messick also provided the voice for recurring sidekick Officer 66, a bumbling law enforcement ant, as well as villains like the Ferocious Flea.[14] Other recurring characters and antagonists, such as the mad scientist Professor Von Gimmick, were voiced by Morris, while Messick handled additional foes and narrative elements; supporting voices included Janet Waldo for female roles, Paul Frees for authoritative figures, and Mel Blanc for select comedic parts across the segments.[2] Music for the series was composed by Hoyt Curtin, Hanna-Barbera's longtime musical director, who crafted the upbeat theme song "Atom Ant" in collaboration with William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, emphasizing heroic brass and rhythmic percussion to underscore the character's superpowered antics.[15] Curtin's scores drew from the studio's extensive library, incorporating lively cues for chase scenes and triumphs, while sound design relied on the iconic Hanna-Barbera effects repertoire, featuring exaggerated boings for bounces, whooshes for flights, and cartoonish impacts to amplify the slapstick humor without full-frame animation.[16] Production occurred entirely at Hanna-Barbera Studios in Hollywood, beginning with a pilot special that aired on September 12, 1965, followed by the full series debut on October 2, 1965, as part of The Atom Ant/Secret Squirrel Show on NBC; the 26 Atom Ant segments were completed by 1966, wrapping principal animation and post-production ahead of the show's second-season run into 1967.[2]Broadcast and Episodes
Original Broadcast
The Atom Ant segments debuted on October 2, 1965, as part of the hour-long program The Atom Ant/Secret Squirrel Show on NBC, which combined Atom Ant adventures with those of Secret Squirrel and additional shorts like Precious Pupp and The Hillbilly Bears.[3] This Saturday morning block was designed specifically for a young children's audience, featuring integrated commercial breaks between the multi-segment format to maintain engagement during the hour-long runtime.[13] The series spanned two seasons, with Season 1 airing from 1965 to 1966 and consisting of 13 Atom Ant episodes, followed by Season 2 in 1966 with another 13 episodes.[17] The show aired on NBC until September 7, 1967, after producing 26 new Atom Ant segments over two seasons. In 1967, the hour-long format was split into two half-hour shows from January to August before being recombined for the final broadcasts.[2] International broadcasts of The Atom Ant/Secret Squirrel Show began in the late 1960s, reaching audiences in Europe—such as through dubbed versions in French on TF1, Italian on Rai 1, and German on ARD—and in Asia, including a Japanese dub on NET (now TV Asahi).[18]Episode List
The Atom Ant series consists of 26 seven-minute segments divided into two seasons, featuring Atom Ant confronting a variety of villains and threats often played for scale-based comedy, such as oversized dangers or minuscule mishaps emphasizing his super ant size. Recurring antagonists include Professor Von Gimmick with his inventive gadgets, the boxer Ferocious Flea, and one-off foes like Big Fats Dynamo or rampaging monsters, highlighting themes of heroism against disproportionate perils.[3][19][20]Season 1 (1965–1966)
| Episode | Title | Air Date | Plot Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Up and Atom | October 2, 1965 | Big Fats Dynamo deliberately gets imprisoned at Rebel's Island to stage a breakout; the warden summons Atom Ant, who recaptures the criminal mastermind using his super strength.[21][22] |
| 2 | Crankenshaft's Monster | October 9, 1965 | Dr. Crankenshaft creates a monstrous creation to aid his world conquest plans, leading to a bank robbery; Atom Ant intervenes and defeats the beast.[19][22] |
| 3 | Gem-a-Go-Go | October 16, 1965 | A priceless jewel is stolen from a museum in a high-society heist; Atom Ant tracks down the thieves and recovers the gem.[19][22] |
| 4 | Ferocious Flea | October 23, 1965 | The villainous Ferocious Flea and his boss Bones pull off an invisible robbery at a bank and dog show; Atom Ant pursues them to a fleabag hotel for a boxing showdown.[19][22][20] |
| 5 | Rambling Robot | October 30, 1965 | A young inventor's robot malfunctions and goes on a rampage; Atom Ant is called to repair and stop the out-of-control machine.[19][22] |
| 6 | Nobody's Fool | November 6, 1965 | Mobsters from Antsylvania deploy a female spy ant to distract Atom Ant during a treasury heist, but she turns against her employers.[19][22] |
| 7 | Atom Ant Meets Karate Ant | November 13, 1965 | Atom Ant encounters the skilled Karate Ant, Mr. Muto, who aids him in battling a gang of thugs.[19] |
| 8 | Fastest Ant in the West | November 20, 1965 | Outlaw Rowdy Dowdy terrorizes a western town; Atom Ant arrives as the fastest hero to apprehend him in a high-speed chase.[19] |
| 9 | Mistaken Identity | November 27, 1965 | Atom Ant is mistaken for a criminal by Ferocious Flea during a museum theft; he unmasks the real culprit in a comedic mix-up.[19][20] |
| 10 | How Now Bow Wow | December 4, 1965 | Thieves steal a prized show dog; Atom Ant tracks the culprits and returns the pet amid chaotic pursuits.[19] |
| 11 | Dragon Master | December 11, 1965 | Tricked by a phony reform letter, Atom Ant time-travels to King Arthur's era via a time machine, tames a dragon, and earns the title Sir Atom Ant.[19][22] |
| 12 | The Big Gimmick | December 18, 1965 | Professor Von Gimmick unleashes his massive robot "The Big Gimmick" on Big City; Atom Ant battles it with a picnic trap suggested by the villain's computer.[19][22][20] |
| 13 | Super Blooper | December 25, 1965 | During a promotional event, actor Super Guy cowers from bank robbers; Atom Ant steps in to save the day and boosts the hero's confidence.[19][22] |
Season 2 (1966)
The second season continues the format, with Atom Ant facing more inventive threats and time-travel escapades, often involving prehistoric creatures or medieval foes for humorous scale contrasts.| Episode | Title | Air Date | Plot Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wild, Wild Ants | January 1, 1966 | The rowdy Anthill Mob invades city picnic grounds; Atom Ant reforms them through a fitness challenge to save the park commissioner's job.[20][22] |
| 2 | Dina-Sore | January 8, 1966 | A revived dinosaur, Tyrone the Tyrannosaurus, rampages through the city after a thunderstorm; Atom Ant battles it at a ballpark.[20][22] |
| 3 | Amusement Park Amazement | January 15, 1966 | Believing Von Gimmick reformed, Atom Ant helps build an amusement park rigged with weapons; he thwarts the trap upon discovering the plot.[20][22] |
| 4 | Bully for Atom Ant | January 22, 1966 | In Mexico, Atom Ant aids Chicken Enchilada in a bullfight against El Toro to win back his girlfriend.[20][22] |
| 5 | Termighty Mean | January 29, 1966 | Von Gimmick's giant termite Dotzilla devours everything in sight; Atom Ant contains it using super-strong gum.[20][22] |
| 6 | Nine Strikes You're Out | February 5, 1966 | Scientist J. Dastardly Deeds clones himself nine times using cat lives for a crime spree, alibied by tea with Atom Ant; the hero uncovers the scheme.[20][22] |
| 7 | Go West Young Ant | February 12, 1966 | A wagon train of ants faces a hostile red ant tribe; Atom Ant wins a strength contest against Chief Big Deal's son to resolve the conflict.[20][22] |
| 8 | Knight Fight | September 10, 1966 | With no modern threats, Atom Ant time-travels to the Middle Ages to joust an evil black knight terrorizing a kingdom.[19][20] |
| 9 | Pteraducktyl Soup | September 17, 1966 | A mad professor revives a prehistoric pterodactyl in a museum, which then terrorizes the city; Atom Ant subdues the flying beast.[19][20][23] |
| 10 | Up in the Air Squares | September 24, 1966 | Toadstool steals a police building to build his moon city; Atom Ant retrieves it in an aerial confrontation.[20][23] |
| 11 | Mouse Rouser | October 1, 1966 | A desperate mouse pleads for help against a cat; Atom Ant intervenes, then saves the cat from a dog, teaching lessons on size and strength.[20][23] |
| 12 | Killer Diller Gorilla | October 8, 1966 | King Konk, a rampaging gorilla, destroys New York; Atom Ant responds to the chaos with his signature might.[20][23] |
| 13 | Rock-a-Bye Boo-Boo | October 15, 1966 | A massive roc bird and her egg threaten a Bavarian village with avalanches; Atom Ant protects the area until the egg hatches peacefully.[20][23][19] |