Crazy cars

Los autos locos (in English Wacky Races) is a series of cartoons from the American production company Hanna-Barbera Productions about a group of 11 race cars competing against each other in different races, with their drivers trying to win the title of "World's Craziest Driver". The series was unusual for the large number of regular characters, 23 in all.

This series was inspired by the movie The Race of the Century (1965). It was originally broadcast on the American television channel CBS between September 14, 1968 and September 5, 1970. Seventeen episodes were produced, each of which included two different races, thus making a total of 34 races.

Synopsis

Among the runners were the stereotypical villain of the series, Pierre Nodoyuna and his henchman the dog Muttley. Nodoyuna would gain a huge lead and then, like Coyote in the Coyote and the Road Runner cartoons, he would pull off all sorts of elaborate tricks to make the other racers fall into traps, swerve, puncture, or stop, only to find themselves watch it backfire spectacularly. The lesson to be learned could have been that Pierre had probably one of the fastest cars in the series and would have won several races if he had concentrated on them, instead of setting up the traps. Like Wile E. Coyote, Pierre Nodoyuna never won. Many of Pierre's plans are suspiciously familiar to those used in Road Runner episodes, which may be due to the fact that Mike Maltese was a writer for both series.

One of the original plans for the series was that the races themselves would be part of an actual television contest with Merrill Heatter and Bob Quigley, the team behind the television series Hollywood Squares. Heatter and Quigley's plan was for the contestants to bet on which wacky car would cross the finish line first.

Runners

The eleven participants with their numbers were (the original names are indicated in parentheses):

• Number 1: The Rocomóvil (The Bouldermobile), led by the Brothers Macana, Pietro and Roco (The Slag Brothers, Rock and Gravel), two troglodytes covered with hair like the Cosa Uncle of The Addams family, whose design was recycled for Captain Cavernícola. The car is a giant stony with wheels. Sometimes the Macana Brothers rebuilt their car from scratch using their macanas (palos or porras), while using them to boost their engine, which at some point is revealed to be occupied by a living creature. They hold the largest number of seconds in the competition. The Macana Brothers arrived 3 times in the first place.
• Number 2: The Spongeman (The Creepy Coupe), led by The Dark Ones (The Horrifying Couple or Espantosa) (The Gruesome Twosome): A Humanide Corpulent and a Purple Vampire. It is a car with a small bell tower whose highest point is inhabited by a dragon (“with 1,000 callers of strength”) and several ghosts, vampires, monsters and witches. The Spongeman is able to fly short distances using the dragon's wings. The dark ones came 3 times first.
• Number 3: The Auto/Super Convertible (Convert-a-car), led by Professor Locovich (Pat Pending), a mad scientist. His car, which in principle is shaped like a boat with wheels, is capable of becoming almost anything. Locovitch usually helps with his innumerable inventions to the other runners to go through various obstacles and impediments that, either by natural causes or by work of Pierre, are presented in the race. He also uses them, in turn, to attack his rivals. Professor Locovitch arrived three times in the first place.
• Number 4: The Stuka Rakuda (Crimson Haybailer), led by Baron Hans Fritz (The Red Max), an ace of aviation (vagantly based on the German aviator of World War I The Red Baron). It is a hybrid of car and plane, capable of flying limitedly, usually just to surpass over the corridors (individually or collectively) and the obstacles that arise in their way. The Stuka Rakuda also has a machine gun, which is used sporadically. The antiquity of the Stuka makes the sole baron lose control of its car (and even its propeller), on various occasions. Hans Fritz is the winner of the first race in the history of the Crazy Cars, See Saw To Arkansas. Baron Hans Fritz arrived 3 times in the first place.
• Number 5: The Compact Pussycat (the same name in the original), led by Penelope Glamour (Penelope Pitstop), a damsel in trouble. It is a pink female car only with makeup accessories. Such accessories failed, sometimes acting as indirect weapons in front of the other corridors; for example, making shampoo foam fall on their faces. He has a secret affair with Pedro Bello, and whenever he is in trouble he asks for his help, in addition to that of other runners, except Pierre Nodoyuna and Patán. Penelope Glamour came 4 times first.
• Number 6: Super Scrap Special (The Army Surplus Special), led by sergeant Blast and soldier Meekly (equal names in the original), two soldiers. It's a military vehicle, half tank, half jeep. The Super Scrap Special makes use of its tank accessories during the race, included cannon. At no time in the series the names of the pilots are mentioned in the Spanish edition, knowing them only as Sergeant and Soldier. Despite being a robust and powerful vehicle, they only came 3 times to the first place.
• Number 7: La Antigualla Blindada (The Bulletproof Bomb), led by Mafio and his gang members (from the Mafia del Hormiguero) (The Ant Hill Mob), seven irresponsible and hollow gangster heads (which earned them the pseudonym of Mete La Pata squad). They manage a sedan of the 1920s. His car was renamed Chugabum in the sequel The dangers of Penelope Glamourwhere he also seems to have gained consciousness of himself. The gang is confused by law enforcement officials with real offenders, usually because of Nodoyuna, which is supposed to get into extravagant situations, such as getting through the enanitos de Blancanieves, equilibristas de circus or young scouts. Its best strength to advance positions is the "Fuga Power", which is that the gang members use their legs to propel the old one. Mafio and his gang members arrived four times in the first place.
  • Note: In a Peugeot ad they put a Hispano-Switzerland.
• Number 8: The Alambique Veloz (of Arkansas) (The Arkansas Chuggabug), led by Lucas (Luke) the farmer and the Bear Bear (sometimes called bear Bubbles) (Blubber Bear), a cathet that sleeps most of the time, accompanied by a coward bear, moving into a wooden car powered by a coal stove. The stove is the skinny point of the Alambique, which competitors take advantage of in their favor. Lucas employs rudimentary techniques to advance the races. Fearful (doing honor to his name) fears everything that happens in the race, testing (and sometimes hindering) the good Luke. Lucas the farmer and the Bear Fear came 4 times first.
• Number 9: The Superheterodino (The Turbo Terrific), led by Pedro Bello (Peter Perfect). It's a drag racer with two large rear wheels, which usually falls to pieces due to its high fragility (although Bello permanently denies it). He's in love with Penelope Glamour, and he helps him as much as possible. Pedro Bello arrived four times first.
• Number 10: The Troncoswagen (The Buzzwagon), led by Brutus and Listus (Rufus Ruffcut and Sawtooth), a wood firewood and a castor in a wooden reel with circular saws instead of wheels. This gives them the ability to cut almost anything, damaging or destroying objects. They are very aggressive drivers and they do not hesitate to slice their rival in two at the time of advancing. They also use cutting artefacts to step up the obstacles of the race. Listus also collaborates in these situations. Like the Baron Hans Fritz, the vehicle is a parody vague to the Volkswagen, taking off the Volks prefix, by the Troncos prefix. Brutus and Listus arrived three times first.
• Number 00: Super Perrari (the double car zero) (The Mean Machine oo) (The Malévola Machine), led by Pierre Nodoyuna (Dick Dastardly) and Patan (Muttley), the villains of the series. It's an amazing reaction car, with hundreds of hidden weapons. They try to harm their competitors as much as possible, with the sole purpose of ensuring victory. This obsession of Pierre used to bring him a waste of valuable time, causing him to lose many possible chances of genuine victory. In fact, the whole cycle didn't win a single race. It should be noted that he once crossed the goal in the first place, but was disqualified after checking the traps with slow motion repetitions, so his victory was granted to Penelope on that occasion.

Replicas

Fairly elaborate replicas of the wacky cars are on display annually at England's Goodwood Festival of Speed.

1 The Rocomóvil 2 The Spoantomobile 3 The Auto/Super Convertible 4 The Stuka Rakuda 5 The Compact Pussycat 6 Super Scrap Special 9 Superheterodino 00 Super Perrari

Palmarés by participants

The show showed the results of the races at the end of each episode, but there was never a set overall scoring system. If the current IOC system were used, this would be the order of results:

Derivatives

The character of Penelope Glamor starred in a 1969 sequel, The Perils of Penelope Glamour. Also in 1969, Pierre Nodoyuna and Muttley appeared in its own sequel, El escuadrón diabolico, where they were World War I airmen trying to capture an enemy carrier pigeon.

The basic idea behind Wacky Races was used again by Hanna-Barbera in subsequent years. In the late 1970s, the series Yogi's Space Race featured Hanna-Barbera characters Yogi Bear, Huckleberry Hound, Jawbone and others who competed with each other for outer space (and giving the slip to a villain and his canine henchman). In the early 1990s, the syndicated series Wake, Rattle and Roll included a segment titled Fender Bender 500, once again starring Pierre Nodoyuna and Patán (and his i>Super Ferrari Special), this time competing against Yogi Bear, Winsome Witch and other Hanna-Barbera stars, in this series if they see themselves win some of the races in which they participate.

Circa 2000, a video game based on the TV series was produced for PS1 and Dreamcast.

In 2017, a reboot based on the television series was produced.

Cultural references

• Some characters in the series are clearly based on characters The race of the century by Blake Edwards (1965). Penelope Glamour took on the look of Maggie DuBois, played by Natalie Wood, including up to the exact pink tone of one of his suits and parasol. Pierre Nodoyuna has a lot in common with the representation of Professor Fate of Jack Lemmon, although he had a non-canine hench in the form of Max Meen (Peter Falk). This couple is pleased to commit similar acts of sabotage and Max has the same ability to mistake Patan. Although Professor Fate's car doesn't look like anything at all. Super Perrari Special, it does carry the familiar puncture in the morro and is equipped with smoke curtain, cannon and other various gadgets. Physical similarities, particularly between Maggie DuBois and Penelope Glamour, can be seen in the case video card.
• So much in Crazy cars as in The dangers of Penelope GlamourPenelope Glamour's associations with Mafio and his gang members indirectly exploit the tale of Snow White and the seven dwarfsin which Pedro Bello once resembles the character of the blue prince.
• The rapper underground Daniel Dumile makes a reference to "Pierre Nodoyuna and Patán with his sick laughter" in the song Accordion from your disk Madvillainy in collaboration with the producer Madlib.
• The rapper underground Saafir says in the song Swig of the Stew from his debut album Boxcar Sessions that «Pierre Nodoyuna could never have mastered me».
• Crazy cars has also had influence on Japanese animation. At least four animes have produced a special Crazy carsincluding estrafalar cars in the style of the series. During the 1980s, the producer of anime Artmic (currently AIC) produced Scramble Wars, starring SD versions of characters Bubblegum Crisis, Gall Force and other Artmic series. The producer Sunrise (of Bandai) also produced a special resemblance, as part of the OVAs series SD Gundam that self-prepared the series Gundam. This is perhaps the most direct tribute to Crazy carsthe episode transforms one of the characters, the Yaza Gable nut Zeta GundamIn one of Patan's styles, including a dog walrus and a rough and suffocated laughter. In 1993, Tatsunoko Productions published a special OVA in the style of Crazy cars in which the characters of their popular and longeva series appeared Time Bokanas well as his sequels Yattaman, Zendaman and Otasukeman. And finally in the series Carnival Phantasm, is celebrated a career in the style of Cars Locos among the characters of the Fate saga to get the Holy Grail, the most valuable object of the series.
• The animated series Dexter's lab included a parody Crazy cars in the episode Dexter's crazy carsIn which the main characters of the series (Dexter, Mandark, his parents, Dexter, Dee Dee and his imaginary friend Koosie, Mono and Agent Honeydew, and Justice Friends: Major Glory, Klunk and Valhallen) competed running on a rally to Burbank (California). Start credits Crazy cars, the soundtrack and his narrator were also parodied. The winner is indirectly No. 4 (Mandark's parents) but piloted by a police officer, which would be disqualified. The winners are not officially revealed, but observing frame by frame the photo finish, the result is Dexter first, Dee Dee and Koosie seconds, and Mono and Honeydew third parties.
• The animated series Alejo and Valentina performed a parody of Los Autos Locos in the second episode of the second season, entitled "La Carrera Loca". In it most well-known characters so far participated in the race. The runners included Alejo, Valentina, Carlitox and Colorín, El Viejo del Bastón, Matías, Cacho and Gregory, El Negro and un amigo, el policía y su mayor, el pack de duendes, y por último en el papel de Nodoyuna y Patán, estaban el Ratón y Ricardo, who in advance owns the laughter of the dog Patán. In the end the winners were Gregory and Cacho. They included music similar to the original series and also the narrator.

• In a Peugeot 208 ad appear in real life.
• In episode 4 of the 18th season of South Park called "Handicar" is organized a race in the style of the Crazy Autos parodying various topics related to the automotive industry such as the auto apps with driver Uber and Lyft, the Tesla cars with everything and Elon Munsk, the Zipcar and the famous commercial of Matthew McConaughey of the Lincoln cars, the only characters of the crazy cars are Pierre No.

Episodes

Seventeen episodes were produced, each featuring two separate races, making a total of 34 races.

Volume 1

11 episodes

• 1: On your way to Wyoming
• 2: breaking marks towards yellow rock
• 3: the battle of the race to beautiful villa
• 4: the race towards low-ha-ha
• 5: an uninvited participant
• 6: scattered explorers
• 7: freeways to crazy wheels
• 8: the U.S. invasion
• 9: a gentle and harmless career
• 10: the race of the battle of which do you not reach me?
• 11: uphill race on the roller coaster

Volume 2

11 episodes

• 1: madness on the road to hard rock
• 2: the coldest race of the century
• 3: Rebound race to chillichohte
• 4: career in wood
• 5: Marathon to Washington
• 6: an uncertain future in the desert race
• 7: Do you know the way to me?
• 8: inter-raleigh is the goal
• 9: to pennsylvania or to crush me
• 10: free road to villa caliber
• 11: the broken ski race

Volume 3

12 episodes

• 1: Cat to fall race
• 2: race to chaperone
• 3: the race through the arid mountain
• 4: A crazy race starts and is crazy head toe
• 5: think well and acetate
• 6: Tin marin will come to the end
• 7: a very moved race in the swamps of the flower
• 8: the race of leaps and assaults
• 9: you have to run to dellaware
• 10: if you do not reach me, I will arrive first
• 11: a race without meaning to lemon party
• 12: idaho a go-go

Comics

• Wacky Race Land (2016) - DC Comics