''Sinbad Jr. and his Magic Belt'' is a series of five-minute cartoons that originally aired in

first-run syndication Broadcast syndication is the practice of content owners leasing the right to broadcast their content to other television stations or radio stations, without having an official broadcast network to air it on. It is common in the United States whe ...

between 1965 and 1966. They were produced by

Hanna-Barbera Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. ( ; formerly known as H-B Enterprises, Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. and H-B Production Co.), simply and commonly known as Hanna-Barbera, was an American animation studio and production company, which was acti ...

for the American International Television division of

American International Pictures American International Pictures, LLC (AIP or American International Productions) is an American film production company owned by Amazon MGM Studios. In its original operating period, AIP was an independent film production and distribution c ...

and were shown during local

children's television Children's television series (or children's television shows) are Television show, television programs designed specifically for Child, children. They are typically characterised by easy-going content devoid of sensitive or adult themes and are ...

programming. Sinbad Jr. (voiced by Dal McKennon and

Tim Matheson Tim Matheson (born Timothy Lewis Matthieson; December 31, 1947) is an American actor and director. Some of his best-known acting roles include the title character of the 1960s animated ''Jonny Quest (TV series), Jonny Quest'' TV series, Eric "O ...

) is the teenage son of Sinbad, the famous sailor, and he travels the world in his single-masted sailboat seeking adventure and wrongs to the right, fighting such villains as the Bluto-like, big, black-bearded Blubbo and the mad doctor Rotcoddam ("mad doctor" spelt backwards). Sinbad Jr. gained the strength of 50 men whenever he tightened his magic belt, causing the diamond-shaped buckle to flash like lightning and temporarily transform him into a mighty muscleman. Sinbad Jr.'s first mate was his feisty and funny feathered friend Salty the Parrot (voiced by Mel Blanc).

Production

The series was conceived by Sam Singer's production company in 1960, with Dal McKennon voicing the title role. Singer Studio produced the initial episodes for the Trans-Arts Company, but the deal fell through.

, which had released the film '' The Magic Voyage of Sinbad'', held rights to the "Sinbad" trademark for screen works. AIP's television division eventually negotiated an agreement under which

would produce the series, with

replacing McKennon. The final release includes episodes produced by both studios. ''Sinbad Jr. and His Magic Belt'' premiered in

on Sept. 11, 1965. Sinbad Jr.
at

Don Markstein's Toonopedia Don Markstein's Toonopedia (subtitled A Vast Repository of Toonological Knowledge) is an online encyclopedia of print cartoons, comic strips and animation, initiated February 13, 2001. Donald D. Markstein, the sole writer and editor of Toonopedi ...

br>Archived
from the original on June 4, 2017. The 102 five-minute shorts aired first-run through 1966''Sinbad Jr. and his Magic Belt''
at The Big Cartoon DataBase. Retrieved on June 4, 2017. within

programming. It was renamed ''Sinbad Jr., the Sailor'', out of deference to the 1962 Toei Studios feature-length cartoon ''Adventures of Sinbad''.

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

's subsidiary

Orion Pictures Orion Releasing, LLC (Trade name, doing business as Orion Pictures) is an American film production and film distribution, distribution company owned by the Amazon MGM Studios subsidiary of Amazon (company), Amazon. It was founded in 1978 as Ori ...

(whose holdings include the AIP library) later acquired the rights to the series.

Theme music

The cartoon's theme song, composed by

Ted Nichols Theodore Nicholas Sflotsos (born October 2, 1928), known professionally as Ted Nichols, is an American composer, conductor, arranger, educator, and minister of music. He is best known for his work at Hanna-Barbera Productions from 1963 to 1972, ...

, is a variation on the

children's song A children's song may be a nursery rhyme set to music, a song that children invent and share among themselves or a modern creation intended for entertainment, use in the home or education. Although children's songs have been recorded and studie ...

" Sailing, Sailing (Over the Bounding Main)" that was written in 1880 by Godfrey Marks, a pseudonym of British organist and composer James Frederick Swift (1847–1931). A later version of the theme song has a jazzier beat.

Episodes

Each daily package consisted of three five-minute cartoons.

References

External links

* {{Sinbad the Sailor 1965 American animated television series debuts 1966 American television series endings 1960s American animated television series 1960s American children's television series American children's animated action television series American children's animated adventure television series American children's animated fantasy television series American English-language television shows Sinbad the Sailor television series First-run syndicated animated television series American teen animated television series Television series by Hanna-Barbera Television series by MGM Television Nautical television series

Production

Theme music

Episodes

See also

References

External links