Snorks

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Template:Short description Template:About Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox television

Snorks is an animated fantasy children's TV series created by Nic Broca and produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions along SEPP International S.A. in collaboration with 3M France. It ran for a total of four seasons, consisting of a pilot episode and 65 episodes (108 segments), on NBC in the U.S. from September 15, 1984, to March 15, 1989. The program continued to be available in syndication from 1987 to 1989 as part of The Funtastic World of Hanna-BarberaTemplate:'s third season.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite book</ref>

Origins

Early years (1977–1981)

In 1977, Freddy Monnickendam, a Belgian businessman and artist, first made contact with the comics industry when he negotiated the rights for the Smurfs comics to Father Abraham. He later became the head of SEPP, a branch of Dupuis, as an editor responsible for the merchandising of the Smurfs' comic series. Then he negotiated the contract between Peyo, NBC and Hanna-Barbera for the creation of a new Smurfs cartoon series; Peyo wanted the show to be as faithful as possible to his original comics, but Monnickendam wanted it to be more mainstream and accessible. These negotiations would later result in a legal dispute between two people due to the division of the rights and the money involved. As a final result, Monnickendam decided to compete with the Smurfs' success, starting a new series of cartoons.

Development, concept and first comic book (1981–1984)

In June 1981, Nic Broca created the earlier character designs that were made for "Diskies", a very early iteration, made for the comic series Spirou & Fantasio.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> While initially created as robot characters, they were developed into minute sea animals, and with funding from Persil's Belgian branch, the very first Snorks comic book was published in January 1982 by Broca himself.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Freddy Monnickendam, after battling with fellow Belgian cartoonist Peyo in court, searched for a series that could battle the success of The Smurfs, as he tried and failed to buy its rights since 1977. He acquired the Snorks' rights from Nic Broca, and both began a partnership with Hanna-Barbera for the production of this new animated series. After that, a three-minute Snorks pilot episode was then made for the TV network NBC, although it has not been seen by the public.

Premiere as animated TV series (1984–1989)

Snorks premiered on September 15, 1984, and ended on May 13, 1989. It aired for five years. Unlike Freddy Monnickendam had hoped, he was unable to take the Snorks' success to the same heights as The Smurfs, which resulted on the end of his partnership with Broca, and finally, the disbanding of SEPP. Although the Snorks' success was limited, the animated TV show gained fans worldwide, making appearances in popular culture and gaining several product lines.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Synopsis

The Snorks are a tribe of small, colorful anthropomorphic sea creatures that live in the fictional Mediterranean undersea realm of Snorkland. They have snorkels on their heads, which are used to propel them quickly through the water.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Voice cast

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Main

Recurring

Additional voices

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Episodes

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Broadcast and home media

Snorks ran for a total of four seasons, consisting of a pilot episode and 65 episodes (108 segments), on NBC in the U.S. from September 15, 1984, to March 15, 1989. The program continued to be available in syndication from 1987 to 1989 as part of The Funtastic World of Hanna-BarberaTemplate:'s third season.<ref name=":0" />

In the 1990s, it aired on both USA Network and Cartoon Network in the U.S.

From 2001 until 2014, it also aired on CN's spin-off channel Boomerang.

In some other country around Europe, it aired on ITV, RTL, MTV3, TF1, Italia 1, VARA, and Cartoon Network Scandinavia.

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment's vintage DVD video line Warner Archive released Snorks: The Complete First Season on DVD in Region 1 on September 25, 2012 as part of their Hanna-Barbera Classic Collection label. The release is available exclusively through Warner's online store and Amazon.com.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In addition, 39 episodes have been released on Hulu per a distribution agreement with Content Media Corporation. Warner Archive released Snorks: The Complete Second Season on DVD in region 1 on July 7, 2015,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and later Snorks: The Complete Third and Fourth Seasons on December 6, 2016.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

DVD name Ep # Release date
The Complete First Season 13 September 25, 2012
The Complete Second Season 10 July 7, 2015
The Complete Third and Fourth Seasons 42 December 6, 2016

As of 2025, it never streamed on HBO Max because of lawsuits and trademark.

See also

References

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