Hello everyone. Today I will be writing about the Japanese cartoon series Prince Planet. This show was my second favorite that was imported from Japan. Speed Racer was my first. Both shows had some similarities. The names of the main characters were humorous, and villains were identified in the same manner. Both shows displayed humor and had many action scenes. The only difference between the two shows is that; Speed Racer was presented in color, and Prince Planet was in black & white.

Prince Planet debuted on television on June 3, 1965, in Japan. It aired 52 episodes and ended on May 27, 1966. It was extremely popular, and the reruns lasted for years. The main characters were Prince Planet, (on earth his secret identity was Bobby.), Diana Worthy, her father Pops Worthy, Dan Dynamo, and Ajibaba of Abbadon. The two main villains in the show were Warlock from Mars and Krag from the planet Kragmire. Prince Planet also defeated other villains. Some were gangsters, evil mad scientists, and creatures from other habitable planets.

Prince Planet debuted on American television on July 10, 1972, on WSNS-TV Channel 44. It aired 12 noon. A couple of years later, the show was moved to afternoons. It became a smash hit when I started watching the show, and I was instantly hooked. My favorite scenes were that involved Prince Planet, Warlock, and Krag. Warlock repeatedly casting spells with his Martian Magic. Krag had a fob watch with blades, had retractable bat-like wings so he can fly and can regenerate his specific body parts. Prince Planet wore a pendant that needed to be recharged periodically.  Prince Planet cannot perform this task himself. Instead, the replenishment of the pendant’s energy is handled from the planet Radion. As his energy supply severely diminishes, the “P” in his pendant goes from black to white like a thermometer in dropping temperatures. When his pendant is recharged, he transforms by holding his pendant with both hands and saying “Peeeeeee Pazow!!”

Prince Planet was withdrawn from the airwaves in the late 1970s. I read the reason somewhere it was yanked is because it was too violent. The primary villains were killed. Certain creatures from Earth and other civilized planets were also eliminated. I’m uncertain if it ever returned to TV in later years. That animated show was one of the most memorable TV programs that WSNS-TV Channel 44 ever aired. A few years ago, I attended Comic-Con in San Diego and happened to notice Prince Planet on DVD. I looked at the discs, and not all the episodes were listed. About five or six were missing. I bought it anyway. It was better than nothing. I brought the DVDs home and started watching the episodes. They were grainy, but they were fun to watch. I still have them and was waiting for an official DVD release of the show. There was a DVD release of the show a few years ago, but it only consisted of 47 episodes. Five episodes were missing. The reason was unexplained.

Prince Prince made its Japanese DVD debut in 2016. It has all 52 episodes and it originally aired in Japanese. I don’t know if you can switch it to English while you are watching the show. It is currently unavailable, but recently I saw it on sale on eBay, It costs about $250 in American money. Perhaps someday, it will be re-released in the United States with all the episodes. In English and unedited. It was an entertaining show to watch when I was a child. The official theme song is very catchy. I can’t get it out of my head.  Just like Speed Racer. Thank you for your time. Pete Kastanes-Admin for Vanished Chicagoland Facebook Page.