
Ark II - BerislavLopac
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ark_II
======
stcredzero
I used to watch that, along with Shazam/Captain Marvel, and The Mighty Isis.
Also the Kroft Super Show. The Kroft puppet shows were pretty subversive. HR
Puff'n Stuff basically had Puff the Magic Dragon as a main character,
basically a walking marijuana reference. Electra Woman and Dyna Girl were a
superhero duo with their own storyline on the Kroft Super Show, IIRC.
Basically Batman and Robin in a flying car, where the men were support
characters and the action duo was female.

Where I grew up, binge watching all of the Saturday Morning cartoons and shows
in a row (not all episodes in a show, but all shows with an episode that day)
was viewed as something kinda bad. People talked about it as if it was going
to be a part of the destruction of the culture. I always felt guilty, and mom
would kick us out of the house after lunch. Then we'd spend the whole day
outside unless it was raining.

Now, watching a whole bunch of television in a multi-hour block is just kind
of a normal thing, so long as you don't overdo it.

The parents of the day might not have been wrong about the destruction of the
culture part, though.

~~~
mykowebhn
I remember watching all of the shows you mentioned. I completely forgot about
Ark II so I'm really thankful someone posted this. A few other shows I fondly
remember are Jason of Star Command, Land of the Lost, and Wonderbug.

A film from the 70s that I watched and that I feel has a few similarities to
Ark II is Phase IV. I'm wondering if anyone remembers this film. It was
incredibly trippy.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phase_IV](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phase_IV)

I don't remember binge watching being viewed as something so bad, but it
definitely wasn't encouraged. Unfortunately, I binge watched quite a bit when
I was a kid.

------
BerislavLopac
Apparently, it is available on YouTube:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lj8z28Mshw](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lj8z28Mshw)

------
neilv
It's interesting to see a kids TV show around an environmentalism message 40
years ago.

And the multiethnic mix (which I suppose they could've gotten from Star Trek,
in the genre, rather than contemporary culture).

Seems there might be an unfortunate gender-roles message, to the super-
impressionable kids watching. In the naration, scientists are called "men".
And in the first episode, I thought the woman was going to be the main
scientist (albeit taking orders from the male captain), but the male boy is
arguably leading the science-ing scene, with the adult woman scientist
functioning as his assistant. Later, in the car, at least they let the woman
drive (boy is too young), but the boy is still being smart and giving orders
to the adult woman. (Though the woman later has a moment of assertion, when
untying the captain, and the boy can't get a word in. And she does get to
speak again in the final scene, albeit standing behind the man, and after the
man and boy do the combat-ish work while she follows along.) And, since she
doesn't seem to have the main scientist role, it seems the uniforms are
probably actually color-coded by gender. It could be much worse, but kids pick
up on a tremendous amount of stuff.

------
amacbride
One of my Saturday-morning favorites; looking back, it certainly helped
inspire me to go into the sciences. I think its environmental messages
resonate even more strongly now than they did then.

------
harel
This was aired in Israel when I was growing up there in the 80s. We saw it and
loved it. Not that we had a choice. One channel was all we had. I loved that
car and that future vibe of the show. Funny thing is I was just talking about
this show last month and spent some time trying to remember it's name.

------
chiph
I watched this as a kid.

From what I understand, the chimpanzee was pretty awful to work with, and
would occasionally attempt to bite cast & crew.

~~~
PaulHoule
Chimpanzees, like most primates, are meaner than homo sap. Gorillas might be
nicer.

~~~
stcredzero
If we ever uplifted bonobos, I wonder what their HR departments would be like?

~~~
ecpottinger
Mellow man, mellow.

------
PaulHoule
I loved that show!

~~~
johnnycoast
I watched this show when I was a kid by the end of 80s on Brazil! Thanks for
remembering the show!

