Richie Rich is a fictional character who appeared in Harvey Comics from 1956 until 1994. He was the star of his own Saturday morning cartoon series, produced by Hanna-Barbera for ABC, from 1980 to 1984. Beginning in January 1986, rebroadcasts of the series started airing on CBS, replacing CBS Storybreak. Richie's CBS run was believed to have lasted only one month. Hanna-Barbera's character designs for Richie Rich differed significantly from the comics.
Richie's cartoons were produced in four different lengths:
- "Gems": about 30 seconds, usually animated versions of one-page stories in the comic book series. In the first two seasons, two such segments were seen on each episode. During the third season, only one such segment was seen per episode, and during the fourth and final season, the "Gems" segments were dropped.
- "Riches": about seven minutes, usually involves a robbery or an event that could affect Richie and his family.
- "Treasure Chest": about three minutes, usually based on five-page comic book stories and usually centered around Dollar the Dog or Cadbury, or on rare occasions, Irona.
- "Zillion Dollar Adventures": about 11 minutes, and usually involves an event that could impact Richville or the world. This was the only segment that was seen in all four seasons of the series.
Most of the titles listed below were also used in then-recently published Richie Rich stories, only the television versions used a different storyline than in the comic book series. For example, "Sky Hook" was originally published in a 1981 issue of Richie Rich and Cadbury, but the 1982 cartoon version never featured Cadbury. "Whale of a Tale" was featured in an issue of Richie Rich Digest Stories in late 1981, but the cartoon version featured Gloria Glad, while the comic book story used Cadbury.
By the early-90s, some segments were featured in several VHS compilations, which featured the syndicated opening. Around 1997, two VHS releases containing choice Zillion Dollar Adventures segments aired during the latter two seasons were released: "Richie Rich: Priceless Toys" and "Richie Rich: A Dog's Best Friend." It is rumored that the final new segment, "Computo", which never aired in syndication, may have appeared on one of the VHS releases, but titled "Video World".
In May 2008, Volume 1 of The Richie Rich/Scooby-Doo Show was released on DVD by Warner Archive, which contained the first seven episodes from the first season. Currently, there are no plans to release a Volume 2 set, possibly due to lower-than-expected sales.
Series chronology
- The Richie Rich/Scooby-Doo Show (1980–82)
- The Pac-Man/Little Rascals/Richie Rich Show (1982/83)
- The Monchhichis/Little Rascals/Richie Rich Show (1983/84)
Episodes
Season 1 (1980/81)
- Piggy Bank Prank / Reggie's Pet Monkey / Muscle Beach / Dollar's Itch / The Robotnappers
- The Rare Scare / Stuffed Pillows / Kitty Sitter / One of Our Aircraft Carriers Is Missing
- Silence Is Golden / The Shocking Lady Strikes Again / Spring Cleaning
- The Blur / Cur Wash / The Kangaroo Hop
- Irona vs. Demona / Chef's Surprise / The Snow Bounders
- The Abominable Snow Plan / Miss Robot America / Richie Feeds the Goldfish / Constructo
- Counterfeit Dollar / Gloria's Birthday / The Greatest Invention in the World / Who's Afraid of the Big Bad bug?
- Poor Little Richbillies / Richie's Birdhouse / Chowhound / Luxury Lunch / Mystery Mountain
- Wiped Out / Welcome, Uncle Cautious / Disaster Master
- The Most Unforgettable Butler / Richie on a Game Show / T.V. Dollar / Disappearing Dignitaries
- Prankster Beware / Clothes Make the Butler / Artificial Planet / Phantom of the Movies
- Cave Boy Richie / Richie and Gloria Go to the Movies / A Younger Irona / Richie's Farm / The Great Charity Train Robbery
- It's No Giggling Matter / Leaky Ceiling / Baseball Dollar / Guitar Case / The Sinister Sports Spectacular
Season 2 (1981/82)
- Schoolhouse Romp / The Chef's Watchdog / Richie's Wind-Up Toys / The Space Shark
- I Want My Mummy / Mrs. Rich Plays a Video Game / Canine Cadet / Richie of the Round Table
- Dollar Braces Up / Butlering Made Easy / Voodoo Island
- Bye-Bye Baby / Reggie and the Golf Ball / Richie and the Giant Band-Aid / Richie's Giant Jellybeans / A Special Talent / Richie's Robot Milkshake Maker / Villains Incoroprated
- Chilly Dog / Rich Mice / King Bee
- The Money Talks / An Ordinary Day / Mischief Movie
- The Carnival Man / Richie and the Drive-In Movie / Dog Gone / Freckles Plays Croquet / The Day the Estate Stood Still
- Robot Robber / No Substitute for a Watchdog / Around the World on 80 Cents
Repeats from Season 1 aired during the latter five episodes of Season 2 on ABC.
Season 3 (1982/83)
In this season, one Richie Rich Gems segment was dropped. This might have been a sign of declining ratings at this point.
- Born Flea / Gloria and the Money Plant / How Human! / The Collector
- The Midas Touch / Ball Room / Dignified Doggie / The Genie with the Light Brown Hair
- Mayda Munny / Coin Flipper / Busy Butler / The Haunting of Castle Rich
- Suavo / Gloria and the Sugar Bowl / Shoe Biz / The Giant Ape Caper
- The Pie-Eyed Piper / Giant Pearl / Guard Dog / Richie Goes to Shirik
- Boy of the Year / Robot Bug Guards / I Say You All / The Youth Maker
- Everybody's Doing It / Richie's Cube / Dollar's Exercise / The Maltese Monkey
- Look-Alike / Gold Frame / Hard to Study / Sky Hook
Repeats of Riches, Treasure Chest and Zillion Dollar Adventures segments were aired during the last five episodes of Season 3. There is no certainty if the 1982 Animators Strike had anything to do with the repeats. Brand new Richie Rich Gems segments were still aired regardless. Here are some of the Gems segments aired on ABC but never aired in syndication:
- Richie's Toy Jet
- Gloria's Gift Box
- Wind-Up Mr. Rich
Season 4 (1983/84)
Only Zillion Dollar Adventures were produced for this season.
- The T.V. Phantom / Richie Hood
- Whale of a Tale / Rich for a Day
- The Snowman Cometh / The Quake Maker
- Irona Story / Mayda and the Monster (Syndicated finale)
- Computo (Finale, aired on ABC, but never aired in syndication)