Captain Simian & the Space Monkeys

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Captain Simian & the Space Monkeys
Captain Simian & Space Monkeys logo.JPG
Created by Gordon Bressack
Developed byGordon Bressack
Rob Hudnut
Gary Hartle
Voices of Jerry Doyle
Karen Maruyama
Maurice LaMarche
Dom Irrera
James Avery
Jeff Bennett
Michael Dorn
Malcolm McDowell
Frank Welker
ComposersThomas Chase Jones
Steve Rucker
Dale Schacker
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes26
Production
Running time21 minutes
Production companies Hallmark Entertainment
Monkeyshine Productions, Inc.
Original release
Network Syndication ( Amazin' Adventures )
ReleaseAugust 16, 1996 (1996-08-16) 
June 21, 1997 (1997-06-21)

Captain Simian & the Space Monkeys is an American science fiction comedy animated television series. [1] The show premiered in August 16, 1996 in the United Kingdom and September 7, 1996, in the United States, and ended after 26 episodes on June 21, 1997. It was produced by Hallmark Entertainment, Monkeyshine Productions, Inc., [2] and distributed by Bohbot Entertainment and aired as part of the company's Amazin' Adventures syndicated animation block, later known as the Bohbot Kids Network. [3]

Contents

The series is currently available on Tubi in select countries as of October 2025.

Summary

During the monkey-manned spaceflights of the 1960s, one rocket veered off course, sending a chimp named Charles off into the outer reaches of space. After many years, Charles' craft was discovered by the most intelligent race in the universe; a running gag involves them being so advanced their name is unpronounceable, the characters mistake references to them as empty pauses.

Charles was given enhanced intelligence, weapons, and futuristic technology, along with a charge to protect the universe from the evil Lord Nebula. One of the more unusual villains in cartoon history, Nebula was a half-human, half-black hole who hoped to become a complete black hole, swallow the universe in a "Big Crunch," then remake it in his own image. His one problem was that, being half human, he was still susceptible to human ailments, such as the common cold and stomach aches.

To aid Charles (who was given the title "Captain Charles Simian"), The " " allowed him to recruit a team of fellow Earth monkeys and apes: Shao Lin, a Chinese golden monkey with swift fighting skills and serene wisdom; Spydor, a wisecracking little spider monkey with a long prehensile tail; Dr. Splitz/Splitzy, an orangutan with a scientist/madman split-personality; and Gor-illa/Gor, a big, strong gorilla.

The group cruises the stars in their ship, the Primate Avenger, battling Nebula and his cyborg monkey henchman, Rhesus 2, and searching for the ever-elusive bananas.

Characters

Heroes

Villains

Other

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release dateProd.
code
1"Yes, We Have No Bananas, Part 1"Bradley RaderGordon Bressack and Rob HudnutSeptember 7, 1996 (1996-09-07)1
During the monkey-manned spaceflights, one of the rockets, with a chimp named Charles, went off course and into the far reaches of the universe. An advanced race of aliens enhanced Charles' intelligence and gives him a monkey and ape crew and a ship and names him Captain Charles Simian. Their mission is to defeat an alien named Nebula, who plans on taking over the universe with a matter called the "Anti-Force".
2"Yes, We Still Have No Bananas, Part 2"Bradley RaderGordon Bressack and Rob HudnutSeptember 7, 1996 (1996-09-07)2
Charles is determined to destroy the Anti-force that Nebula needs by casting it into the nearest Sun. Unable to make it he instead puts it inside a disco ball and rigs it to blow. When Nebula absorbs the ball, it absorbs all of Nebula's energy and he turns back into his original self and then blows up. Charles then names the ship the Primate Avenger.
3"Ape-lien"Bradley RaderPamela Hickey and Dennys McCoySeptember 14, 1996 (1996-09-14)3
The crew answers a distress call from the NC-17 galaxy, where they find a derelict ship and split up to search it. Spydor recovers an egg from the ship, which rapidly grows and Splitzy says that the alien's DNA is changing rapidly, allowing it to change shape quickly; as Gor fights the alien, it absorbs his DNA, reconstructing itself and becoming stronger. Splitzy uses Spydor's crystals to create a cage to trap the alien; Spydor lures the alien into the cage, and the primates dump it into space.
4"The Monkey Has Landed" David Schwartz Mark Seidenberg and Gordon BressackSeptember 14, 1996 (1996-09-14)4
The ship is warped to a planet in another galaxy, where they are attacked by unmanned planes. After blowing up the planes, they search the planet further, finding that it looks like Earth but is covered entirely with jungle, and meet an intelligent monkey named Lilith. Lilith identifies herself as the caretaker of the planet and tells them that an alien race recently visited the planet and gave its residents increased intelligence. They all left to explore space, leaving her behind as the chosen caretaker. Rhesus 2 attacks Captain Simian and explains that the planet is not Earth, but his former homeworld Terrestria. Long ago, its human scientists sent him into space, but his pod escaped orbit and was beamed on board by Lord Nebula, who made him intelligent. Lilith is revealed to be a robot and is destroyed by Rhesus. However, Splitzy repairs Lilith, allowing her to return to her caretaker role.
5"Gorilla My Dreams"Bradley Rader Martin Olson and Gordon BressackSeptember 21, 1996 (1996-09-21)5
Nebula tells Rhesus 2 to go to a planet named Medusa 4, where he will find a device to produce the anti-force. Captain Simian intercepts the message and quickly travels to Medusa. Spydor falls down a trench and the rest follow after him. They land in a chamber, where they meet an alien named Grxylpk. Grxylpk takes them to a wall shaped like an ear, which may be the ear of a sleeping giant. Grxylpk says that the sacred ear keeps the galaxy running and can make anything them through the power of dreams. Rhesus attacks the group, with both sides using the ear to upgrade their weaponry. The giant wakes up during the battle, causing the galaxy to begin disappearing. Splitzy creates a huge sound wave which sounds like a lullaby, putting the giant back to sleep.
6"Splitzy's Choice"Bradley RaderPamela Hickey and Dennys McCoySeptember 21, 1996 (1996-09-21)7
Splitzy uses a device he created to get rid of his split personality, splitting him and Dr. Splitz into separate bodies. A sand monster destroys the Holo Boon, and goes after Simian and Shao Lin, but is shot and retreats. When they see that the ship is coming apart, Splitzy and Splitz work together to fix the ship and realize that they need each other. Dr. Splitz and Splitzy use their machine to merge back into one monkey.
7"Repo Ape"Bradley RaderPamela Hickey and Dennys McCoyOctober 5, 1996 (1996-10-05)9
Splitzy finds that Charles' capsule was not destroyed with the planet and made its way to the XJ-12 galaxy. So the crew get ready to go there. When they get into the galaxy, their ship is caught in a magnetic anomaly and crashes in a junkyard. The monkeys encounter Matrix, a robot who captures them to "deconstruct and assimilate". Gor gets free and then frees everyone else, but is recaptured along with Gor. On the ship, the monkeys learn that Matrix was once an automated salvage vehicle who deconstructed and assimilated abandoned space vehicles. Stranded after being caught in the anomaly, Matrix continued its job, but was unable to distinguish between machine and Monkeys. Splitzy creates a magnetic field to cancel the anomaly, and the robots overload. Then the crew makes it back to the ship and they flee. Splitzy tells the Monkeys that Matrix survived and continues to evolve, but it will take 20 centuries to complete.
8"Gormongus!"David Schwartz Nick Sagan November 2, 1996 (1996-11-02)6
Gor and Spydor are captured by an unknown ship and encounter Apex, an alien with snakes for hair. Apax tells Gor that he's going to make him a champion, and takes Gor and Spydor to an arena. Gor is forced to fight, or else he will be killed. Apax injects Gor with a special isotope that causes him to transform into a large, monstrous state. Spydor sings Gor a lullaby, which causes him to go to sleep and changes back to normal. Splitzy later does tests on Gor and determines that the isotope's effects are irreversible.
9"Invasion of the Banana Snatchers"David SchwartzGordon Bressack and Beth SlickNovember 9, 1996 (1996-11-09)8
The crew finds giant alien bananas attached to the hull of the ship. The bananas capture Gor, Spydor, and Splitzy and creates clones of them. The clones take over the ship, forcing Shao Lin and Captain Simian to escape. In the end Shao Lin and Simian go to the space station that the bananas came from and free their crew from them. When the crew is freed, their clones evaporate.
10"Lawnmower Ape"David SchwartzAlan Swayze and Gordon BressackNovember 16, 1996 (1996-11-16)10
Gor has been having a hard time keeping up with the rest of the crew. Splitzy uses the cerebrotron to increase Gor's intelligence, causing him to become smarter than Splitzy. Rhesus 2 attacks the ship to get Gor's brain because Gor is now smart and knows how to create anti-force. Spydor tries to make Gor transform into Gormongous so that he can defeat Rhesus, but Gor has gotten too smart to get angry. Gor uses Splitzy's cerebrotron to decrease his intelligence back to how he was before. Gor successfully transforms and defeats Rhesus.
11"Monkey in the Middle"Bradley RaderStory by: Gordon Bressack
Teleplay by: Marlowe Weisman and Laraine Arkow
November 23, 1996 (1996-11-23)11
Rhesus 2 steals gravitons from a cosmic storm, which causes a rip in the universe and Charles goes in it and when he comes back an alien follows him. The alien then tells Charles that his name is Vog and when the gravitons were stolen his world ripped open and says he must put the gravitons back before the cosmic storm ends to seal the rip and save his universe. With the aliens' help, the crew gets the gravitons back and saves the universe.
12"Plan Ape from Outer Space"Bradley RaderLynn Mills, Jimmy Huston & Gordon BressackNovember 30, 1996 (1996-11-30)13
To escape from a space creature and nearly out of fuel, the Space Monkeys ride a meteor through a wormhole. On the other side, they discover an inhabited planet and decide to refuel there. However, they also discover that the meteor is about to hit the planet. They try to warn the inhabitants, but the universal translator is broken and the inhabitants think they have been invaded. Despite repeated attempts to communicate, they cannot convince the inhabitants of their peaceful intentions. So, to save the planet pretend to invade and lure all of the missiles coming from the planet, towards the meteor. After the meteor is destroyed, the inhabitants think they have destroyed the ship and averted an alien invasion.
13"Monkey Puzzle Man"Joe PearsonPamela Hickey and Dennys McCoyJanuary 25, 1997 (1997-01-25)15
The crew encounter a smooth-talking spacefarer called Largo Thrix, who becomes more monkey-like the longer he hangs out with them. Everyone assumes Simian's bad feeling about him is just jealousy, but it ultimately turns out Largo can duplicate the characteristics of other beings and is in cahoots with Rhesus 2. After he helps Rhesus capture the Space Monkeys, his conscience is reawoken by Simian deliberately 'infecting' him with some of his own persona and he helps them escape.
14"The Apes of Wrath"David SchwartzRichard Mueller and Gordon BressackFebruary 1, 1997 (1997-02-01)12
Rhesus 2 destroys the Holo Boon generator to force the crew to Velasquez 9 for a replacement. Unbeknownst to them, he has modified the replacement to generate a megalomaniacal dictator whose "Holo Boon horde" seizes the ship.
15"Mind Over Monkey"Joe PearsonMartin Olson and Gordon BressackFebruary 8, 1997 (1997-02-08)14
Rhesus 2 plants a Psycho Neutron Annihilator which will destroy all organic life on the Primate Avenger but leave the ship intact. To prevent the crew from locating it before it blows up, the bomb creates several realistic and dangerous hallucinations of their greatest fears which they must pass through in order to get closer.
16"Planet of the Humans"Bradley Rader D.C. Fontana February 15, 1997 (1997-02-15)16
The crew lands on an alien planet populated entirely by barbaric humans as well as two alien brothers who had been abandoned on the planet for three years as a test to enter adulthood. While one brother wandered alone the other allied himself with the human population who "knew how to survive." Unable to leave, the crew is captured by the human tribe which confirms many of their preconceived notions about humanity. Although Shao Lin was worshiped by humans on Earth and Simian claimed to have a good "working relationship" with them, Gor, Splitzy and Spydor had all been abused by various humans and Gor, who had been hunted by poachers back on Earth, especially disliked them. However, when Gor frightens a young human girl he finds her to be innocent and that humans are capable of change. When the brothers' father finally returns for his sons the crew rethinks what it means to be "evolved."
17"Little House on the Primate"Bradley RaderLaraine Arkow and Marlowe WeismanFebruary 22, 1997 (1997-02-22)18
When Spydor demands that the crew land on an uninhabited natural world for some recreation, his plans to officially claim the planet and colonize it for his own benefit are ironically mimicked by a tiny spaceship full of flea-sized aliens, who attempt to colonize Spydor's body. Since their moral codes prohibit them from simply destroying the diminutive aliens, the rest of the crew use one of Dr. Splitz's inventions to shrink down small enough to attempt diplomacy. However, Rhesus 2 attacks the Primate Avenger and captures Spydor whilst the crew are shrunken, forcing the Space Monkeys and the aliens to work together. In the end the crew leaves and the aliens seek out the body of Rhesus.
18"Felonious Monks"David Schwartz Christy Marx March 1, 1997 (1997-03-01)17
Primate Avenger's crew is kidnapped by Apax, and only one Space Monkey can now free them all: Shao Lin (with Orbitron's "help").
19"The Maltese Monkey"David SchwartzPamela Hickey, Dennys McCoy & Gordon BressackApril 19, 1997 (1997-04-19)19
In a parody of Noir films, Captain Simian and the Space Monkeys must navigate the treacherous twists and turns of the denizens of Maltese 1 in order to recover the stolen Orbitron, which has revealed it contains the formula for GLOPP, before a local crimeboss can sell it to Lord Nebula.
20"Escape From the Plant of the Apes"Bradley RaderLaraine Arkow and Marlowe WeismanApril 26, 1997 (1997-04-26)21
The Primate Avenger comes across a spacecraft containing a huge forest of trees and plants. The roots of the trees suddenly come to life and drag the Avenger on board. The forest is dying and requires a gardener to maintain it. The nature-loving Gor would be ideal for the post and when his companions try to interfere their lives are put in jeopardy. To add to their problems, Splitzy unintentionally switches the minds of Simian and Shao Lin.
21"Rhesus Pieces"John FoxGordon Bressack and D.C. FontanaMay 3, 1997 (1997-05-03)20
A powerful being calling himself the Glyph offers Simian the chance of destroying Nebula. The plan is to lure Rhesus 2 into a trap and get him to lead them to his master. But the crew soon discovers that their new ally has an agenda of his own.
22"A Clockwork Orang"David SchwartzGordon Bressack and Rob HudnutMay 10, 1997 (1997-05-10)22
While the crew argues about whether or not they should try to return to Earth when the universe is still in jeopardy, Gor wishes he had a friend to share his interests. Splitzy has created a small android orangutan as an experiment and decides to use Gor's simple mind as a basis for its thought patterns. Gor names it Isaac and the Captain thinks an android crew might be the ideal solution to allow the Primate crew to go home. They travel to Cyber 1, an android planet, for parts. When they arrive, they find the planet is ruled by Matrix, who refuses to let them leave. When they find the power grid for the planet, Issac decides to stay behind as he is the only one who can shut down the power grid. He declares that he is an android and belongs there, and says goodbye to Gor. Later, Isaac is shown growing a flower and sharing it with the other androids.
23"Surf Monkeys Must Dive!"Bradley RaderLaraine Arkow and Marlowe WeismanMay 17, 1997 (1997-05-17)23
When the Primate Avenger's scanners register that an occupied oceanic planet is undergoing critical core destabilization, the Space Monkeys attempt to land to warn the inhabitants, only to be attacked by the militaristic society and shot down. The planet's ocean is made of hyper-liquidized oxygen, and thus breathable. Determined to continue their mission, the Space Monkeys discover the planet's inhabitants are divided into two subspecies; the surface-dwellers who attacked them, and another culture that lives entirely under the ocean and has been enslaved by the surface dwellers. Their rampant mining has destabilized the planet, and unless a substantial portion of metal is returned soon, its core will break through to the surface. With the planet on the verge of exploding, the Space Monkeys convince the species to work together to stabilize the core, creating the first natural landmasses on the planet. As the Space Monkeys leave, the representatives of the former factions argue over how to integrate their people together and how to share the land and water.
24"The Mandrill Who Knew Too Much, Part 1"John Fox and Joe PearsonGordon BressackJune 7, 1997 (1997-06-07)24
Lord Nebula finally creates an almost complete GLOPP generator, and deduces that the one thing he needs to complete it is the Orbitron. He dispatches Rhesus 2 to retrieve Orbitron. Meanwhile, the Space Monkeys encounter a mysterious mandrill named Mandrax, who speaks ominously of things to come.
25"Ape-pocalypse Now!, Part 2"David Schwartz and Joe PearsonGordon BressackJune 14, 1997 (1997-06-14)25
Rhesus 2 attacks the Primate Avenger with incredible ferocity, and ultimately manages to capture all of the Space Monkeys except for Captain Simian. Realizing that Rhesus's goal is to retrieve Orbitron for Nebula, Captain Simian makes the hardest decision of his career and is forced to retreat, leaving his crews in Rhesus's clutches. He lands on a barren wasteland planet... but in his eyes, it's a paradisaical jungle world, where a willing and affectionate Shao Lin awaits him.
26"Ape-pocalypse... A Little Later!, Part 3"Bradley RaderGordon BressackJune 21, 1997 (1997-06-21)26
The Space Monkeys languish aboard Nebula's ships, awaiting interrogation at the hands of Rhesus 2. Captain Simian is still wandering a desolate planet, believing himself to be in paradise, until he is attacked by imaginary monsters. Mandrax appears and dispels the illusion, which was created by a pair of psychic aliens. After some conversation with Mandrax, Captain Simian returns to Lord Nebula's ship to rescue his crew, trading Orbitron for their safety. The GLOPP generator goes haywire, transforming Nebula into a tiny round sphere and disabling his powers. Rhesus realizes that he no longer needs to obey Nebula in his diminished state and throws the GLOPP generator into space before declaring his intent to conquer the universe. The Space Monkeys vow to continue fighting until Rhesus is defeated, and Mandrax watches as they fly away, before revealing himself to be a time-traveling Captain Simian from the future.

Production and personnel

Epoch and Toon-Us-In provided all pre-production in L.A., including layout. Animation, ink and paint and camera was provided by Seoul-based studios Sunmin Image Pictures and Jireh Animation. Vitello Productions provided post-production services. The series was produced by Joe Pearson, with Rob Hudnut, Gordon Bressack, and Gary Hartle serving as executive producers.

Merchandise figures

In 1996, Mattel released a collection of action figures based on Captain Simian & the Space Monkeys. Designed by Bluebird Toys of the UK, the line included nine basic figures and four large vehicles or accessories. [5] The figures, armed with several accessories, were packaged so that the consumer could rotate them inside the card bubble as though they were floating in space.

References

  1. Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. pp. 182–184. ISBN   978-1476665993.
  2. "MIP-TV Special Report: Focus on partnerships: Captain Simian & the Space Monkeys".
  3. "Special Report: Fall TV: Captain Simian & The Space Monkeys".
  4. Lawson, Tim; Persons, Alisa (December 9, 2004). The Magic Behind the Voices: A Who's Who of Cartoon Voice Actors - Tim Lawson, Alisa Persons - Google Books. Univ. Press of Mississippi. ISBN   9781578066964 . Retrieved March 19, 2016.
  5. Captain Simian and the Space Monkeys (Mattel) Action Figure Checklist Figure Realm. Retrieved on 10-28-2012.