While the humans were depicted in a somewhat realistic manner, Bandit was all cartoon. He was the progenetor of the other "funny pets" in later, far inferior H/B series: FUNKY PHANTOM, INCH HIGH-PRIVATE EYE, etc. Even a fairly good series such as SPACE GHOST just had to have its "funny pet"--in this case, Blip the monkey. They were all unfunny and annoying.
That might be why Bandit was pushed into the background in THE NEW ADVENTURES OF JOHNNY QUEST.
Well Bandit was comedic relief from a show that was way too serious at times. I think he was a great sidekick.
shareBandit was the best in my opinion and I hope that the makers of Yoda and Gollum from LOTR will create a cgi version of Bandit for the upcoming film.
shareWalt Disney's Pocohontas sported a small bulldog(I believe)w/ mask like markings. The bulldog's always being bested by a raccoon, much like Bandit was always being bested by a monkey in Double Danger, & a young gorilla in Devil's Tower
shareI can get what you're saying, as Bandit did behave a bit too silly at times. But that was probably for the younger kids...
shareBandit was the most cartoonish aspect to the show. He wasnt even designed by Doug Wildey who drew the rest, Bandit was created by Hanna-Barbera animator Dick Bickenbach. So bandit LOOKS out of place in the grand scheme of things.
But I guess somebody figured we needed a comic relief gimmick to counter balence our ' guys getting squashed under a speedboat' scenes. Its said that Wildey wanted a monkey sidekick, so Im kinda glad they picked the dog.
"Pffft, my suspension of disbelief has higher standards than that"
I heard the creators of the series originally did not want Bandit, but the higher-ups told them they wanted a dog to make the series "family friendly".
The wildest irony - after the series came out, every kid with a dog was naming it Bandit.
He wound up being one popular son-of-a ... well, that's what he was, you know!!!
Bandit was alright, carrying on a fine tradition from characters like Sandy in Little Orphan Annie. Bandit saves the day a few times, even in a somehwat realistic manner.
The Comico comic book series had a great story, told from Bandit's point of view. He is dognapped by a group that stages dog fights. Using his cunning, he is able to lead an escape of the dogs. The story features some great moments, like the dogs discussing their names and their relationships with their humans. Jonny is in great distress, searching desperately for Bandit. It also hilighted a very real issue of illegal dog fights and the kind of scum who stage them.
I'd have liked that comic story, I think. (Now if they'd had Bandit imagining he was a World War I flying ace, I'd worry a bit.) ;-)
Cartoony, maybe, but I am the biggest sucker for a cute dog there is. (Or cat, for that matter.) And his little bark was just so adorable. Who's a widdle puppy, then? You are! Yes you ARE!
Watching the nightly airings on Cartoon Network when I was a kid, I really couldn't care less for Bandit. Every time I'd see the clip of the condor getting ready to grab, I'd joke about how he was finally going to get it. Now I'm kinda fond of the little guy. I don't think he's too cartoony, just a little too precocious at times. There wasn't really any of the humanization you'd see with other cartoon animals. He's still tons better than Ms Lion (If you have any idea who that is, you already know how awful she was).
Still got my fingers crossed, waiting for Judas Contract to get green-lit
DMBishop83: "There wasn't really any of the humanization you'd see with other cartoon animals."
That's what I was going to say. Even as a kid I appreciated the fact that Bandit was just a dog. He didn't say "Herro Rorge" or "Scooby Doo!" or any of that other lame Hanna-Barbera crap. Except for being a bit cartoony in his expressions and intelligence, he mostly just acted like a dog. Thank goodness. A standard issue Hanna-Barbera talking mutt could've screwed that classic series up big time.
I love dogs in real life, but I've never been a fan of them as sidekicks as they usually tend to make them a little too cartoony.
Try not to take life too seriously, no one gets out alive.
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I never liked Bandit either. And they always have some sidekick character that doesn't belong in the show and it ruins the entire show. And it is usually either a dog or a monkey.
I can excuse The Jetsons (the first episode was a few years before Jonny Quest) who later got to star in his own show, and Scooby-Doo is a perfect fit for the Mystery, Inc. (but Scrappy is not) and as for Josie And The Pussy Cats has Sebastian as an original comic book character that is important to the premise of Josie and The Pussy Cats. He is a cat which fits with the band's name and also he has magic powers (So does Alexandra) ... It is hinted in the comic books that Sebastian is a reincarnated human. And Birdman also makes sense.
But then every other series also has a dog or a monkey for no reason. Space Ghost, Captain Planet, I can't think of any else at the moment but with Space Ghost (and even Jonny Quest) they have monkeys that squeak like mice. To be fair, Speed Racer, a Japanese programme, also has a stupid chimp.
In Live Action Situation Comedies often have a dog in the family, but seem to disappear in later episodes.
Other examples is Orko from He-Man. An alien that is about the same size of a dog or money.
The programmes would be much better without these sidekick characters. Dexter's Laboratory had an episode about this with Dyno-Mutt being a "Goofy Idiot Sidekick" even though technically Dyno-Mutt is the star (literally with a star behind him in the opening theme) of Dyno-Mutt, Dog Wonder. But Bandit is so very annoying and it really makes no sense to take some "Cute Cuddly Lap Dog" along with you on dangerous missions. Dr. Quest should have employed somebody to watch his house and keep Bandit at his house.
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He could be a little obnoxious sometimes but he was a good pet & sidekick. And he saved Johnny & Hadji's butts by literally using his little doggy butt to put out the trail of gunpowder that was about to ignite dynamite.
shareStranger than truth - Bandit was not supposed to be a part of the series, but included to make it more "family friendly". The producers did not like Bandit but the kids did and before you knew it everyone who got a new dog named him Bandit!!!
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