Here Comes the Grump

This series will always hold a special place in my memory. I turned 12 years old in November of 1969, and the 1969 - 1970 season was really the last time I regularly watched cartoons on Saturday morning. I was just starting to take an interest in girls on a romantic level, and I vaguely recall identifying with the Terry Dexter character. I often found myself daydreaming about rescuing a beautiful blonde princess from the clutches of an evil villain. In the trivia section, it mentions that the final episode is "rare" because it only aired once. Frankly, I have no recollection of any episode airing more than twice (initially, and then during summer reruns).

As of April 2007, there is currently only one episode available for viewing on YouTube, and it's in Spanish. Alas, while Princess Dawn is still as pretty as I remembered her, I now realize that the title character is just an ersatz Yosemite Sam. I could purchase the DVD that is currently available to see if the English speaking voices I grew up with jog any nostalgic feelings, but I have a hunch it will ultimately lead to disappointment. With just about everything being released on DVD, one can now easily explore anything that was popular in one's youth. Unfortunately, one can never be 11 years old again.

If I had to describe this cartoon in some way, I would say that it is a psychedelic and modern version of Alice in Wonderland. The story has neither a beginning nor an end so you can see any chapter in any order that is perfectly understood. Princess Dawn along with her friend Terry and a strange pet that could be considered a kind of dog go in different vehicles depends on the episode to find a cave where The Grump has hidden a crystal key with which you can get to the Kingdom of the princess of a long malefic lethargy. During their journey they visit the most bizarre places, from a kingdom where their leader has the Midas touch, a country populated only by talking doors, a balloon civilization or the house of giants. The Grump chases after them mounted on his clumsy dragon to stop them. The cartoon is extremely colorful and both the characters and the places they go are surreal.