In the fragile firmament that was the formative years of my childhood, back in the deep dark of things I almost remember is The Impossible. It may have been in reruns on some UHF station, sharing the spotlight with Frankenstein JR. The Impossible combined the two things My pre-teen brain loved most, Rock Music and Super Heroes.
I know it sees like odd things to nail together, but the trend to put music in animation infected many classics of the medium. Scooby-Doo had musical chases. The Archies made it into the top 40. The Partridge Family had their own cartoon show. Josie and the Pussy Cats rocked us out on Saturday mornings. All that was cool, but none of those guys had super powers or mad puns when they fought the bad guys. The Impossibles wee the best adventure you could get in under 10 minutes.
The Impossibles were a trio of rock and roll musicians. When contacted by "Big D" (voiced by Paul Frees) about criminal activities in Empire City, they became superheroes. Like the Monkees, the group’s appearance (in their musician form) was based on 1960s pop star stereotypes, which included somewhat long hair, brightly colored (and matching) outfits, high-heeled boots, screaming female fans and, unlike the Monkees, no percussion or bass instruments. Nothing is known about their personal lives, although Fluid-Man once mentioned having an Aunt Tilly. They seemed to have secret identities though even a little child would have no trouble connecting the singing Impossibles to the hero Impossibles on appearance alone. They also seemed to change to their "secret identities" in front of the crowds they were playing to when given a mission.
The Impossibles
Posing as a trio of young rock 'n roll musicians, the Impossibles were in reality super-powered crime fighters dedicated to battling evil supervillains of all shapes and sizes. When performing for their adoring fans (usually star-struck, screaming teeny boppers) the lads would play their mod, futuristic-looking guitars atop an equally futuristic bandstand (emblazoned with their "Impossibles" logo on the side, a la Ringo Starr's drumkit) that could convert into a car (the "Impossi-Mobile"), or a jet (the "Impossi-Jet"), a speedboat, or even a submarine. Their standard catch cry when called into action was "Rally ho!"
Their humorous dialogue was typically peppered with puns. As with many Hanna-Barbera characters, The Impossibles were topical and inspired by their times, in this case resembling the rock 'n roll groups of the mid-Sixties.
The Heroes
Each member of the Impossibles had a specific, and very visual superpower:
Coil-Man (voiced by Hal Smith) - Short, barrel-chested and sporting a mod haircut, blond "Coily" could transform his arms and legs into impossibly stretchable or coiled springs, allowing him to bounce to avoid attacks, deliver long-range punches, or drill through walls. Coil-Man usually drove the Impossi-jet, and his guitar contained a small TV receiver through which "Big D" (voiced by Paul Frees, who also served as the voice over Narrator in almost every episode) could contact the group and deliver orders (Big D used Multi Man's guitar in "The Fiendish Dr Futuro," "Beamatron," and "The Diabolical Dauber"). Because of his presumably metal coils, Coily could be held in place by a super magnet, but could also conduct heat or electricity with his coils. He also hid in a closet disguised as a wire coat hanger, further implying that he was at least partially made of metal. Coil-Man's costume was purple and blue and included a purple mask and a cowl crested by a triangular fin.
Fluid-Man (voiced by Paul Frees) - Dark-haired Fluid-Man, aka "Fluey", could morph parts (or all) of his body into a liquid form, a talent perfect for sneaking up on an enemy though a water faucet. He could also vaporize himself into a cloud or storm, but he could also be soaked up and trapped by a sponge ("Televisatron" and "Return of the Spinner"), or frozen solid inside a block of ice ("Not So Nice Mr. Ice"). Fluid-Man's costume resembled a lime green wetsuit complete with diver's mask and swimfins. Fluey's speaking style indicated that he was the beatnik of the group.
Multi-Man (voiced by Don Messick) - Multi could create infinite duplicates of himself which were often destroyed, leaving only the original behind. His duplicates rarely, if ever, functioned independently, and were often used as camouflage, a bluff, for extra strength or transportation (he could fly by continuously creating replicas above himself). When duplicating himself, he could push tons of rocks out of the way or crack the block of solid concrete he and the others were entombed. The character had shaggy, orange hair that covered his eyes (his eyes, in fact, are never seen) and he usually held a shield for what seems decorative reasons. Multi showed the ability to repel bullets with his bare hand ("Fero, the Fiendish Fiddler"); (it is possible the artist may have accidentally left the shield undrawn). Multi-Man's angular, red and black costume resembled an stylized 'M', and included a short, triangular red cape. Favorite saying: "You got them all except the original." Multi bore a resemblance to the identical members of the singing group "The Way Outs" from The Flintstones.
Apparently I'm not alone in my love for these classic and almost forgotten pioneers of animated Rock Music. During my research I discovered other devotees of this piece of animated amazement. The fanaticism took on some artistic twists ans expressed in the following artistic renderings of the Impossibles.
Apparently there is some sort of secret cult dedicated to the Impossibles. Maybe because they were relate-able. It may have been the first time that Rockers weren't expressed as counter cultural or long haired weirdos. The Impossibles connected with a youth audience. The cartoon world had accepted their culture in the wackiest way possible. That may be The Impossibles Greatest super achievement.
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