Gloop and Gleep of The Herculoids - April 2022

UPDATE: This is a 2022 redo of the original 2009 file.

The Herculoids was a 1967-1969 series produced by Hanna-Barbera, created and designed by the legendary comic artist Alex Toth, and originally spun-off from the more well known Space Ghost. It told the story of the Tarzan-meets-John-Carter-style hero named Zandor and his family consisting of Tara (his wife), Dorno (his son) and their titular creature allies defending the jungle planet of Amzot (sometimes named Quasar) from evil supervillains, rouge monsters, and alien invaders alike.

Although highly repetitious as with other Hanna-Barbera action-adventure shows back from the day, The Herculoids was still a very cool series filled with competent and likeable heroes including those who would otherwise have been regulated to the useless child identification or comic relief spots, such as the protoplasmic wonder duo of Gloop and Gleep.

As their gumdrop-blob appearance would suggest, Gloop and Gleep are able to absorb and deflect energy blasts and laser beams, often placing themselves between attackers and other Herculoids to act as shields. They also possess the ability to shape-shift which they have used in numerous ways, including: transforming into cushions, trampolines, or parachutes to break falls; stretching themselves between tree limbs or rocks to act as slingshots; and binding an attacker's limbs to restrain them, or, alternatively, encircling their entire body to squeeze and render them unconscious. They can also each momentarily divide their body mass into separate portions under their full control when necessary until they quickly reunite.

Gloop is the larger of the two and Gleep is the smaller though its never explained if the two are siblings, parent and offspring, or something more alien like the original mass and its splintered-off little buddy.

Some interesting side notes: in Japan where The Herculoids was broadcast as Monster King Targan, Gloop and Gleep were renamed Hyuhyu and Bobo. While the two blobs and their Herculoid comrades have made comical cameos and mentions in numerous other televisions series and films, the only one I believe is worth a singled-out mention are the smaller, more mischievous, white versions from the Sealab 2021 episode "Hail, Squishface" where the creatures served as multiplying antagonists.

While my true favorite Herculoid is Tundro (the 10-legged, four-horned rhinoceros-triceratops-like hybrid), Gloop and Gleep were too simplistically appealing not for me to draw.