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September 1980 - September 1982, CBS
Hanna-Barbera Productions
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hree teenagers who were the
descendents of some of the world's most notorious monsters -
namely Dracula, Frankenstein's Monster and the Wolf Man -
dedicated themselves to reversing the evil image of their
forefathers by forming a do-gooder group called the Drak Pack
and fighting on the side of mankind. Drak Jr., Frankie and
Howler were unaffected by the things that had power over their
predecessors (such as a full moon, daylight, garlic, etc.), and
remained human unless they chose to take the forms of their
monster lineage, which they could only do by performing the Drak
Whack; which involved a three-way high-five while yelling,
"Whacko!" Drak, who led the group, could shape shift from a
vampire into the form of a bat or a patch of fog, as well as
being able to levitate. Frankie, in
addition to being a bit *slow* in the head, inherited the size
and strength of his family line. In place of the savage
characteristics usually associated with werewolves, Howler had
the ability to create gale force winds with his breath (akin to
the Big Bad Wolf huffing and puffing in the story of the Three
Little Pigs).
The teens' base of operations
was an isolated, creepy old mansion. By depressing a button
hidden behind a painting, the inside walls of the mansion
rotated to reveal high tech (for the time) video
conferencing equipment that was used to contact Drak's great
uncle Dracula, whom the gang referred to as Big D (which
irritated Big D… er, Dracula). The easily displeased and
comically critical Big D nonetheless always provided
reliable information regarding the latest criminal
activities of the Drak Pack's arch nemesis Dr. Dred, leader
of a gang of diabolical evildoers collectively known as
O.G.R.E. (short for the Organization of Generally Rotten
Enterprises). To reach their foes, the Drak Pack traveled
about in a multi-purpose vehicle called the "Drakster" that,
with the turn of a dial, was fit for land, air or sea
travel.
A small, artificial island made to
look like an inactive volcano served as the headquarters for
O.G.R.E. The inside of the volcano housed the complex where Dr.
Dred came up with all of the unusual, high tech inventions he
used to help perpetrate his crimes (such as a shrink ray, time
stopper, color collector that turned everything black & white,
etc.). To carry out his crimes he and his henchmen traveled in a
dirigible they called the "Dredgible." The other members of his
organization included Vampira, a female vampire that mainly
shape shifted into a snake or spider, but could assume the form
of almost any animal; Mummy Man was not only big and strong, but
he could use his bandages like rope for all types of purposes;
the part man/part insect Fly could fly around and cling to
walls; and Toad resembled a cross between a human and a toad,
but his name could just as easily have been in reference to his
role as Dr. Dred's groveling toady, as he took the brunt of Dr.
Dred's abuse and was his primary yes-man.
The Drak
Pack always managed to foil the plans of their renegade rivals,
but that didn't prevent O.G.R.E. from returning each and every
episode to wreak its unlawful havoc, further reinforcing the
negative stereotype of monsters everywhere. |