Shazzan

Shazzan is an American animated television series, created by Alex Toth and produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions in 1967 for CBS. The series follows the adventures of two teenage siblings, Chuck and Nancy, traveling around a mystical Arabian world, mounted on Kaboobie the flying camel. During their journey they face several dangers, but they are always helped by Shazzan, a genie with magical powers out of this world. Shazzan is not to be confused with Shazam!, the 1970s comic book/television revival of Golden Age super hero Captain Marvel, created by C. C. Beck and Bill Parker.

Shazzan (1967-1968) is an American animated fantasy adventure series created by Alex Toth and produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions for CBS. Across a single season of 36 short episodes, each about eleven minutes long, teenage siblings Chuck and Nancy, voiced by Jerry Dexter and Janet Waldo, travel a mystical Arabian world aboard Kaboobie, a flying camel voiced by Don Messick. Their engine is simple and lively: they set out into new lands, meet a run of hazards, and are saved each time by Shazzan, a genie of remarkable magical power played by Barney Phillips. Each episode is a self-contained journey built from concrete set pieces such as desert crossings, strange cities, and magical perils, so viewers can dip in at any point. The series is set in a storybook version of the Arabian Nights world, a fantasy realm rather than a historical one, with bright, stylized mid-century animation. Its tone is wholesome, breezy, and sincere, with gentle peril and warm sibling banter. Fans of Aladdin, Jonny Quest and The Herculoids will find the same blend of exotic wonder, young heroes, and magical rescue that defined classic saturday morning adventure cartoons.

Retrospective viewers generally regard Shazzan as a charming, visually distinctive period piece whose Alex Toth-influenced design outshines its repetitive, formulaic storytelling.

• Aladdin (1992)animated adventure with magical helpers and exotic fantasy settings, family-friendly serialized wonder
• Jonny Questteen siblings on fantastical quests with a magical companion, lighthearted animated adventure
• The HerculoidsHanna-Barbera saturday morning animated adventure with a flying vehicle and young heroes
• The Thief and the Cobblermythic arabian fantasy with genies and magic, family animation tone

Created by

Alex Toth

Release Date

1967-09-09

Episode runtime

11 min

Rating

6.4 / 10 (72)

What is Shazzan about?

Two teenage siblings ride a flying camel through a mystical Arabian world, rescued from peril by a powerful genie.

What is Shazzan like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Shazzan as brisk, its intensity as mild and its storytelling as simple.

Is Shazzan violent?

No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Shazzan.

What did critics think of Shazzan?

Retrospective viewers generally regard Shazzan as a charming, visually distinctive period piece whose Alex Toth-influenced design outshines its repetitive, formulaic storytelling.

Which shows are like Shazzan?

Shows with a similar feel include Aladdin (1992), Jonny Quest, The Herculoids, and The Thief and the Cobbler.

How long is Shazzan?

Shazzan: 1 season, 36 episodes.

Is Shazzan still running?

No, Shazzan has ended.