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Do you remember the crafts from Super Friends?
Did you make these when you were a kid?
The original Super Friends aired in 1973 and was promptly cancelled in 1974. While the show was put out to pasture as a one-season wonder, fate would have it that the Super Friends were destined to return to television once again as The All-New Super Friends Hour in 1977. The success of other programs like The Six Million Dollar Man and Wonder Woman reignited network interest in making another season of Super Friends. The Hanna-Barbera team was excited to bring the Super Friends back to life, but they knew this new show needed to stand out and keep viewers. What would set them apart from all the other cartoons?
Crafts! They decided each episode should include a segment focused on a craft (or magic trick) taught by one of the Super Friends to engage the viewers at home. They also included segments on safety, first aid, and riddles. Some of these crafts, in hindsight, seem lame. Each craft used everyday household items and needed to be safe enough for kids to recreate at home, so they were fairly limited. Let's take a look at the many crafts of Super Friends.
Wonder Woman's Disappearing Coin
This was the first Magic Trick of the show. Wonder Woman starts by covering a glass with a paper, placing it over a coin, saying a magic spell, lifting the paper off the glass, and then the coin disappears! How does she do it? She tapes a piece of colored construction paper (that matches the table) onto the lid of the glass, covering up the coin.
Aquaman's Sun Rattler
Do you need some rhythm in your life? Decorate two paper plates, then fill one plate with dried beans, and glue the other plate on top. Let it dry overnight and in the morning, according to Aquaman, "You've got a terrific rhythm instrument that's fun anytime."
Aquaman's Paper Board Trick
This "magic trick" is confusing and unimpressive, but here's how it goes: Aquaman places a thin piece of wood on a table, spreads a newspaper over it, and then breaks a board with a stick. How is this a magic trick? According to Aquaman, spreading the newspaper over the board "the greater surface now resists being moved through the air."
Wonder Woman's Yo-Yo
A little girl's teacher told her to "make something for school" with a random bag of junk, and Wonder Woman says, "You have the makings of a yo-yo here." One woman's trash is Wonder Woman's yo-yo; she uses an empty thread spool, a piece of string, two container lids, and some tacks. They tie the string through and around the spool, and then she uses a rock to hammer in the tacks.
Superman's Model Telescope
Superman makes a model telescope by using 4 thread spools and a straw or a stick. He instructs to take the spools and line them up on a stick, glue them together as they stack, and paint them with brown poster paint and yellow paint for the gilding. Oh, were you wondering how you see through this "telescope"? You can't, it's a model, Superman even says, "For looking at, not through."
Wonder Woman's Floating Cup
Wonder Woman balances a glass of water on a single playing card! How does she do it? She cheats! She glues half of another card on the back and then folds it out when she places the glass on top. Maybe this is impressive for a regular person, but for someone with superpowers, this left us wanting more.
Aquaman's Disappearing Coin
Deep at the bottom of the ocean, Aquaman finds a hidden treasure and decides it's the perfect time to teach a sleight of hand trick. Aquaman says to rub some wax on the nail of your middle finger, put a coin in the palm of your hand, and slowly close your hand so the nail with the wax can stick to the coin. Now it looks like it disappeared!
Superman's Scissor Sorcery
This is another confusing "who would even be impressed by this" magic trick, but he cuts the ends off of a sealed envelope, then slips a piece of cardboard through, then cuts the envelope with scissors without harming the cardboard. The trick? He cut a secret slit in the back of the envelope to slide the cardboard through so he could cut the envelope while cutting around it.
Wonder Woman's Pencil Top
This craft uses cardboard, a coffee can, a pencil, and markers. Trace a circle around the coffee can, cut the circle out, and decorate with markers. Take a pencil and push it through the center. According to Wonder Woman, "When you spin it on paper, it makes designs." Do we think that would work in real life, or just in cartoons?
Batman's String Phone
Ten episodes in and we finally get a Batman craft! Batman and Robin make a two-way phone with cups, buttons, and a string.
Robin's Mysterious Egg Trick
Robin takes a purse from the audience, empties it, and then has everyone check to make sure it's empty. Then, Robin pulls an egg out of an empty purse. How did they do it? When they checked the purse to be empty, Batman hid the egg in the purse.
Aquaman's Glass Trick
Aquaman wraps a glass in newspaper, then places the wrapped glass over the magic coin. Then he says this glass will disappear right now and smashes it, but it's just a newspaper! He explains the trick is to let the glass fall out of the newspaper and into your lap while the audience is watching the magic coin.
Aquaman's Piggy Bank
While recycling, Aquaman realizes a plastic bottle kind of looks like a piggy bank. He decorates it with a marker, then uses a sharp pencil to poke a hole in the back. Then, he threads a pipe cleaner through the hole to make a curly pigtail. The last step is to glue empty thread spools to make the feet. After drying, just put your spare change in by screwing off the lid/nose!
Batman's Napkin Trick
Is this a magic trick, or were the writers running out of ideas? Batman hands Robin a wrapped-up napkin and tells him to rip it in half. Robin can't, but Batman can! Batman dipped his finger into a glass of water and wet the napkin so he could tear it apart easily.
Wonder Woman's Indoor Rocket
The kids are bored on a rainy day, but Wonder Woman has a solution! An indoor rocket, all you need is a fishing line, straws, rubber balloons, and tape. Tie one end of the fishline to a doorknob, then weave the other end through a plastic straw and tie it to a chair, blow up the balloon and tape it to the straw and let go! The balloon should "blast off" to the doorknob.
