James Bond Jr and Gordo on board

In 1991 there was an animated series based on a spinoff novel from Ian Flemming’s James Bond series. I just watched Chitty Chitty Bang Bang for the first time in… decades, and I was suprised to learn that it was also based on an Ian Flemming novel and produced by Albert R. Broccoli, the guy who did all the early James Bond movies. Ian didn’t write the James Bond Jr book, so he can’t really be blamed for the atrocity that is the James Bond Jr cartoon. They made over 60 episodes, but apparently the toy line was more popular than the actual series. What you see here is the Gordo Leiter figure, complete with weaponized skateboard. Turns out there were two episodes that featured skateboarding.

[Sources: Wikipedia and James Bond Jr Online]

So this is the Gordo Leitner character who is supposed to be the son of CIA agent Felix Leiter. He looks more like the son of Corey Webster and Rob Roskopp.

“With pop out skateboard weapon!”

Here he is doing that thing where you pretend your tongue is your top lip.

The back of the package.

Close up of the secret spy message you can only read by looking at it through the supplied sheet of red plastic, or by traveling into the future 2 years to get a decent version of Adobe Photoshop (3.0!) “He’s the son of CIA agent Felix Leitner and James Bond Jr’s primary source of the latest American fads.”

The cartoon has some of the worse voice characters ever. It’s as if they pulled a random teenagers off the street and recorded their first attempts. Episode 15 features some skateboarding. Here’s a synopsis:

Never Lose Hope – A new science teacher at Warfield Academy, Miss Eternal, quickly makes herself popular with the pupils – but is soon kidnapped, apparently by agents of S.C.U.M.. (And they don’t mean SCUM skates – k.ed)

Here’s Gordo about to do the most ridiculous mounting routine you’ll ever see at about 5:30 in the clip. Gordo needs to lay off the steroids. The still quality is crappy because the video is even worse. VCR tracking problems or possibly cheap tape. This is moments after the principal tells Gordo not to skate in the hallways, calmly bemoans Gordo’s disrespect for the regulations, and then uncharacteristically makes an Olympian effort to run a 50 yard dash to catch him. Maybe it was meters.

James Jr borrows the board to chase a crook…

…but not before “IQ” (Ugh.. Grandson of “Q”) mounts a rocket in a conveniently preexisting hole.

Possibly the only realistic scene in the cartoon, James almost loses his balance as the booster kicks in.

Effortless ollie. he just floats away.

Well we’ve perfected the rocket power, but we still can’t build a successful kick tail. – Are those shoes or ski boots?

Faster than a speeding car.

Going off road with a killer stance. Look out below!

Watch the video if you dare. Key moments at 5:30 and 7:00.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpQ1fS7Qz6E

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEWDjVl0v5o

This is episode 64, titled Northern Lights.

En route to the Old Town district of Toronto, Canada, to take part in a beautification project, the Warfield gang’s bus is attacked by a posse of S.C.U.M. agents on ATVs, led by Jaws and Nick Nack.

IQ shows James Jr another rocket powered skateboard. Hm… I wonder if he’ll get to use that later?

1991: Is this possibly the genesis of the original skateboard carrying backpack? You don’t see those anymore out here. Maybe everyone’s rocking belt clips instead.

Bad guys on ATV’s attack, James ditches the girl and fires up the rockets.

Holy nuts! They’ve got fricken lasers!

Yes, he’s flying, early grab or no…

Literally flying. The science of rocket powered skateboard made great advancements in a mere 49 episodes.

Stick the landing for a perfect 10!

Video action. Pay attention briefly at around 6:00 and then at 1:54 in part two.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9l1jFJw68A

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ey9ase_gCxk