After License to Kill hit screens in 1989, the Bond franchise went into unintentional hibernation, thanks to litigation over film rights. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/United Artists had a plan to keep Bond in the collective consciousness as well as introduce the super-spy to a younger audience (well, kind of). The product of that little brainstorm is James Bond Jr.
The show was Produced by UA and Murakami/Wolf/Swenson, who is best known for the original TMNT cartoon. The premise is that many of the offspring/younger relatives of prominent government officials around the world are to attend Warfield Academy, a heavily fortified school meant to educate and protect. If you ask me, that would actually make it a prime target for bombing by the bad guys, but again I’m not a member of S.C.U.M. (Saboteurs and Criminals United in Mayhem).
Anyway, because the show is set up in this way, you can get a nice mix of characters, many of which coincidentally happen to be related to some famous Bond characters. Of particular note are Gordo Leiter, son of Felix, and requisite surfer/party dude. Also in the cast is Horace “I.Q.” Boothroyd III, grandson of Q, who may be even more brilliant than his famous granddad.
Of course, Bond (any Bond) is nothing without his villains, and young James definitely has his fair share. In addition to newcomers like Doctor Derange, Walker D. Plank and Ms. Fortune, we have a slew of returning characters from the original films as well such as:
Auric Goldfinger: He appeared in a few episodes and looked pretty good for a guy who got sucked out of an airplane at 20,000 feet.
Oddjob: Returning as Goldfinger’s henchman, Oddjob’s run in with the electric fence has scrambled his fashion sense, trading his bowler for a top hat and his sleek black suit is exchanged for a purple and green jogging suit with a gold chain that says “OJ”.
Dr. No: Apparently boiling to death just changed his skin to green, like every other Asian villain in 90’s cartoons.
Jaws: After Moonraker, Jaws has appeared to get a literal steel jaw as well as teeth.
Nick Nack: Pretty much relegated to a sidekick of a sidekick, Nick Nack and Jaws are usually paired together like a homicidal Laurel and Hardy.
Although it only lasted for a year, the show made quite an impact, making up it’s own little merchandising empire. Aside from the 65 episodes produced, the show also spawned a toy line, a 12-issue series from Marvel comics, and video games for the Nintendo and the Super Nintendo. The show itself was filled with Bond-isms. James Jr. is witty, and quite the charmer, I.Q. has some crazy gadgets that work both practically and for comedic effect, and the Bond Jr. girls have appropriately punny names (appropriate for a kid’s show, that is). Where else could you find names like Bunny Slopes, Lotta Dinaro and Marci Beaucoup?
When it comes to the aforementioned tie-ins, the comics fared much better than the video games. While starting out as simple adaptations of TV episodes, the comics eventually started telling original stories, culminating in a final issue bash where young Bond has to face all of his villains!
The games? well, they were either were nigh-incomprehensible claptrap, or just plain boring. If you can get through these videos, you’re a better man than I, Gunga Din!
“>httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkI0d1FHlhM
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCn2TvoHyJY
The legacy of James Bond Jr. was felt after the film series re-started with Pierce Brosnan. For instance, one of the villains from GoldenEye, General Ouromov, actually appeared in this show first, with much the same motivations. The longest lasting impression though is probably the gadgets invented by I.Q. that found their way into the films, such as the remote controlled car, and various watch gadgets like the grappling hook.
Unfortunately, the show is pretty much forgotten today, and is not available for purchase, but thanks to the magic of YouTube, you can watch the first episode below. I’ve also included some of the official design sheets used in the show’s production for your perusal. Enjoy!
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCd9I8GcmzQ
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKUKmnaU19o
