Nothing more than an interesting footnote for die-hard King Kong fans, the 1966 animated series is a mess. The first cartoon animated in Japan for an American audience, Kong is uninteresting even for a young child. Its purpose was purely marketing.

Linked directly with the 1967 Toho film King Kong Escapes, this Kong cartoon has a family of three studying Mondo island. Of course, it’s littered with dinosaurs and a giant ape. Kong relates to the young boy, Bobby, who can ask the ape to do anything he asks. None of this really makes sense, but to an audience of kids, that’s hardly a concern.

Each episode has two different stories, running around seven minutes (though the pilot lasts around 20). Between the two Kong shows, Tom T.H.U.M.B was meant to entertain the kids. Four of these episodes are properly inserted on this DVD release, following the dull adventures of a tiny investigator out to save the world.

Both shows are animated poorly. Characters barely move at times, and backgrounds seem cheaply slapped together and generic. Kong rarely has a chance to do anything exciting, and thanks to the attempt to teach kids morals, Kong never harms anything other than plants or rocks. The only thing close to a steady protagonist is Dr. Who, the type of villain who apparently doesn’t plan things to include the threat of Kong.

Even for a young child, this animated effort is a lost cause. It’s dull, ugly, and Kong’s majesty is nowhere to be found. This is one for die-hard completists only.

Surprisingly, video quality is decent for this obscure effort. Minor damage is acceptable, though the color does seem to have faded over the years. Compression is the hurdle no animation can escape from, yet it’s not overbearing here. It’s better than you’d expect this show to look on a digital format.

Audio has definitely taken a beating over the years. Hissing permeates everything, and voices have a scratchy quality that can make them hard to follow. It’s an ancient mono track and it sounds like one.

The DVD cover tries to pass off the Tom T.H.U.M.B. episodes as the only extras. Since these were originally part of the show, that’s a weak marketing attempt. (No Stars)

Oddly, when the movie version finally made it to the screen, it would bare only a passing resemblance to the TV show. Doctor Who would be the only character that’s recognizable. The film ended up in the US in 1968, two years after it’s cartoon counterpart began airing.