I think it goes without saying that Hanna-Barbera cartoons were parts of all of our childhoods in one way or another. If you were a man of taste when you were ten, you probably watched Scooby Doo, The Flintstones, or The Jetsons. I did not have good taste and watched the long-forgotten series Wacky Races. This animated show followed a group of racecar drivers racing a different route. Every week Dick Dastardly, the evil driver in the group, tried to cheat in the race to win. His plans would be thwarted every time without fail, and he always came in dead last.
Wacky Races was highly repetitive, but it wasn’t any more repetitive than what happened with the Mystery Gang. Dick Dastardly and his dog Muttley were far more entertaining than any podunk Scooby Doo villain. They experienced triumph and defeat and were willing to do anything to reach the top. Mr. Dastardly is the villain for me.
