Dink, the Little Dinosaur

Dink, the Little Dinosaur
Title screen
Starring	R. J. Williams Anndi McAfee Ben Ryan Ganger S. Scott Bullock Frank Welker
Narrated by	Kenneth Mars
Country of origin	United States
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	21 (42 segments)
Production
Running time	30 minutes (2 segments)
Production company(s)	Ruby-Spears Productions Hanna Barbera Productions
Release
Original network	CBS
Original release	September 16, 1989 – November 3, 1990

Dink, the Little Dinosaur is an animated series produced by Ruby-Spears Productions and Hanna-Barbera Productions. The series originally aired on the CBS Kids block on CBS from 1989 to 1990.^[1] Several of the series' episodes were combined into the 1989 video movie Dink the Little Dinosaur while further episodes combined to form the Land of No Return on September 14, 1994.

Plot

The series followed Dink, a dinosaur, and his four friends as they explore and dwell in the volcanic landscape of prehistory in a place called Green Meadow. Its outlines fostered positive behaviors such as caring about oneself and others, tolerance, ecology, problem-solving and teamwork.

The second season introduced a weekly segment called "Factasaurus" that taught lessons and fun facts educating children about different dinosaur species.

Characters

Main Characters
Name	Voice	Description
Dink	R. J. Williams	Kind, brave, smart and has a strong bond with his friends. Dink is a brontosaurus.[2]
Amber	Anndi McAfee	Amber is a close friend of Dink's. She is like a big sister figure.
Scat	Frank Welker[3][4]	Scat tends to be paranoid, but has a humongous appetite and he speaks in third person. Sometimes his appetite gets him in trouble, especially when it involves his favorite food, honey fruit.
Shyler	Ben Ryan Ganger	Shyler is Dink's shy friend, with a speech impediment and looks up to Dink and Amber as older siblings.
Flapper	S. Scott Bullock	Flapper tends to be a braggart and a jokester and he speaks with a slight lisp. He constantly tries to land in water, but always fails.
Crusty	Frank Welker	Crusty is a turtle who mentors the dinosaur youngsters and tells them stories that often help teach them valuable lessons.
Allies
Name	Voice	Description
Ariel	Jennifer Darling	Exceptionally courageous and self-sacrificing, Ariel lives at the Lake of Mists and is viewed by other dinosaurs as an almost supernatural figure.
Uncle Longbeak	Hamilton Camp	Longbeak is Flapper's uncle, whom he talks about a lot.
Pearl		Pearl is a female friend of Shyler's.
Scratcher	Dick Beals	Scratcher is a herbivore by his own choice.
Red		Red is sometimes called Thundermaker. Actually a spirit who lived in the Cave of Spirits.
Earthshaker	Frank Welker	Shakes the ground when he walks and talks. None too fond of smaller creatures, but willing to return a favor.
Dippo	Dana Hill	Dippo is afraid of what other dinosaurs think of his kind. He is good friends with Shyler.
Opo		Opo is a friend of the gang who helps Ariel to escape from Tyrannor.
Dim		Dim is a dimwitted friend of the gang.
Tubble and Hubble	Tubble: Jim Cummings Hubble: Jack Angel	Tubble and Hubble are an old pair of pathfinders for their herd.
Squirt	Russi Taylor	Once thought Crusty was his mother.
Shortspike		Shortspike is a friend of Dink and separated from his parents due to a volcano trouble.
Cornelius		Cornelius was once a rival of Dink's.
Trail Blazer		Trail Blazer used his tail to create Green Meadow and Tarpit Pass (which protects Green Meadow from Hunters like Tyrannor).
Patch and Ridetail		Patch and Ridetail are Trail Blazer's children.
Strongfoot		Strongfoot was once Trail Blazer's rival.
Tiny		Tiny is a friend in need, helped by Dink to get fruit guarded by a bullish Dicraeosaurus.
Brighteyes	Jodi Carlisle	Brighteyes is a mother to be. Helped by the gang to protect her eggs from Egghunters.
Buttercup	Billie Hayes	Buttercup is Crusty's childhood turtle friend.
Beast	Michael Bell	Beast has a disfigured body structure.
Iggy		Shyler helps Iggy find his way home.
Nobbie		Nobbie is a good friend of Shyler.
Daisy		Scar once had a crush on her.
Brusier		Brusier is Daisy's boyfriend.
Glowy		Shyler wanted to keep Glowy.
Melodi	Kath Soucie	Then gang helps Melodi save her mate.
Forest	Cam Clarke	Forest once made Dink jealous one time.
Stormfoot	Dana Hill	Stormfoot fought Dink in the "Challenge of the Desert" duel.
Jerry		Tail gets stuck under a rock but is rescued by Crusty.
Mama Triceratops		Once thought Scat was her son.
Enemies
Name	Voice	Description
Tyrannor		Chases Dink and his friends all over their prehistoric world. He is feared by every known dinosaur.
Hunters		Various carnivorous dinosaurs that mostly reside in Hunter's Grove.
Scavenger	Frank Welker	A troublesome flock of Pterodactylus.
Fleetfoot	Jim Cummings	Hunts Pterosaurs.
Honeyfruit Monster
Sharptooth		According to Crusty, he would even scare Tyrannor. He had fought Trail Blazer with the resulting fight creating Green Meadow and Tarpit Pass.
Snakenecks
Sandtooth
Watertooth
Shelleater		Known to prey on turtles.
Bolderbuns	Frank Welker
Waterhunters
Egghunters		A trio that targets Brighteyes' eggs.
Sharpmouth
Slidetooth

Episodes

No.	Title	Original air date
1	"Shell Game"	September 16, 1989
Scat's appetite gets him and his friends in trouble when Tyrannor gets Crusty shell in his mouth.
2	"Shyler's Friend"	September 16, 1989
Shyler is unsure of how to approach and befriend Pearl and his friends' assistance isn't helping.
3	"Dink, Come Home"	September 23, 1989
4	"White Beauty"	September 23, 1989
5	"Crusty's Baby"	September 30, 1989
Crusty becomes the unwitting mother of a newly hatched Stegosaurus he names Squirt. However Squirt doesn't eat well, forcing Crusty to unite him with his actual mother.
6	"The Gentle Hunter"	September 30, 1989
Scat meets a plant-eating Deinonychus named Scratcher. Scratcher is driven away by a Styracosaurus herd, so Dink has to save him from becoming a hunter.
7	"Phantom Of The Cave"	October 7, 1989
Dink and his friends explore the Cave of Spirits to find out more about the Thundermakers. They find one named Red, who is having trouble with Scavengers.
8	"Dry River"	October 7, 1989
A rockfall has dammed up the river and Earthshaker is not willing to unblock it until Dink extracts a thorn from his foot.
9	"Tricera-Scat"	October 14, 1989
Scat dozing inside an eggshell is mistaken by a mother Triceratops for one of her newly hatched babies.
10	"Search"	October 14, 1989
Flapper does impractical pranks on various dinosaurs, but puts a stop to it when Shyler is in need of rescuing.
11	"Amber's Crusade"	October 21, 1989
Marooned on an island, Amber and Shyler have to look after three baby Psittacosauruses. After a close call from Tyrannor, they make it homewards.
12	"Old Timers"	October 21, 1989
13	"Uncle Longbeak"	October 28, 1989
14	"Surprise"	October 28, 1989
Dink goes to get a reflecting stone for Amber's Hatching Day. With aid from Tiny and two Ichthyosauruses he finds it.
15	"The Hollow Tree"	November 4, 1989
Dink investigates a mysterious inhabitant of a hollow tree. It turns out to be a Diplocaulus named Dippo whose looks are ridiculed, but Flapper rescues him and Shyler from a storm.
16	"Badge Of Courage"	November 4, 1989
During a hike to Firetop Mountain, Dink meets Shortspike and goes with a Firebug to rescue his family.
17	"Wish Mountain"	November 11, 1989
Shyler's attempt to make a wish with his loose tooth is interrupted by a Oviraptor and a Ankylosaurus.
18	"Crusty's New Home"	November 11, 1989
Tired of fixing his cave, Crusty moves elsewhere. Not finding a new home to his liking, he returns to find Dink and his friends have fixed his old home.
19	"Small Stuff"	November 18, 1989
Two Erythrotheriums ruin Dink and his friends' digging efforts to protect their home. Dink compensates them after saving their lives.
20	"Lights Out"	November 18, 1989
Amber gets a crystal rock, which she thinks is magical due to coincidental good events, but when the rock breaks Flapper has his own tricks against Tyrannor.
21	"Mystery Of The Broken Claw"	November 25, 1989
Amber is blamed for destroying a water hole, so she investigates with her friends. They find the hunters did it and manage to thwart a hunter ambush and restore the water hole.
22	"Encounter At Flatrock"	November 25, 1989
Crusty gets lost trying to find Flatrock. Dink having failed to accompany him, goes off to save his from the Shelleater.
23	"The Sky Is Falling At Green Meadow"	December 2, 1989
24	"Sea Rescue"	December 2, 1989
Scat is lost from a tsunami. Dink and his friends accompanied by marine creatures locate and rescue Scat amidst a storm.
25	"Raiders Of The Lost Nest"	December 9, 1989
26	"Land Of No Return"	December 9, 1989
Dink and his friends lure Tyrannor into the 'Land of No Return'. Flapper comes to their rescue, then they rescue Tyrannor himself.
27	"Scavengers"	September 15, 1990
28	"Tar Troubles"	September 15, 1990
Against Crusty's advice, Dink interferes with a tar pit and frantically tries to stop it spreading, but end up starting a major fire.
29	"Honeyfruit Hero"	September 22, 1990
Scat tries to a hero by saving the Compsognathuses' Honeyfruit supply from a monster, which turns out to be an Iguanodon instead of mere bugs.
30	"Tall Tale"	September 22, 1990
Crusty tells the story of Trail Blazer, his herd's survival, the battle against the Sharptooth and the formation of Green Meadow many years ago.
31	"Crusty's Reunion"	September 29, 1990
32	"Tale of the Beast"	September 29, 1990
A disfigured Saurolophus is believed to be a menacing beast. Amber whom Beast rescued is able to clear the misunderstanding.
33	"Scat-ter Brained"	October 6, 1990
A close encounter with Tyrannor and a bump on the head, convinces Scat that he is a T-Rex. Meeting Tyrannor again during a rockfall restores Scat.
34	"Fraidy Scat"	October 6, 1990
Scat's fear of night things makes him sleepy in daytime. He overcomes his fear to rescue his friends trapped under a fallen tree.
35	"The Reluctant Head-Banger"	October 13, 1990
Shyler befriends Nobbie, but his appetite is too big for Dink's lot to handle. However Nobbie rescues them from being buried under a rockfall.
36	"Wrongs of Spring"	October 13, 1990
37	"Overrun"	October 20, 1990
38	"The Last Of Their Kind"	October 20, 1990
Shyler catches a Firebug he calls Glowy. A distressed Supersaurus named Melodi is looking for her mate. Shyler and his friends find and rescue Melodi's mate.
39	"Day Of The Snake"	October 27, 1990
40	"Rivals"	October 27, 1990
41	"Challenge"	November 3, 1990
42	"The Secret"	November 3, 1990

Home Movie Releases

In 1994 Dink, the Little Dinosaur was released I 6 individual videos. Titled Land Of No Return, Shyler's Friend, The Sky Is Falling, Lights Out, Rivals And Phantom Of The Cave.^[5] Each of the 6 Dink, the Little Dinosaur videos contains over 5 episodes.

But A Complete Series of Dink, the Little Dinosaur by Hanna-Barbera is yet to be in a Complete DVD Set featuring all 42 Episodes.

Reception

One of very many children's animated series of the 1980s, Dink didn't leave a lasting impression on many viewers. In 2014, listing it among twelve 1980s cartoons that did not deserve remembrance, io9 characterized it as "a cartoon about coolness and friendship created by a marketing committee of old white men who had never experienced either of them before."^[6]

References

1. "Dink, the Little Dinosaur". 80scartoons.net. 2014. Retrieved July 17, 2015.
2. Shattuck, Kathryn. "Television". The New York Times. Retrieved 2016-09-16.
3. "Dink the Little Dinosaur @ Toonarific Cartoons". Toonarific.com. Retrieved 2012-09-24.
4. "Frank Welker Homepage". Frankwelker.net. Retrieved 2012-09-24.
5. "Dink the Little Dinosaur Videos Trailer". YouTube. 2014-11-19. Retrieved 2016-09-16.
6. Bricken, Rob (11 November 2014). "12 Cartoons From The 1980s No One Will Ever Have Nostalgia For". io9. Retrieved 11 September 2016.

External links

• Dink, the Little Dinosaur at TV.com
• Dink, the Little Dinosaur at the Internet Movie Database