Perhaps the most celebrated and successful canines in all of show business, Lassie first appeared in 1943, in the cinematic release Lassie Come Home. It was only the first step in a prolific career for the lovable collie, leading to a radio show that ran from 1947-1950, and then the long-running CBS live-action series that debuted in 1954 and ran for an astounding seventeen years, before moving into syndication for another three. With such overwhelming longevity and popularity, it seemed only natural to give the collie superstar her own animated series, which debuted in 1973 – Lassie’s Rescue Rangers.

In the new series, Lassie lived with the Turner family near Thunder Mountain. The family consisted of patriarch Ben, his wife Laura, and their three children, Susan, Jackie and Ben Jr. The family worked together as “The Forest Force,” a rescue team that kept watch over the Thunder Mountain National Park. Lassie had her own team of furry assistants, the Rescue Rangers, made up of an owl named Groucho, a mountain lion named Toothless, a raccoon named Robby and a skunk named Musty. Together with the Turner family, they all worked hard to ensure the safety of visiting tourists, while also protecting the natural environment. They also received occasional assistance from a local Native American named Gene Fox, whose detailed knowledge of the area made him an valuable resource.

Lassie’s Rescue Rangers was the result of an hour-long animated pilot called Lassie and the Spirit of Thunder Mountain, which aired as part of The ABC Saturday Superstar Movie.  Ted Knight (The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Too Close For Comfort) lent his voice to Ranger Ben Turner for the series and acted as the show’s narrator as well. The cartoon series lasted for a modest three seasons, although only the first consisted of new episodes.