As the old saying goes, three times is a charm – unless three is the number of times one says the name “Beetlejuice”. Mention his name thrice, and a conniving, wisecracking ghoul of the same name might appear. Such was the premise of the hit Tim Burton film, Beetlejuice, released in 1988. And with the film’s popularity came a breath of new life, in the form of an animated Saturday morning cartoon by the same name. And while most cartoons based on movies tend to fail quickly, this was one of the exceptions.  

Beetlejuice featured everyone’s favorite striped ghoul, along with the teenaged object of his affection from the film, Lydia. This time around, the relationship between the two was a bit more innocent the show consisted of Beetlejuice taking Lydia around a place called “Netherworld,” home to the undead. A cast of colorful characters inhabited Netherworld, including Doomie the dogbrained car, Jacques LaLean, a skeletal fitness buff, and an evil troop of scout-like creatures called The Sappy Face Ghouls. Also memorable were the mock commercials that were frequently shown on Beetlejuice’s television.

What made the cartoon so popular, along with its over-the-top, creepy humor, was the involvement of the film’s producer, Tim Burton - who injected his oddly amusing perspective into the series, much to the delight of fans of all ages. Danny Elfman, who had scored the film, also provided his particular brand of quirky music to the series.

Beetlejuice would enjoy two seasons of Saturday morning programming on ABC while also getting a daily slot on the Fox afternoon lineup, making it one of only a few shows to run concurrently on two separate networks. It lives on in syndication, or rather, it remains undead.   

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