The comic strip, Heathcliff, which debuted in 1973, has enjoyed enormous success in syndication, appearing in over a thousand newspapers worldwide. Similar in appearance and grumpy disposition to that other familiar feline, Garfield, Heathcliff was the more street savvy of the two (while Garfield preferred the comforts of home) and in 1980, he would get his first Saturday morning show, called Heathcliff and Dingbat.

Heathcliff was constantly up to no good. When he wasn’t locking horns with Spike, the neighborhood bulldog, he was stealing food from Mr. Shultz’s meat market and trying to avoid capture from both the local dog catchers and the businessmen he had angered with his larcenous ways. And after a hard day of meat stealing, Heathcliff loved nothing more than to try to sweet talk the local feline-divine, a pretty kitty named Sonja.

Each week, two Heathcliff episodes were offered, and another that starred Dingbat, a canine vampire. Dingbat was employed by Odd Jobs, Inc. where he worked alongside his two cohort creeps, Nobody the pumpkin and Sparerib the skeleton.

For the second season, the show fetched Marmaduke from the Sunday comics as well. The giant Great Dane was the epitome of an oaf, as his size tended to create all kinds of predictable havoc, from leaping on his owners to knocking over any object in his path.

One place the cartoon certainly didn’t skimp was on the voice talent. The iconic Mel Blanc gave voice to both Garfield and Spike. June Foray played Sonja, as well as many other characters. Paul Winchell (voice of Tigger and Fleegle, to name but a few) and Don Messick (Boo Boo, Bamm-Bamm Rubble) voiced Marmeduke and Spare Rib, respectively, and Avery Shreiber provided additional voices.

Heathcliff and Dingbat would survive for a single season. The second season was re-titled Heathcliff and Marmaduke and lasted for 12 episodes. And two years later, Heathcliff would make his kitty comeback in another animated series -  Heathcliff and the Catillac Cats.