As if Miguel de Cervantes didn’t have enough woes in his life, here comes a dog and a bear to act out his literary classic. Commence grave rolling…now.

We kid, of course. Casting anthropomorphic animals in morality tales is an ancient tradition that has the added advantage of appealing to children who would not normally want to delve into a 600-page book, masterpiece or not.  In addition, the definition of a classic work is that it stands the test of time and is adaptable to ever changing environments.

Meet, then, Don Coyote astride his noble steed, Rocinante, and his faithful companion, Sancho Panda, a little less nobly astride his donkey, Dapple. Don Coyote was the canine incarnation of Don Quixote and Sancho Panda was a—can you guess?—panda in Sancho Panza’s role. The two bumbled through the countryside in their chivalrous quest for truth and justice. The show originally aired in Europe in 1989 and came to the U.S. a year later, as part of The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera.

Don Coyote constantly had trouble pronouncing his own horse’s name and Dapple the donkey provided his own cynical worldview in contrast to the hero’s impractical idealism. The storylines were funny enough for the kids but also contained a deeper message about doing the right thing even when all the odds seem to be against you.