Batfink Batfink (voiced by
Frank Buxton) is a superpowered
anthropomorphic grey
cyborg bat in a yellow costume with a big red "B" on the chest and red
gauntlets and boots. He uses his supersonic
sonar radar and black metallic wings to fight crime. When not fighting crime, Batfink lives in a
split-level cave, though he also has a direct video link to the Chief's office in case his help is needed. Batfink's "supersonic sonar radar" is a super-powered version of a bat's
echolocation, used to locate prey. Batfink's power takes the form of the letters of the word "BEEP" either once or twice emanating from his mouth. The radar is anthropomorphic and sentient and can fly wherever Batfink needs them to go – accompanied by a distinctive beeping noise. His catchphrase during that time is "My supersonic sonar radar will help me!" Whenever Batfink said those words, he would say it through the open sun roof of the Battilac car, while it was not in motion. The radar can see, feel fear, evade capture and report back to Batfink on what it has seen. In one episode, the radar is ambushed and beaten up. The radar also gets confused, misdirected, and lost, leaving Batfink to rely on other means to spy upon the episode's villain. Once, when the radar is sent to investigate Queenie Bee and her swarm of villainous bees, it returns with the "EEP" swollen with bee stings. When Karate asks Batfink "How come they just stung the E-E-P?", he replies "Because a bee would never harm another bee. But a bee will tell on another bee.". The literal spelled-out appearance of an
onomatopœia was a
running gag not limited to the supersonic sonar radar; in one episode, Hugo A-Go-Go invented a tickling stick that tickles its adversaries into submission, which sent out the words "Kitchy Koo" to do the deed on Batfink (the episode ended with Batfink slicing the K's off to create the far more irritating, but less distracting, "Itchy Oo"). Batfink's main defense are his metallic wings, which he is able to fold around himself as a protective shield against most attacks, thereby spawning the most famous catchphrase of the show: "Your bullets cannot harm me – my wings are like a shield of steel!" He claims in some episodes that his wings are
stainless steel, but in other episodes he explicitly states that they are not – since he always carries a can of spot remover to keep them polished. Batfink can also use his wings as offensive weapons. In one episode, he uses one of them as a sword during a duel. His wings can also help him fly at incredible speeds. They are often used to help him escape certain death or cut through bonds when he has been captured (he can break out of regular ropes, but not rubber ones). In the episode "Ebenezer the Freezer", Batfink has automatic
retrorockets built into his wings, but not in any other episode. Sometimes, his wings hinder him. When in water, he will sink because of the weight of his metal wings. Powerful magnets are also a problem for him.
Plutonium, for reasons unexplained (but possibly relating to his birth in a plutonium mine), also renders the wings useless. Batfink's life and wings are explained in the final episode, "Batfink: This Is Your Life", which depicts his boyhood and how his real wings were replaced. Batfink rides in a customized pink car resembling a
Volkswagen Beetle with
scalloped rear fins and bat-winged red "B" emblems on the doors and hood. Called the "Battillac" (rhymes with "
Cadillac"), the car is outfitted with a
sun roof and many defensive devices, and is resistant to collision damage and energy weapons. Batfink often says something like "It's a good thing the Battillac is equipped with a
thermonuclear plutonium-insulated blast shield!" and Karate replies, "It's also good it was a small bomb". As soon as a crime is acknowledged, Batfink says "Karate, the Battillac!" In the last episode of the series, titled "Batfink: This Is Your Life", it is revealed that Batfink was born in an abandoned plutonium mine, which is where he obtained his powers, and that he lost his natural wings as a child while saving his mother's life after escaped convicts blew up their mountain-top cave (plutonium in real life is too scarce in the Earth's crust to be mined, it must be synthesized, usually from
uranium). This incident is what motivated him to become a crime-fighter.
Karate Kara "Karate" Te (voiced by
Len Maxwell) is a
gi-clad martial arts expert and Batfink's oafish sidekick who drives the Battillac. He is somewhat oversized and not very bright, but is strong enough to help Batfink out of any situation. He carries a wide variety of objects and gadgets in his "utility sleeve" (a parody of
Batman's utility belt), but he often has trouble finding what he needs in it. Karate tends to succeed by dumb luck rather than by skill or ingenuity, and often Karate's involvement will make a bad situation worse. Karate is usually ordered to check downstairs while Batfink checks the upper floor. At the end of each episode, Karate will make a corny pun that is sometimes physical on the part of his stupidity. Karate's father was the
blacksmith who made Batfink's metallic wings. Karate is a direct send-up of
Kato, the
Green Hornet's companion, but his hulking size is inspired by the
Bond villain
Oddjob. Also, like in
The Green Hornet, when both characters are in the car, Karate is the driver, while Batfink rides in the back seat. In early episodes, he speaks in a stereotypical Asian accent; in later episodes, he is voiced in a clipped, nasal speech pattern, inspired by
Don Adams, whose
Get Smart character, Maxwell Smart, was popular at the time. On occasion, Karate even utters the Maxwell Smart-inspired
catchphrase, "Sorry about that, Batfink".
The Chief The
Chief of Police (voiced by
Len Maxwell) is Batfink's contact on the local police force and informs Batfink of all the latest crimes via a direct video link to Batfink's Split-Level Cave. Batfink answers "The hotline — Batfink here". The Chief also has a wife and children, who never appear onscreen, but are mentioned by Karate as having seen them in the episode "Tough MacDuff."
The Mayor The Mayor is the unnamed mayor of the city that Batfink protects.
The Narrator The Narrator (voiced by
Len Maxwell) narrates each episode while explaining certain information and doing the cliffhanger narration.
Hugo A-Go-Go General Professor Hugo "Jerkules" A-Go-Go (voiced by
Frank Buxton) is the wild-haired smocked main villain of the series. He speaks English with a German accent. He is referred to as the world's
maddest scientist and spends his time in his secret laboratory creating weird and wacky inventions (including a robot bride, complete with robot mother-in-law) to defeat Batfink and dominate the world. He always manages to escape jail to antagonize the hero in a later episode. Hugo A-Go-Go often breaks the
fourth wall and has conversations with the narrator.
Other villains Other villains that are Batfink's enemies are: •
Ebeneezer the Freezer is a villain who collaborated with Hugo A-Go-Go in a plot to freeze the city. •
Mr. Boomer is the owner of Boomer Glass Works who has been using the sonic booms caused by his jets to improve his business. •
Big Ears Ernie is a villain with sensitive hearing. •
Manhole Manny is a villain who operates in the sewers. •
Mr. M. Flick is a mad movie maker. •
Skinny Minnie is the world's thinnest thief. •
Bony Mahoney, Diet Wyatt and Scrawny Arnie the Narrow Knaves are the henchmen of Skinny Minnie. •
Fatman is a criminal with an inflatable suit who steals fat items. •
Gluey Louie is a villain who uses glue in his capers. •
Brother Goose is a supervillain who always leaves taunting clues based on
nursery rhymes. •
Myron the Magician is a criminal
magician. •
Sporty Morty is a sports-themed villain that wields different sports equipment. •
The Ringading Brothers are criminal acrobats. •
Stupidman is a criminal who commits crimes that no sensible person would commit. He is also the
brother-in-law of the Chief of Police. •
Professor Vibrato is a mad scientist that uses vibration technology. •
Greasy Gus is a villain who uses
grease in his crimes. •
Number Zero is a villain whose real name is Plus A. Minus. •
Swami Salami is a criminal snake charmer. •
The Human Pretzel is a criminal contortionist. •
Professor Hopper is a criminal
flea circus owner who uses his trained fleas to commit crimes. •
Roz the Schnozz is a criminal with a
bloodhound-like nose. •
Lucky Chuck is a lucky criminal. •
Party Marty is a party-themed criminal who uses special
party favors in his crimes. •
Professor Flippo is a mad scientist who invented a machine that turns things upside down. •
The Rotten Rainmaker is a villain with a weather-controlling machine. •
Gypsy James is a parking-meter thief and
fortune teller who makes voodoo dolls of Batfink and Karate to try to seal their fate. •
The Chameleon is an art thief who uses portable camouflage screens. •
Beanstalk Jack is a farmer who uses instant beanstalks in his crimes. •
Curly the Human Cannonball is a criminal
human cannonball. •
Robber Hood is an archery-themed criminal. •
Sandman Sam is a criminal who uses "slumber sand" that puts anyone to sleep. •
The Great Escapo is an escape artist. •
Daniel Boom is a criminal who uses explosives in his crimes. •
Queenie Bee is a female supervillain with her army of bees. Batfink sends Queenie Bee to
Sing Sing and her bees to "Sting Sting". •
Sabubu is a thief from
Baghdad. •
The Mean Green Midget is a short criminal who grows fruits and vegetables to help in his crimes. •
Napoleon Blownapart is a criminal who uses hand grenades to blow up stuff. •
Magneto the Magnificent is a criminal who wields magnetic gauntlets. •
Buster the Ruster is a criminal who uses a spray gun that shoots "rust dust". •
Mike the Mimic is an impersonator. •
Cinderobber is a criminal cleaning lady. •
Mr. Bouncey is a former
bouncer who uses a special spray to turn anything into rubber. •
Old King Cruel is a criminal who is the "king of cruelty". •
Victor the Predictor is a criminal who uses a prediction motif. •
Goldyunlocks is a female villain with an obsession of unlocking every lock she sees. Batfink finally defeats her by putting her in a cell with no lock. •
Phillip "Phil", Billiam "Bill" and Sylvester "Syl" the Three Baers are the henchmen of Goldyunlocks. •
Bowl Brummel is a criminal
bowler. •
Harold Hamboné is an opera understudy. •
Adam Blankenstein is a green-skinned criminal whose gun shoots out "blanks" that give people amnesia. •
Whip Van Winkle is a criminal who uses whips in his crimes. •
Tough MacDuff is Batfink's oldest enemy. After being released from prison, he gathered Hugo A-Go-Go and other Batfink villains in a plot to get Batfink to leave town. •
Judy "Jujitsu" Jitsu is a martial artist, whose name is derived from
jujutsu, and on whom Karate has a crush. •
Father Time Bomb is a criminal who uses time bombs in his crimes. ==Episodes==