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Who Is the Blue Beetle?? ("Electric Company" Version)

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Something triggered a childhood memory today of the Blue Beetle. Not the Blue Beetle from Charlton Comics or DC Comics, but Blue Beetle from the old "Electric Company" children's TV show. 

I've never figured out how Blue Beetle ended up on "The Electric Company." Spider-Man also appeared regularly on the program as a special gift from Marvel Comics. I'm assuming that something similar happened with Charlton Comics, but I've read one report that this Blue Beetle was created solely by the show's writers and that the comic book company was going through bankruptcy hearings at the time.

This Blue Beetle bears little resemblance to any other version that I've ever seen (here and here). He was an affable yet bumbling hero that never got things quite right. He was known for a song that went: "I would if I could, but I can't, so I won't."

I've looked around YouTube but have only been able to find one video featuring the Blue Beetle (as portrayed by Jim Boyd). It co-stars Spidey, which is probably why the clip still exists. You can watch it here.


Every so often, I think of an idea for an updated version of various public domain Charlton Comics characters. Blue Beetle clearly does not fall under the category of public domain. DC Comics owns the rights to the character and actively publish his adventures.

But I think it would be fun to recreate this version of the Blue Beetle -- using the same or similar appearance, but with a slightly different name. I imagine these stories as one-page gags, ostensibly geared towards a younger audience and with a retro fill. 

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