UCLA Served as ‘Thundarr’ Character’s Unlikely Inspiration

Currently enjoying a resurgence of popularity in reruns on Cartoon Network’s Boomerang channel, the post-apocalyptic cartoon series Thundarr the Barbarian didn’t last all that long in its original run. Produced by Ruby-Spears Productions, the series ran 21 episodes across two seasons (1980–82) on ABC and NBC. Yet it did manage to grow a cult following, and one of the main characters, believe it or not, has a direct connection with Westwood's resident UC college.

Set in the far-flung future year of 1994, Thundarr––an unabashed mish-mash of Star Wars, Conan the Barbarian, and Planet of the Apes­­––centered on the title warrior character, his girlfriend Princess Ariel, and a towering, roaring, Chewbacca-esque alien character called Ookla the Mok. So just where did that Mok get his name, you ask? Funny story...

Thundarr the Barbarian was the creation of Steve Gerber, a quirky Marvel Comics writer who excelled in eccentric concepts and was best known as the creator of Marvel's Howard the Duck.

(Yes, that Howard the Duck: inspiration for the infamous 1986 bomb that was technically the first ever Marvel movie. Gerber also created the similar-sounding Wundarr the Aquarian, a strange Superman parody, for Marvel.)

Gerber and another comic-book writer, Martin Pasko, were having dinner in the Westwood area one night during the time when Gerber was writing the Thundarr series’ bible. Gerber groused that ABC had insisted on adding a leonine humanoid character to the series he was developing for them, despite his objections. As the two walked passed by the gate of the university campus, Pasko quipped, "Why don't you name him 'UCLA'?"

Thus, Thundarr’s Wookiee-like sidekick was dubbed “Ookla,” the phonetic pronunciation of the abbreviation for .

(Now if we can only find out which "Howard" that rascally duck was named after…)