Jana of the Jungle

Jana of the Jungle is a cartoon produced by Hanna-Barbera. It first aired alongside Godzilla as The Godzilla Power Hour.

Plot
The series is essentially about a female version of Tarzan named Jana (voiced by B.J. Ward), who traveled to the rain forests of South America in search of her lost father (whom she never finds). Her father vanished in a boating accident when she was still a child. She has long blonde hair, wears a dress made of unspecified animal skin and a necklace which doubles as a throwable weapon (somewhat similar to the chakram that would be the weapon of choice for the later, live-action Xena, Warrior Princess) given to her by her father. Besides her animal friends Ghost the albino jaguar and Tiko the coatimundi (the latter more resembled a Water Opossum), Jana has two human friends: Dr. Ben Cooper (Michael Bell) and Montaro (Ted Cassidy), a descendant of a lost warrior tribe who is armed with a supernatural weapon known as the Staff of Power that can cause earthquake shockwaves when it strikes the ground. Montaro rescued Jana from the boat accident in which her father disappeared.

This is one of the very few Hanna-Barbera series that is yet to be seen on Cartoon Network or Boomerang, possibly due to licensing by Toho. However, one of the episodes, "The Cordillera Volcano", can be found on WB's Hanna-Barbera online stream.

Jana of the Jungle was created by artist Doug Wildey, who also created "Jonny Quest" for Hanna-Barbera, and who was credited as full producer on both the Jana and Godzilla series.

Episodes

 * 1) The Golden Idol of the Gorgas (September 9, 1978)
 * 2) Katuchi Danger (September 16, 1978)
 * 3) The Cordillera Volcano (September 23, 1978)
 * 4) The Animal Snatchers (September 30, 1978)
 * 5) The Renegade (October 7, 1978)
 * 6) Rogue Elephant (October 14, 1978)
 * 7) The Prisoner (October 21, 1978)
 * 8) The Invaders (November 4, 1978)
 * 9) Dangerous Cargo (November 11, 1978)
 * 10) The Sting of the Tarantula (November 18, 1978)
 * 11) Countdown (November 25, 1978)
 * 12) Suspicion (December 2, 1978)
 * 13) Race for Life (December 9, 1978)

Voices

 * B.J. Ward - Jana
 * Michael Bell - Dr. Ben Cooper
 * Ted Cassidy - Montaro

Animals, list of
These are some of the jungle animals Jana called to, many for help.
 * croco - crocodile
 * kachi - monkey
 * peechu - birds (parrots, macaw)
 * nacto - bat
 * slithor - snake

Jana in comic books
Dynamite Entertainment has recently launched a comic book, with plot by Frank Cho and script by Doug Murray, called Jungle Girl, featuring a blond female character called Jana. She is a Tarzanesque heroine that lives in some kind of "Lost World", a jungle inhabited by strange creatures including dinosaurs and cavemen. While bearing the same name and taking place in a jungle setting, the Cho/Murray comic character is not really connected with the TV series.

Broadcast history
Jana of the Jungle originally aired in these following formats on NBC:


 * The Godzilla Power Hour (September 8, 1978 - October 28, 1978)
 * Jana of the Jungle (November 4, 1978 - December 9, 1978)

Jana of the Jungle also aired as part of the USA Cartoon Express during the early eighties, along with many other Hanna Barbera hits, like Inch High Private Eye, Huckleberry Hound, and Yogi Bear. The Jana character was seen briefly in a gag cameo appearance piloting a Judy Jetson rocket-car in an episode of "Yogi's Space Race."