About the Writers

By Martin Additional material by Chris (He-Fan)

Leonard Starr From 1985 to 1987, Leonard Starr served as the head writer and developer on ThunderCats . Starr was brought in the early production stages of ThunderCats and shown early concept drawings of characters, at which point he began to create the concepts behind the series. Starr created the ThunderCats team, the Mutants and finally Mumm-Ra and submitted his work to Rankin-Bass in the form of a Series Bible. Soon, Jules Bass developed other key concepts of the series, and Starr was brought in to begin writing scripts. Although the ThunderCats concept is credited as being created by Ted Wolf, Leonard Starr was one of the most influential people in the development of the series.

Leonard Starr is also an accomplished comic strip writer and artist, having created the comic strip On Stage (later titled Mary Perkins: On Stage ), and receiving the National Cartoonist Society’s Story Comic Strip Award for it in 1960 and 1963, as well as their reuben award for it in 1965.

Leonard Starr is the author of the following episodes of ThunderCats:

1. Exodus 02. The Unholy Alliance 03. Berbils 04. The Slaves of Castle Plun-Darr 08. The Tower of Traps 11. The Ghost Warrior 14. The Spaceship Beneath the Sands 19. Lion-O’s Anointment First Day: The Trial of Strength 24. The Crystal Queen 25. Lion-O’S Anointment Second Day: The Trial of Speed 34. Lion-O’s Anointment Third Day: The Trial of Cunning 42. Lion-O’s Anointment Fourth Day: The Trial of Mind Power 49. Lion-O’s Anointment Final Day: The Trial of Evil 66. ThunderCats Ho! Part 1 67. ThunderCats Ho! Part 2 68. ThunderCats Ho! Part 3 69. ThunderCats Ho! Part 4 70. ThunderCats Ho! Part 5 71. Mumm-Ra Lives! Part 1 72. Mumm-Ra Lives! Part 2 73. Mumm-Ra Lives! Part 3 74. Mumm-Ra Lives! Part 4 75. Mumm-Ra Lives! Part 5 Peter Lawrence Peter Lawrence has worked on various animated series aside from ThunderCats ; he is perhaps best known for his development of the 1990s series The Real Adventures of Johnny Quest , which featured 3D computer animation. Lawrence has published several books. He has produced and directed documentaries, and sponsored materials and TV commercials for many multinational corporations.

Peter Lawrence is the author of the following episodes of ThunderCats :

15. The Time Capsule 20. Mongor 22. Snarf Takes Up The Challenge 29. Sixth Sense 31. The Astral Prison 35. The Rock Giant 37. Mechanical Plague 38. The Demolisher 41. Excalibur 46. Good and Ugly 91. ThunderCubs Part 1 92. ThunderCubs Part 2 93. ThunderCubs Part 3 94. ThunderCubs Part 4 95. ThunderCubs Part 5 97. The Chain of Loyalty 111. Return to Thundera Part 1 112. Return to Thundera Part 2 113. Return to Thundera Part 3 114. Return to Thundera Part 4 115. Return to Thundera Part 5 William Overgard William Overgard was an American cartoonist and writer, perhaps best known for his thirty-one years of work on the realistically drawn adventure strip Steve Roper and Mike Nomad . Overgard also wrote various screenplays and novels, as well as contributing scripts to Rankin-Bass’ cartoon series, Silverhawks . William Overgard passed away in May 1990, aged 64.

William Overgard is the author of the following episodes of ThunderCats :

10. Mandora - The Evil Chaser 16. The Fireballs of Plun-Darr 23. Mandora and the Pirates 30. Dr. Dometone 36. The Thunder-Cutter 44. Sword in a Hole 85. Side Swipe 100. Exile Isle 108. The Jade Dragon 109. The Circus Train 119. Screw Loose 122. Cracker’s Revenge 126. Swan Song 130. The Book of Omens Stephen Perry Although best known for his work on ThunderCats and also SilverHawks , Stephen Perry also worked on a variety of other projects, including a stint at Marvel Comics and work as a writer on Deluxe Comics’ Thunder Agents series, where he worked alongside comics legend and Spider-Man co-creator Steve Ditko. Stephen Perry passed away in June 2010.

Stephen Perry is the author of the following episodes of ThunderCats :

12. The Doomgaze 26. Safari Joe 32. Queen of 8 Legs 39. The Feliner Part 1 45. The Feliner Part 2 52. Tight Squeeze 61. Trapped Bob Haney Bob Haney had an extensive CV in the field of comic books, particularly working for DC Comics where his most notable feat was co-creating the original Teen Titans . Bob also worked on many of DC’s flagship characters including Batman and Superman , and also produced scripts for the 1960s Superman and Aquaman cartoons produced by Filmation. Sadly, Bob Haney passed away in November 2004, aged 78.

Bob Haney is the author of the following episodes of ThunderCats :

13. Lord of the Snows 17. All That Glitters 21. Return to Thundera 33. Dimension Doom 38. The Demolisher 43. Secret of the Ice King 60. Mumm-Rana C.H. (Chris) Trengove Chris Trengove is a noted animation writer with an extensive CV - as well as working on ThunderCats , Chris would work on a diverse range of other animated series, including SilverHawks , Peter Pan and the Pirates , The Legends of Treasure Island , Bob the Builder , The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest and Lavender Castle , a computer-animated cartoon series created by Gerry Anderson, best known to British fans as the creator of action-adventure puppet shows such as Thunderbirds and Captain Scarlet .

Chris Trengove is the author of the following episodes of ThunderCats :

28. Turmagar the Tuska 40. The Wolfrat 50. The Super Power Potion 54. Out of Sight 76. Catfight 89. Hair of the Dog 123. The Mossland Monster Kimberly B. Morris Kimberly Morris has a long and extensive career in children’s entertainment, where she is most noted as a writer of books for children and young adults - in the course of her writing career she has written books tying in to shows as diverse as Muppet Babies and Fraggle Rock through to That’s So Raven and Sweet Valley High . Her television credits include scripts not just for ThunderCats but also SilverHawks and TigerSharks , as well as work as a Development Consultant for ThunderCats , TigerSharks and Mini-Monsters for Rankin-Bass, and Production Coordinator for a variety of animated children’s specials. Kimberly is also much loved as a public speaker where she often gives talks and conducts workshops on the art of writing.

Kimberly Morris is the author of the following episodes of ThunderCats :

59. The Trouble With Thunderkittens 79. The Mad Bubbler 84. Day of the Eclipse 99. The Telepathy Beam 103. The Formula 117. Frogman J. Larry Carroll J. Larry Carroll has been involved with television, both animated and live action, for many years. As well as writing for ThunderCats , Carroll also wrote for DIC’s G.I Joe , Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and She-Ra: Princess of Power . Carroll also worked as a story editor on Star Trek: The Next Generation , a series that involved many other ThunderCats writers. J. Larry Carroll continues his career in writing today.

J. Larry Carroll is the author of the following episodes of ThunderCats :

83. The Sound Stones 87. Hachiman’s Honor 96. The Totem of Dera 102. Return of the ThunderCubs 110. The Last Day 116. Leah Bill Ratter As well as his work on ThunderCats , Bill Ratter also contributed scripts to Rankin-Bass’ follow-up project, SilverHawks .

Bill Ratter is the author of the following episodes of ThunderCats :

88. Runaways 97. The Chain of Loyalty 104. Locket of Lies 105. Bracelet of Power 118. The Heritage 127. The Touch of Amortus Julian P. Gardner (Jules Bass’ pen name) Prior to his work on ThunderCats , Julian P. Gardner had already chalked up several writing credits on Rankin-Bass projects, namely some of the celebrated Christmas specials for which the company were famous. Julian wrote for several of these throughout the 1970s and into the 1980s, including The Story of the First Christmas Snow , The Little Drummer Boy Book II , and The Life & Adventures of Santa Claus .

Julian P. Gardner is the author of the following episodes of ThunderCats :

5. Trouble With Time 06. Pumm-Ra 07. The Terror of Hammerhand 09. The Garden of Delights Lee Schneider Lee Schneider has a varied and unique CV in the field of writing for television - as well as his work on ThunderCats , Lee contributed scripts to other animated shows Captain N and the Super Mario Bros. 3 , SilverHawks and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles , as well as an episode of the soap opera Falcon Crest and several episodes of the show Modern Marvels for the History Channel, for which he also served as Producer for three of his episodes.

Lee Schneider is the author of the following episodes of ThunderCats :

47. Divide and Conquer 53. Monkian’s Bargain 62. The Transfer 65. Fond Memories Matthew Malach Like many other ThunderCats writers, Matthew Malach worked as a writer on SilverHawks , and in the 1990s went on to write for the popular Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles show and the more short-lived series, Pirates of Dark Water .

Matthew Malach is the author of the following episodes of ThunderCats :

63. The Shifter 101. Key of Thundera 121. Helpless Laughter 128. The Zaxx Factor Sandy Fries Sandy Fries has written for numerous television shows including The Smurfs , Jem , Spider-Man: The Animated Series , Star Trek: The Next Generation and Quantum Leap .

Sandy Fries is the author of the following episodes of ThunderCats :

77. Psych Out 82. Time Switch 98. Crystal Canyon George Hampton Although ThunderCats would be his most prolific writing assignment in the field of animation, George Hampton would also pen an episode for both Transformers and Police Academy: The Animated Series , as well as two episodes of the 1984 comedy series Down to Earth . In all of his writing credits (including ThunderCats ), George is joined by his co-writer Mike Moore.

George Hampton is the author of the following episodes of ThunderCats :

81. Ravage Island 107. The Thunderscope 120. Malcar Mike Moore Although ThunderCats would be his most prolific writing assignment in the field of animation, Mike Moore would also pen an episode for both Transformers and Police Academy: The Animated Series , as well as two episodes of the 1984 comedy series Down to Earth . In all of his writing credits (including ThunderCats ), Mike is joined by his co-writer George Hampton.

Mike is the author of the following episodes of ThunderCats :

81. Ravage Island 107. The Thunderscope 120. Malcar Ron Goulart Ron Goulart has been a prolific writer in the field of science fiction and crime stories. Much of his science fiction work is known to deal with robots, and his crime novels often take a humorous tone and involve famous historical Hollywood figures. Along with artist Gil Kane he created the Star Hawks comic strip, and also worked on William Shatner’s Tek War comic series.

Ron Goulart is the author of the following episodes of ThunderCats :

5. Trouble With Time 07. The Terror of Hammerhand Howard Post Howard Post is a comic book writer and artist, who has worked on many comic books for Harvey comics including Wendy the Good Little Witch and Hot Stuff the Little Devil . He also worked for DC comics on Anthro . Post was also the head of Paramount Cartoon Studios from 1968 – 1981.

Howard Post is the author of the following episodes of ThunderCats :

18. Spitting Image 27. Return of the Driller Bruce Smith Bruce W. Smith is a character animator, film director, and television producer, best known as the creator of Disney’s The Proud Family . Smith was intially one of the few African American animators working in the industry. As well as writing for ThunderCats , Smith joined Disney and worked on various projects such as Tarzan and The Emperor’s New Groove , as well as co-directing the animated segments of Warner Brothers’ Space Jam .

Bruce Smith is the author of the following episodes of ThunderCats :

48. The Micrits 55. Jackalman’s Rebellion Herb Englehardt Aside from ThunderCats , Herb Englehardt also wrote several episodes of the animated series Centurions , as well as M.A.S.K. and Transformers .

Herb Englehardt is the author of the following episodes of ThunderCats :

80. Together We Stand 90. Vultureman’s Revenge Dennis J. Woodyard Dennis Woodyard has worked on a variety of animated projects, including ThunderCats and the animated Men in Black cartoon series. In 2002, Woodyard was nominated for a daytime Emmy for Ozzy and Drix , in the category of “outstanding special class animated programme”. Woodyard recently worked as a storyboard artist on the Marvel animated film Ultimate Avengers II .

Dennis Woodyard is the author of the following episodes of ThunderCats :

125. The Shadowmaster 129. Well of Doubt Barney Cohen Barney Cohen was the co-creator of the television series Forever Knight , and worked as Executive Producer on the popular series, Sabrina the Teenage Witch . Cohen has also written several screenplays, including an entry into the horror series Friday the 13th . Cohen also penned the fan favourite episode “Evilseed” for the 1980s animated series He-Man and the Masters of the Universe .

Barney Cohen is the author of the following episodes of ThunderCats :

9. The Garden of Delights Douglas Bernstein Although ThunderCats would be his only foray into the world of animation, Douglas Bernstein also wrote an episode for two different comedy series, The Charmings and Wish You Were Here . As per the episode he wrote for ThunderCats , for each of his scripts on those other shows Douglas was joined by writing partner Denis Markell.

Douglas Bernstein is the author of the following episodes of ThunderCats :

51. The Evil Harp of Charr-Nin Denis Markell Although ThunderCats would be his only foray into the world of animation, Denis Markell also wrote an episode for two different comedy series, The Charmings and Wish You Were Here . As per the episode he wrote for ThunderCats , for each of his scripts on those other shows Denis was joined by writing partner Douglas Bernstein.

Denis Markell is the author of the following episodes of ThunderCats :

51. The Evil Harp of Charr-Nin Danny Peary There is a very famous American film critic and sports writer known as Danny Peary, but it is unknown whether this is the same individual who penned this episode. If anyone has more information, please send us an e-mail! Danny Peary is the author of the following episodes of ThunderCats :

52. The Mountain Kenneth E. Vose After more than twenty-five years experience in film and television as an editor, writer, producer and director, Ken Vose made the transition to full time author in 1985. Vose is a member of The Mystery Writers of America, The Author’s Guild, The International Motor Press Association, The National Writers Union, The Dramatists Guild of America, and The Society of Automotive Historians. Aside from ThunderCats , Vose has also written for Peter Pan and the Pirates , SilverHawks and The Real Adventures of Johnny Quest .

Kenneth E. Vose is the author of the following episodes of ThunderCats :

57. Eye of the Beholder Jeri Craden Like many of her fellow ThunderCats writers, Jeri Craden also wrote for SilverHawks , as well as penning an episode of the family action-adventure series Danger Bay . She also worked on various other animated cartoons during the eighties, although as a voice actor rather than a writer, with credits including Strawberry Shortcake , C.O.P.S. and Garbage Pail Kids .

Jeri Craden is the author of the following episodes of ThunderCats :

58. The Mumm-Ra Berbil Lawrence DuKore Lawrence DuKore is a writer best-known for his contribution to the 1977 biographical film Greased Lightning . DuKore also wrote at least one play for The WorkShop Theatre Company.

Lawrence DuKore is the author of the following episodes of ThunderCats :

62. The Transfer Annabelle Gurwitch Annabelle Gurwitch is an American comedic actress and writer, best known for being the original hostess of TBS’s Dinner and a Movie . Gurwitch has appeared in over thirty movies, written four and produced one.

Annabelle Gurwitch is the author of the following episodes of ThunderCats :

64. Dream Master Heather M. Winters Heather M. Winters’ work in the television and film industry has mainly been behind the scenes, aside from her writing on ThunderCats , she has mainly served as a producer on a variety of projects with a career spanning two decades that continues today.

Heather M. Winters is the author of the following episodes of ThunderCats :

64. Dream Master Romeo Muller Romeo Muller wrote many television and movie screenplays in his time as a writer; he was perhaps best known for penning holiday specials, including Christmas stories such as Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer for Rankin-Bass, which went down in history as the most popular television holiday special of all time. Muller also wrote the script for Rankin-Bass’s acclaimed animated adaptation of J.R.R Tolkein’s The Hobbit . Among his literary works, Muller is best remembered for the Puff the Magic Dragon series of books.

Romeo Muller is the author of the following episodes of ThunderCats :

78. The Mask of Gorgon James Rose At the present time we have no information on this writer. If anyone is able to help with info, please send us an e-mail! James Rose is the author of the following episodes of ThunderCats :

79. Mumm-Rana’s Belt Becky Hartman At the present time we have no information on this writer. If anyone is able to help with info, please send us an e-mail! Becky Hartman is the author of the following episodes of ThunderCats :

80. Wild Workout David Carren David Carren has written for a wide variety of television shows, ranging from science fiction series such as Battlestar Galactica and Star Trek: The Next Generation , to crime dramas such as Diagnosis Murder and Murder, She Wrote . Carren has also written screenplays and wrote and performed for the stage. David Carren is currently teaching screenwriting, film marketing, and film production at Houston Community College and CyFair College.

David Carren is the author of the following episodes of ThunderCats :

116. Leah Beth Bornstein Beth Bornstein was no stranger to the world of animation when she came to write for ThunderCats , having previously written episodes for such major eighties hits as Transformers , G.I Joe and Jem . Years later, she would write an episode for the award-winning Batman: The Animated Series .

Beth Bornstein is the author of the following episodes of ThunderCats :

124. Ma-Mutt’s Confusion