Professor Pat Pending

The Hannah-Barbera cartoon show Wacky Races, first televised in 1968, featured 11 competitors. None had better credentials than Professor Pat Pending, creator of the awesome, metamorphosing Convert-a-Car.

According to one compulsive archiver, Pending won three of the 34 races featured in the original series. He finished second twice and a creditable third on five occasions. Cumulatively, however, the Professor finished an embarrassing ninth of 11. The overall winners were the Neanderthal Slag brothers, Rock and Gravel, in the Boulder Mobile – so much for technology.

For the record, the Anthill Mob came second in the Bulletproof Bomb, followed by Rufus and Chainsaw in the Buzzwagon. The delicious Penelope Pitstop was seventh in the Compact Pussycat and the Army Surplus Special finished tenth. Dick Dastardly and his cackling hound Mutley brought up the rear.