On this day September 10 1988, ALF Tales premiered on NBC, spinning off from the popularity of the hit sitcom ALF and its animated counterpart. This Saturday morning cartoon reimagined ALF and his friends from the planet Melmac as characters in classic fairy tales and stories, each told with the show’s trademark humor and quirky style.
Each episode of ALF Tales placed Gordon Shumway (ALF) and his fellow Melmacians into well known stories like Cinderella, Robin Hood, or Jack and the Beanstalk, blending the familiar with ALF’s comedic twist. The format gave the writers plenty of room to parody classic tales while keeping the alien’s mischievous personality front and center.
Although it only ran for two seasons, ALF Tales was part of the late 1980s wave of cartoons that capitalized on the success of primetime sitcoms. For fans, it provided another fun way to enjoy ALF beyond his NBC live action series.
80s insight: ALF Tales reflected the 1980s trend of expanding hit sitcom characters into animated Saturday morning shows, often by putting them into imaginative and unexpected scenarios.
Each episode of ALF Tales placed Gordon Shumway (ALF) and his fellow Melmacians into well known stories like Cinderella, Robin Hood, or Jack and the Beanstalk, blending the familiar with ALF’s comedic twist. The format gave the writers plenty of room to parody classic tales while keeping the alien’s mischievous personality front and center.
Although it only ran for two seasons, ALF Tales was part of the late 1980s wave of cartoons that capitalized on the success of primetime sitcoms. For fans, it provided another fun way to enjoy ALF beyond his NBC live action series.
80s insight: ALF Tales reflected the 1980s trend of expanding hit sitcom characters into animated Saturday morning shows, often by putting them into imaginative and unexpected scenarios.
