GAZULA........The Amicable Monster
60's Anime
GAZULA........The
Amicable Monster
Gazula is gag anime ( a cartoon comedy) produced in Japan by Tatsunoko Productions 
(Space Ace, Speed Racer) based on Oraa Guzura Dado! (And here's Gazura). I've
got no idea who did the English dubbed version.
There are 2 series.
1st version: Japanese transmission 7/10/1967 (black and white)
2nd version: Japanese transmission 12/10/1987 (colour remake)
The first version is the one shown in Melbourne in the 70's on channel 9. Kelly
Lannan from Adelaide, Australia uncovered that it aired there on Saturday December the
4th, 1971. In Melbourne it had an obscure early morning timeslot (maybe 6am) and
once seen, many kids were drawn back each week by its horribleness. I am yet to pinpoint
the exact date. It is unlikely that it was shown in the U.S as with many others of this
era.
Format: Gazula ('...the Amicable Monster') hatches from a man-sized egg spat up by a
volcano on "Mysterious Island" and is adopted by a Japanese suburban family:
stressed-out geek dad, look-alike son, cute little daughter and hair-dressed mum. Mum
always wore her hair up. Dad 
chain-smokes.
Gazula wears a bowler hat (tiny one), bow-tie and announces himself with "Gazula is
here" in a wheedling voice. He breathes fire, usually to some comedic black-facing
effect, especially on the father. The expulsion of the flame was usually very brief and
Gazula usually went "pooh" or "wooh" in a wimpy little voice as he
shot it out. He lives in terror of a conk-nosed doctor or vet who keeps trying to plunge
an oversized hypodermic needle into his tail. This guy usually pops out through some
scenery, grinning and causing Gazula to go on a panicked dash to escape. The path of
destruction from one such scene formed the backdrop to the closing credits of each episode
with the frozen screaming faces of maddened bystanders gawping up at the camera as it was
tracking along Gazula's trail. (Thanks to Steve McCredie and Kelly Lannan for helping with
information and Kelly for supplying the theme song and the pic which is from the liner
notes on a Japanese CD).
Gazula theme song - In Japanese but is the same tune as the
English version. Anyone who has heard the song before will instantly remember it.