From his early days as a literary hero in the iconic Edgar Rice Burrows books, Tarzan has been one of America’s most beloved adventurers, appearing in almost every genre, including film, radio, television, and print. And yet, it wouldn’t be until 1976 that the vine-swinging muscleman finally ventured into the Saturday morning line-up.

Created by Filmation, Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle introduced a more articulate, well-spoken hero than the “Me Tarzan, You, Jane” version of yesteryear. Still, he continued his long-standing tradition of communicating with the various animal inhabitants of his jungle home. Paired with a chimp sidekick named N’Kima, Tarzan had his adventurous hands full, taking on poachers, spider people, crocodiles and other various villains, always ready to call in the animal kingdom cavalry with his trademark blood-curdling yell whenever things got a little overwhelming.

Unlike many cartoons of the day, Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle, offered a hero that moved very realistically, thanks to Filmation’s use of rotoscoping - or tracing the cartoons from previously filmed footage of a live actor. Thanks to this added bit of realism, along with Tarzan’s decades old reputation as one of the coolest jungle dwellers in existence, not only made this cartoon a success, but paved the way for many more animated adventures to come.