But first, the apology. Aames and Most, in their respective TV series (Charles in Charge and Happy Days), had to master one of the roughest, and highest-visibility roles in TV: Second Banana. These are the guys who usually drive the humor, and are often better remembered than the leads. Where would Ralph Kramden be without Ed Norton? Fred Flintstone without Barney Rubble? Seriously, one of the reasons D&D works so well is that these guys didn't sleepwalk through it; they had to develop a serious sense of comic timing in their craft, and that craftsmanship carried over to D&D.
Six kids from "our reality" happen to be in the same car at the same time, and get an all-expenses-paid trip to the Realm of Dungeons and Dragons. What do we really know of them? Their lives overlap to some extent; they all knew each other before the trip, and of course Sheila and Bobby are siblings. Our only authority beyond that is, ironically, Venger, who tells Dekion the former Celestial Knight that they are "six young ones who are pure of heart".
These pages will be a little weird, in that at times the characters will be treated as exactly that: animated cartoon characters, acting out a script written by professionals and animated by a studio. Other times, they will be psychoanalyzed and picked apart as thoroughly as any human being. Why do I do this? Because the richness of the characterizations permit it.
One other warning: the series traveled through several animation studios during its history, which accounts for the slight variations in faces from episode to episode (when the graphics are up and running, at least--sometime in 1998--PROMISE!). It also accounts for the titles: THE MANY FACES OF...
HANK
I recently heard from a Dutch fan, M.B. Bartels, who contributed his own speculations on a few of the series' more prominent non-human characters:
Other Earthlings and Inamorata
We definitely know of three others who join the kids in the Realm during the series (although it's still a very exclusive club):
Josef Mueller was an ace pilot for the Luftwaffe before being lifted out of time by Venger (see "The Time Lost"). We have DM's word for it that he pulls a Rudolf Hess and defects to the Allies.
Jimmy Whittaker seems to have known most of the gang before the events in "City on the Edge of Midnight", when Eric reminds everyone of his opinion of Jimmy. (Question: how could Jimmy write it off as a dream when his dad freaked and called the cops?)
Terry (No Last Name Given) is the eponymous "Girl Who Dreamed Tomorrow", and quickly becomes Bobby's best friend and then some (her giving him a heart-shaped locket is some major symbolism). While we're on the subject, a look at love in the Realm would also include:
Varla the illusionist who inspired Presto in "The Last Illusion"; and
Kosar who did ditto for Diana as "Child of the Stargazer". By the way, is it me, or does Kosar bear a resemblance to 1984-vintage Michael Jackson?
Oh, yeah--and Eric was prepared to marry the Queen of Zinn, but somehow I don't think his heart was in it.