Friz Freleng so popular that United Artists, distributors of "The Pink Panther", had Freleng produce a short cartoon starring the character, "The Pink Phink" (1964). After "The Pink Phink" won the 1965 Academy Award for Best Short Subject (Cartoons), Freleng and DePatie responded by producing a whole series of Pink Panther cartoons. Other original cartoon series, among them "The Inspector", "The Ant and the Aardvark", "The Dogfather", "Roland and Rattfink" and "Crazylegs Crane", soon followed. In 1969, "The Pink Panther Show", a Saturday morning anthology program featuring DePatie–Freleng cartoons, debuted on NBC. "The Pink Panther" and the other original DePatie–Freleng series would
Crazylegs (G.I. Joe) first appeared in issue #69. He is also featured in the following two issues. He assists Wild Bill and Maverick. At first, the three Joes had been coerced by the Dreadnoks Zarana, Monkeywrench and Thrasher, who had threatened to kill several civilians unless the Joes assisted in their escape. Soon, the Joes, the Dreadnoks and the civilians were all willingly working together; all escape danger. Crazylegs is part of a massive Joe support unit sent to Cobra Island to support Serpentor in the first Cobra civil war. Aircraft attack the forces, severely injuring him and Lift-Ticket, but both survive. Crazylegs