In 1973, Springfield signed to Columbia Records and recorded his second album, "Comic Book Heroes", which was also produced by Porter. In Australia, released on Porter's new label, Wizard Records, the album and its two singles failed to chart. Springfield was promoted as a teeny pop idol similar to David Cassidy and Donny Osmond. Springfield spoke of the teenybopper image in "Circus Magazine" in 1973. He said he was not sure how it happened. "Someone saw my photo and that was it." He went on to say that someone asked to take a photo of him in a white suit and thought that it was "a bit dull", so he took some crayons and "scrawled an R with a lightning bolt going through it ... which became my emblem." From September 1972 to September 1973, Springfield starred as "himself" in the ABC-TV Saturday morning cartoon series "", for which he usually wrote and performed an original song in each episode. In 1974, he issued an Australia-only album, "Mission: Magic!", which was "full of infectious bubblegum pop songs". His single, "Take a Hand", reached the U.S. top 50 in 1976. The single was taken from the album "Wait for Night", which was issued by his new label, Chelsea Records. Soon after its release, the record company folded. During the late 1970s, he concentrated more on his acting career, guest-starring in several primetime TV dramas.