Dink, the Little Dinosaur

Dink, the Little Dinosaur is an American animated series created by Karen Willson and Chris Weber, produced by Ruby-Spears Enterprises.^[1] The series originally aired as part of CBS's Saturday morning line-up from 1989 to 1990.^[2]

Dink, the Little Dinosaur
Title screen
Starring	R. J. Williams Anndi McAfee Ben Ryan Ganger S. Scott Bullock Frank Welker
Narrated by	Kenneth Mars
Composer	John Debney
Country of origin	United States
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	21 (42 segments)
Production
Running time	30 minutes (2 segments)
Production company	Ruby-Spears Enterprises
Original release
Network	CBS
Release	September 16, 1989 (1989-09-16) – November 3, 1990 (1990-11-03)

Plot

The series followed Dink (a dinosaur) and his four friends as they explore and dwell in the volcanic landscape of prehistory in a place called Green Meadow.^[3] Designed to help children navigate the world of friendship and making friends, the stories fostered positive behaviors such as caring about oneself and others, tolerance, ecology, problem-solving and teamwork.^[4]

The second season introduced a weekly segment called "Factasaurus" that taught lessons and fun facts, educating children about different dinosaur species.

Characters

Main characters
Name	Voice	Description
Dink	R. J. Williams	Kind, brave, smart and has a strong bond with his friends. Dink is a Brontosaurus, similar to Littlefoot from The Land Before Time franchise.[5]
Amber	Anndi McAfee	Amber is a close friend of Dink's. She is like a big-sister figure.
Scat	Frank Welker[6][7]	Scat tends to be paranoid, but has a humongous appetite and speaks in the third person. Sometimes his appetite gets him in trouble, especially when it involves his favorite food, called honey fruit.
Shyler	Ben Ryan Ganger	Shyler is Dink's shy friend, who has a speech impediment and looks up to Dink and Amber as older siblings.
Flapper	S. Scott Bullock	Flapper tends to be a braggart and a jokester, and he speaks with a slight lisp. He constantly tries to land in water, but always fails. Dink calls him Flap.
Crusty	Frank Welker	Crusty is a turtle who mentors the dinosaur youngsters and tells them stories that often help teach them valuable lessons.
Allies
Name	Voice	Description
Ariel	Jennifer Darling	Exceptionally courageous and self-sacrificing, Ariel lives at the Lake of Mists and is viewed by other dinosaurs as an almost supernatural figure.
Uncle Longbeak	Hamilton Camp	Longbeak is Flapper's uncle, whom he talks about a lot.
Pearl	Russi Taylor	Pearl is a female friend of Shyler's.
Scratcher	Dick Beals	Scratcher is a herbivore by his own choice.
Red	Hal Rayle	Red is sometimes called Thundermaker. He is actually a spirit who lived in the Cave of Spirits.
Earthshaker	Frank Welker	Shakes the ground when he walks and talks. None too fond of smaller creatures, but willing to return a favor.
Dippo	Dana Hill	Dippo is afraid of what other dinosaurs think of his kind. He is good friends with Shyler.
Opo		Opo is a friend of the gang's who helps Ariel to escape from Tyrannor.
Dim		Dim is a dimwitted friend of the gang's.
Tubble and Hubble	Tubble: Jim Cummings Hubble: Jack Angel	Tubble and Hubble are an old pair of pathfinders for their herd.
Squirt	Russi Taylor	Once thought Crusty was his mother.
Shortspike		Shortspike is a friend of Dink and separated from his parents due to volcano trouble.
Cornelius		Cornelius was once a rival of Dink's.
Trail Blazer		Trail Blazer used his tail to create Green Meadow and Tarpit Pass (which protects Green Meadow from Hunters like Tyrannor).
Patch and Ridetail		Patch and Ridetail are Trail Blazer's children.
Strongfoot		Strongfoot was once Trail Blazer's rival.
Tiny	Joey Camen	Tiny is a friend in need, helped by Dink to get fruit guarded by a bullish Dicraeosaurus.
Brighteyes	Jodi Carlisle	Brighteyes is a mother whose eggs the gang helped to protect from Egghunters.
Buttercup	Billie Hayes	Buttercup is Crusty's childhood turtle friend.
Beast	Michael Bell	Beast has a disfigured body structure.
Iggy		Shyler helps Iggy find his way home.
Nobbie		Nobbie is a good friend of Shyler's.
Daisy		Scar once had a crush on her.
Brusier		Brusier is Daisy's boyfriend.
Glowy		Shyler wanted to keep Glowy.
Melodi	Kath Soucie	Gang helps Melodi in saving her mate.
Forest	Cam Clarke	Forest once made Dink jealous.
Stormfoot	Dana Hill	Stormfoot fought Dink in the "Challenge of the Desert" duel.
Jerry	Kath Soucie	Tail gets stuck under a rock but is rescued by Crusty.
Mama Triceratops		Once thought Scat was her son.
Villains
Name	Voice	Description
Tyrannor		A Tyrannosaurus who chases Dink and his friends all over their prehistoric world. He is feared by every known dinosaur.
Hunters		Various carnivorous dinosaurs that mostly reside in Hunter's Grove.
Scavenger	Frank Welker	A troublesome flock of Pterodactylus.
Fleetfoot	Jim Cummings	Hunts Pterosaurs.
Honeyfruit Monster
Sharptooth		According to Crusty, he would even scare Tyrannor. He had fought Trail Blazer with the resulting fight creating Green Meadow and Tarpit Pass.
Snakenecks
Sandtooth
Watertooth
Shelleater		Known to prey on turtles.
Bolderbuns	Frank Welker
Waterhunters
Egghunters		A trio that targets Brighteyes' eggs.
Sharpmouth
Slidetooth

Episodes

Season 1 (1989)

No.	Title	Written by	Original release date
1a	"The Shell Game"	Karen Wilson & Chris Weber	September 16, 1989 (1989-09-16)
Scat's appetite gets him and his friends in trouble when Tyrannor gets Crusty's shell in his jaws.
1b	"Shyler's Friend"	Michael Chain	September 16, 1989 (1989-09-16)
Shyler is unsure of how to approach and befriend Pearl and his friends' assistance isn't helping.
2a	"Dink, Come Home"	Cliff Ruby & Elana Lesser	September 23, 1989 (1989-09-23)
2b	"White Beauty"	Ralph Sanchez	September 23, 1989 (1989-09-23)
3a	"Crusty's Baby"	Ted Field	September 30, 1989 (1989-09-30)
Crusty becomes the unwitting parent of a newly hatched Stegosaurus and names him Squirt, but the latter doesn't eat well, forcing Crusty to unite him with his actual mother.
3b	"The Gentle Hunter"	Buzz Dixon	September 30, 1989 (1989-09-30)
Scat meets a plant-eating Deinonychus named Scratcher, who gets driven away by the Styracosaurus herd, so Dink has to save Scat from becoming the hunted.
4a	"Phantom of the Cave"	Gary Greenfield	October 7, 1989 (1989-10-07)
Dink and his friends explore the Cave of Spirits to find out more about the Brachiosaurus. They find one named Red who is having trouble with a pack of scavenging Velociraptor.
4b	"Dry River"	Michael Chain	October 7, 1989 (1989-10-07)
A fall has dammed up the river and the Ultrasaurus, Earthshaker, is not willing to unblock it until after Dink and his friends extract a thorn from his foot.
5a	"Tricera-Scat"	Meg McLaughlin	October 14, 1989 (1989-10-14)
Scat dozing inside an eggshell is mistaken by a mother Triceratops for one of her hatched babies.
5b	"The Search"	Janis Diamond	October 14, 1989 (1989-10-14)
Flapper does impractical pranks on some various dinosaurs of the era, but puts a stop when Shyler is in need of rescuing him.
6a	"Amber's Crusade"	Meg McLaughlin	October 21, 1989 (1989-10-21)
Marooned on a beach, Amber and Shyler have to look for three baby Psittacosaurus. After a close call from Tyranno, they make it soon afterwards.
6b	"Old Timers"	Ralph Sanchez	October 21, 1989 (1989-10-21)
7a	"Uncle Longbeak"	Karen Wilson & Chris Weber	October 28, 1989 (1989-10-28)
7b	"Surprise!"	Cliff Ruby & Elana Lesser	October 28, 1989 (1989-10-28)
Dink goes to get a stone for Amber's Hatching Day. With aid from Tiny and two Ichthyosaurus, he finds it in a nearby store.
8a	"The Hollow Tree"	Ralph Sanchez	November 4, 1989 (1989-11-04)
Dink investigates a mysterious inhabitant of a hollow tree. It turns out to be a Diplocaulus named Dippo whose looks are ridiculed, but Flapper rescues him and Shyler from a storm.
8b	"Badge of Courage"	Cliff Ruby & Elana Lesser	November 4, 1989 (1989-11-04)
During a hike to Fire Mountain, Dink meets Shortspike and goes with a Fire Bug to rescue his father.
9a	"Wish Mountain"	Bob Carrau	November 11, 1989 (1989-11-11)
Shyler's attempt to make a wish with his loose tooth is interrupted by an Oviraptor and a Euoplocephalus.
9b	"Crusty's New Home"	Ted Field	November 11, 1989 (1989-11-11)
Tired of fixing the cave, Crusty moves elsewhere. Not finding a new home to his liking, he returns to find Dink and his friends have fixed his old home.
10a	"Small Stuff"	Michael Reaves & Brynne Stephes	November 18, 1989 (1989-11-18)
Two Erythrotherium destroy Dink and his friends' digging plans to protect their home. Dink compensates them after saving their lives.
10b	"Lights Out"	Mark Cassutt	November 18, 1989 (1989-11-18)
Amber gets a crystal rock, but when the rock breaks, Flapper has his own tricks against Tyrannor.
11a	"Mystery of the Broken Claw"	Gary Greenfield	November 25, 1989 (1989-11-25)
Amber is blamed for destroying a watering hole when trying to get a spot there, so she investigates with her friends. They find the real culprit to be a Spinosaurus and manage to thwart its pack's ambush at another watering hole and restore the usual watering hole.
11b	"Encounter at Flatrock"	Ralph Sanchez	November 25, 1989 (1989-11-25)
Crusty gets lost while trying to find the Rock. Having failed to join him, Dink goes off to save him from a turtle-eating Segnosaurus.
12a	"The Sky Is Falling at Green Meadow"	Ted Field	December 2, 1989 (1989-12-02)
12b	"Sea Rescue"	Ralph Sanchez	December 2, 1989 (1989-12-02)
Scat is lost from a tsunami. Dink and his friends, accompanied by marine creatures, locate and rescue Scat from a storm.
13a	"Raiders of the Lost Nest"	Karen Wilson & Chris Weber	December 9, 1989 (1989-12-09)
13b	"Land of No Return"	Larry Huber	December 9, 1989 (1989-12-09)
Dink and his friends lure Tyrannor into the 'Land of No Return'. Flapper comes to the rescue, but then, they rescue Tyrannor himself.

Season 2 (1990)

No.	Title	Written by	Original release date
14a	"Scavengers"	Ralph Sanchez	September 15, 1990 (1990-09-15)
The kids save an Ornitholestes named Fleetfoot from a flock of Pterodactylus, but Fleetfoot turns out to be a hunter of flying animals and tries to get Flapper.
14b	"Tar Troubles"	Larry Huber	September 15, 1990 (1990-09-15)
Against Crusty's advice, Dink interferes with a tar pit and frantically tries to stop it spreading, but ends up starting a fire.
15a	"The Honeyfruit Hero"	Cathyrn Perdue	September 22, 1990 (1990-09-22)
Scat tries to become a super hero by saving the Compsognathus Honeyfruit supply from a "Honeyfruit Monster", which turns out to be an Iguanodon, instead of bugs.
15b	"Tall Tale"	Richard Merwin	September 22, 1990 (1990-09-22)
Crusty tells the story of Trail Blazer, he tells him about he and his herd's survival, the battle against the Allosaurus, Sharpteeth and the formation of Green Meadow many years ago.
16a	"Crusty's Reunion"	Larry Huber	September 29, 1990 (1990-09-29)
16b	"Tale of the Beast"	Cathyrn Perdue	September 29, 1990 (1990-09-29)
A disfigured Saurolophus is believed to be a menacing beast. Amber, whom Beast rescued, is able to clear the misunderstanding.
17a	"Scat-ter Brained"	Meg McLaughlin	October 6, 1990 (1990-10-06)
A close encounter with Tyrannor and a bump on the head, convinces Scat that he is a Tyrannosaurus. Meeting Tyrannor again during a fall restores Scat.
17b	"Fraidy Scat"	Tony Marino	October 6, 1990 (1990-10-06)
Scat's fear of animals (possibly monsters, snakes, lizards, spiders, ghost stories or ants) makes him sleepy in the daytime. He overcomes his fear to rescue his friends stuck under a hidden tree.
18a	"The Reluctant Head-Banger"	Don Glut	October 13, 1990 (1990-10-13)
Shyler befriends a Pachycephalosaurus named Nobby, but his appetite is too big for Dink's lot to handle. However, Nobby rescues them from being buried under the fall.
18b	"Wrongs of Spring"	Cathyrn Perdue	October 13, 1990 (1990-10-13)
19a	"Overrun"	Michael Reaves & Brynne Stephens	October 20, 1990 (1990-10-20)
19b	"The Last of Their Kind"	Cathyrn Perdue & Richard Merwin	October 20, 1990 (1990-10-20)
Shyler catches a Fire Bug he calls Glowy. A distressed Supersaurus named Melodi is looking for her mate. Shyler and his friends find and rescue Melodi's mate.
20a	"Day of the Snake"	Michael Reaves & Brynne Stephens	October 27, 1990 (1990-10-27)
20b	"Rivals"	Cathyrn Perdue	October 27, 1990 (1990-10-27)
21a	"Challenge"	Ralph Sanchez	November 3, 1990 (1990-11-03)
The kids challenge a herd of Centrosaurus when they drink from their water hole somewhere in the desert. Dink must fight the herd leader's son, Stormfoot in a "Challenge of Desert".
21b	"The Secret"	Richard Merwin	November 3, 1990 (1990-11-03)

Main cast

• R.J. Williams as Dink
• Anndi McAfee as Amber
• Ben Ryan Ganger as Shyler
• Frank Welker as Scat and Crusty
• S. Scott Bullock as Flapper

Additional cast

• Jack Angel as Hubble
• Richard Beals as Scratcher
• Michael Bell as Beast
• Joey Camen as Tiny
• Hamilton Camp as Uncle Longbeak
• Jodi Carlisle as Brighteyes
• Nancy Cartwright as Shortspike
• Cam Clarke as Forest
• Townsend Coleman as Shortspike's father
• Brian Cummings
• Jim Cummings as Tubble and Fleetfoot
• Jennifer Darling as Ariel
• Debi Derryberry as Ariel's mother
• Billie Hayes as Buttercup
• Dana Hill as Dippo, Stormfoot
• Kenneth Mars as Narrator
• Hal Rayle as Red
• Steve Schatzberg as Mike
• Kath Soucie as Melodi
• Russi Taylor as Squirt
• Janet Waldo as Female Dinosaur
• Frank Welker as Earthshaker, Scavenger, Bolderbuns, Tyrannor, Slidetooth, Bilal and Johnny

Voice director

• Ginny McSwain

Home media

VHS release

Five years after its television broadcast, Dink, the Little Dinosaur was released on VHS by Turner Home Entertainment under the Hanna-Barbera label on September 14, 1994. Its six volumes are Land Of No Return, Shyler's Friend, The Sky Is Falling, Lights Out, Rivals and Phantom Of The Cave. Each Dink videocassette contains over five episodes from the series. Turner also distributed these videos internationally in different countries such as the United Kingdom through First Independent Films, in Australia through Rainbow Products, and in Germany through Fox Video.

DVD release

Warner Archive released the complete series on October 10, 2017 in Region 1.^[8]