h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

OK... am I the only person who remembers wildfire?? ....OK, maybe I am crazy, but I know this show definitely existed, and it is a rare cartoon indeed. It was called "wildfire" and it was an American cartoon in the late 70's and early 80's. I can only recall bits and pieces of a single episode, which I had on videotape uintil they mysteriously disappeared about 8 years ago.

The premise of the programme was that a young girl was born with a special amulet deeming her worthy to be the keeper of a red and purple horse known as Wildfire. Wildfire had the Amazing ability to jump through a portal in the sky (did i mention this is a TALKING red and purple horse?), and into another world, where all of the Animals talked and most everyone was oppressed by a sort of evil Queen. Unfortunately, the only episode I remember didnt center around the queen, although she was important enough to have a spot in the opening sequence, during the theme song.

the solitary episode i recall began with a friend of the girl's. this little boy also had a talking horse, rather a pony, and this pony apparently nippen an apple from a tree tended by a particularly cruel little troll. the boys horse was taken until he could solve a riddle, the price for takign the apple without permission. when wildfire & his girl intervene, the girl aids her friend in an attempt to discover the troll's name. which leads them on a quest through various provinces in the mystical other world. somehow they procure a map, and in a final visit to a wizard who is supposed to be able to help, the kooky guy disappears in a bolt of fire and singes the map! what a terrible thing to do.

so the intrepid trio returns, seemingly defeated, with no answer for the troll, and the time had almost run out before the troll could keep the captive pony for his own... with mere seconds left to solve the riddle, the girl looks down at the map, noting the singes blot out parts of the names of the provinces, leaving bits of the trolls name. in a stroke of good luck, at the last second she pieces together the broken province names to form "tinbrennankragsistan" (i am absolutely sure of the spelling), and saves the day. so there you have it.

and if it helps, i remember a lot of the theme song: "Once upon a dream I think I lived inside a fairy tale, where someone brave was lost, where some dark void was crossed, and I was tossed in myyyyyyy sleeeeeeep! And did I see a magic horse called Wildfire, or was that the dream? (Wildfire! Wildfire!) Deep within my mind, So tell me what I find, or what I might become, If I could go where the dreams come from, If I could go where the dreams come from! (Wildfire! Wildfire! Wildfire!)

yeah.