It’s not often that mainstream cartoon characters make their way to Cape Cod, but it happened in Sandwich over a half-century ago.

During the 1960s, the “Underdog” show was popular among children, and a series of episodes saw Underdog landing at the Sandwich Glass Factory, seeking assistance in his quest to capture “A New Villian,” the Electric Eel.

The Electric Eel had powers unlike many of Underdog’s other rivals, in that he was able to fire bolts of electricity from his fingers. After being unable to overtake his new adversary, Underdog finally figured out that glass was the way to win.

Underdog’s entrance comes just after the 17:00 mark of Parts 3 and 4 (links below).

Underdog had roots on Cape Cod. One of the character’s creators, W. Watts “Buck” Biggers, spent significant time in Harwich and was living in Plymouth until his death in 2013. Biggers created a new episode of Underdog in 1999 as a half-hour radio show, narrated by Tom Ellis, the late Boston TV news anchorman, who lived in Sandwich.

Don Wilding is a lecturer, tour guide, and author of two books: "Henry Beston's Cape Cod: How 'The Outermost House' Inspired a National Seashore," and "A Brief History of Eastham: On the Outer Beach of Cape Cod." His "Shore Lore" column appears weekly in the Cape Codder.