Hong Kong Phooey is a 16-episode Hanna-Barbera animated series that first aired on ABC Saturday morning from September 7, 1974 to December 21, 1974. It was a parody of kung fu shows and movies of the time.
The main character Hong Kong Phooey is a clownishly clumsy secret alter ego of Penrod "Penry" Pooch, working at a police station as a "mild-mannered" janitor under the glare of Sergeant Flint. He transforms himself into Hong Kong Phooey upon running into a magic filing cabinet despite always getting stuck - and unstuck by his cat Spot - and once transformed, gets equipped with the "Phooeymobile" vehicle that transforms itself into a boat, a plane, or a telephone booth depending on the circumstances. He fights crime relying on his copy of The Hong Kong Book of Kung Fu, but he succeeds only thanks to his cat Spot who provides a solution to the challenges or they are solved by himself as result of a comically unintended side effect of his conscious efforts. Background was designed by Lorraine Andrina and Richard Khim.
The lead character is a talking dog who walks upright, has a job as a janitor, and has a secret identity as superhero Hong Kong Phooey. No one treats him as a dog. Other dogs and animals appearing on the show do not talk (except birds) and behave as animals.