Goofs

Dudley Do-Right and Nell Fenwick's relative ages, the amount of time they have known each other, and the backstories of nearly every main character, vary in almost every installment.

"Jet Fuel Formula" is the series' first story arc, as indicated by inconsistent character designs. Boris Badenov starts out as a tall man, and Fearless Leader starts out as round-headed and somewhat fat, but both are changed to their definitive appearances while the arc is still in progress. Peter Peachfuzz has a very high-pitched voice throughout his appearance in the arc, in contrast to the deeper voice he has in all later installments. The Narrator (William Conrad) starts out as a solemn, journalistic voice, but quickly changes to his more familiar melodramatic cadence.

During the adventure serials, the beginning of each installment recaps the end of the previous installment, but the revisited events don't always match what happened the first time.

In one of the various opening title segments for the serial chapters, Bullwinkle falls past an awning, above which is a partially visible banner bearing Jay Ward's name. (Only "J. Wa" is legible.) The banner is gone a few seconds later when Rocky is catapulted past the same awning.

Charlie Parlorcar (the postman of Frostbite Falls) has his appearance changed completely in different story arcs.

Given the inherent absurdity of this cartoon, in which practically anything goes, and nothing is impossible, it could be argued that all of the show's continuity errors are deliberate gags, rather than goofs. They are kept on the list because they are interesting.

"In one episode they say this, but then in another episode they say that, and in yet another episode they say the other." As this is an animated comedy series, the emphasis is clearly on laughs rather than complete verisimilitude. Efforts are certainly made to create a vaguely consistent setting in which somewhat consistent characters live and work, but it is not necessary for all the episodes to be consistent with each other. Many episodes are inconsistent within themselves for the sake of a laugh. So most contradictions between episodes should only be listed here if they are interesting to a significant number of people.

Many of the historical figures encountered by Peabody and Sherman bear little resemblance to the real people. However, Peabody does explain in Show Opening (1959) that WABAC is not really a time machine, but a should-have-been machine. It is a gateway to a sanitized idealistic version of history. E.g., he specifically explains that he programmed it so that everybody they meet speaks American English.

Given that the show often breaks the fourth wall, many inconsistencies and factual errors are probably deliberate, and are even called out by the characters on certain memorable occasions.

There are contradictory clues as to whether Mr. Big or Fearless Leader holds the higher rank within the Pottsylvanian hierarchy. However, Mr. Big is only in the early story lines "Jet Fuel Formula," "Upsidaisium," and "Metal-Munching Mice." He seems to be the shadow ruler of Pottsylvania, with Fearless Leader being the public face of Pottsylvania. It is likely that the events of those story lines disgraced Mr. Big as incompetent, and that Fearless Leader took over complete power in a silent coup, as often happens in dictatorships.

During the randomly repeated "pull a *bear* out of a hat" filler piece, just before Bullwinkle reaches in, Rocky is standing on the floor beside him, but abruptly vanishes. (Another magic trick?)

Some Dudley Do-Right sketches open with statements of which year the story takes place (e.g., 1903, 1905, etc.), but are full of technological artifacts which don't suit those dates.

In Aesop & Son (1976), the title characters frequently possess artifacts and make cultural references which did not exist in the 6th century BC, when the real Aesop lived.

The settings of many Peabody and Sherman adventures are full of anachronisms, without being explained away as part of the time traveling action.