AllMovie

Ostensibly a one-shot animated special, Archie and His New Friends was designed not only to promote the popular Saturday-morning The Archie Show, but also to introduce Prime Time viewers to the series' newest character (actually not new at all, since she'd been appearing in comic-book form since 1962), Sabrina the Teenage Witch. In her first major adventure with Archie, Jughead, Betty, Veronica and the rest, newcomer Sabrina tries her best to "fit in" as a typical 15-year-old student at Riverdale High School, but her status as an apprentice witch all but requires her to use magic every once in while--especially during a hotly contested student election. As a balm to the kiddie fans, the special includes performances of several of The Archies' bubble-gum song hits, including "Get on the Line" and "You've Got to Have an Image." While Archie and His New Friends was first broadcast by CBS on September 14, 1969--the day after Sabrina made her initial appearance on The Archie Show--the weekly Sabrina the Teenage Witch series would not appear until September 1, 1971 (it was of course preceded by the hybrid series Sabrina and the Groovie Ghoulies.