The original television series adaptation of Captain Pugwash lasted from 1957 to 1966, and was entirely in black-and-white. A color remake was released from 1974 to 1975.
In the original television series "Captain Pugwash", an episode was explicitly set in 1775. Placing the series setting during the 1770s.
The series and its various adaptations are set in the 18th century, with anachronisms used for comic effect. The book adaptation "The Battle of Bunkum Bay" (1985) features Captain Pugwash as a contemporary of two historical rulers: Louis XIV of France (reigned 1643-1715) and George I of Great Britain (reigned 1714-1727). The implied setting of that story was the 1710s, when both monarchs were active.
The comic strip "Captain Pugwash" debuted in the first issue of the comics magazine "Eagle" on 14 April, 1950. The comic strip was later transferred from the "Eagle" to the BBC-owned magazine "Radio Times".
A frequent setting for the 1990s series was the fictional island of Montebuffo, located somewhere in the Spanish Main. The Spanish Main was historically the collective name for coastal areas of the Spanish Empire surrounding the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico.