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CityKids
Genre Family Entertainment
Created by Jeffrey Solomon
Written by Jeffrey Solomon
Directed by Rick Friedberg, Randall Miller
Starring
  • Cyndi Cartagena
  • Hassan Elgendi
  • Dulé Hill
  • Anne Ho
  • Renoly Santiago
  • Diana Smith
  • Brad Stoll
  • Audrey Ince
  • Don Chastain
  • Dash Mihok
  • Michelle Ingkavet

Puppeteers:
Voices of Cenophia Mitchell
Elizabeth Regen
Theme music composer Raliegh J Neal II
Opening theme Malik Yoba & Raliegh J Neal II
Composer(s) Raliegh J Neal II
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 1
No. of episodes 13
Production
Executive producer(s) Brian Henson
Laurie Meadoff-Hill
Running time 30 minutes
Production company(s) Jim Henson Productions
The CityKids Foundation
Distributor The Jim Henson Company
Release
Original network ABC
Original release September 18, 1993 (1993-09-18) – January 29, 1994 (1994-01-29)

CityKids was an American TV show that aired on ABC. It ran on Saturday mornings from 1993 to 1994. The show was a mix of live actors and Muppet characters.

The Muppet parts were created by Jim Henson Productions. These Muppets were new characters made just for CityKids. They were not from shows like Sesame Street or The Muppet Show. The Muppets often commented on what the human characters were doing. They were like a "Greek chorus," watching but not joining in the action.

Unlike most shows on ABC Saturday mornings, CityKids was made for teenagers. It also aimed for an audience in cities. However, the show did not get enough viewers. Because of this, ABC canceled it after only one season.

The main theme song for the show was created by Malik Yoba and Raleigh J Neal II. They also wrote other songs for the series. They helped guide the music for the show.

Characters in CityKids

CityKids featured a group of human characters and many unique Muppet puppets.

Human Characters

  • Angelica (played by Cyndi Cartagena)
  • Snoopy/Christian (played by Hassan Elgendi)
  • John (played by Dulé Hill)
  • Susan (played by Anne Ho)
  • Tito (played by Renoly Santiago)
  • Nikki (played by Diana Smith)
  • David (played by Brad Stoll)
  • Frida (played by Audrey Ince)
  • Mr. Lester (played by Don Chastain)
  • Unknown Character (played by Dash Mihok)
  • Unknown Character (played by Michelle Ingkavet)

Puppet Characters

  • Dread (performed by David Rudman) - A wise Rastafarian philosopher.
  • Bird (performed by Joey Mazzarino) - A pigeon who is Dread's friend and helper.
  • Hot Dogs - A group of singing hot dogs. Their part would start with a close-up of their container. It would end with tongs taking one of them away.
    • Frankie Frank (performed by David Rudman) - An anthropomorphic (human-like) hot dog rapper. He leads the group called Frankie Frank and the Footers.
  • Captain (performed by Joey Mazzarino) - A character who works "Inside the Head" with Libido and Lieutenant.
  • Libido (performed by John Henson) - Another character who works "Inside the Head" with Captain and Lieutenant.
  • Lieutenant (performed by David Rudman) - The third character who works "Inside the Head" with Captain and Libido.
  • Koozebanians (performed by Noel MacNeal and David Rudman) - Three aliens from the planet Koozebane. Two have two eyes, and one has a single eye.
  • Dirt Sisters - Trish (performed by Joey Mazzarino, voiced by Elizabeth Regen) and Toya (performed by David Rudman, voiced by Cenophia Mitchell). These two girls love to gossip. They talk on the phone about the main story of each episode. Trish is from Staten Island, and Toya is from Brooklyn.

Episodes of CityKids

No. Title Original air date
1 "Pilot" 18 September 1993 (1993-09-18)
2 "Becoming a Man" 25 September 1993 (1993-09-25)
3 "Get a Job" 2 October 1993 (1993-10-02)
4 "The Curse of Ali Baba" 9 October 1993 (1993-10-09)
5 "Bye, Bye Reputation" 16 October 1993 (1993-10-16)
6 "The Mural" 23 October 1993 (1993-10-23)
7 "Alterations with Attitude" 30 October 1993 (1993-10-30)
8 "Quality Time" 13 November 1993 (1993-11-13)
9 "Rooftop Thanksgiving" 20 November 1993 (1993-11-20)
10 "Pack of Lies" 4 December 1993 (1993-12-04)
11 "Love Letters on the Hudson" 11 December 1993 (1993-12-11)
12 "All My Trials" 18 December 1993 (1993-12-18)
13 "I Am Woman" 29 January 1994 (1994-01-29)

Cast Members

Here are the actors and voice actors who brought the characters of CityKids to life:

  • Cyndi Cartagena as Angelica
  • Don Chastain as Mr. Lester
  • Hassan Elgendi as Snoopy, Christian
  • Dulé Hill as John
  • Anne Ho as Susan
  • Audrey Ince as Frida
  • Michelle Ingkavet
  • Dash Mihok
  • Cenophia Mitchell as Toya (voice)
  • Elizabeth Regen as Trish (voice)
  • Renoly Santiago as Tito
  • Diana Smith as Nikki
  • Brad Stoll as David

Puppeteers

These talented puppeteers controlled the Muppet characters:

  • John Henson as Libido
  • Noel MacNeal as Koozebanians
  • Joey Mazzarino as Bird, Captain, Trish
  • Alison Mork
  • Carmen Osbahr
  • Don Reardon
  • David Rudman as Dread, Frankie Frank, Lieutenant, Koozbanians, Toya
  • Carlo Yanuzzi

Puppets After CityKids

Some of the puppets from CityKids later appeared in other shows and projects:

  • The puppet for Bird later showed up in Muppet Time. There, he was the serious one for the Three Silly Bears. Joey Mazzarino also performed this pigeon in Muppet Time.
  • The puppets for Dread, Captain, Lieutenant, Libido, the Hot Dogs, and the Koozebanians appeared in Puppet Up! shows. These are other projects by the Jim Henson Company.
  • The Koozebanian puppets also made appearances in Duff's Happy Fun Bake Time.
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