Dino-Riders facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dino-Riders
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Genre	Action Adventure Science fiction
Created by	Gerry Conway Carla Conway
Developed by	Kayte Kuch Larry Parr Sheryl Scarborough
Directed by	Ray Lee Steven Hahn
Starring	Charles Adler Jack Angel Cam Clarke Townsend Coleman Joe Colligan Peter Cullen Ike Eisenmann Dan Gilvezan Noelle North Rob Paulsen Patrick Pinney Frank Welker
Composer(s)	Haim Saban Shuki Levy Udi Harpaz
Country of origin	United States
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	14
Production
Running time	approximately 23 min (per episode)
Production company(s)	Marvel Productions Tyco Toys —Animation by— Hanho Heung-Up Co., Ltd. (South Korean Animation Studio, episodes 1 & 2) AKOM Productions Ltd. (South Korean Animation Studio, episodes 3-13)
Distributor	New World Television
Release
Original network	First-run syndication
Original release	October 1 (1988-10-01) – December 31, 1988 (1988-12-31)

Dino-Riders is an exciting animated TV show from 1988. It was created to help launch a new line of Tyco dinosaur toys. The show only had 14 episodes. Some episodes were even released on VHS tapes before they aired on TV! In the U.S., you could watch Dino-Riders as part of the Marvel Action Universe TV block.

The story is about a big battle between two groups from the future. The good guys are the heroic Valorians. The bad guys are the evil Rulon Alliance. They both get sent back in time to prehistoric Earth, when dinosaurs lived! The Valorians become friends with the dinosaurs. The Rulons, however, use special devices to control the dinosaurs.

About the Dino-Riders Story

The Valorians were a peaceful group of human-like people. They lived on a planet called Valoria. But then, the Rulons attacked their home! A group of Valorians, led by Questar, tried to escape. They used a spaceship with a "Space Time Energy Projector" (S.T.E.P.) to travel through time.

Something went wrong, and they were sent way back in time. They landed on Earth 65 million years ago, during the age of dinosaurs! What they didn't know was that the Rulon spaceship, the Dreadlock, was also pulled along. It got stuck to the Valorian ship by a tractor beam!

Once on ancient Earth, the Valorians used special necklaces called AMPs. These "Amplified Mental Projectors" let them talk to dinosaurs with their minds. They soon became friends with the dinosaurs they met. But the Rulons, led by the warlord Krulos, used "brain-boxes." These devices brainwashed dinosaurs and made them do what the Rulons wanted.

The Rulons then attacked the Valorians. The Valorians called on their new dinosaur friends to help them fight back. After winning the battle, the Valorians decided to call themselves Dino-Riders!

Meet the Dino-Riders Characters

This section introduces the main characters from the Dino-Riders show.

The Heroic Valorians

The Valorians are the good guys in the story. They are brave and smart, and they befriend the dinosaurs.

• Questar (voiced by Dan Gilvezan) – He is the strong and brave leader of the Valorians.
• Mind-Zei (voiced by Peter Cullen) – An older, wise warrior who is blind. He has a special "sixth sense" to know where people are. He gives Questar good advice and is Serena's grandfather.
• Yungstar (voiced by Joe Colligan) – He is young and always ready for action. Sometimes his pride gets in the way. He rides a Deinonychus and later flies a Quetzalcoatlus.
• Serena (voiced by Noelle North) – She can heal others and sense when someone is in trouble. She is Mind-Zei's granddaughter.
• Turret (voiced by Charlie Adler) – He is the team's technician and scientist. Turret is in charge of the important S.T.E.P. crystal.
• Llahd (voiced by Stephen Dorff) – The youngest member of the Dino-Riders.
• Gunnur (voiced by Peter Cullen) – A tough war veteran who helps train other Dino-Riders.
• Tagg (voiced by Wally Burr) – Another official who helps with training. He rides a Pachycephalosaurus.
• Ikon (voiced by Cam Clarke) – One of Questar's top advisors. He has a staff that helps him answer questions very quickly.
• Vector (voiced by Dan Gilvezan) – Another top advisor to Questar. He has a special wrist strap that helps him plan projects like building camps.
• Aero (voiced by Cam Clarke) – He likes to compete with Yungstar. Aero is very good at flying his Quetzalcoatlus.
• Aries – A young warrior who often feels unsure of himself. He usually handles the weapons on the Diplodocus.

Special Commandos Unit

The Commandos are a special military team within the Dino-Riders.

• Astra (voiced by Townsend Coleman) – A tough war veteran and the leader of the Commandos. He used to be Questar's teacher!
• Bomba (voiced by Peter Cullen) – An expert with explosives. He helps clear paths or remove obstacles.
• Kameelian (voiced by Rob Paulsen) – He is great at spying and gathering information. Kameelian is also a master of disguise.
• Glyde (voiced by Frank Welker) – He helps with air spying and provides air support. He uses a glider to fly.
• Faze (voiced by Rob Paulsen) – An expert with artillery weapons.

Cro-Magnon Allies

The Valorians also made friends with a tribe of Cro-Magnons, who are ancient humans.

• Zar (voiced by Townsend Coleman) – The leader of a Cro-Magnon clan. He fights against the evil Neanderthals.
• Kub (voiced by Ike Eisenmann) – A young but brave Cro-Magnon. He helps the Valorians fight the Rulons.
• Maya (voiced by Liz Georges) – A kind Cro-Magnon who is the healer of her tribe.

The Evil Rulons

The Rulons are alien creatures and the main bad guys. They want to take over everything!

• Emperor Krulos (voiced by Frank Welker) – The evil leader of the Rulons. He looks like a frog in an armored suit. He wants to rule the world and often rides a Tyrannosaurus into battle.
• Rasp (voiced by Frank Welker) – He looks like a cobra. Rasp is Krulos' second-in-command and always tries to take Krulos' place.
• Hammerhead (voiced by Charlie Adler) – He looks like a hammerhead shark. Hammerhead is one of Krulos' top generals and often argues with Rasp and Antor for power.
• Antor (voiced by Peter Cullen) – He looks like an ant. Antor is another one of Krulos' generals and also tries to be second-in-command.
• Krok (voiced by Cam Clarke) – He looks like a crocodile. Krok is loyal to Krulos and doesn't get involved in the other generals' fights.

Neanderthal Villains

Zar's Cro-Magnon tribe was fighting a wild tribe of Neanderthals.

• Grom (voiced by Jack Angel) – The leader of a dangerous Neanderthal clan. He wants to control all other tribes. After fighting the Dino-Riders, Grom accidentally travels to their time and joins the Rulons.

Dino-Riders Episodes

The Dino-Riders series had one season with 14 episodes. The first two episodes were actually released on VHS tapes first. Then, 11 more episodes were made for TV. Later, another VHS special called "Ice Age Adventure" was released to promote new toys.

Here are some of the exciting episodes:

• "The Adventure Begins" (October 1, 1988) – The Valorians escape the Rulons and land on prehistoric Earth. The Rulons also arrive and want to go back home.
• "Revenge of the Rulons" (October 8, 1988) – Llahd is captured by the Rulons, who also plan to steal the S.T.E.P. crystal.
• "The Rulon Stampede" (October 15, 1988) – Krulos tries to steal the S.T.E.P. crystal by sending a dinosaur stampede through the Dino-Riders' camp.
• "T-Rex" (November 5, 1988) – Turret feels useless. Krulos steals a baby Tyrannosaurus to make its parents attack the Dino-Riders.
• "Enter the Commandos" (December 10, 1988) – The Commandos break into the Rulon ship, the Dreadlock, to rescue stolen triceratops eggs.
• "Battle for the Brontosaurus" (December 17, 1988) – The Dino-Riders save a brontosaurus from the Rulons. Krulos attacks to get it back, but he has a secret plan.
• "One to Lead Us" (December 24, 1988) – Krulos tricks everyone into thinking Questar is a traitor. He takes the brontosaurus and the S.T.E.P. crystal. Questar and the Commandos must stop him!
• "Ice Age Adventure" (1990 VHS release) – The S.T.E.P. is repaired, but an accident sends some Commandos to the Ice Age. They meet new creatures and a Cro-Magnon tribe led by Zar. They must help Zar's tribe fight Grom's tribe.

Voice Cast

Many talented voice actors brought the Dino-Riders characters to life:

• Charles Adler – Turret, Hammerhead, Lokus
• Jack Angel – Grom
• Wally Burr – Narrator, Tagg
• Cam Clarke – Aero, Ikonn, Krok
• Townsend Coleman – Astra, Zar
• Joe Colligan – Yungstar
• Peter Cullen – Gunnur, Antor, Mind-Zei, Bomba
• Stephen Dorff – Llahd
• Ike Eisenmann – Kub
• Liz Georges – Maya
• Dan Gilvezan – Questar, Vector
• Noelle North – Serena
• Rob Paulsen – Faze, Kameelian
• Frank Welker – Emperor Krulos, Rasp, Glyde

Dino-Riders Toys

There were four main series of Dino-Riders toys. They came out between 1988 and 1990. The "Ice Age" toy line focused on animals from the Ice age, like woolly mammoths, instead of just dinosaurs.

Many of the larger toys could even walk on their own! Each Rulon toy also came with a unique trap. The dinosaurs were praised for how detailed and colorful they were. The Smithsonian Institution was so impressed that they asked Tyco to make special dinosaur models (without the motors) for their collection!

Series 1 Toys (1988)

The first toys came out at the same time as the TV show. This series included 5 Valorian toys and 6 Rulon toys. There were also 2-figure packs.

Series 2 Toys (1989)

The second series added 7 new Valorian toys and 3 new Rulon toys. It also included "Commandos" figures, which were human figures with special weapons.

The biggest toy in this series was the Brontosaurus. It was 34 inches long and 15 inches tall! The Stegosaurus toy could also walk on its own.

Series 3 Toys (1990)

The third series had 3 new dinosaur toys and 4 prehistoric mammal toys for the "Ice Age" line. These toys are quite rare today! The Pachyrhinosaurus toy could walk.

Ice Age Toys

The "Ice Age" toys were special because all the animals were Valorians. The Woolly Mammoth was the largest figure in this line and could walk on its own.

New Rulon Warriors Battle Pack (2020)

In 2020, a new Dino-Riders toy set was released! It's called the Rulon Warriors Battle Pack. It includes 6 dinosaurs and 15 other figures, like Krulos and Llahd. This set lets kids recreate battles from the show or make up their own adventures!

Dino-Riders Comics

Besides the small comics that came with the toys, Marvel also made a 3-part Dino-Riders comic book series. The comic stories were a bit darker than the cartoon. They sometimes showed conflicts between the Valorians themselves. For example, one story had Questar accused of a serious crime.

The first comic, "The Path," came out in February 1989. A Dino-Riders Annual hardcover book later collected the first two issues.

Possible Movie Adaptation

In 2015, there were reports that a live-action Dino-Riders movie was being planned. However, as of 2018, there hasn't been any news about the movie moving forward.

Dino-Riders in Other Media

Dino-Riders also appeared in other ways:

• Many other products were released, like coloring books, puzzles, crayons, clothing, and stickers.
• Rex, the dinosaur toy from the Toy Story movies, is based on the Dino-Riders Tyrannosaurus toy. In the first Toy Story film, Rex mentions he's from a smaller company that was bought out. This is a nod to Mattel buying Tyco, the company that made Dino-Riders toys.
• In the South Park cartoon episode "Imaginationland Episode III", you can see a Rulon Dino-Rider on a Tyrannosaurus in the background.
• In the Robot Chicken cartoon episode "G.I. Jogurt", the Dino-Riders have a funny rock song.
• In the Teen Titans Go! episode "Open Door Policy", the Teen Titans put battle armor on living dinosaurs, just like in Dino-Riders. This doesn't go well, and the armored dinosaurs attack them!