Hot Wheels (TV series) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Hot Wheels |
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|---|---|
| Genre | Animated series |
| Created by | Fred Crippen Eddie Smardan Ken Snyder |
| Voices of | Bob Arbogast Melinda Casey Casey Kasem Albert Brooks Susan Davis Nora Marlowe Michael Rye |
| Theme music composer | Mike Curb |
| Composer(s) | Jack Fascinato |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 17 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Kenneth C.T. Snyder |
| Producer(s) | Fred Crippen Eddie Smardan Ken Snyder |
| Camera setup | I |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Ken Snyder Properties Pantomime Pictures |
| Distributor | CBS Television Distribution Mattel Creations |
| Release | |
| Original network | ABC |
| Original release | September 6, 1969 – September 4, 1971 |
Hot Wheels was a fun, thirty-minute Saturday-morning cartoon series. It aired on the ABC network from 1969 to 1971. The show was mainly sponsored by Mattel Toys, the company famous for making Hot Wheels toy cars.
A cool thing about the show was how much it focused on "pro-safety." It showed the main characters, who were part of a racing club, acting safely and responsibly. This was a big contrast to their rivals, who often raced in a reckless way.
Some people, including a government group called the FCC, thought the show was like a long commercial for the toy cars. ABC, the TV network, disagreed. They said they didn't promise Mattel anything, and Hot Wheels toys were never advertised during the show itself. Another group, the National Association of Broadcasters, supported ABC. Because of this, Hot Wheels stayed on ABC for two full seasons.
The Hot Wheels Racing Club
The series mostly followed the exciting racing adventures of a high school student named Jack "Rabbit" Wheeler. Jack was the leader of the Hot Wheels Racing Club. He and his friends loved to race. They always made sure to race safely and fairly.
Meet the Voices!
Many talented actors gave voices to the characters in Hot Wheels. Here are some of them:
- Bob Arbogast as Doc Warren
- Melinda Casey as Janet Martin
- Albert Brooks as Kip Chogi
- Susan Davis as Ardeth Pratt
- Casey Kasem as Dexter Carter
- Nora Marlowe as Mother O'Hare
- Michael Rye as Jack "Rabbit" Wheeler
Was Hot Wheels a Commercial?
While the show was on TV, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) received some complaints. Other toy companies, like Topper Toys (a rival to Mattel), argued that Hot Wheels was really just a thirty-minute advertisement for Mattel's toy cars.
The FCC listened to these complaints. They then told TV stations that they should count part of the show's airtime as advertising time. This was a big deal because it meant the show was seen as promoting a product, even if it wasn't a direct commercial.
