Kidd Video facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kidd Video
Title card used during the first season
Genre	Animated series Sitcom
Created by	Jean Chalopin Andy Heyward Haim Saban Shuki Levy
Developed by	Jim Carlson (season 1) Terrence McDonnell (season 1) Tracy Mays (season 2)
Directed by	Bernard Deyriès (cartoon, season 1) Richard Raynis (cartoon, season 2) Bud Schaetzle (live-action)
Starring	Bryan Scott Steve Alterman Gabriele Bennett Robbie Rist
Voices of	Cathy Cavadini Marshall Efron Hal Rayle Peter Renaday Susan Silo Robert Towers
Theme music composer	Haim Saban, Shuki Levy
Opening theme	"Video to Radio"
Ending theme	"Video to Radio"
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	26
Production
Executive producer(s)	Jean Chalopin Andy Heyward Haim Saban Shuki Levy
Producer(s)	Tetsuo Katayama Shuki Levy Bud Schaetzle
Running time	21 minutes
Production company(s)	Saban Productions DIC Enterprises
Release
Original network	NBC
Picture format	Color
Audio format	Mono
Original release	September 8, 1984 (1984-09-08) – December 7, 1985 (1985-12-07)
Chronology
Related shows	Hulk Hogan's Rock 'n' Wrestling

Kidd Video is an American Saturday morning cartoon created by DIC Enterprises in association with Saban Productions. The series originally ran on NBC from 1984 to 1985. Reruns continued on the network until 1987 when CBS picked the show up.

In the show, four teenagers are taken into a strange dimension called "the Flipside" and become cartoon characters, forced to fight the Master Blaster and his gang, the Copy Cats. The show included then-current music videos.

Premise

The title sequence explained the plot; Kidd Video and his band of the same name (played by live action performers in the first half of the title sequence) were practicing in a storage unit when an animated villain named the Master Blaster appeared, and transported them to the Master Blaster's home dimension, a cartoon world called the Flipside. The Master Blaster plans to use them as his musical slaves. They were rescued by a fairy named Glitter and subsequently spent each episode of the series either helping to free the denizens of the Flipside from the Master Blaster's rule, or trying to find a way back to the "real world".

The show was dominated by an MTV-esque, music video theme. Each episode featured at least one action sequence set to a popular song, and the heroes would often distract their enemies by showing current music videos and sneak off while the enemies were entranced. Each episode also ended with a live-action music video by Kidd Video. Other pop cultural current events featured heavily in the show as well: the characters often breakdanced to relax, rode on skateboards and one episode was devoted entirely to video games. The visual style of the cartoon itself was heavily influenced by the more surreal videos showing on MTV and by album artwork of the era by artists like Roger Dean.

The band was created specifically for the show; they performed their own songs and they provided the voices for their cartoon counterparts. At the end of some episodes, the live action band would be shown once again performing a music video, such as "A Little TLC". The music videos produced by Kidd Video then became very popular in Israel, which then produced fan merchandise such as coloring books and chocolate bars with images of the band.

Characters

• Kidd Video (portrayed and voiced by Bryan Scott) - Lead singer and guitarist of Kidd Video.
• Carla (portrayed and voiced by Gabrielle Bennett) - The drummer of Kidd Video and the band's sole female member. Her frequently-uttered catch-phrase was "Ay-Ay-Ay!"
• Whiz (portrayed and voiced by Robbie Rist) - The nerdy guitar-and keyboard-player of Kidd Video. He owned a Subaru Brat which was in the garage at the time of the band's abduction and also got pulled into the Flipside. As a result, it now serves as the group's main transport through the music world.
• Ash (portrayed and voiced by Steve Alterman) - The clumsy keyboardist of Kidd Video; he also plays bass and saxophone.
• Glitter (voiced by Cathy Cavadini) - A fairy that befriends Kidd Video's band. She saved them from the Master Blaster, as seen in the introduction, with her unique ability to temporarily gain enhanced strength whenever she sneezes.
• Toolbot (voiced by Hal Rayle) - A robotic toolbox that debuted in Season Two. He is Whiz's pet.
• The Master Blaster (voiced by Peter Renaday) - The primary villain of the series. He brought Kidd Video's band to the Flipside to be his musical slaves until Glitter freed them. As a caricature of a corrupt rock manager or music executive, the Master Blaster flew around the sky in his floating castle, which resembled a giant jukebox.
• The Copycats - A trio of anthropomorphic cats that serve as the Master Blaster's minions. They get their name because they always lip-synch to their songs. They consist of:
  • Cool Kitty (voiced by Robert Towers) - The leader of the Copycats.
  • Fat Cat (voiced by Marshall Efron) - The overweight member of the Copycats.
  • She-Lion (voiced by Susan Silo) - The female member of the Copycats.

List of episodes

Pilot (1984)

1. Pilot - September 8, 1984

Season 1 (1984–85)

1. To Beat the Band - September 15, 1984
2. The Master Zapper - September 22, 1984
3. Woofers and Tweeters - October 6, 1984
4. Barnacolis - October 13, 1984
5. The Pink Sphinx - October 27, 1984
6. Cienega - February 16, 1985
7. The Lost Note - February 23, 1985
8. Music Sports - March 2, 1985
9. Chameleons - March 23, 1985
10. Euphonius and the Melodious Dragon - May 5, 1985
11. Professor Maestro - May 12, 1985
12. Grooveyard City - May 19, 1985
13. The Stone - May 26, 1985

Season 2 (1985)

1. The Dream Machine - November 2, 1985
2. Double Trouble - November 2, 1985
3. No Place Like Home - November 9, 1985
4. Having a Ball - November 16, 1985
5. Old Time Rocks that Roll - November 23, 1985
6. Starmaker - November 23, 1985
7. Narra Takes a Powder - November 23, 1985
8. Race to Popland - November 23, 1985
9. Master Blaster Brat - November 23, 1985
10. Twilight Double Header - November 23, 1985
11. A Friend in Need - November 30, 1985
12. Pirates and Puzzles - November 30, 1985
13. Who's in the Kitchen with Dinah? - December 7, 1985

Cast

• Bryan Scott - Kidd Video
• Steve Alterman - Ash
• Robbie Rist - Whiz
• Gabrielle Bennett - Carla

Voices

• Michael Bell - Additional Voices (Season 2)
• Cathy Cavadini - Glitter
• Marshall Efron - Fat Cat; Additional Voices (Season 2)
• Hal Rayle - Toolbot (Season 2)
• Peter Renaday - The Master Blaster; Additional Voices (Season 2)
• Susan Silo - She-Lion
• Robert Towers - Cool Kitty; Additional Voices (Season 1)

Music

The theme song, "Video to Radio", was written by frequent musical collaborators Haim Saban and Shuki Levy, who also contributed other songs to the show. The song "Time" was written by band member Bryan Scott. The song "A Little TLC" composed by Lynsey de Paul and Terry Britten and accompanying video was featured at the end of the first episode "To Beat the Band" and the end of the last episode "Who's in the Kitchen with Dinah?".

Kidd Video released a vinyl album in Israel and the band reportedly toured there in 1987.

Home video

Six VHS tapes with a single episode each were released in the United States from DiC Video & Golden Books and numerous Spanish-language tapes were available from Vídeo Peques under the Travelling Video line.

Crew

Season 1

Cartoon

• Executive producers: Haim Saban, Jean Chalopin, Shuki Levy
• Supervising director: Bernard Deyries
• Creative supervisor: Jean Chalopin
• Assistant to Mr. Chalopin: Lori Crawford
• Assistant to Mr. Deyries: Rita Rokisky
• Associate producer: Rudy J. Zamora
• Production coordinator: Barbara Stoddard
• Written and story edited by Jim Carlson and Terrence McDonnell
• Casting and voice directors: Michael Bell, Marsha Goodman, Ginny McSwain
• Recorded at L.A. Recording, Buzzy’s Studio, Denny Harris, Village/MRI, Sound Connection Studio
• Storyboard supervisor: Eddie Fitzgerald
• Storyboard artists: Michael Swanigan, Kevin Altieri, Victor Dal Chele, Gary Payn, Tom Marnick
• Background designers: Richard Raynis, Marek Buchwald
• Assistant background designer: Charles Payne
• Character designers: Tim Gula, Barbara Pizinger
• Layout supervisor: Jim Simmon
• Board slugger: Carol Beers
• Sheet timer: Becky Bristow
• Timing/checking supervisor: Myrna Bushman
• Music by Shuki Levy, Haim Saban
• Post production executive: W.R. Kowalchuk Jr. (Animation City Editorial Services Inc.)

Live action

• Live action segments: High Five Productions
• Director of live action segments: Bud Schaetzle
• Produced by Bud Schaetzle, Martin Fischer
• Production manager: Bret Wolcott
• Associate producer: Shuki Levy
• Directors of photography: Tom Ackerman, Daryn Okada
• Assistant director: Rabia Dockray
• Assistant to the producers: Alison Dockray
• Writers: Jeff Book, Kevin Clyne, Carole Markin, Don McGlynn, Bud Schaetzle, Martin Wiley
• Art directors: Kathe Klopp, Priscilla Beroud, Christina Essmana
• Editors: Michael Salomon, Craig Mathewson, Scott Wollin, Steve Purcell
• Costumes: Nancy Grossi
• Makeup: Cervantes Lab
• Hair: Manny Montoya, Alex Garza
• Production assistants: Jerry Simer, Andrew Dimitroff, Theresa Abrook, Lisa Wolfson, Rick Phillips, Allen Posten, Ned Truslow
• Music engineer: Nick Carr
• Editorial supervisor: Robert S. Birchard
• Video supervisor: Ric Eisman
• Music supervisor: Marty Wereski
• Re-recorded at Ryder Sound Services Inc.
• Effects editors: Susan Trieste, Virginia Ellsworth
• Music editor: Martin Jay Bram
• Editorial coordinator: Alison Cobb
• Sound engineer: Michael Cochran
• Assistant editor: Adrianna Cohen
• Post production scheduling: Bonnie Sehenuk
• Show editor: Jim Briley
• Produced by Haim Saban, Jean Chalopin and Andy Heyward in association with Cuckoo’s Nest Studio

Season 2

Cartoon

• Executive producers: Haim Saban, Jean Chalopin, Shuki Levy
• Creative supervisor: Jean Chalopin
• Story edited by Tracy Mays
• Written by Dianne Dixon, Michael Maurer, Shuki Levy, Deborah Shelton
• Director: Richard Raynis
• Executives in charge of production:
  • For DIC: Kevin O’Donnell
  • For Saban Productions: Shuki Levy, Dennys McCoy
• Music by Shuki Levy, Haim Saban
• Musical supervision: Saban Productions
• Post production executive: W.R. Kowalchuk Jr.
• Music coordinators: Andrew Dimitroff, Noam Kaniel, Theresa Abrook
• Musical arrangement: Steve Marston
• Production assistant: Rick Phillips
• Music engineer: Nick Carr
• Assistant to Mr. Saban: Mary Abrook
• Voice director: Michael Bell
• Talent coordinators: Marsha Goodman, Joanne Fink
• Recorded at B & B Sound, L.A. Recording
• Animation production managers: Shigeru Akagawa, Hiroshi Toita
• Animation production coordinators: Yasuhiro Takei, Mitsuya Fujimoto
• Associate producers: Elrene Cowan, Kenneth Y. Duer
• Production coordinators: Eriko Mori, Christian Zibach
• Production assistants: Michiko Nakagome, Kiyoshi Ieno, Seiichi Tanaka, Takamatsu Ozawa
• Storyboard director: Eddie Fitzgerald
• Storyboard artists: Kevin Altieri, Dan Riba, Pasqualino, Kent Butterworth, Bud Lewis, Frans Visher
• Background designers: Marek Buchwald, Colossa Productions
• Character design: Gary Payn
• Assistant character design: Philip J. Felix
• Color designs: James Gallego, Allison Heitner
• Timing & checking supervisor: Myrna Bushman
• Timing director: Bill Hutten
• Animation timer: Robert Alvarez
• Animation director supervisor: Masatoshi Miura
• Chief director: Kazuyuki Hirokawa
• Dialogue editors: Linda Davies, Woody Yocum, Kelly Hall
• Camera direction: Takahashi Production, Wako Production, Studio Wood
• Edited by Shuichi Kakesu
• Layout: Yuichi Endo, Kazuo Tomisawa, Shuichi Seki, Yuji Ohta

Live action

• Live action segments: High Five Productions
• Produced by Martin Fischer
• Director of live action segments: Bud Schaetzle
• Writers: Mike Salomon, Kathy Dellar
• Production manager: Bret Wolcott
• Assistant director: Patrick Aumont
• Production coordinators: Alison Dockman, Jerry Simer
• Cinematographer: Candy Gonzalez
• Post production supervisor: Lida Saskova, Bonnie Sehenuk
• Videotape supervisors: Phil R. Defibaugh, Elvida Abella
• Format editors: Lars Floden, James Briley
• Music supervisor: Marty Wereski
• Sound editors: Theresa Gilroy, Peter Jones, Andrew Attfield
• Assistant editors: Rob Rule, Robert Hudson
• Sound engineer: Mike Cowan
• Post production coordinators: Marcelo Mainzer, Greg LaPlante
• Produced by Haim Saban, Jean Chalopin, Andy Heyward, Tetsuo Katayama