Maxie's World facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Maxie's World |
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| Developed by | Phil Harnage |
| Directed by | Marek Buchwald (director) Paul Quinn (voice direction) |
| Composer(s) | Haim Saban Shuki Levy |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 32 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Andy Heyward (executive producer) Robby London (co-executive producer) |
| Producer(s) | Cassandra Schafhausen (producer) |
| Running time | 15 minutes (with commercials) |
| Production company(s) | DIC Animation City |
| Distributor | Claster Television (United States) Saban International (Internationally) |
| Release | |
| Original network | Syndication |
| Original release | September 14 – October 27, 1987 |
Maxie's World is an animated TV show from 1987. It was made by DIC Animation City. The show first aired in the United States from September 14, 1987, to October 27, 1987. It also aired again from September 18, 1989, to September 1, 1990. There is one season with 32 episodes. Each episode is about 15 minutes long. After its first run, it was shown again with other cartoons like Beverly Hills Teens and It's Punky Brewster.
Phil Harnage helped create the show for TV. Andy Heyward was the executive producer. The show was made to go along with the "Maxie" fashion dolls from Hasbro. Maxie, the main character, is a smart student, a cheerleader, and a surfer. She goes to Surfside High School in California. Besides being a normal teenager, she also solves mysteries and crimes. She does this as the host of her own TV show!
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Meet Maxie and Her Friends
The show takes place in a made-up beach town called "Surfside." It follows Maxie and her group of friends. Maxie is a popular student at Surfside High. She gets great grades, is a cheerleader, and loves to surf. After school, she hosts her own talk show called Maxie's World.
Maxie's Adventures
As a TV journalist, Maxie often investigates mysteries. She also helps solve crimes and bring bad guys to justice. Her boyfriend, Rob, often joins her on these adventures. Rob is handsome and a popular football and soccer player at Surfside High.
The Gang and Their Rivals
Maxie's friends include Ashley, Carly, and Simone. Her male friends, Mushroom and Ferdie, often bring funny moments to the show. The main rival in the series is Jeri. She is jealous of Maxie and tries to make her look bad. Jeri wants to get her own TV show.
Important Topics
Besides comedy and mysteries, the show sometimes talks about serious topics. One episode discusses teenage smoking. Another episode deals with eating disorders.
Who Are the Voices?
Here are the actors who lent their voices to the characters:
- Loretta Jafelice as Maxie
- Simon Reynolds as Rob
- Geoff Kahnert as Mushroom
- Yannick Bisson as Ferdie
- Suzanne Coy as Simone
- Susan Roman as Ashley
- Tara Charendoff as Carly Cooper
- John Stocker as Mr. Garcia
- Nadine Rabinovitch as Jeri Jeffries
- Diane Fabian as Additional Voices
- Gary Krawford as Additional Voices
- Greg Swanson as Additional Voices
Episode Guide
| No. | Title | Written by | Original air date | |
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| 1 | "Date Expectations" | Judy Rothman | September 14, 1987 | |
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Maxie and her friends remember Maxie's first date with Rob. It was full of funny mishaps, but it led to true romance.
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| 2 | "Ride for Your Life" | Phil Harnage | September 15, 1987 | |
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Maxie and Rob see strange things happening at the amusement park. A mysterious man tries to break the rides.
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| 3 | "Wheelie Bad Dudes" | Jack Olesker | September 16, 1987 | |
| 4 | "The Not-So Great Outdoors" | David Ehrman Sean Roche |
September 17, 1987 | |
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Maxie and her friends go on a camping trip. The boys and girls split into teams for a fun competition.
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| 5 | "Goodbye Ghoul World" | Phil Harnage | September 18, 1987 | |
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Maxie and her friends investigate a haunted cruise ship. Passengers are seeing ghosts on the "S.S. Lady Luck."
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| 6 | "This Rap's for You" | Mike O'Mahony | September 21, 1987 | |
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An exchange student comes to Surfside. Mushroom and Ferdie give him a rock star makeover. In return, he helps them pass their classes.
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| 7 | "To Be or Not To Be Ferdie" | Kevin O'Donnell Cassandra Schafhausen |
September 22, 1987 | |
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Ferdie tries to impress Jeri by changing his attitude and how he looks.
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| 8 | "Misadventures in Babysitting" | Martha Moran | September 23, 1987 | |
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Maxie and Simone get caught up in a jewel heist. Two clumsy thieves hide stolen jewels in Maxie's nephew's diaper bag.
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| 9 | "Breaking Up is Hard to Do" | Jack Olesker | September 24, 1987 | |
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Carly runs away from home when her parents get divorced.
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| 10 | "Fat Chance" | Phil Harnage | September 25, 1987 | |
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Maxie and her friends are in a swimsuit fashion show. Ashley starts to feel bad about her body and goes on a strict diet.
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| 11 | "The Maxie Horror Picture Show" | Pat Allee Ben Hurst |
September 28, 1987 | |
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Maxie and her friends experience strange things. They are making a horror film in an old, empty mansion.
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| 12 | "The Phantom Artists" | Anthony Adams Christina Adams |
September 29, 1987 | |
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Maxie and her friends take action. A mysterious "Graffiti Squad" is spray-painting famous places in Surfside.
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| 13 | "Two Guys for Every Girl" | Betty G. Birney | September 30, 1987 | |
| 14 | "Ashes To Ashley" | Eleanor Burian-Mohr Jack Hanrahan |
October 1, 1987 | |
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Ashley decides to start smoking cigarettes. She thinks it will make her seem more grown-up.
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| 15 | "A Day in the Life of Rob" | Richard Glatzer | October 2, 1987 | |
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Rob starts to feel stressed and tired. He has taken on too much schoolwork, sports, and other activities.
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| 16 | "Surfside Over the Rainbow" | Jack Olesker | October 5, 1987 | |
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Maxie dreams of a magical land. There she finds sapphire sneakers, a dog named Tutu, and the Wizard of Surf TV.
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| 17 | "Very Superstitious" | Richard Glatzer | October 6, 1987 | |
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Maxie tries to help Rob stop being superstitious. The chef who made his "lucky pizza" moves away. This makes Rob feel unsure and scared.
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| 18 | "I Was a Teenage Council Member" | Doug Molitor | October 7, 1987 | |
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The teens take on jobs in the city council. But everything goes wrong when a big snowstorm hits Surfside.
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| 19 | "Mushroom and Ferdie's Hysterical Historical Adventure" | Martha Moran | October 8, 1987 | |
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Mushroom and Ferdie dream of meeting famous historical figures. This happens during an all-night study session.
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| 20 | "Pirouettes and Forward Passes" | Betty G. Birney | October 9, 1987 | |
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Maxie reviews the school's ballet program. It turns out football player Chad is a ballet dancer. When his team makes fun of him, Maxie and the coach show them how ballet skills help in football.
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| 21 | "Friend or UFO?" | David Molitor | October 12, 1987 | |
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Maxie and her friends start seeing UFOs. Jeri planned this to make Maxie look bad and start her own TV show.
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| 22 | "Photo Opportunity" | Jack Hanrahan Eleanor Burian-Mohr |
October 13, 1987 | |
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Maxie and her friends remember their old school photos. They are excited to take their first class photo with everyone together.
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| 23 | "Do or Diary" | Jack Olesker | October 14, 1987 | |
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Jeri finishes a science paper late at night. She accidentally turns in her paper, a news report, and her diary to the wrong places. Her diary says she likes Ferdie.
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| 24 | "Beach Blanket Battle" | Jack Olesker | October 15, 1987 | |
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Maxie and her friends meet the Beverly Hills Teens. They visit Surfside to compete in a charity challenge.
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| 25 | "Teaching an Old Teacher New Tricks" | David Ehrman Sean Roche |
October 16, 1987 | |
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Mr. Winchell, an older teacher, is told he must retire. The principal thinks his teaching methods are old-fashioned.
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| 26 | "Hero Word-Ship" | Celia Bonaduce | October 19, 1987 | |
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Rob meets his idol, movie star Rocky Catalina. Rocky says education is a waste of time. Rob dreams of quitting school to be like him.
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| 27 | "Dear Hunk" | Betty G. Birney | October 20, 1987 | |
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Ferdie and Mushroom start an advice column for the school. But their advice leads to big problems.
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| 28 | "The Slumber Party" | Martha Moran | October 21, 1987 | |
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Jeri throws a slumber party. She tries to get Mushroom and Ferdie to embarrass Maxie and her friends. But her plan goes wrong.
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| 29 | "A Dog's Tale" | Lisa Maliani Margaret Belgrade |
October 22, 1987 | |
| 30 | "The Five Finger Discount" | David Ehrman Sean Roche |
October 23, 1987 | |
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Carly has a little sister from a big sister program, Melissa Johnson. To thank Carly, Melissa starts stealing gifts from a store where her mother works.
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| 31 | "True Brit" | Robin Lyons Andrew Oliver |
October 26, 1987 | |
| 32 | "Future Schlock" | Judy Rothman | October 27, 1987 | |
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Maxie and her friends get their career test results. Maxie imagines herself in many different jobs.
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When Did It Air?
The show was broadcast in syndication. This means it was sold to many different TV stations to air. It first aired from September 14, 1987, to October 27, 1987. Then it aired again from September 18, 1989, to September 1, 1990.
Maxie Meets Beverly Hills Teens!
On October 15, 1987, characters from Beverly Hills Teens appeared on Maxie's World. This is called a crossover episode. The episode was called "Beach Blanket Battle." In it, the Beverly Hills Teens visit Surfside High School. They compete against Maxie and her friends in a "Charity Challenge." To make the characters look different, some things about the Beverly Hills Teens designs were changed. For example, their hair colors were adjusted.
Maxie Toy Line
The "Maxie" toy line was created by Hasbro in 1986. This happened after their "Jem" fashion doll didn't sell as well as they hoped. In March 1988, the Maxie doll came out. She was 11½ inches tall, with blonde hair and blue eyes. She was seen as a competitor to Mattel's Barbie doll. Hasbro spent a lot of money, about $7 million, to advertise the new doll.
How Maxie Was Advertised
To promote Maxie, there were live shows and TV commercials. The commercials featured Brooke Theiss as the "real life" Maxie. They would show the Maxie doll doing school activities. Then, they would switch to Brooke Theiss acting as Maxie. Hasbro thought this was a new way to advertise a fashion doll. By October 1988, Maxie dolls were selling well. Hasbro expected Maxie to be popular for a long time.
Maxie vs. Barbie
The Maxie doll usually cost between $5.50 and $13. This was a bit cheaper than Mattel's Barbie. Barbie was the best-selling fashion doll at the time. Barbie had started to have more "adult" careers. But Maxie was marketed as a high school student. She came in many different versions. These included "Makin' Waves," "Sun Splash," "Cheerleader," and "Perfect Prom."
Maxie's Friends and Accessories
The toy line also included Maxie's boyfriend, "Rob." Her best friends were "Carly" (blonde), "Ashley" (redhead), and "Kristen" (who was later called "Simone" like in the TV show). Maxie also had accessories. These included her horse Tiffany, a sailboat, a locker and shower set, and a hot tub set. There were also "Fancy Face" makeup kits and different fashion lines for Maxie. Other products like paper dolls, coloring books, and lunch boxes were also sold.
The End of Maxie
In 1989, Mattel released Barbie's teenage cousin, Jazzie. Jazzie had her own boyfriend, Dude, and friends, Chelsie and Stacie. This was similar to how Mattel released Barbie and the Rockers. That release helped end the popularity of Jem and the Holograms. The Jazzie doll was seen as a big reason why Maxie's toy line ended. In January 1990, Hasbro announced they would stop making Maxie dolls.
