Midnight Patrol: Adventures in the Dream Zone facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Midnight Patrol: Adventures in the Dream Zone |
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The logo for both versions of the show.
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| Genre | Animation Adventure Fantasy Comedy |
| Created by | Martin Powell Vivien Schrager-Powell |
| Developed by | Dave Edwards |
| Directed by | Don Lusk Paul Sommers Animation Directors: Robert Alvarez |
| Creative director(s) | Ray Patterson |
| Voices of | Michael Bell Hamilton Camp Joan Gerber Elisabeth Harnois Whitby Hertford Janice Kawaye George Lemore Kenneth Mars Rob Paulsen Clive Revill Frank Welker |
| Theme music composer | Michael Tavera |
| Country of origin | United States United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of episodes | 13 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | William Hanna Joseph Barbera Martin Powell Vivien Schrager-Powell Paul Sabella Theresa Plummer-Andrews |
| Producer(s) | Davis Doi |
| Running time | 21 mins |
| Production company(s) | H-B Production Co. Sleepy Kids PLC |
| Release | |
| Original network | BBC The Children's Channel (UK) Syndication (US) |
| Original release | 1 September – 24 November 1990 |
Midnight Patrol: Adventures in the Dream Zone is a fun animated TV show made by Hanna-Barbera and Sleepy Kids PLC. Outside the US, it's known as Potsworth & Co. In the United Kingdom, the BBC changed the name. They thought "Midnight Patrol" might make kids think it was okay to be awake after midnight!
The show is about four kids and their dog, Potsworth. Every night when they go to sleep, they meet in their dreams. They team up with a toy dinosaur to become the Midnight Patrol. Their mission? To protect innocent people's dreams from the scary Nightmare Prince!
Contents
Show History and Creation
How the Show Started
The idea for the show came from a real dog named Potsworth. He was an English Springer Spaniel adopted by Martin and Vivien Schrager-Powell from the Battersea Dogs and Cats Home. Martin started writing stories about this dog and four young kids: Carter, Keiko, Rosie, and Nick.
The couple wanted to create children's shows with more believable stories. In 1987, they took their idea to Hanna-Barbera, a famous animation studio. They suggested working together to turn the stories into a TV series.
Show Popularity and Airing
Midnight Patrol: Adventures in the Dream Zone first aired on September 1, 1990. It was part of The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera. The show only had 13 episodes.
It was quite popular! About 8.5 million people watched it in the US. In Britain, 5.1 million watched it on Children's BBC. This made it the second most popular children's show in Britain at the time.
Potsworth's Real-Life Fame
The real Potsworth became a bit of a celebrity in Britain. He was featured in the news to help promote the cartoon when it first aired.
A comic book version of Potsworth & Co. also appeared. It was in the merged Beezer and Topper comic from 1992 to 1993. Later, it moved to The Dandy comic from 1993 to 1994.
Show Premise and Dream Zone
Adventures in the Dream Zone
The series follows four kids and their dog, Potsworth, who live in the same neighborhood. When they fall asleep, they enter a special place called the Dream Zone. Here, they become the Midnight Patrol!
They are chosen by the Grand Dozer to protect the Dream Zone from nightmares and other dangers. The Snooze Patrol gives them their missions. Their main enemy is the tricky Nightmare Prince.
Midnight Patrol's Special Powers
When the Midnight Patrol is in the Dream Zone, they get cool special powers:
- Keiko rides a flying skateboard.
- Carter can draw anything, and it comes to life!
- Nick becomes super-strong and can fly.
- His stuffed toy, Murphy, also comes to life.
- His sister, Rosie, doesn't have a special power, but she still helps out.
- Potsworth the dog can talk! He often complains about his real-world life and makes funny comments about the kids. He even has a British accent in the cartoon, just like the real Potsworth.
Computer Game Fun
A computer game based on the show was released in 1992. It used the British title, Potsworth and Co. The game was available for computers like the ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, and Atari ST.
In this game, you played as one of the characters. You had to collect items and reach the end of each level.
Meet the Characters
The Midnight Patrol Team
These five are the main heroes of the show. Each has their own unique abilities in the Dream Zone.
- Potsworth - A sarcastic 10-year-old English Springer Spaniel. He's the leader and can talk when he's in the Dream Zone.
- Carter - Potsworth's owner, a 10-year-old African American boy. He's a great artist. In the Dream Zone, his magic paintbrush can make his drawings real.
- Keiko - A 9-year-old Asian American girl. She's full of energy and very positive. She rides a flying skateboard in the Dream Zone and likes to be seen as the group's leader.
- Rosie - An 8-year-old girl. She can be a bit rude and annoying to the group, especially her brother. But she still helps when things get dangerous. She often calls her brother "Nicholas" when she's upset with him. She is the only member without a special power.
- Nick - Rosie's 6-year-old brother. In the Dream Zone, he becomes a flying superhero, sometimes called "Super Nick."
- Murphy - Nick's toy Brontosaurus. He comes to life when Nick enters the Dream Zone.
Other Dream Zone Friends
The Dream Zone has many interesting characters, including:
- The Grand Dozer - The King of the Dream Zone. He's always half-asleep on a pile of mattresses. He must stay this way, or the Dream Zone will disappear! He gives advice, but it's often in riddles.
- The Chief - A big, friendly woman who leads the Dream Zone's police. She gives the Midnight Patrol their missions.
- Sebastian - The Grand Dozer's main butler. He's always worried about keeping his King safe and asleep.
- The Greystone Giant - A giant made of rock. He lives in a cave filled with objects for people's dreams. He's always busy and grumbles a lot, but he secretly loves his job.
- The Nosey Bird - A talking bird who loves to spread gossip. He sounds a bit creepy.
The Villains of the Dream Zone
- The Nightmare Prince - The main bad guy! He's always trying to mess up the Grand Dozer's sleep or cause other problems. He wants nightmares to take over dreams. His plans often fail because he's not very good at being evil.
- Igor, Irving, and Shorty - These are the Nightmare Prince's silly, potato-shaped helpers.
- The Nightmare Prince's Mother - You never see her, but she's always calling her son on a giant phone. She tells him to destroy happy dreams and gets mad when he fails.
- The Cat - A giant cat who bullies dogs. He only appears in the episode "King Potsworth."
- Count Bubba Bonebreaker - The Nightmare Prince's cousin. He once took over the Nightmare Prince's job. The Midnight Patrol had to help the Prince get his job back by stopping Bubba. He appears in "When Bubba Rules."
Episode Guide
| No. | Title | Original air date | |
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| 1 | "Night of the BedBugs" | 1 September 1990 | |
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The Nightmare Prince lets loose creatures called BedBugs to destroy the Dream Zone. But when they start eating his castle, he needs the Midnight Patrol's help!
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| 2 | "The Dozer Walks Among Us" | 8 September 1990 | |
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The Grand Dozer starts sleepwalking and causes trouble in the Dream Zone. The Nightmare Prince lets him loose, making things even worse.
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| 3 | "King Potsworth" | 15 September 1990 | |
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Potsworth becomes the king of a dog kingdom called Dogland. He needs the Midnight Patrol's help when a giant cat attacks Dogland.
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| 4 | "The Nightmirror" | 22 September 1990 | |
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The Nightmare Prince steals the Nightmirror. He uses it to create evil copies of the Midnight Patrol who cause chaos.
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| 5 | "When Bubba Rules" | 29 September 1990 | |
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The Nightmare Prince's mother gets tired of his failures. She puts his monstrous nephew, Count Bubba Bonebreaker, in charge. The Midnight Patrol decides the Prince wasn't so bad after all!
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| 6 | "Nick's Super Switch" | 6 October 1990 | |
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Nick switches places with a superhero boy named Wonder Kid from Supertown after being bullied.
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| 7 | "Dozer Quest" | 13 October 1990 | |
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The Grand Dozer can't sleep, and if he stays awake, the Dream Zone will end! The Midnight Patrol must find a way to get him back to sleep.
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| 8 | "Rosie's Extra Sweet Day" | 20 October 1990 | |
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After talking to a magical tree, Rosie becomes the nicest girl in the Dream Zone.
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| 9 | "I Was a Teenage Babysitter" | 27 October 1990 | |
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Rosie has to babysit the Greystone Giant's little son, Rocky.
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| 10 | "The Wishing Whale" | 3 November 1990 | |
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The Midnight Patrol (except Keiko) meets the Wishing Whale, who grants their wishes. But the wishes quickly get out of control!
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| 11 | "Santa-Napped" | 10 November 1990 | |
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The Nightmare Prince captures Santa Claus! The Midnight Patrol must rescue him to save Christmas.
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| 12 | "Save the Cave" | 17 November 1990 | |
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The Greystone Giant is behind on his dream supplies. The Midnight Patrol helps him, but the Nightmare Prince tries to stop them.
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| 13 | "Rosie's Fuss Attack" | 24 November 1990 | |
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Rosie changes shape every time she complains! The Midnight Patrol must find a special cure for her.
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Voice Cast
- Charles Adler as Rocky (in "I Was a Teenage Babysitter")
- Christine Avila
- Michael Bell as Sebastian
- Hamilton Camp as The Grand Dozer
- Brian Cummings
- Jim Cummings as Giant Cat (in "King Potsworth"), Rags (in "King Potsworth")
- Judyann Elder
- Patrick Fraley as Jester Dog (in "King Potsworth")
- Dick Gautier
- Joan Gerber as Nightmare Prince's Mother
- Dorian Harewood
- Elisabeth Harnois as Rosie
- Whitby Hertford as Nick
- Janice Kawaye as Keiko
- Emily Kuroda
- George Lemore as Carter
- David Lander
- Marilyn Lightstone
- Allan Lurie
- Kenneth Mars as Greystone Giant
- Scott Menville as Wonder Kid (in "Nick's Super Switch")
- Brian Mitchell
- Howie Morris as Dr. Akenhoffer (in "Rosie's Fuss Attack")
- Ron Palillo
- Rob Paulsen as Nightmare Prince
- Henry Polic II
- Clive Revill as Potsworth
- Ronnie Schell
- Tom Scott
- Hal Smith as Santa Claus (in "Santa-Napped")
- B.J. Ward
- Frank Welker as Murphy, Nosey Bird (in "The Nightmirror," "Santa-Napped")
- Anderson Wong
Home Video Release
In 1991, Hanna-Barbera Home Video released a VHS tape of the series in the United States. It was called Potsworth and the Midnight Patrol. This tape included four episodes: "Save the Cave", "The Wishing Whale", "King Potsworth", and "The Nightmirror".
