ProStars facts for kids

Quick facts for kids ProStars
"ProStars, it's all about helping kids."
Genre	Animation
Created by	Andy Heyward Douglas Booth
Developed by	Rob Humphrey Jim Peterson
Written by	Douglas Booth
Starring	Michael Jordan Bo Jackson Wayne Gretzky
Voices of	Dorian Harewood Dave Fennoy Townsend Coleman Diana Barrows Susan Silo
Composer(s)	Eric Allaman
Country of origin	United States Italy
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	13
Production
Executive producer(s)	Andy Heyward
Production company(s)	DIC Animation City Reteitalia
Release
Original network	NBC
Audio format	stereo
Original release	September 14 (1991-09-14) – December 7, 1991 (1991-12-07)

ProStars was a fun cartoon TV show. It aired on NBC on Saturday mornings. The show ran from September 14 to December 7, 1991.

It featured three very famous athletes from the 1990s. These stars were Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky, and Bo Jackson. They appeared in the show as themselves and as cartoon superheroes. The series was made by DIC Animation City and Reteitalia, S.p.A.. They worked with the Spanish network Telecinco.

About the ProStars Show

What is ProStars About?

The show was all about Michael Jordan, Bo Jackson, and Wayne Gretzky. They teamed up to fight bad guys and help kids. They also often worked to protect the environment. These three athletes were chosen because they were the best in their sports. Michael Jordan was a basketball legend. Wayne Gretzky was a hockey superstar. Bo Jackson was special because he played both professional football and baseball. The show often made jokes about his famous "Bo Knows" commercials.

Real Athletes on the Show

Before each cartoon episode, the real athletes would appear. They would talk to kids about what was going to happen in the show. They also answered questions from kids at the end. Usually, Wayne Gretzky and Bo Jackson did these parts. Michael Jordan's parts were often shorter. These live-action segments taught important lessons. For example, they explained that it's okay to be scared sometimes. They also talked about how hard work is important in sports. Even though the real athletes appeared, their cartoon versions were voiced by voice actors.

The Theme Song

When ProStars first came out, its theme song was called "We Are ProStars." It sounded a lot like the famous song "We Will Rock You" by the band Queen. In later episodes, the song was changed. It became slower, and the chorus was shortened. The song's lyrics also mentioned the "Bo Knows" ad campaign.

Meet the Characters

Each character in ProStars had a special personality trait.

• Michael Jordan (voiced by Dorian Harewood) - He was the leader of the team. Michael was very smart and good with tricky machines. He encouraged kids to learn about mathematics and science.
• Wayne Gretzky (voiced by Townsend Coleman) - He was often the funny one. Wayne's mind was almost always thinking about food!
• Bo Jackson (voiced by Dave Fennoy) - Bo was the strong one of the group. He was incredibly powerful. In the show's opening, he even used a giant tree trunk as a club!
• Mom (voiced by Susan Silo) - Mom was like the "Q" character from James Bond. She invented all the cool gadgets for the ProStars. Her inventions were often based on sports equipment. The ProStars spent all their free time at Mom's Gym, which was also their secret headquarters.
• Denise (voiced by Diana Barrows) - Denise was Mom's young helper. She wanted to help the ProStars, but she didn't always make a big difference.
• The Neighbor - He was a man who lived near the ProStars' headquarters. He often accidentally got caught up in the ProStars' machine problems. For example, he once got buried in snow when their weather machine went wrong.

The Villains They Faced

In almost every episode, the ProStars would get a message from a child. The child would explain a problem, like a boy from an island saying his village's treasures were being stolen.

Many villains in ProStars were like those in other cartoons from the early 1990s. They often caused environmental damage. This included things like strip mining, polluting the ocean, or cutting down too many trees in the rainforest.

Sometimes, a villain would kidnap a child. For instance, a mad scientist named Dr. Lobe once demanded the ProStars play against his robot athletes to free a kidnapped girl. Some episodes also talked about kids joining gangs. In one story, a girl's brother joined a motorcycle gang. Michael Jordan told the girl to keep believing in her brother. Another episode showed the theft of the Stanley Cup. This was a big deal for Wayne Gretzky because his name was carved on it many times!

Episode Guide

Here are the episodes of ProStars:

• "The Slugger Returns" - The ProStars help Jimmy Hanks. His dad, "Slugger" Hanks, is captured by a mad scientist named Clockwork Delaronge. The scientist uses remote-controlled robots to try and capture the Commissioner of Baseball.
• "Short John's Revenge" - A pirate villain named Short John Sliver takes over a Caribbean Island. He traps the people and steals their old pirate treasure.
• "The Perbots of Dr. Lobe" - A mad scientist, Dr. Lobe, challenges the ProStars. They must compete against his robots to save a girl named Jill.
• "Knightmare Riders" - The ProStars go to Scotland. They save a town from the Ghost Riders of Sir Vitus. This is a trick by the evil Carlotta to scare away golfers so she can dig up a golden throne.
• "Valley of the Snow Falcon" - A dishonest engineer named Ice Mancuso wants to hide diamond masks in a mysterious kingdom in the Himalayas. With a young princess and a Snow Falcon, the ProStars save the kingdom.
• "Brazil Nuts" - Captain Nemo Ipanema is destroying the Brazilian rainforest. He is doing this to get a special mineral called Amazonite for himself.
• "Block Busters" - A dishonest businessman, Paulie Sludger, scares people in a neighborhood. He wants to buy their homes to dump toxic waste there.
• "Gargantus and the Highway of Doom" - A girl named Sheila calls the ProStars to Australia. Gargantus and his motorcycle gang are scaring a village. They are forcing people to build his castle. Sheila's brother Keith has even joined the gang.
• "Rustler's Rodeo" - Dusty Boots wants to win money at a rodeo. He needs it to pay off his family's debt and buy back their ranch. But a gangster kidnaps Dusty's horse to stop him.
• "Roll to Victory" - A local basketball charity is in danger of closing. This is because of unfair tactics by the Pontiac Hoods gang. The ProStars must stop them.
• "A Bite of the Big Apple" - The ProStars search for an archeologist. His family hasn't heard from him since he started digging near the River of No Return.
• "Clockwork Catastrophe" - Clockwork Delaronge is back! This time, he has stolen the famous Stanley Cup. The ProStars must get it back.
• "The Final Cut" - In this episode, Mom questions how good the ProStars are. They show her clips from their past adventures to prove her wrong.

Who Voiced the Characters?

Principal Cast

• Diana Barrows - Denise
• Townsend Coleman - Wayne Gretzky
• Dave Fennoy - Bo Jackson
• Dorian Harewood - Michael Jordan
• Susan Silo - Mom

Additional Voices

Production Team

• Marsha Goodman - Casting Director
• Ginny McSwain - Voice Director
• Cary Silver - Talent Coordinator