Road Rovers facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Road Rovers
Created by	Tom Ruegger Jeff Gordon
Written by	Tom Ruegger Mark Seidenberg
Directed by	Herb Moore
Starring	Jess Harnell Tress MacNeille Jeff Bennett Kevin Michael Richardson Frank Welker Joseph Campanella Jim Cummings
Theme music composer	Richard Stone
Composer(s)	Gordon Goodwin Don Harper
Country of origin	United States
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	13
Production
Executive producer(s)	Tom Ruegger
Producer(s)	Bob Doucette
Running time	30 minutes (with commercials)
Production company(s)	Warner Bros. Television Animation
Distributor	Warner Bros. Domestic Pay-TV, Cable & Network Features Distribution
Release
Original network	Kids' WB
Original release	September 7, 1996 (1996-09-07) – February 22, 1997 (1997-02-22)

Road Rovers is an exciting American animated TV show from Warner Bros. Animation. It first aired on Kids' WB on September 7, 1996. The show ran for one season, ending on February 22, 1997. Later, you could catch it on Cartoon Network from 1998 to 2000.

The series follows the amazing adventures of the Road Rovers. They are a team of five super-powered, crime-fighting human-like dogs. These special dogs are called "cano-sapiens." Each character lives with a different world leader. For example, one lives with the President of the United States. Others live with the British Prime Minister, the Chancellor of Germany, and the Swiss President. One even lives in the Kremlin in Russia.

Story of the Road Rovers

In Socorro, New Mexico, Professor Shepherd had a special invention. It was called the "transdogmafier." General Parvo forced him to give up this technology. Parvo promised to return Shepherd's lost dog. Instead, Parvo gave him a bomb that destroyed his lab.

One year later, strange things started happening. Normal dogs began turning into monsters. Professor Shepherd, who amazingly survived the attack, knew he had to stop Parvo. Parvo was behind all these strange changes.

Shepherd chose five different dogs for his plan. In his new, secret underground lab, he used his transdogmafier. This machine turned the five dogs into "Cano-sapiens." These dogs were pets of world leaders. When duty called, they became the Road Rovers. They were a team of brave crime fighters.

Meet the Road Rovers Team

• Hunter (Jess Harnell): Hunter is a Golden Retriever mix from the United States. He is the leader of the team. Hunter is effective, optimistic, and very loyal. Sometimes, he can be a bit too confident. His superpower is super speed. He can run faster than the speed of sound! Hunter lives with President Bill Clinton in the White House.

• Colleen (Tress MacNeille): Colleen is a serious Rough Collie from the United Kingdom. She is the only female on the team. Colleen is the team's coordinator. She makes sure everything goes smoothly. She is also a skilled martial artist. Her fighting skills are a big help to the team. She lives with the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, John Major.

• Blitz (Jeff Bennett): Blitz is a Doberman from Germany. Unlike Hunter, Blitz can be arrogant and a bit selfish. He also gets scared easily. Blitz has a short temper and gets angry quickly. His superpowers are his sharp claws and strong jaws. He can bite and claw through most things. Blitz used to be a guard dog for thieves. Now, he lives with the Chancellor of Germany, Helmut Kohl. His personality is a funny copy of Arnold Schwarzenegger.

• Exile (Kevin Michael Richardson): Exile is a Siberian Husky from Siberia, Russia. His full name is Exilo Michalovitch Sanhusky. Exile speaks English with a strong Russian accent. He sometimes mixes up words. For example, he might say "Aprilday" instead of "Mayday." Exile is kind and friendly. But he can also get a bit angry. He is super strong. He also has heat vision, ice vision, and night vision. Exile used to pull sleds with other huskies. Now, he lives with the president of Russia, Boris Yeltsin.

• Shag (Frank Welker): Shag is a scared Old English Sheepdog from Switzerland. When he transformed, Shag only became half Cano-sapien. He walks like a human but speaks a mix of dog and human words. He does not wear a uniform. Instead, he stays in his natural furry state. He is super strong. His long hair can also store many things, like weapons and random items. He used to live in a valley with sheep. Now, he lives with Arnold Koller, the president of the Swiss Confederation.

• Muzzle (Frank Welker): Muzzle is a Rottweiler. He was once "Scout," Professor Shepherd's kidnapped dog. He never fully transformed into a Cano-sapien. Instead, he became aggressive because of Parvo's failed experiments on him. Because of his aggression, he is often held on a cart. He also wears a straitjacket and a mask.

• Persia (Sheena Easton): Persia is an Afghan Hound. She is the commander of the Space Rovers.

• Professor Hubert (David Doyle): Professor Hubert is a Bloodhound scientist.

• Professor William F. Shepherd "The Master" (Joseph Campanella): He is the geneticist who created the transdogmafier. He is also the master of the Road Rovers. He chose each of them for the team. Without him, the world might have been taken over by the cano-mutants.

• General Parvo (Jim Cummings): General Parvo is the main bad guy for the Road Rovers. He wants to destroy Professor Shepherd and take over the world. He has a constant cough. Later in the series, it was shown that General Parvo was once a cat. He was transformed into a "Feline Sapien." These look much more human than Shepherd's Cano-sapiens. He looks very similar to the wrestler Hulk Hogan. The name Parvo comes from a dog disease. This disease often harms puppies.

• The Groomer (Sheena Easton): The Groomer is General Parvo's loyal assistant. She usually carries a portable hair clipper. She uses other tools when needed.

• Cano-mutants: These are dogs that General Parvo turned into human-like monsters. They follow Parvo's orders.

Road Rovers Episodes

Series overview

Season 1 (1996-97)

Road Rovers in Pop Culture

Hunter, the leader of the Road Rovers, appeared as a statue. This was in an episode of The Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries.

The entire Road Rovers team also made a brief appearance. They were seen in an episode of Teen Titans Go!.

Why the Show Ended

The show was canceled partly because of a lawsuit. This lawsuit was about the rights to the series. It was between Warner Bros. and a person named Bruce Blumenfeld. Mr. Blumenfeld claimed Road Rovers copied his own children's show idea. His idea was called "Wing Puppies." The details of the lawsuit's outcome are not fully known. So, it's unclear exactly how it led to Road Rovers ending.