Starstuff facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Starstuff |
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Title card
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| Genre | Science fiction Children |
| Written by | Dorothy Louise Don Matticks |
| Directed by | Don Matticks |
| Starring | Todd Porter Johanna Hickey |
| Voices of | Mark Ritts |
| Theme music composer | Gustav Holst |
| Opening theme | The Planets |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 18 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Inez Gottlieb |
| Editor(s) | Frances Harty |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Production company(s) | CBS-TV |
| Release | |
| Original network | WCAU-TV |
| First shown in | 1980 |
Starstuff was a fun, hour-long TV show made for children. It was filmed at the WCAU-TV Studios in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania. The show first aired in 1980, and it was mostly seen by people in the Philadelphia area.
There was only one season of Starstuff, with a total of 18 episodes. The very first episode was shown on Friday, August 29, 1980. After that, new episodes aired on Sunday mornings. Starstuff was so popular that it was shown again and again until the spring of 1991! The music for the show came from a famous piece called The Planets by Gustav Holst.
Contents
What Was Starstuff About?
Starstuff centered around two 12-year-olds: a boy named Chris (Todd Porter) and a girl named Ingrid (Johanna Hickey). Chris lived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1980. He had built his own computer with a screen in his bedroom.
Ingrid lived in the year 2010 on Alpha, which was Earth's first space colony. She was actually the first child ever born there! For her 12th birthday, Ingrid received an "Earth Study Center." This was a special computer system designed to teach her all about life on Earth.
Chris and Ingrid met when their computers somehow connected, allowing them to see and talk to each other through their screens. The show was all about their secret conversations. They would watch short films together, like funny clips from Laurel and Hardy or parts of an educational kids' news show called Kidsworld. Each episode often focused on important topics like loneliness or having a crush.
The Edge Of Space: A Show Within a Show
Inside Starstuff, there was a special mini-show called The Edge Of Space. This part lasted about 10 minutes and was shown in the middle of each episode. It was a space-themed puppet show!
The main characters were Krikles, Zornad, and their robot helper, Giz. They explored the universe in their spaceship, looking for new life. Mark Ritts, who was the puppeteer, said he recorded these puppet parts separately. He used a simple, light voice for Krikles and a fun, unique voice for Zornad.
Meet the Starstuff Cast
- Chris: Todd Porter
- Ingrid: Johanna Hickey
- Aunt Val: Margaret Hunt
- Uncle Pete: Johnnie Hobbs
- Chris' Mom: Elowyn Castle
- Ingrid's Dad: Gary Silow
Who Made Starstuff?
Many talented people worked to create Starstuff. Here are some of the key people behind the scenes:
- Writer: Dorothy Louise
- Director: Don Matticks
- Executive Producer: Inez Gottlieb
- Puppeteer for The Edge Of Space: Mark Ritts
- Puppet Design: Eli Bauer
