The Great Space Coaster facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Great Space Coaster |
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The title animation from The Great Space Coaster won an Emmy Award for Ed Seeman and Ray Favata in 1981.
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| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 5 |
| No. of episodes | 250 |
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| Running time | 30 minutes |
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| Distributor | Claster Television |
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| Original network | First-run syndication |
| Original release | January 1981 – September 1986 |
The Great Space Coaster was a fun children's television show. It aired from 1981 to 1986. The show was broadcast across many TV stations.
Contents
What is The Great Space Coaster About?
The Great Space Coaster follows three young singers. Their names are Francine, Danny, and Roy. A friendly clown named Baxter brings them to space. They travel on his "space coaster," which is like a roller coaster spaceship.
They land on a special asteroid called Coasterville. It's a place where strange and funny puppets live. You'll meet Goriddle Gorilla, Knock Knock the Woodpecker, and Edison the Elephant. There's also Gary Gnu, who hosts his own news show.
Baxter is always trying to escape M.T. Promises. M.T. Promises is a tricky ringmaster. He wants to force Baxter back to his circus. Each episode teaches a different life lesson. Famous guest stars like Mark Hamill (from Star Wars) also appeared!
Short Films and Music
In every episode, Roy shows a short film on his portable TV. Many of these were from La Linea. This is an Italian cartoon about a little man drawn with one line. He talks to his animator in funny sounds. Other cartoons from different studios were also shown.
Francine, Roy, and Danny sing a song together in each episode. They are known as the Space Coasters. Sometimes they sang new songs, and sometimes they covered old hits. The puppet characters also often sang songs.
Later in the show's run, a segment called "Rockin' with Rory" began. A VJ named Rory introduced music videos. These videos featured "Danny and the Space Coasters" singing popular songs. New characters like Baffle, Big Jock Ox, and the Huggles also joined the show. The show was mostly filmed in space. But sometimes the characters would visit Earth for musical numbers.
Who are the Characters?
The Space Coasters
- Francine (played by Emily Bindiger) - Fran is a young woman from a fishing village. She is the leader of the Space Coasters and plays the guitar. She also helps Baxter.
- Danny (played by Chris Gifford) - Danny is from a small midwestern town. He is a member of the Space Coasters and plays the drums.
- Roy (played by Ray Stephens) - Roy is from the big city. He plays the keyboards for the Space Coasters. Roy is also a good poet. He showed short films on his special hand-held screen.
Coasterville Friends
- Baxter (performed by Francis Kane) - Baxter is a big, kind clown. He used to work for M.T. Promises and was not happy. Now he pilots the space coaster. He can magically disappear by spinning around! This helps him escape M.T. Promises. Baxter often plays his "baxophone" with the Space Coaster Band.
- Goriddle Gorilla (performed by Kevin Clash) - Goriddle is an orange gorilla-like creature with a rough voice. He can be a bit rude or lazy sometimes. But his friends on the asteroid still like him. He lives with Edison the Elephant. Goriddle often helps introduce "The Gary Gnu Show."
- Knock Knock the Woodpecker (performed by John Lovelady (1981–1983), Noel MacNeal (1983–1986)) - Knock Knock is a pink woodpecker who lives in a tree. She loves to tell knock-knock jokes. She also helps introduce "The Gary Gnu Show" with Goriddle.
- Edison the Elephant (performed by John Lovelady (1981–1983), Jim Martin (1983–1986)) - Edison is a large, robot-like elephant. He has a moving trunk and fan-like ears. He loves plants and takes care of a big garden. Edison and Goriddle Gorilla are roommates.
- Gary Gnu (performed by Jim Martin) - Gary is a green gnu-like newscaster. He hosts "The Gary Gnu Show" in each episode. His famous saying is "No gnews is good gnews with Gary.... Gnu." He adds a "g" sound to words starting with "n," like "gnews" for "news." Gary's segments show funny film clips of people and inventions.
- M.T. Promises (performed by Jim Martin) - M.T. Promises is the main bad guy of the show. He's a tricky ringmaster with big eyes and a top hat. He always tries to catch Baxter the Clown. M.T. Promises is more silly than truly evil. He has a talking mirror that acts as his conscience. His name is a funny way of saying "Empty Promises."
- Speed Reader (played by Ken Myles) - Speed Reader appears on "The Gary Gnu Show." He can read books incredibly fast. He blinks quickly and moves his eyes around to warm up. After reading, he gives a short review of the book.
- The Huggles - These are small, furry creatures. Baxter reads stories to them. They include Fluffy, Puffy (both performed by Pam Arciero), and Scruffy (performed by Kevin Clash). Later, their younger sister, Baby Huggle (performed by Pam Arciero), joined them. Baxter found their eggs in space and brought them to Coasterville. They are very cute and often say, "Hey, what's snappenin'?"
- Rory (performed by Kevin Clash) - Rory is a wild-looking lion-like VJ. He hosts "Rockin' with Rory," which features music videos by the Space Coasters. Rory is often late and makes up funny excuses.
- Baffle (performed by Jim Martin) - Baffle is a furry, horned magical alien. He comes from the planet Blip, where things are often backwards or weird. He can cast spells by chanting "Miki Pooka Tiki." Baffle can see a few minutes into the future. He loves to give advice, but it's often silly!
- Big Jock Ox (performed by Kevin Clash) - Big Jock Ox is an ox-like character. He often appears on "The Gary Gnu Show" as the sports expert.
Cast and Puppeteers
- Emily Bindiger - Francine
- Chris Gifford - Danny
- Ray Stephens - Roy
- Ken Myles - Speed Reader
Puppeteers
- Pam Arciero - Baby Huggle, Fluffy, Puffy
- Kevin Clash - Goriddle Gorilla, Rory, Big Jock Ox, Scruffy
- Francis Kane - Baxter
- John Lovelady - Knock Knock the Woodpecker (1981–1983), Edison the Elephant (1981–1983)
- Noel MacNeal - Knock Knock the Woodpecker (1983–1986)
- Jim Martin - Gary Gnu, M.T. Promises, Baffle, Edison the Elephant (1983–1986)
Soundtrack Album
The show's soundtrack album was released in 1982. It was put out by Columbia Records.
Side A Songs
- (1) The Great Space Coaster Song (written by Anne Bryant and Spencer Michlin)
- (2) The Name Game (written by Lincoln Chase and Shirley Elliston)
- (3) Funnybone
- Don't Pick Me Last
- Knock Knock Rock
- I Like Scary Things
- Mr. Rhyme
- (1) Goriddle's Banana Song (I'm Bananas Over Bananas)
- (2) Yellow-Orange Song
Side B Songs
- Spin About / Jump N' Shout
- The Thing (written by C. Grean)
- (2) It's Baxter
- Goriddle Rock
- Sticks and Stones
- (1) No Gnews Is Good Gnews
- (2) It's Good to See You Again
- My Way (Comme D'Habitude) (English lyrics by Paul Anka, French lyrics by Gilles Thibault, music by C. Francois and J. Revaux)
See also
In Spanish: The Great Space Coaster para niños
