The Kids From C.A.P.E.R. facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Kids from C.A.P.E.R.
Main cast from "The Kids from C.A.P.E.R."
Genre	Saturday morning children's show, spy-fi
Created by	Romeo Muller
Developed by	Merrill Grant
Directed by	Stanley Z. Cherry
Starring	Steve Bonino, Cosie Costa, Biff Warren, John Lansing, Robert Emhardt, Robert Lussier
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	13 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Alan Landsburg, Don Kirshner
Producer(s)	Stanley Z. Cherry
Release
Original network	NBC
Original release	September 11, 1976 (1976-09-11) – September 3, 1977 (1977-09-03)
Chronology
Related shows	The Monkees

The Kids From C.A.P.E.R. was a fun live-action TV show that aired on NBC on Saturday mornings. It was a comedy series about a group of teenage detectives. The show first ran from September 11, 1976, to November 20, 1976. It then had reruns from April 9, 1977, to September 3, 1977.

The show's name, C.A.P.E.R., was a playful nod to an older spy show called The Man From U.N.C.L.E.. The Kids From C.A.P.E.R. also made fun of other popular shows of its time. These included The Monkees, Six Million Dollar Man, Shazam!, and Scooby-Doo Where Are You!.

All 13 episodes were made and directed by Stanley Z. Cherry. One of the main producers was Don Kirshner. Both Cherry and Kirshner had worked on The Monkees before this show.

Even though the show isn't available on video, there was an LP (a type of music album) released in 1977. It had most of the songs from the series. One song, "When It Hit Me (The Hurricane Song)", was even released as a single.

What Was The Show About?

The "Kids from C.A.P.E.R." were a special team of four teenage boys. C.A.P.E.R. stands for "Civilian Authority for the Protection of Everybody Regardless." They worked out of the 927th Police Precinct in a made-up city called "Northeast Southweston." Their job was to help the police solve strange and unusual cases.

The CAPERs used special "Caperband" Radios to talk to each other. These were walkie-talkies with a big "C" on them. People who needed their help would call them on a special "Turquoise Telephone." Their main office was in the Krelvin Building, which was known as "the tallest building in the world with no elevators."

The boys all wore brown belts with buckles that had a large letter "C." They often traveled around Northeast Southweston in their unique vehicle called the "Big Bologna." This was an old hot dog vendor wagon that they turned into a mobile crime lab. It even still had a giant hot dog on its roof!

Every episode started with a funny, silent scene. A voice would then tell the audience the "Secret Word" for that episode. This word was usually important to the story. At the end of each episode, another silent scene would appear. A "Caper Code" would be given, which was a series of letters and numbers. This code was probably a hint for the next week's secret word.

Each episode began with P.T. telling the audience what was about to happen. Then, a girl would visit the team, needing their help with a problem. In most episodes, the girl would become interested in one of the CAPERs. Each episode also featured a song performed by one of the CAPERs. Unlike The Monkees, the CAPERs didn't pretend to be musicians and were never shown playing instruments.

A funny running joke in the series was when someone asked what C.A.P.E.R. stood for. The boys would quickly stand at attention and say together, "The Civilian Authority for the Protection of Everybody, Regardless!" They would then add a harmonized "Ta-da!"

Meet the Characters

• P.T. (played by Steve Bonino): P.T. was the leader and founder of the team. He was also the youngest member. He was described as "cool and clever." P.T. often talked directly to the audience, like he knew they were watching. He had many skills, including a super sense of smell! He even called his nose "Seymour."
• Bugs (Cosie Costa): Bugs was the "tough and feisty" one. He had super strength and speed, but only if he could see his hands. If his hands were tied behind his back, he couldn't use his powers. Whenever someone said the word "bananas," Bugs would briefly get very angry!
• Doomsday (Biff Warren): Doomsday was always cheerful and friendly to everyone. But he believed he brought bad luck to others, which is how he got his nickname. He wore a dark outfit, a black hooded sweatshirt and pants. Even though he was sometimes easily tricked, he was very kind and could talk to animals. He was also always eating or thinking about food!
• Doc (John Lansing): Doc was the oldest, tallest, and most serious of the CAPERs. Sometimes, he would show a funny side that surprised the others. He was quiet and didn't seem to realize how charming he was, but many girls found him very attractive.

Supporting Characters

• Sergeant Vinton (Robert Emhardt): Sergeant Vinton was an experienced police officer at the 927th station. He helped P.T. create the CAPERs and was their guide and advisor. He always supported their efforts but would tell them if he thought a case was too big for them.
• Kurt Klinsinger (Robert Lussier): Kurt was a TV reporter who always tried to get an exclusive story about the boys. He thought he was a brave journalist, but he would get very scared at the first sign of trouble.
• Mr. Featherstone: Mr. Featherstone was a shark puppet who lived in a fish tank at their headquarters. He also had a tank inside the Big Bologna. He could help them navigate when they were in the Big Bologna. He spoke in strange sounds that only the CAPERs could understand.

Behind the Scenes: How the Show Was Made

When the 1976-77 TV season began, The Kids from C.A.P.E.R. was part of a three-hour block of live-action shows on NBC's Saturday morning lineup. Other shows included Land of the Lost, Monster Squad, McDuff, the Talking Dog, Big John, Little John, and Muggsy.

NBC changed this lineup in late November. They canceled McDuff and paused The Kids from C.A.P.E.R.. The show returned on April 9, 1977, taking the place of the canceled Muggsy. However, C.A.P.E.R. and the other remaining shows did not return for the 1977-78 TV season.

The very first episode of the show was later changed into a flashback episode called "Mummy's the Word." This was done to explain why the costumes and sets looked different. The characters even joked about it, saying things like, "Don't you remember the good old days, when the Big Bologna was blue?" and "Boy, you guys sure dressed funny in those days." Doomsday was the only character whose costume stayed the same from the beginning.

The opening title sequence was also updated for the 1977 reruns. It included clips from actual episodes, which made it more exciting and matched the theme music better.

Episodes