The Power Team (TV series) facts for kids

The Power Team was an exciting animated TV show that appeared as part of the video game review show Video Power. It aired during Video Power's first season, starting in 1990. Even though Video Power had 33 episodes in its first season, only 26 episodes of The Power Team were made. This meant some episodes were shown more than once. Later, The Power Team segments were put together as their own show after Video Power changed its format. Steven Martiniere directed the cartoon, and Jack Olesker was the story editor. Bohbot Entertainment produced this fun series.

The Power Team: Game Heroes Unite!

This cartoon brought together characters from five different video games made by Acclaim Entertainment. Imagine your favorite game characters teaming up! The heroes included:

• Max Force from NARC
• Kuros from the Wizards and Warriors series
• Kwirk from the Game Boy game of the same name
• Tyrone from Arch Rivals
• Bigfoot from the monster truck game

The show also featured a cartoon version of Johnny Arcade, who was the host of Video Power. Together, they fought against villains from Acclaim's games. Their main enemy was Mr. Big, along with his helpers Spike Rush and Joe Rockhead from NARC. Sometimes, other bad guys like Malkil from Wizards and Warriors or Kwirk's enemies would also appear.

Unlike other shows where a hero went into a game world, The Power Team did the opposite! The game characters came to the "real world." A common goal for the team was to get back the "game paks" from Mr. Big. These game paks were supposed to send the heroes home. Mr. Big would even try to use them to blast the characters back during battles! The team had to stop him. In one episode, Kuros was sent home, but he returned because he was part of a team. He knew he couldn't go home for good until all his teammates could safely return too. During their fights, Johnny would use a special device that looked like an NES Advantage controller to guide the Power Team from his room.

Character Makeovers

Some of the characters looked quite different from how they appeared in their video games. For example:

• Max Force looked like a SWAT officer with a utility belt, not someone with machine guns.
• Kuros looked more like a barbarian, similar to the original He-Man, instead of a knight in armor.
• Tyrone was given a small afro haircut.
• Mr. Big looked similar to his game version, but he didn't use a wheelchair. Instead, he used gadgets and weapons that looked like cigars.
• Malkil, another villain, didn't look like a typical wizard. He wore a skullcap, robes, and had a forked beard, which made him look a bit scary but also royal.

Johnny Arcade: The Team's Guide

Before each episode began, Johnny Arcade was shown playing each character's game on his NES. Then, the characters would fly right out of the TV screen! Johnny always led the team, but he rarely hung out with them in person. He usually stayed in his room, giving orders. While Max Force sometimes took a leadership role, there was one episode where Mr. Big messed with Johnny's controls. This made it impossible for Johnny to give orders, and the team had to figure things out on their own!

Other Villains They Fought

While Mr. Big was the main bad guy, other villains sometimes showed up. Kwirk's enemy, Rowdy Roddy Radish, was one of them. The show also featured an evil living monster truck named Burnt Rubber, who was Bigfoot's enemy.

Besides Mr. Big, the most important villain was Malkil. He was a powerful warlock and Kuros's main enemy. Malkil seemed much more sinister than Mr. Big and usually worked alone. However, in one episode, Mr. Big was trying to defeat the Power Team when Malkil appeared. The two villains decided to work together to destroy the Power Team! Malkil also thought the team would be lost without Johnny Arcade. So, he once sent the team members to Sindarin, Kuros's home world, which was a gothic land. The team learned to work together without Johnny's help and survived in the medieval realm.

Episode Guide

• "Yes We Have No Tomatoes"
• "Treasure of Bangladar"
• "Hooray for Hollyweird"
• "New Gang in Town"
• "Burnt Rubber"
• "Speedway Assault"
• "Turf Wars"
• "Big Footenstein"
• "It Came to Millburg"
• "Pull the Plug"
• "Deaf Ears"
• "Back to the Game World"
• "Tunnel Radish"
• "Rigged Deal"
• "Criss Cross Double Cross"
• "The Day Johnny Stayed at School"
• "Train Game"
• "Video Virus"
• "A Man and his Belt"
• "Slice & Dice"
• "The Bride of Mr. Big"
• "Whose Game World Is This Anyway?"
• "Ski Patrol"
• "The Greatest Heist of All"
• "The Golden Joystick"
• "Bums"
• "On the Ball"