Kidd Video

Kidd Video (originally in development as Hot Rocks)[2] is an American Saturday morning live action/cartoon created by DIC Enterprises in association with Saban Productions. The series originally ran on NBC from 1984 to 1985.[3] Reruns continued on the network until 1987 when CBS picked the show up.

Kidd Video
Title card used during the first season
GenreAnimated series
Sitcom
Created byJean Chalopin
Andy Heyward
Haim Saban
Shuki Levy
Developed byJim Carlson (season 1)
Terrence McDonnell (season 1)
Tracy Mays (season 2)
Directed byBernard Deyriès (cartoon, season 1)
Richard Raynis (cartoon, season 2)
Bud Schaetzle (live-action)
StarringBryan Scott
Steve Alterman
Gabriela Nelson
Robbie Rist
Voices ofCathy Cavadini
Marshall Efron
Hal Rayle
Peter Renaday
Susan Silo
Robert Towers
Theme music composerHaim Saban, Shuki Levy[1]
Opening theme"Video to Radio"
Ending theme"Video to Radio"
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes26
Production
Executive producersJean Chalopin
Andy Heyward
Haim Saban
Shuki Levy
ProducersTetsuo Katayama
Shuki Levy
Bud Schaetzle
Production locationLos Angeles, California (Live action segments)
Running time21 minutes
Production companiesSaban Productions
DIC Enterprises
Release
Original networkNBC
Original releaseSeptember 8, 1984 (1984-09-08) –
December 7, 1985 (1985-12-07)

In the show, four teenagers are taken into a strange dimension called "the Flipside" and become cartoon characters, forced to fight the Master Blaster and his gang, the Copy Cats.[4] The show included then-current music videos.[5]

Ownership of the series passed to Disney in 2001 when Disney acquired Fox Kids Worldwide, which also includes Saban Entertainment.[6][7]

Premise

The title sequence explained the plot; Kidd Video and his band (Named Kidd, Carla, Ash, & Whiz) of the same name (played by live action performers in the first half of the title sequence) were practicing in a storage unit when an animated villain named the Master Blaster appeared, and transported them to the Master Blaster's home dimension, a cartoon world called the Flipside. The Master Blaster plans to use them as his musical slaves. They were rescued by a fairy named Glitter and subsequently spent each episode of the series either helping to free the denizens of the Flipside from the Master Blaster's rule, or trying to find a way back home to the "real world".

The show was dominated by an MTV-esque music video theme. Each episode featured at least one action sequence set to a popular song, and the heroes would often distract their enemies by showing current music videos and sneak off while the enemies were entranced. Each episode also ended with a live-action music video by Kidd Video. Other pop cultural current events featured heavily in the show as well: the characters often breakdanced to relax, rode on skateboards and one episode was devoted entirely to video games. The visual style of the cartoon itself was heavily influenced by the more surreal videos showing on MTV and by album artwork of the era by artists like Roger Dean.

The band was created specifically for the show; they performed their own songs and they provided the voices for their cartoon counterparts. At the end of some episodes, the live action band would be shown once again performing a music video, such as "A Little TLC". The music videos produced by Kidd Video then became popular in Israel, which then produced fan merchandise such as coloring books and chocolate bars with images of the band.

Characters
  • Kidd Video (portrayed and voiced by Bryan Scott) - Lead singer and guitarist of Kidd Video.
  • Carla (portrayed and voiced by Gabriela Nelson) - The drummer of Kidd Video and the band's sole female member. Her frequently-uttered catch-phrase was "Ay-Ay-Ay!"
  • Whiz (portrayed and voiced by Robbie Rist) - The nerdy guitar-and bass-player of Kidd Video. He owned a Subaru Brat which was in the garage at the time of the band's abduction and also got pulled into the Flipside. As a result, it now serves as the group's main transport through the music world.
  • Ash (portrayed and voiced by Steve Alterman) - The clumsy keyboardist of Kidd Video; he also plays bass and saxophone.
  • Glitter (voiced by Cathy Cavadini) - A fairy who befriends Kidd Video's band. She saved them from the Master Blaster, as seen in the introduction, with her unique ability to temporarily gain enhanced strength whenever she sneezes.
  • Toolbot (voiced by Hal Rayle) - A robotic toolbox that debuted in Season Two. He is Whiz's pet.
  • The Master Blaster (voiced by Peter Renaday) - The primary villain of the series. He brought Kidd Video's band to the Flipside to be his musical slaves until Glitter freed them. As a caricature of a corrupt rock manager or music executive, the Master Blaster flew around the sky in his floating castle, which resembled a giant jukebox.
  • The Copycats - A trio of anthropomorphic cats that serve as the Master Blaster's minions. They get their name because they always lip-synch to their songs. They consist of:
    • Cool Kitty (voiced by Robert Towers) - The leader of the Copycats.
    • Fat Cat (voiced by Marshall Efron) - The overweight member of the Copycats.
    • She-Lion (voiced by Susan Silo) - The female member of the Copycats.

List of episodes

Pilot (1984)
  1. Pilot - September 8, 1984

Season 1 (1984–85)
  1. To Beat the Band - September 15, 1984
  2. The Master Zapper - September 22, 1984
  3. Woofers and Tweeters - October 6, 1984
  4. Barnacolis - October 13, 1984
  5. The Pink Sphinx - October 27, 1984
  6. Cienega - February 16, 1985
  7. The Lost Note - February 23, 1985
  8. Music Sports - March 2, 1985
  9. Chameleons - March 23, 1985
  10. Euphonius and the Melodious Dragon - May 5, 1985
  11. Professor Maestro - May 12, 1985
  12. Grooveyard City - May 19, 1985
  13. The Stone - May 26, 1985

Season 2 (1985)
  1. The Dream Machine - November 2, 1985
  2. Double Trouble - November 2, 1985
  3. No Place Like Home - November 9, 1985
  4. Having a Ball - November 16, 1985
  5. Old Time Rocks that Roll - November 23, 1985
  6. Starmaker - November 23, 1985
  7. Narra Takes a Powder - November 23, 1985
  8. Race to Popland - November 23, 1985
  9. Master Blaster Brat - November 23, 1985
  10. Twilight Double Header - November 23, 1985
  11. A Friend in Need - November 30, 1985
  12. Pirates and Puzzles - November 30, 1985
  13. Who's in the Kitchen with Dinah? - December 7, 1985

Cast
  • Bryan Scott - Kidd Video
  • Steve Alterman - Ash
  • Robbie Rist - Whiz
  • Gabriela Nelson - Carla

Voices

Music

The theme song, "Video to Radio", was written by frequent musical collaborators Haim Saban and Shuki Levy, who also contributed other songs to the show. The song "Time" was written by band member Bryan Scott.[1] The song "A Little TLC" composed by Lynsey de Paul and Terry Britten[8] and accompanying video was featured at the end of the first episode "To Beat the Band"[9] and the end of the last episode "Who's in the Kitchen with Dinah?".[10]

Kidd Video released a vinyl album in Israel[1] and the band reportedly toured there in 1987.[11]

The TV Show Hits (1986)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Video to Radio"Haim Saban, Shuki Levy3:40
2."Where Did Our Love Go"Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier2:38
3."It's Over When the Phone Stops Ringing"Bernie Taupin, Holly Knight3:02
4."A Little TLC"Lynsey De Paul, Terry Britten3:30
5."We Should Be Together"Jay Gruska, Tom Keane3:05
6."Come Back to Me"Haim Saban, Shuki Levy3:40
7."You Better Run"Haim Saban, Shuki Levy3:37
8."Video Romeo"Gary Goetzman, Muike Piccirillo4:12
9."Time"Bryan Scott4:02
10."Turn Me Up"Lisa Popel, Willie Wilkerson3:59
11."Easy Love"Haim Saban, Shuki Levy4:00

Home video

Six VHS tapes were released in the United States from DiC Video & Golden Books (with some only containing a single episode and others containing multiple episodes) and numerous Spanish-language tapes were available from Vídeo Peques under the Travelling Video line.[12]

See also

References
  1. "Kidd Video - The TV Show Hits". discogs.com. CBS. 1986. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  2. "Saturday morning switching at NBC" (PDF). Broadcasting. April 16, 1984. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
  3. Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 336. ISBN 978-1538103739.
  4. Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. pp. 470–471. ISBN 978-1476665993.
  5. Hyatt, Wesley (1997). The Encyclopedia of Daytime Television. Watson-Guptill Publications. pp. 248–249. ISBN 978-0823083152. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
  6. "U.S. Copyright Public Records System".
  7. "Disney+ and Missing Saban Entertainment & Fox Kids-Jetix Worldwide Library - StreamClues". September 14, 2022. Archived from the original on December 26, 2022. Retrieved October 2, 2022.
  8. Kidd Video (TV Series 1984– ) - IMDb, retrieved January 4, 2020
  9. "To Beat The Band - Kidd Video Flipside". kvflipside.org. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  10. "Who's in the Kitchen with Dinah - Kidd Video Flipside". kvflipside.org. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  11. "Merchandise - Kidd Video Flipside". www.kvflipside.org. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
  12. VHS - Clásicos Kidd Video | Animecion.com Archived August 11, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
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