Kidd Video - The 1984 animated series
Kidd Video (originally in development as Hot Rocks) is an American Saturday morning cartoon created by DIC Enterprises in association with Saban Productions. The series originally aired on NBC from 1984 to 1985. Reruns continued on the network until 1987 when CBS picked up the show.
In the show, four teenagers are taken to a strange dimension called "the Flipside" and become cartoon characters, forced to fight the Master Blaster and his gang, the Copy Cats. The show included music videos from the era.
History
The title sequence explained the plot; Kidd Video and his band of the same name (played by live action actors in the first half of the title sequence) were practicing in a warehouse when an animated villain called the Master Blaster appeared, and transported them to the home dimension of the Master Blaster. , a cartoon world called Flipside. The Master Blaster intends to use them as his musical slaves. They were rescued by a fairy named Glitter and subsequently spent each episode of the series helping to free the Flipside dwellers from the rule of the Master Blaster, or trying to find a way back to the "real world".
The show was dominated by an MTV themed music video. Each episode featured at least one action sequence set to a popular song, and the heroes often distracted their enemies by showing current music videos and sneaking away while the enemies were spellbound. Each episode also concluded with a live-action music video from Kidd Video. Other pop cultural topical events were also very present in the show: the characters often did breakdances to relax, rode skateboards and one episode was entirely dedicated to video games. The visual style of the cartoon itself was heavily influenced by the more surreal videos broadcast on MTV and the album covers of the era by artists such as Roger Dean.
The band was created specifically for the show; they performed their own songs and provided the voices for their cartoon counterparts. At the end of some episodes, the live action band is shown once again performing a music video, such as “A Little TLC”. The music videos produced by Kidd Video became very popular in Israel, which then produced merchandise for fans such as coloring books and chocolate bars featuring images of the band.
Characters
Kidd Videos (played and voiced by Bryan Scott) - Lead singer and guitarist of Kidd Video.
Carla (played and voiced by Gabrielle Bennett) - Kidd Video drummer and the only female member of the band. His most pronounced phrase was "Ay-Ay-Ay!"
whiz (played and voiced by Robbie Rist) - Kidd Video's nerdy guitarist and keyboardist. He owned a Subaru Brat that was in the garage at the time of the band's kidnapping and was also dragged into the Flipside. As a result, it now serves as the group's primary means of transport through the world of music.
Ash (played and voiced by Steve Alterman) - Kidd Video's clumsy keyboard player; he also plays bass and saxophone.
Glitter (voiced by Cathy Cavadini) - A fairy who befriends the Kidd Video band. He saved them from the Master Blaster, as seen in the introduction, with his unique ability to temporarily increase strength whenever he sneezes.
Toolbots (voiced by Hal Rayle) - A robotic toolbox that debuted in the second season. He is Whiz's pet.
The Master Blaster (voiced by Peter Renaday)
The main villain of the series. He took the Kidd Video band to 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 into the sky in its floating castle, which resembled a giant jukebox.
The Copycats - A trio of anthropomorphic cats who serve as minions of the Master Blaster. They get their name because they always lip sync with 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.
Episodes
Pilot (1984)
Pilot - September 8, 1984
Season 1 (1984-1985)
To Beat the Band - September 15, 1984
Master Zapper - September 22, 1984
Woofer and Tweeter - 6 October 1984
Barnacolis - October 13, 1984
The Pink Sphinx - October 27, 1984
Cienega - February 16, 1985
The Lost Note - February 23, 1985
Musica Sport - March 2, 1985
Chameleons - March 23, 1985
Euphonius and the Melodious Dragon - May 5, 1985
Master Professor - May 12, 1985
Grooveyard City - May 19, 1985
La Pietra - May 26, 1985
Season 2 (1985)
The Dream Machine - November 2, 1985
Double Trouble - November 2, 1985
No Place Like Home - November 9, 1985
Having a ball - November 16, 1985
Old Time Rocks that Roll - November 23, 1985
Starmaker - November 23, 1985
Narra Takes a Dust - November 23, 1985
Race to Popland - November 23, 1985
Master Blaster Brat - November 23, 1985
Twilight Double Header - November 23, 1985
A Friend in Need - November 30, 1985
Pirates and puzzles - November 30, 1985
Who's in the kitchen with Dinah? - December 7, 1985
Technical data
Title orig. Kidd Videos
Language orig. English
Country United States
Studio DiC Entertainment, Saban Entertainment
Network NBC
1st TV 15 September 1984 - 7 December 1985
Episodes 26 (complete)
Duration ep. 21 min
It network. Network 4, Italy 1
Episodes it. 26 (complete)
Duration ep. it. 21 min
