Kidd Video

Kidd Video is a Saturday morning cartoon created by DIC Entertainment in association with Saban Entertainment. Its original run was on NBC from 1984 to 1985, but continued in reruns on the network until 1987, when CBS picked the show up. Reruns have also aired in syndication.

Premise
The title sequence explained the plot; Kidd Video and his band of the same name (played by live-action performers in the first half of the title sequence) were kidnapped by a villain named Master Blaster, and transported to Master Blaster's home dimension, a cartoon world called The Flipside. 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 Master Blaster's rule, or trying to find a way back to the "real world". Master Blaster, a caricature of a corrupt rock manager or music executive, flew around the sky in his floating castle, which resembled a giant jukebox.

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 and his band (the band was also called "Kidd Video"). Other pop cultural current events featured heavily in the show as well: the characters often break danced 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 very 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 Gabrielle Bennett) - The drummer of Kidd Video -- and the only female in the group -- who often exclaims "Ay-Ay-Ay!"


 * Whiz (portrayed and voiced by Robbie Rist) - The nerdy guitar and keyboard player of Kidd Video.


 * Ash (portrayed and voiced by Steve Alterman) - The clumsy keyboardist of Kidd Video also plays bass and saxophone


 * Glitter (voiced by Cathy Cavadini) - A fairy that befriends Kidd Video's band. She saved them from Master Blaster as seen in the intro, with her unique ability to temporarily gain enhanced strength when she sneezes.


 * Toolbot (voiced by Hal Rayle) - A robotic toolbox that debuted in Season Two. He is the Whiz' pet.


 * 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.


 * Copycats - A trio of anthropomorphic cats that serve as 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.

Season 1

 * 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 Melodius Dragon - May 5, 1985
 * 11) Professor Maestro - May 12, 1985
 * 12) Grooveyard City - May 19, 1985
 * 13) The Stone - May 26, 1985

Season 2

 * 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
 * Gabrielle Bennett - Carla

Voices

 * Robbie Rist - Whiz
 * Cathy Cavadini - Glitter
 * Marshall Efron - Fat Cat
 * Hal Rayle - Toolbot
 * Peter Renaday - Master Blaster
 * Susan Silo - She-Lion
 * Robert Towers - Cool Kitty

Home Video
Six VHS tapes with a single episode each were released in the United States from DiC Video & Golden Books and numerous Spanish-language tapes were available from Vídeo Peques under the Travelling Video line.

Crew

 * Michael Bell - Casting and Voice Director
 * Marsha Goodman - Casting and Voice Director
 * Ginny McSwain - Casting and Voice Director
 * Howard Morris - Voice Director