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Kid 'n Play (TV series)

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Kid 'n Play
Developed byJohn Semper
Cynthia Friedlob
StarringChristopher Reid
Christopher Martin
Voices ofJ. D. Hall
Brian Stokes Mitchell
ComposersHaim Saban
Shuki Levy
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes13
Production
Executive producersWinston Richard
Ellen Levy-Sarnoff
Maynell Thomas
Joe Taritero
Production companiesMarvel Productions
Saban Entertainment
Original release
NetworkNBC
ReleaseSeptember 8 (1990-09-08) –
December 8, 1990 (1990-12-08)

Kid 'n Play is a 1990 animated cartoon series based on the real-life hip hop duo Kid 'n Play.[1][2] It ran for one season on NBC from September 8 to December 8, 1990. On the show, Kid 'n Play were portrayed as teenagers, along with their friend Jazzy, their producer Hurbie and their DJ Wiz, but their recording careers remained the same as in real life, as did their character traits. Production was by Marvel Productions and Saban Entertainment.

The real Kid 'n Play appeared in live-action wraparounds of the cartoons, but voice actors took over for the animated versions of the duo.[3] The show stressed positive role models, teaching children how to get along with each other and stay out of trouble. Akin to the House Party films, Play was the less responsible member of the duo, cooking up get rich quick schemes, while Kid, the more responsible member, would usually be made to clean up messes. Oftentimes the issue would be resolved by the characters' girlfriends, or sometimes by an elderly jazz musician who wore a blue beret and was aptly named "Old Blue". Also along the crew is Kid's Mohawk pet dog Hairy. The lessons ranged from serious to lighter fare. One of the "less serious" episodes dealt with Kid's father under the impression hip hop is bad and Kid not having the means to put it in a positive light. Old Blue offers to help by sending Kid on a trip back in time to the era of jazz and 1920s speakeasies to help better understand its roots.

Marvel Comics published a tie-in comic book which ran for nine issues in 1992.[4]

The series was created by John Semper Jr. and Cynthia Friedlob who also served as the show-runners and head-writers. They would later go on to write Kid 'N Play's third live-action feature, Class Act, for Warner Bros. Semper would later produce and be the head-writer for "Spider-Man: The Animated Series," for Marvel Films Animation. It was cancelled after one season as George H. W. Bush signed a deal to require educational programming for children in the following season.[5]

Ownership of the series passed to Disney in 2001 when Disney acquired Fox Kids Worldwide, which also includes Marvel Productions.[6][7][8]

Cast

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Voices

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Additional voices

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Episodes

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No.TitleOriginal air date
1"Play's Place"September 8, 1990 (1990-09-08)
2"Flip Your Kid Wig"September 15, 1990 (1990-09-15)
3"Rap-O-Mania"September 22, 1990 (1990-09-22)
4"There's No Business Like Dough Business"September 29, 1990 (1990-09-29)
5"One Kid and a Baby"October 6, 1990 (1990-10-06)
6"Rapped Around His Little Finger"October 13, 1990 (1990-10-13)
7"Not What It's Rapped Up To Be"October 20, 1990 (1990-10-20)
8"Tap To The Rap"October 27, 1990 (1990-10-27)
9"Say It, Don't Spray It"November 3, 1990 (1990-11-03)
10"Jump Street Jazzy"November 10, 1990 (1990-11-10)
11"Quantum Rap"November 17, 1990 (1990-11-17)
12"Project Creeper Sweeper"December 1, 1990 (1990-12-01)
13"Jazzman Jazzy"December 8, 1990 (1990-12-08)

References

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  1. ^ Goldmark, Daniel; Taylor, Yuval (1 November 2002). The Cartoon Music Book. Chicago Review Press. ISBN 9781569764121. Retrieved 8 May 2018 – via Google Books.
  2. ^ "Chris "Kid" Reid Reveals Kid 'n Play's Dumbest Career Mistake & Talks Narrating NFL Show "Undrafted"". HipHopDX. 31 October 2016. Archived from the original on 8 May 2018. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
  3. ^ Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. pp. 466–467. ISBN 978-1476665993.
  4. ^ "I Love Ya But You're Strange - How Did It Take Until 1992 For Kid 'n' Play to Have Their Own Comic Book?". Comic Book Resources. 10 March 2013. Archived from the original on 9 May 2018. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
  5. ^ Landrea Wells. "Children and Television". University of Florida. Archived from the original on March 10, 2019. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  6. ^ "U.S. Copyright Public Records System". Retrieved 2022-10-09.
  7. ^ "Disney+ and Missing Saban Entertainment & Fox Kids-Jetix Worldwide Library - StreamClues". 14 September 2022. Archived from the original on 26 December 2022. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  8. ^ "Liste - BVS Entertainment | Séries". Archived from the original on 2020-09-22. Retrieved 2022-10-09.
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