RESCUE HEROES

 

RESCUE HEROES / RESCUE HEROES: GLOBAL RESPONSE TEAM
(CBS, Teletoon, WB, October 2, 1999-December 18, 2002)

 
Nelvana, Hong Guang Animation (season 1)

 

MAIN CAST:

Norm Spencer – Billy Blazes

Lenore Zann – Wendy Waters

Martin Roach – Jake Justice

Joseph Motiki – Richmond “Rocky” Canyon

Lisa Messinger (season 1) & Deborah Odell (season 2-3) – Ariel Flyer

Rod Wilson – Jack Hammer

 

 

Rescue Heroes was an animated series based on the Fisher-Price toyline of the same name. Debuting in 1997, the toys featured various rescue personnel (firefighters, police officers, construction workers, medics, etc.) with exaggerated features (large hands and feet, burly chests for the male characters), interchangeable tool backpacks that had various electronic or mechanical actions, and names that were generally puns related to their specialty. Over the course of the line, various sub-lines were made that introduced new features to the figures: such as light-up tools or glow-in-the-dark uniforms. One sub-line involved a partnership with the FDNY initially designed to help spread the message of fire safety to children in New York City with part of the proceeds going to the fire department, but altered after the September 11 attacks to have all the proceeds donated to them.

To promote the toys, a pilot was commissioned for a potential animated series. “Lava Alarm” was produced by Pictor Entertainment Corp for Alliance Multimedia Inc., written by Diana West and starred Brooks Barnett, Teorri Higginson, Loretta Jafelice, David Keeley, Tabitha Lupien, Merwin Mondesir, Pandou Mowlins, Deborah Odell, John Ralston, David Rosser, Ron Rubin, Corey Sevier, Mike Shara, Paul Soles and Adrian Truss. The half hour episode, animated by Toon-Us-In Animation, introduced the characters and showcased their gear and mission.

When the series was purchased by CBS, production moved to Nelvana, with whom CBS had an arrangement with to provide programming for their CBS Kidshow programming block on Saturday mornings, with co-production handled by Hong Guang Animation. The show centered on the Rescue Heroes team: an assembly of elite first responders equipped with high-tech gadgetry that were called in whenever an emergency became too much for standard rescuers to handle anywhere in the world. They primarily operated out of the cliffside Rescue Heroes Command Center; however, they also had a submersible Aquatic Rescue Command Center for sea operations and an orbiting space station called The Hexagon that monitored global activity for emergencies.

Promotional art featuring (from front): Billy Blazes, Wendy Waters, Rocky Canyon, Jack Hammer and Jake Justice.

The Rescue Heroes were led by Billy Blazes (Norm Spencer), a Canadian firefighter who inspired his younger brother, Bobby (Neil Crone), to become one as well. He always put the mission first, and was quick to dole out fatherly advice when needed. The main team was comprised of second-in-command Wendy Waters (Lenore Zann), a fire rescue specialist that pushed herself to live up to her father, Warren Waters (John Bourgeois), who was the team’s director and chief dispatcher; Jake Justice (Martin Roach), a police officer that served as the team’s primary law enforcement specialist and worked with local units to cordon off areas and detain suspects; Ariel Flyer (Lisa Messinger), a former stunt pilot and airborne auxiliary unit that co-piloted the team’s Hyper Jet; Jack Hammer (Rod Wilson), a construction specialist that earned his place on the team by saving colleagues during the building of the Command Center and had a problem with his sister, Jill (Alyson Court), becoming a firefighter; and Rocky Canyon (Joseph Motiki), a mountain climbing specialist who was a rookie on the team and sometimes struggled to gel with their methods.

Braving the elements.

Other members of the team often called on in various situations included Aiden Assist, a high-tech wheelchair-bound paramedic; arctic rescue specialists Al Pine (Edward Glen) and Bob Sled (Andrew Sabiston); Ben Choppin (Robert Bockstael), a lumberjack; Bill Barker (Kent Sheridan), a ground patrol specialist and K-9 unit operative partnered with a  German Shepard named Buster; Bob Buoy (Dorian Harewood), a scuba diver and leader of the Aquatic Rescue Command Center; Brandon Irons, a cowboy wildlife rescue specialist and spring-shoe operator; Captain Cuffs, a soldier-like police captain; Cliff Hanger (Adrian Hough), an Australian birdwing operator and hang-glider; Eddie Splash, an ocean rescue specialist that had a strong relationship with Ariel; Gil Gripper (Paul Essiembre), a scuba diver and jet ski operator that worked with a dolphin named Nemo; Hal E. Copter (Tony Daniels), an aerial firefighter that used a helicopter pack; Kenny Ride (Richard Yearwood), a bicycle patrol officer that once won the Tour de France; Matt Medic (Andrew Pifko), a field medic and head of the emergency medical response team; Maureen Biologist (Jane Luk), a marine life specialist that worked with a trained Mako shark named Mako; Patrick “Pat” Pending (Donald Burda), the chief equipment designer for the team; Perry Chute (James Rankin), a Scottish parasailer that performed aerial rescues; Rip Rockefeller (Cal Dodd), a mountaineer and construction worker; Rock Miner, a rescue minor that worked with a bat named Radar; Roger Houston (Christopher Earle), a communications officer aboard the Hexagon; Sam Sparks (Vince Corazza), a member of the fire rescue squad; Sandy Beach (Jesse Collins), an Australian lifeguard that loved surfing on tidal waves; Sergeant Siren (Dean McDermott), a British police officer partnered with traffic officer Willy Stop (Paul Haddad); Seymour Wilde (Cedric Smith), an Australian animal wrangler; and Trixie Tracker (Sarah Edmondson), a police officer and crowd control specialist.

Rescue Heroes debuted on CBS as part of the CBS Kidshow programming block and Teletoon (now Cartoon Network) in Canada on October 2, 1999. Initially, the series only lasted a single under-advertised season. CBS had ended their programming deal with Nelvana following the merger of Viacom and CBS Corporation in early 2000. As a result, they entered into a new programming arrangement network cousin Nickelodeon in a block called Nick Jr. on CBS. However, reruns continued on Teletoon and proved to be popular enough for two additional seasons to be commissioned with the added subtitle Global Response Team. The series was slightly retooled to tone down the comedy for increased tension in situations, raise the stakes of the dangers the characters faced, and altered the character designs to make them look less cartoony like the over-exaggerated toys. The animation itself received a facelift, going from traditional cel animation by Hong Guang Animation to digital ink and paint by Akom Production Company, Super Sonics Productions Inc. and Mercury Filmworks. The format was also changed to show two story segments for most of the episodes as opposed to the single full-episode stories of the first season. Kids’ WB would pick the show up for airing in the United States. Because of the delay between seasons, Messinger was unavailable to reprise her role of Ariel and ended up replaced by Odell, who had starred in the original pilot episode.

Fiery search and rescue.

The entire first season was written and story edited by Rhonda Smiley, with Brent Piaskoski taking over as executive story editor and writer along with Terry Saltsman, Jules Dennis, Kenn Scott, Isaac Szpindel, Howard Nemetz, Melissa Mortimer, Howard Busgang, Ian James Corlett, Alan Swayze, Lorne Wise, Edgar Lyall, Shane McDougall and Michael Gelbart. John Semper Jr. was an executive consultant for the first season. Each episode ended with a PSA message delivered by the characters with important safety tips on how to handle various situations. Dr. Miki Baumgarten served as the educational consultant and Paul Tessier as the safety consultant. The theme was composed by Martin Kucaj. Additional music was composed by Jack Lenz for Downright Adagio Inc., and later Lenz Entertainment. Designs were handled by Boomstone Animation Inc. and Side Show Entertainment Inc. Although the series was cancelled after its third season, it was given a big send-off the following year with a completely computer-animated direct-to-video film.

Hal E. Copter patrolling the skies.

Reruns of Rescue Heroes aired on Qubo from 2009 all the way until its ending in 2021, and from 2012-14 on Vortexx, the final format of what was formerly Kids’ WB. It was made available to stream on Pluto TV, Pure Flix, Freevee and Peacock, and was uploaded to YouTube on the Treehouse Direct channel; a subsidiary of Corus Entertainment along with Nelvana. Fisher-Price released various episodes to VHS, either sold individually or included for free with the purchase of an action figure. They were also released to four DVDs under the title Adventure Collection, with the first two volumes containing 7 episodes each and the last two containing 12.

A number of educational video games were released featuring the characters. The first three took stronger influence from the toys, despite their boxes featuring visual cues reminiscent of the show. The series was prominent in the remaining games beginning with 2002’s Tremor Trouble and its sequel, Meteor Madness, developed and published by Knowledge Adventure for home computers, and 2003’s Mission Select developed by Knowledge Adventure subsidiary Funnybone Interactive and published by Vivendi Universal. The games featured a team of Rescue Heroes (with each one being used in turn) contending with various disaster mini-games selected from a central hub map. The next game, Lava Landslide, was developed by Knowledge Adventure and took a more linear approach with each level appearing in succession as the story played out rather than using a hub. Each stage featured a mini-game that gave the current hero more power-up power or fuel. Notably, the vehicles in that game featured designs closer to their toy versions. Modern publishing also released a series of coloring books beginning in 1999, again blending the show and toy designs.

The new Rescue Heroes.

The Rescue Heroes toyline continued for a few more years before Fisher-Price ended production in 2007. From 2010-13, the toyline was resurrected under the Hero World line featuring other licensed characters. In 2019, the line was relaunched again as a Walmart exclusive. A new animated series was produced alongside it, with 14 5-minute episodes uploaded to Fisher-Price’s YouTube channel. While Billy (Jason Paquette) and Rocky (Wellington Saygbay) both returned, the rest of the team was comprised of new characters and others that hadn’t yet been adapted.

  

EPISODE GUIDE:

Pilot:

“Lava Alarm” (4/7/98) – The team must rescue a scientist’s family as they camp on an island with a volcano about to erupt.

 

Season 1:

“Peril on the Peaks” (10/2/99) – An overzealous Rocky ignores the team’s rescue plan and ends up putting them all in peril.

 

“El Niño” (10/9/99) – The team tries to save a town from a mudslide, but one elderly resident insists on relying on an ancient legend to save them.

 

“Tidal Wave” (10/16/99) – Wendy must overcome her fear of underwater rescues in order to help Gil Gripper plant explosives to stop a deadly tidal wave.

 

“Twister” (10/23/99) – When a tornado threatens his hometown, Rocky must choose between saving a hot rod with sentimental value or his old nemesis.

 

“Electrical Storm” (11/6/99) – An electrical storm causes a series of problems for a small town.

 

“Meteor” (11/13/99) – Recovering from her injuries with her father in the Space Command Center, Wendy becomes part of the front lines of stopping a meteor shower on its way to Earth.

 

“Arctic Spill” (11/20/99) – Jack pushes himself too hard to complete the underwater repair of a ruptured oil tanker.

 

“When it Rains, it Pours” (12/4/99) – Ariel is asked to be a spokesperson for a national safety council, but it would take too much time away from her being an actual rescuer.

 

“Cave In” (12/11/99) – Rocky must rescue his former mentor from a cave in.

 

“The Fire of Field 13” (12/18/99) – Billy’s brother’s anger causes even more problems than the massive forest fire they’re trying to put out.

 

“Four Alarm Fire and Brimstone” (1/15/00) – While Jake puts up a family whose house was damaged by fire, their kid sneaks aboard the Hyperjet during an emergency.

 

“Storm of the Century: Part 1” (1/22/00) – Billy must work with his estranged father when a series of storms leaves them stranded in the Hyperjet.

 

“Storm of the Century: Part 2” (1/29/00) – Billy and his father put their differences aside and work together to rescue others.

 

Season 2:

“Wildfire / White Wall of Terror” (7/21/01) – The team must deal with a wildfire that threatens an African Wildlife Reserve. / Rocky’s ski vacation is cut short when two teens are buried under an avalanche.

 

“Rock Star on the Rocks / Last Stop – Disaster” (7/28/01) – The team must save a rock star and his daughter after their plane crashes in a remote mountain area. / The team must stop a runaway Japanese bullet train.

 

“Houston, We Have a Problem / Trapped Beneath the Sea” (8/4/01) – Roger Houston feels left out watching rescues from space until an out-of-control satellite crashes on the planet. / The team must rescue sailors from a submarine that collided with a cruise ship.

 

“Underwater Nightmare / Eye of the Storm” (8/11/01) – A boy must face his fear of swimming when an underwater volcano rocks an aquarium. / A boy that idolizes the team ends up being rescued by them and his father, the town’s sheriff.

 

“High Anxiety* / Canyon Catastrophe” (8/18/01) – Wendy’s competitive nature ends up jeopardizing a rescue. / Three teen mountain bikers get into trouble when they decide to ride restricted paths in the Grand Canyon.

*Originally aired as “Terror in the Tower”, but changed after the September 11 attacks.

 

“Mayhem in the Mist / Sibling Blowout” (8/25/01) – A fog causes a pileup in England, and an injury teaches Billy a new lesson about leadership. / Jack is against his sister becoming a firefighter until they need to work together to stop one.

 

“Smokejumpers” (9/1/01) – A fire threatens to devastate a national forest and the nearby town.

 

“Edge of Disaster / Flood of Fear” (9/26/01) – Rocky leads a rescue expedition on the world’s most dangerous peak. / Jack’s sense of humor begins to rub Jake the wrong way.

 

“Summertime Twister / The Chilling Championship” (10/24/01) – A twister devastates a campground full of campers. / The team must rescue high school basketball players after their bus crashes into an icy river.

 

“Flashback to Danger” (11/7/01) – Almost causing a fatality makes Rocky decide to quit, but Billy tries to change his mind by telling him a story about the only other Rescue Hero that decided to.

 

“Tidal Wave of Pride / A Whale of an Adventure” (11/14/01) – An extreme sports competition at a seaside community is about to get a visit from a massive tidal wave. / Bill Barker would rather work on his strength than train for the circus until a rescue shows him the value of it.

 

“Shake Up in the Jungle / Lights, Camera, --Destruction!” (11/21/01) – A professor and his students end up trapped in the jungle after an earthquake. / A actor studying the team ends up interfering with a mudslide rescue.

 

“Rescue Robots / Race to the Finish” (11/28/01) – Billy disproves of a new Rescue Robot until it becomes the only thing that can save him. / While Al Pine and Bill Baker compete in a dogsled race, the team must rescue two boys trapped in an abandoned mine.

 

Season 3:

“Heroes” (9/11/02) – While the team is honoring the various rescue teams they’ve worked with, everything seems to go wrong for a nervous Billy.

 

“Ultimate Ride / The Newest Rescue Hero” (9/18/02) – Jake is forced the pilot the new ultimate robot vehicle he had difficulty with when Jack is injured in the mission. / Jack gets his sister onto the team, but does she really want to be?

 

“Blackout / Fire Down Under” (9/25/02) – Billy and the Night Force deal with a blackout while Aidan Assist, Sergeant Siren and Willy Stop deal with a crippled airplane. / The team deals with a series of raging wildfires in Australia.

 

“Up, Up and Uh-Oh / Fiery Differences” (10/2/02) – Avery Ator fails to perform routine maintenance on his biplane and ends up needing assistance. / Neighbors’ argument could jeopardize an entire town if a forest fire is allowed to reach the gas station.

 

“On Thin Ice / Peril in Peru” (10/23/02) – A massive snowfall threatens a senior center while Al’s nice and nephew have gone missing. / Ariel and Rock Miner must save an archaeologist from a tomb.

 

“In the Driver’s Seat” (10/30/02) – An explosion from a car crash causes fiery oil to infest the sewer and makes all water sources shoot fire instead of water.

 

“For Better or Curse / Bat’s Life” (11/6/02) – Rocky is convinced an ancient curse is making their underwater rescue of a treasure hunter difficult. / An oil drill accidentally pierces a salt vein and causes a flood that traps a mother and daughter in a cave.

 

“The Royal Rescue Hero / Foul Weather Friends” (11/13/02) – Rocky is offered the position of safety officer for a kingdom after rescuing their princess. / A hurricane hits just as two boys decide to explore the forest.

 

“Quake Me When It’s Over” (11/20/02) – Wendy is transported back to the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and must save people without any of her gear.

 

“Rock and a Hard Place / Cruise into Danger” (11/27/02) – A rock climber that skips weather training ends up trapped in a deadly storm. / A floating high school is rocked by several deadly hazards in the South Seas.

 

“Not on This Planet / Tunnel Vision” (12/4/02) – Students are accidentally shunted off into space and must work together to get home. / A truck carrying explosives accidentally explodes in an underwater tunnel.

 

“Alone for the Holidays” (12/11/02) – Rocky is depressed he needs to be on duty for the holidays, but a rescue may just remind him what the true meaning of the season is.

 

“Going with the Wind / A Bridge too Frail” (12/18/02) – Santa Ana winds cause chaos across Catalina Island. / The team wonders if they made the right choice putting Rocky in charge of operations dealing with a rockslide near the El Chorro Gorge in Spain.

 

Film:

“The Movie” (11/18/03) – A magnetic volcanic ash is causing a rash of storms around the world, and Rocky must overcome his recent screw-ups to retrieve the cure for a plant that poisoned Billy.

BLASTER'S UNIVERSE

BLASTER’S UNIVERSE
(CBS, September 4-November 27, 1999)
 
Nelvana, Hong Guang Animation, CBS Productions, Knowledge Adventure

 

 

MAIN CAST:
Jonathan Wilson – Max Blaster
Maryke Hendrikse – GC
Juan Chioran – MEL
 
 

            Educator Jan Davidson always sought to get her students more involved in the learning process. When the personal computer came around in the 1970s, she decided it would be a useful tool for that methodology since it required people to actively use one. However, by that time, there were no software offerings to fit her needs. So, she decided to create her own. With the help of a contracted programmer, her first game was Speed Reader designed to help kids learn how to read quicker. Then came Math Blaster and the vocabulary game Word Attack. Shortly after, she and her husband, Bob, created their own publishing company, Davidson & Associates, Inc., to continue to develop computer games and turn PCs into a valuable educational tool.

The original Math Blaster.

            Their most popular software line was the Blaster series, known as the Blaster Learning System, developed out of the original Math Blaster game. The game initially featured a stick figure man in a circus-like setting having to be maneuvered over the cannon under the correct answer to the problem, in which he would then fall into and be shot out of. A seal bouncing a ball served as a timer, with the added challenge of the man having to keep a balloon from landing on a nail on the other side of the screen. A revision was made in 1987 called Math Blaster Plus!, which replaced the non-descript player character with a little alien in a green space suit (although it was purple in the actual game) called the Blasternaut and the cannons with rocket ships, space stations they could blast off to, and a countdown timer. The second revision in 1990, New Math Blaster Plus!, changed things up entirely with better graphics, animations and four separate mini-games. In Plus!, the player needed to solve problems correctly to build his ship, power a tractor beam to pull in space trash that would then be recycled into fuel, and then using an anti-gravity pad to zip up to one of the waiting space stations to stop the alien invasion that now represents the timer. A bonus level was included that allowed the player to control Blasternaut on his jetpack to collect some items for points. This formula would become the standard for the Blaster series of games featuring the Blasterpals. Two spin-offs, Alge-Blaster Plus! and Math Blaster Mystery, were released in 1989.

Victory screen from the home console version of Episode I, featuring Blasternaut, Spot, G.C. and the trash alien.

            In 1993, the original game was revised again as Math Blaster Episode I: In Search of Spot, this time introducing Blasternaut’s (Mark Sawyer) companion, an alien robot named Spot (also Sawyer using a Brooklyn accent), and boss/best friend, Galactic Commander aka G.C. (voiced by Laura Boedeker, the three known collectively as the Blasterpals), the leader of the Galactic Patrol to which Blasternaut belonged. The major difference in the game was the addition of the narrative to rescue spot from an evil trash alien (also Sawyer), as well as a platforming segment that required Blasternaut to have a particular number to continue onward (changed by positive or negative numbers that appeared as water droplets). 1994’s Episode II: Secret of the Lost City was geared towards an older age group and featured the characters in 3-D models during cutscenes for the first time. Math Blaster Jr. in 1996, made for pre-schoolers, returned to a purely sprite-based design and depicted Blasternaut, G.C. and Spot as kids. The Blasterpals would expand beyond basic math into Reading Blaster, Spelling Blaster and Science Blaster, sometimes facing off against appropriately-themed foes. Davidson also dabbled with other characters in other Blaster entries, including little green monster Rave, round alien Cosmic MC, and human girl Andi, but the Blasterpals were the most prominent throughout the line.

Spot, Blasternaut and G.C. learning they're about to be replaced.

            The Blaster Learning System was a major success, pulling in millions of dollars for Davidson & Associates. Naturally, the company used that to grow itself by purchasing software firms and studios (at one point they owned what would become Blizzard Entertainment), becoming publicly traded on the stock market, and creating their own distributor in partnership with Mattel. In 1996, CUC International bought Davidson & Associates and eventually combined it with another acquisition, former competitor Knowledge Adventure (now JumpStart Games, Inc.), under which all future Blaster games would be released. Along with that change came another: the decision to revise the Blaster characters.

G.C. and Blaster admiring their new creation, MEL.

            Taking a cue from the various Junior games in the series, the Blasterpals were reduced to childhood age. C.G. (Jennifer Hale) kept the purple hair she eventually wound up with through design revisions, but her skin was changed from green to lavender and her suit to orange. Blasternaut became a human boy named Max Blaster (Dee Bradley Baker) from a futuristic planet Earth. While he retained his green space suit (which now gave him enhanced strength and the ability to fly), he was given a clear bubble helmet. Spot was replaced by a robotic dog the pair built named MEL (Mechanically Enhanced Lapdog, voiced by Michael Gough). From 1999-2006, the new Blasterpals would adorn all of the future Blaster packaging and star in several games of their own; however, the original Blasterpals would remain included in future re-releases of previous games.

Blaster and G.C. doing some futuristic skateboarding on Earth.

            To promote the new Blaster era, Nelvana was commissioned to produce an animated series starring the characters developed by Jamie Tatham and Dale Schott. Set in the year 2222, Blaster (Jonathan Wilson) was best friends with G.C. (Maryke Hendrikse), a princess from the planet Omega who teleported to Earth via the ring she wore daily to attend Earth school as she loved learning—in stark contrast to the more free-spirited Blaster. When she held her ring towards Blaster’s watch, it allowed Blaster to go to teleport with her and gain his green spacesuit. While other aliens were aware of Earthlings, it seemed as if Earth was unaware of aliens as G.C. tried to pass herself as an ordinary Earth girl. Together, they built MEL (Juan Chioran) who often aided them in their studies and adventures when not maintaining his cover as a common dog. And those adventures often saw them going up against villains (some directly from the games) who threaten the universe with their educational-themed crimes: the history-loving (and altering) Major History; the word-stealing Illitera; the mathematical fiend Number Cruncher; and mad scientist Dr. Dabble. Because the series was produced in Canada, a Canadian voice cast had to be used instead of the games’ already established cast. To combat these foes, the Blasterpals had to rely on their brains and various things they had learned, cementing the educational message of the show.

Illitera up to no good.

            Blaster’s Universe debuted on CBS on September 4, 1999, as part of the programming block CBS Kidshow that was programmed by Nelvana. It was written by Schott along with Hugh Duffy, Ben Joseph, Dave Dias, Kim Thompson and Ken Ross, with Duffy serving as story editor. Miki Baumgarten, PhD was retained as the educational consultant to ensure it met the educational requirements expected of children’s television at the time. Ray Parker and Tom Szczesniak composed the series’ music, while Grayson Matthews for Tantrum Productions did the theme. Hong Guang Animation (now Brilliant Pictures) handled the animation duties.

MEL, Blaster and G.C. learning they're about to be replaced.

            Blaster’s Universe only ran for a single season, airing on Teletoon in early 2000 shortly after its CBS run concluded. Reruns were sparse and home media non-existent. In 2013, Russian-dubbed episodes found their way to YouTube followed by several of the English versions. For a time, Bell Media offered the entire series for viewing in Canada with a paid subscription on their website.

The current Math Blaster, Blaster Prime.

            In 2006, the Blaster series got another revamp with yet another new Blasternaut. This time it was Blaster Prime (Scott Allen Katz), the newest member of the long-forgotten Blaster Corps and the only living being who remembers math in the universe. With the aid of an AI program named AIMEE (Karen Strassman), Prime was on a mission to restore math and free the galaxy from the powerful Cyclotron X (Kevin Delaney), a math-teaching program that became sentient. The new 2.5-D platforming series began with Master the Basics before jumping over to Nintendo DS with 2008’s In the Prime Adventure. Since 2013, the Blaster series has been relegated to mobile devices and a via a subscription on the official Math Blaster website. As for the Davidsons, after they left their company in the late 90s, they started up the Davidson Institute for Talent Development; a nonprofit that ensures the nation’s most gifted and talented kids are supported and nurtured so that they can develop their talents and make a positive difference.

 
 
EPISODE GUIDE:
“You’re History” (9/4/99) – Major History intends to rewrite history with himself as a central figure, forcing Blaster and G.C. to use history against him.
 
“A Bridge Too Weak” (9/11/99) – Nothing is as it seems as the Number Cruncher plans to spoil G.C.’s father’s ceremony to open a new bridge.
 
“Misplaced Weekend” (9/18/99) – Only Blaster seems to realize the weekend completely disappeared, and he intends to find out why.
 
“A Spot of Trouble” (9/25/99) – MEL’s dog act suddenly becomes real, bringing him to the attention of Omegan Dog Catcher Von Shtoopenscooper.
 
“Uncool Copycat” (10/2/99) – Artist Deja Vu decides to make life-sized copies of everything, but when he copies the Blasterpals and the Commander it almost leads to an intergalactic war.
 
“Mind Over Manners” (10/9/99) – Illitera eliminates politeness across the universe, which could end up leading to war unless the Blasterpals can get her to return it.
 
“Body Electric” (10/16/99) – Illitera decides to get revenge on a childhood of losing spelling bees to the Commander by shrinking down and manipulating him from the inside.
 
“Hero Today, Gone Tomorrow” (10/23/99) – When it comes to a choice between cleaning his room and chasing a pirate ship, Blaster chooses the ship.
 
“Sound Advice” (10/30/99) – G.C. can’t wait to see her favorite musician in concert, but The Maestro may have other plans.
 
“Math Schmath” (11/6/99) – Blaster and G.C. are tasked with tutoring their bully in math just as the Number Cruncher issues a challenge for the fate of the galaxy.
 
“Nowhere to Hide” (11/13/99) – When Blaster accidentally breaks a statue in the Omegan library, he decides to hide it and avoid trouble only to find that it’s been stolen.
 
“Gym Nausium” (11/20/99) – Blaster and G.C. get conscripted into a high stakes boat race, but their recent bout of laziness leaves them in little shape to compete.
 
“Buggin’ Out” (11/27/99) – Blaster’s fear of bugs is challenged when the Exterminator appears and threatens to re-release the dreaded Y2K bug.

MYTHIC WARRIORS: GUARDIANS OF THE LEGEND

MYTHIC WARRIORS: GUARDIANS OF THE LEGEND

(CBS, November 7, 1998-January 22, 2000)

Nelvana, Ltd., Marathon Media, Hong Guang Animation (Su Zhou) Co., Ltd.

MAIN CAST:

James Blendick – Narrator, Hermes (2^nd time)

            The 90s were an interesting time for Greek Mythology. Renaissance Pictures was producing three shows incorporating it, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Xena: Warrior Princess, and Young Hercules, and Disney had spun off their Hercules movie into the prequel series Hercules: The Animated Series. They would soon find themselves joined by yet another series based on the material: Mythic Warriors: Guardians of the Legend.

The fourth book focusing on Andromeda.

            Produced by Nelvana, Ltd. and Marathon Media, the series was based on the award-winning Scholastic book series Myth Men: Guardians of the Legend. Written by Laura Geringer Bass with illustrations from Peter Bollinger, based on an original concept by Mireille Chalvon, the eight books were retellings of Greek myths in an easy-reader format as a way to get kids interested in the subject matter. Bass gave the stories a modern flair; such as alterations that depicted the female characters in a more positive light as heroic characters unto themselves and not merely damsels in distress or prizes to be won as initially portrayed. And, of course, some of the content of the original stories (rife with murder, adultery, betrayal and so on) was softened for the intended reading audience. The books were released between 1996 and 1997.

Pegasus takes to the sky.

            Like the book series, Mythic Warriors was presented in an anthology format with a different set of characters each week (in some instances, the Roman version of character names were used rather than the Greek versions). Amongst the featured mythological characters was strongman demigod Hercules (Lawrence Bayne) and his companion, Iolaus (Daniel DeSanto); Jason (David Orth) and the Argonauts and their quest to retrieve the Golden Fleece; Ulysses (Roger Honeywell) and his escapades in the Trojan War; Helen of Troy (Kristina Nicoll), whose abduction by Prince Paris of Troy (John Ralston) led to the Trojan War; Andromeda (Caroly Larson), whose mother’s boasts about her beauty led to her to become targeted by the gods; Atalanta (Larson & Natalie Brown), who was abandoned in the wild at birth for not being the son her father, King Iasus, wanted; Pandora (Terri Hawkes), keeper of the box of evils; wrestling brothers Castor (Rod Wilson) and Pollux (Jonathan Malen) who often donated their winnings to the poor; and King Midas (Benedict Campbell), who was granted the ability to turn whatever he touched into gold, amongst others. The only being featured in every episode was the narrator, voiced by James Blendick.

Poseidon in his realm.

            The gods were depicted in the show as being giant-sized humans, possessing immortality, the ability to fly and teleport, magical powers, and the ability to change their appearance and shape at will. An echo would be present whenever they spoke in their true forms. Amongst those featured were Zeus (Gary Krawford), king of the gods; Hera (Janet-Laine Green), his queen and goddess of the sky, marriage and childbirth; Hades (Norm Spencer), ruler of the underworld; Demeter (Linda Sorenson), goddess of fertility and the harvest; Poseidon (Francis Diakowsky), ruler of the sea; Hermes (Richard Clarkin, Stephen Bogaert & Blendick), the messenger of the gods; Athena (Wendy Thatcher & Lally Cadeau), goddess of wisdom, warriors and reason; Ares (Rick Bennett & Allen Stewart-Coates), the god of war; Apollo (Jesse Collins), the god of light, art and medicine; Artemis (Elizabeth Hanna), the goddess of the hunt; Hephaestus (David Hemblen), blacksmith of the gods; Aphrodite (Wendy Lands), the goddess of love and beauty; Dionysus (Stephen Ouimette), the god of wine and intoxication; Helios (Bob Zidel), the sun god; Eros, the god of lust, and Persephone (Meghan Black), the goddess of Spring and queen of the underworld. The eternal enemies of the gods, the Titans, were also featured, as was a variety of monsters such as the cyclops, the sirens, Medusa (Jennifer Dale) and the Minotaur.

Perseus vs. Medusa.

            Mythic Warriors: Guardians of the Legend debuted on CBS on November 7, 1998 as part of the Nelvana-run programming block, CBS Kidshow. It was supposed to debut two months earlier in September with the traditional start of the new television season, but was delayed due to “complicated animation techniques”. Despite not being a ratings success, the show was renewed for a second season. The entire series was written by story editor Kathy Slevin and Peter Colley, with music provided by Varouje. Dr. Miki Baumgarten served as the educational consultant, ensuring that the show met the network’s FCC requirement for educational programming. Along with adapting the eight books, 18 additional adventures were also crafted for a total of 26 episodes across both seasons. At the end of each episode, a 30-second informational segment was shown where the characters would talk about solutions to modern day problems facing the viewing audience. Hong Guang Animation, Co., Ltd. handled the animation duties.

Athena season 1 (top) vs. season 2.

For the new season, several changes were made to a couple of the gods. Hades’ attire was slightly altered, Persephone was aged from a teenager to a fully-grown woman, Aphrodite was changed from a giggling teenager to a mature woman with an entirely different voice and manner, and Athena went from a blonde wearing silver armor to a brunette wearing a red dress with a cape, arm bands and shin guards.

Zeus in Olympus.

Mythic Warriors continued on in reruns throughout 2000 until September 9, when Nelvana’s agreement with CBS came to an end and CBS’ agreement with Nickelodeon began for the Nick on CBS programming block. The first season was made available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.

EPISODE GUIDE:

Season 1:

“Andromeda: The Warrior Princess” (11/7/98) – Andromeda turns to Athena when her father won’t permit her to join his army.

“Hercules and Iolas” (11/14/98) – Iolas seeks to become a hero like Hercules and begins to follow him on his adventures.

“Ulysses and the Journey Home” (11/21/98) – Ulysses just wants to return home from the war in Troy, but there are plenty of threats he must overcome on his journey.

“Perseus: The Search for Medusa” (11/28/98) – Perseus is goaded into retrieving the head of Medusa to prove that he’s a demi-god.

“Jason and the Argonauts” (12/5/98) – Jason launches an expedition for the Golden Fleece in order to reclaim his throne from the evil King Pelias.

“Persephone and the Winter Seeds” (12/12/98) – When Persephone is tricked into remaining in the underworld, her mother Demeter tries to rescue her from Hades’ clutches.

“Daedalus and Icarus” (12/19/98) – Daedalus and Icarus work towards freeing themselves from prison after failing to achieve fame and fortune.

“Ulysses and Circe” (12/26/98) – Ulysses and his men take a respite on a mysterious island where the evil sorceress Circe turns his men into animals.

“Atalanta: The Wild Girl” (1/2/99) – When Atalanta and Prince Meleager meet and begin to fall in love, a jealous Artemis sends the Calydonian Boar to destroy her.

“Prometheus and Pandora’s Box” (1/9/99) – Prometheus is chained to a rock by Zeus for his defiance in giving man fire, and Pandora is given a box she can never open.

“Bellerophon and Pegasus” (1/16/99) – Athena gives Bellerophon a golden saddle in order to allow him to get Pegasus to help him defeat the fire-breathing Chimera.

“Theseus and the Minotaur” (1/23/99) – Learning that his father is forced to feed people to the Minotaur, Theseus vows to kill it and save the people.

“The Labors of Hercules” (1/30/99) – After Hercules accidentally destroys a village, Iolas tries to reignite his heroic spirit.

Season 2:

“Psyche and Eros” (9/25/99) – Falling for Psyche, Eros attempts a test to see if she’ll love him for him rather than his beauty.

“Ulysses and the Trojan Horse” (10/2/99) – King Menelaus tasks Ulysses and his army to retrieve his unfaithful wife Helen from Prince Paris of Troy.

“Ulysses and Penelope” (10/9/99) – Ulysses returns home only to discover that his family has decided him dead and have seemingly moved on.

“Hercules and the Golden Apples” (10/16/99) – Hera has Hercules’ love poisoned and he must journey to Hera’s garden to retrieve the Golden Apple to save her.

“Cadmus and Europa” (10/23/99) – Cadmus is tasked with watching over his sister Europa, who believes that a white bull would take her away to find her destiny.

“Jason and Medea” (10/30/99) – Medea has Jason’s mentor Chiron killed in order to crush his spirit and foil his quest to obtain the Golden Fleece.

“Damon and Pythias” (11/6/99) – Damon puts his life on the line so that his friend, Pythias, can say goodbye to his family before his execution.

“Castor and Pollux” (11/13/99) – The brothers are torn apart when King Pelias convinces Castor to go after Jason for the reward.

“The Hounds of Actaeon” (11/20/99) – When ruthless hunter Actaeon hunts Artemis’ prized white stag, she turns him into one until he can learn to love and respect the helpless.

“Phaeton: The Chariot of Fire” (11/27/99) – Phaeton is convinced to “borrow” Helios’ sun-chariot for a race, despite Helios’ warnings that he wasn’t ready to drive it yet.

“Androcles and the Lion” (12/18/99) – Enslaved Androcles learns the ways of the lion in order to maintain his freedom once it’s acquired.

“King Midas: The Golden Touch” (1/15/00) – Dionysus gives Midas the golden touch to reclaim his fortune and hunt down its thief, which turns out to be his own daughter.

“Hercules and the Titans: The Last Battle” (1/22/00) – Angered over not being allowed in Olympus, Hephaestus frees the Titans to reignite the war between them and the Gods.