''Hot Wheels'' is a thirty-minute
Saturday-morning cartoon
"Saturday-morning cartoon" is a colloquial term for the original animated series programming that was typically scheduled on Saturday and Sunday mornings in the United States on the "Big Three" television networks. The genre's popularity had a br ...
series broadcast on
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
from 1969 to 1971, under the primary sponsorship of
Mattel Toys
Mattel, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational toy manufacturing and entertainment company founded in January 1945 and headquartered in El Segundo, California. The company has presence in 35 countries and territories and sells products in more ...
.
The show took pains to stress that it was "pro-safety", contrasting the safe and responsible behavior of the series' racing-club protagonists with the reckless behavior of their rivals.
The show was criticized by the FCC, which considered it a half-hour commercial for toy cars. ABC contested the charge, saying that there was no prior commitment to Mattel, and that Hot Wheels cars were never advertised during the program. The network was backed up by the
National Association of Broadcasters
The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) is a trade association and lobby group representing the interests of commercial and non-commercial over-the-air radio and television broadcasters in the United States. The NAB represents more than ...
, and the show remained on the ABC schedule for two seasons.
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Synopsis
The series mainly focused on the racing exploits of a high school student, Jack "Rabbit" Wheeler, who led the ''Hot Wheels Racing Club''.
Voice cast
* Bob Arbogast
Robert "Bob" Arbogast (April 1, 1927 – March 21, 2009) was an American radio broadcaster, voice actor, and television host.
Early life and education
Bob was born in Bellingham, Washington, the only child of Lewis, a champion tennis player, st ...
as Doc Warren
* Melinda Casey as Janet Martin
* Albert Brooks
Albert Brooks (born Albert Lawrence Einstein ; July 22, 1947) is an American actor and filmmaker.
He received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for 1987's '' Broadcast News'' and was widely praised for his performance as a ...
as Kip Chogi
* Susan Davis as Ardeth Pratt
* Casey Kasem
Kemal Amin "Casey" Kasem (April 27, 1932 – June 15, 2014) was an American disc jockey, actor, and radio personality, who created and hosted several radio countdown programs, notably '' American Top 40''. He was the first actor to voice Nor ...
as Dexter Carter
* Nora Marlowe
Nora Marlowe (September 5, 1915 – December 31, 1977) was an American film and television character actress.
Born in Worcester, Massachusetts, Marlowe was an actress best known for her role from 1973 to 1977 as boardinghouse owner/operator ...
as Mother O'Hare
* Michael Rye
Michael Rye (born John Michael Riorden Billsbury; March 2, 1918 – September 20, 2012) was an American actor. His decades-long career spanned radio, television, animated cartoons and video games. Aside from his voice over work, Rye also acted in ...
as Jack "Rabbit" Wheeler
Episodes
Sky Sailor
The Funny Money Caper
Surf's Up
The Winner
The Hot Head
Big Race
The Family Car
Fire Fighters
The Jewel
Fake Out - Stake Out
The Buggy Ride
Four Wheel Time Bomb
Hit and Run
It Takes a Team
Ardeth the Demon (Ardeth the Highwayman)
Like Father, Like Son
Avalanche Country
Danger Around the Clock
Tough Cop
Hotter Than the Devils
Underground
Rough Ride (The Test)
Race to Space
Monkey a-Okay
Diamonds Are a Girls Worst Friend
Big Heart, Little Hearts
Get Back on That Horse
Hitchhike to Danger
Dragon's Tooth Peak
The Doc Warren Trophy Race
Show-Off
Drag Strip
Mata Hari Ardeth
Slicker-Slicks
FCC action
Some time during the show's broadcast, the Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains jurisdiction ...
(FCC) received complaints from toy companies who argued that it was actually a thirty-minute commercial for the toys; one of them was Topper Toys, a rival to Mattel. The FCC obliged by ordering stations to log part of the airings as advertising time.
Home media
The show was available on DVD
The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kin ...
in 2023.
International broadcast
See also
* ''Hot Wheels'' (1969-1971)
* ''Heroes on Hot Wheels
''Michel Vaillant'' is a French car racing comics series created in 1957 by French cartoonist Jean Graton and published originally by Le Lombard. Later, Graton published the albums by himself when he founded Graton éditeur in 1982. Michel Vail ...
'' (1991-1992)
* '' Hot Wheels: World Race'' (2003)
* '' Hot Wheels: AcceleRacers'' (2005-2006)
* ''Hot Wheels Battle Force 5
''Hot Wheels: Battle Force 5'' is a 3D CGI science fiction sports animated television series created by Mattel, Nelvana Limited, and Nerd Corps Entertainment, based on the Hot Wheels toy line by the American toy maker, Mattel which was introd ...
'' (2009-2011)
* ''Team Hot Wheels
''Team Hot Wheels'' is a series of animated movies by Mattel Playground Productions, Titmouse for the second to fourth films and Mercury Filmworks for the first film. Based on Mattel's Hot Wheels toyline, the franchise currently consists of fou ...
'' (2014-2017)
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hot Wheels (Tv Series)
American Broadcasting Company original programming
1969 American television series debuts
1971 American television series endings
1960s American animated television series
1970s American animated television series
American children's animated action television series
American children's animated adventure television series
American children's animated sports television series
Animated television series about auto racing
English-language television shows
Hot Wheels
Jetix original programming
Television series by CBS Studios
Television shows based on Mattel toys