VideoKids were a 1980s Euro disco/ Italo disco duo from the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, formed in 1984 and consisting of

Peter Slaghuis Peter Slaghuis (; 21 August 1961 – 5 September 1991) was a Dutch DJ, record producer and remixer, whose work was mostly released under the name Hithouse (a literal translation of his last name — ''slag'', a hit, a beat; and ''huis'', house). ...

(1961-1991) and Bianca Bonelli (1963-1995). The band's members also had solo careers on their own, such as Peter being a famous disc jockey and remixer, and Bianca having a solo single called "Je Veux L'amour (Follow Me)". They released two albums, ''

The Invasion of the Spacepeckers ''The Invasion of the Spacepeckers'' is the debut album by VideoKids released in 1984. It was released on vinyl and tape in 1984, and unofficial on CD releases from 1995. There are seven versions of the album with one containing nine bonus remix ...

'' in 1984 and ''On Satellite'' in 1985. All of their songs were produced and written by

Catapult A catapult is a ballistic device used to launch a projectile a great distance without the aid of gunpowder or other propellants – particularly various types of ancient and medieval siege engines. A catapult uses the sudden release of stored p ...

musicians Aart Mol, Cees Bergman, Elmer Veerhoff, Erwin van Prehn and Geertjan Hessing (under the aliases "Adams & Fleisner" and "Tony Acardi"), and recorded at Cat Music. Bergman did the male vocals, while the female vocals were done by Sylvia and Anita Crooks of the vocal trio The Internationals. The most notable aspect of the band is the fact that they were very popular yet short-lived. They also had an animated mascot named Tico Tac (designed by Dirk Arend, and animated by Bjørn Frank Jensen and coloured by Frits Godhelp at Toonder Studio's), a "spacepecker" who wore a yellow space suit and white space helmet, and had a wood drill on his back side functioning like an insect stinger. He also had the same laugh as Woody Woodpecker as his trademark. Tico was featured in the band's music videos for "Woodpeckers from Space" and "Do the Rap" along with the real band members, so for that reason they were almost considered a virtual group. In 1985, ''The Invasion of the Spacepeckers'' was released at the

Midem Midem is the acronym for Marché International du Disque et de l'Édition Musicale, which is organised annually in and around the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès in Cannes, France. The trade show, organized by Reed MIDEM, a subsidiary of Re ...

music festival, and went on to sell 1.1 million copies. VideoKids received the

Buma Export Award The Buma Export Award (initially known as Conamus Export Award) was a prize given to the Dutch artists who sold the most records abroad between 1972 and 2011. In 2013, this prize was replaced by the Buma ROCKS! Export Award that focused on rock arti ...

for their international success with the album and "Woodpeckers from Space". ''On Satellite'' (also released at the Midem music festival in 1986) and the band's other singles ("Do the Rap", "Satellite" and " Witch Doctor"), however, were unsuccessful. The songs " La Bamba" (from their album, ''The Invasion of the Spacepeckers''), "Tico Tac" (from their album, ''On Satellite'') and "Witch Doctor" were the only cover versions they did, originally by Ritchie Valens, the Belgian synthpop group Polysix and

Ross Bagdasarian Ross S. Bagdasarian (; January 27, 1919 – January 16, 1972), known professionally by his stage name David Seville, was an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor, best known for creating the cartoon band Alvin and the Chipmun ...

, respectively. The song "Woodpeckers from Space" has been covered and remixed several times throughout history, such as a version by South African band

Café Society Café society was the description of the "Beautiful People" and "Bright Young Things" who gathered in fashionable cafés and restaurants in New York, Paris and London beginning in the late 19th century. Maury Henry Biddle Paul is credited with ...

in 1985, a cover by Doctor Pecker in 1986, a cover by

The Smurfs ''The Smurfs'' (french: Les Schtroumpfs; nl, De Smurfen) is a Belgian comic franchise centered on a fictional colony of small, blue, humanoid creatures who live in mushroom-shaped houses in the forest. ''The Smurfs'' was first created and in ...

in 1995, a cover by V-Kid in 1999, a remix by Evelyn in 2001, a cover by Spritney Bears in 2003, and a posthumous remake in 2007, and was featured in the '' Pingu'' episode, "Pingu Helps with Incubating", although it has been replaced by David Hasselhoff's "Pingu-Dance" in its newer version. Slaghuis died in a car accident on September 5, 1991, Bonelli died of lung cancer in 1995, and their music has not had any sales since 1988.

Discography

Albums

*''

'' (1984) *''On Satellite'' (1985)

Singles

Woodpeckers from Space "Woodpeckers from Space" is a song by the The Netherlands, Dutch Eurodisco/Italo disco duo VideoKids. A synth-pop cover of "Woody Woodpecker#The Woody Woodpecker Song, The Woody Woodpecker Song", it was released in 1984 by Boni Records through th ...

" (1984) *"Do the Rap" (1985) *"Satellite" (1985) *"Witch Doctor" (1988)

References

External links

Media Club profile
Dutch dance music groups Musical groups established in 1984 Eurodisco groups Dutch musical duos Male–female musical duos {{Netherlands-band-stub