The Great Space Coaster
Encyclopedia
The Great Space Coaster is a children's television
show that ran from 1981 through 1986. The series was directed by Dick Feldman, and distributed by Sunbow Productions
.
(of Star Wars
fame) and Marvin Hamlisch
(composer of The Spy Who Loved Me
), etc.) occasionally dropped by.
In each episode, Roy shows a short film on his portable, fold-up TV, often featuring segments from La Linea
, an Italian animated series about a little man who is drawn (using a single line) at the beginning of the segment and then springs to life, communicating with his animator through high-pitched Italian mixed with gibberish. Francine, Roy, and Danny sing a song together in each episode (sometimes originals like "Wacky Talk", sometimes older songs like "Be a Clown" or covers of '60s and '70s hits), and the various puppet characters often sing songs as well. A few years into the show's run the MTV
-like "Rockin' with Rory" segment began, where a DJ puppet would introduce "Danny and the Spacecoasters" performing cover tunes. While the action was mostly videotaped on the space set, it wasn't unusual for the characters to venture down to Earth for filmed musical numbers.
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
show that ran from 1981 through 1986. The series was directed by Dick Feldman, and distributed by Sunbow Productions
Sunbow Productions
Sunbow Entertainment was an animation studio, founded in 1980 and owned up until 1998 by Griffin-Bacal Advertising in New York. The first animation efforts by Griffin-Bacal were producing the animated commercials for Hasbro's G.I...
.
Show summary and history
The show is about three young singers (Francine, Danny, and Roy) who are brought to a habitable asteroid in space by a puppet clown character named Baxter who pilots the "space coaster", a rollercoaster-like spaceship. The asteroid is populated by strange-looking, wise-cracking puppet characters like Goriddle Gorilla, Knock-Knock the Woodpecker, Edison the Elephant and Gary Gnu, who hosts "The Gary Gnu Show". Baxter is forever on the run from M.T. Promises, a nefarious circus owner (played by a large, top-hatted puppet) who plans to re-capture Baxter and return him to the circus he worked at before he escaped. Each episode ends with a different life lesson, and various celebrity guest stars (such as Mark HamillMark Hamill
Mark Richard Hamill is an American actor, voice artist, producer, director, and writer, best known for his role as Luke Skywalker in the original trilogy of Star Wars. More recently, he has received acclaim for his voice work, in such roles as the Joker in Batman: The Animated Series, Firelord...
(of Star Wars
Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
fame) and Marvin Hamlisch
Marvin Hamlisch
Marvin Frederick Hamlisch is an American composer. He is one of only thirteen people to have been awarded Emmys, Grammys, Oscars, and a Tony . He is also one of only two people to EGOT and also win a Pulitzer Prize...
(composer of The Spy Who Loved Me
The Spy Who Loved Me (film)
The Spy Who Loved Me is a spy film, the tenth film in the James Bond series, and the third to star Roger Moore as the fictional secret agent James Bond. It was directed by Lewis Gilbert and the screenplay was written by Christopher Wood and Richard Maibaum...
), etc.) occasionally dropped by.
In each episode, Roy shows a short film on his portable, fold-up TV, often featuring segments from La Linea
La Linea (TV series)
La Linea is an Italian animated series created by the Italian cartoonist Osvaldo Cavandoli. The series consists of 90 episodes which are about 2–3 minutes long each which were produced originally broadcast in the Italian channel RAI between 1971 - 1986. Over the years the series aired in more than...
, an Italian animated series about a little man who is drawn (using a single line) at the beginning of the segment and then springs to life, communicating with his animator through high-pitched Italian mixed with gibberish. Francine, Roy, and Danny sing a song together in each episode (sometimes originals like "Wacky Talk", sometimes older songs like "Be a Clown" or covers of '60s and '70s hits), and the various puppet characters often sing songs as well. A few years into the show's run the MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
-like "Rockin' with Rory" segment began, where a DJ puppet would introduce "Danny and the Spacecoasters" performing cover tunes. While the action was mostly videotaped on the space set, it wasn't unusual for the characters to venture down to Earth for filmed musical numbers.
Characters
- Goriddle Gorilla - A gravel-voiced, baboon-like creature. He has a tendency to be rude, obnoxious, nosey, lazy and a nuisance, but somehow the gang on the asteroid seem to like him just the way he is. He and Knock Knock introduce Gary Gnu whenever the Gary Gnu Show segment comes on. He is roommates with Edison the Elephant.
- Knock Knock Woodpecker - A prissy pink bird who lives in the hollow of a tree and tells a lot of knock-knock jokes. She, alongside Goriddle Gorilla, occasionally introduces Gary Gnu whenever the Gary Gnu Show segment comes on. Knock Knock also intros The Book Of The Week In Review segments by saying, "And Here's Gary Gnu, with The Book Of The Week In Review," usually waking Gary Gnu from a nap. Knock Knock also uses her sense of humor at times to give Goriddle Gorilla a taste of his own medicine.
- Edison the Elephant - A strange, robotic-looking elephant with a segmented, hose-like, ever-moving trunk and semi-transparent, fan-like ears, whose voice is an echo. He loves plants and tends a large garden. He and Goriddle Gorilla are roommates.
- Baxter- A large, gentle clown who once worked for M.T. Promises in an apparently slave-like situation, and lives in fear of ever going back. He now pilots the space coaster, taking the characters from Earth to the asteroid. He can magically disappear by twirling around, a talent he uses to escape M.T.'s attempts to catch him and bring him back to his circus. Whenever the gang wants to leave on a field trip, he always says, "The Great Space Coaster Is Ready For Takeoff." When the gang assembles, he always says, "Get On Board For A Magical Trip. And Where We Land This Time Is Anybody's Guess." He sometimes plays the "baxophone" (an instrument similar to a saxophoneSaxophoneThe saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
) with the Space Coaster Band. - Speed Reader - A young man who appears on the Gary Gnu show. He can allegedly read incredibly fast, zipping through an entire book (usually a recently-published novel for young readers) in seconds and then offering a short review. Before a reading, he'll warm up by doing "push-ups" with his eyelids (blinking rapidly and moving his eyes around). Before each Speed Reader appearance, there would be a short film and "Speed Reader" song, showing Speed Reader reading fast. Gary Gnu would sing the song along other people would shout "Speed Reader Speed Reader".
- M.T. Promises - A nefarious, bulgey-eyed, top-hatted, caped circus ringleader forever scheming to capture Baxter the clown and take him back to the circus. More silly than sinister, he sweeps onto and off the set accompanied by evil circus music.
- The Huggles - Small, furry creatures who have stories read to them by Baxter, usually about "Bamba the Barbarian". They also have a little sibling named Baby Huggle. Baxter brought the Huggles to the asteroid after he found their eggs in space. As their intro song put it, Baxter, "brought 'em home to hatch 'em, and now they're here to stay..." Introduced a few years into the series' run, the extreme (some would say excessive) cuteness of the these characters was an attempt to appeal to a younger demographic. Their catchphrase was "What's snappenin'!"
- Rory - A wild-looking lionlike DJ puppet, he appeared a few years into the show's run as the host of "Rockin' with Rory," a segment featuring music videos by "Danny and the Spacecoasters", typically performing covers of '60s hits.
- Gary Gnu - A gnuWildebeestThe wildebeest , also called the gnu is an antelope of the genus Connochaetes. It is a hooved mammal...
newscaster who does a show each episode and is well known for his catchphrase, "No Gnews is Good Gnews with Gary...Gnu". He would add a guttural "g" sound to the beginning of any word he spoke which normally began with an "n", such as "gnews" for "news" and "gnaturally" for "naturally". Whenever introduced by either Goriddle Gorilla or Knock Knock, the introduction is always, "And Now For Something Really Gnew, Here's Gary Gnu." The only difference is that Goriddle always says "WOW!" each time he introduces Gary Gnu. Gary always begins by saying, "This Is Gary Gnu. And The No Gnews Is Good Gnews Show. The Only TV Gnews Program Guaranteed To Contain No Gnews Whatsoever." Gary's unusual speaking style was inspired by the 1957 Flanders and SwannFlanders and SwannThe British duo Flanders and Swann were the actor and singer Michael Flanders and the composer, pianist and linguist Donald Swann , who collaborated in writing and performing comic songs....
song, The GnuThe Gnu"The Gnu" is a humorous song about a talking gnu by Flanders and Swann.The word gnu is consistently pronounced with two syllables as "g-noo", with the g clearly enunciated, and the n unpalatalised...
, which told the story of a gnu in a zoo who spoke much as Gary did, adding a "g" sound to the beginning of various words. Gary actually sang the song in one episode. Gary Gnu's gnewscasts were punctuated by comments and jeers from the filming crew. Occasionally he would be set up for a practical joke as the crew would call him a "turkey", followed by the dropping of a paper turkey (with Gary's picture taped over the face) onto Gnu's head, with a gobbling sound effect. - Baffle - A furry, horned magical alien. She casts spells by chanting this phrase: "Miki Pooka Tiki".
Cast
- Emily BindigerEmily BindigerEmily Bindiger is an American singer, belonging to the award-winning a cappella group The Accidentals....
... Francine - Kevin ClashKevin ClashKevin Jeffrey Clash is an American puppeteer and voice actor whose characters include Elmo, Baby Sinclair, Clifford, Splinter and Hoots the Owl...
... Goriddle Gorilla (voice) - Chris GiffordChris Gifford (actor)Chris Gifford is a writer and executive producer at Nickelodeon, where he co-created the Peabody award winning children's series Dora The Explorer and the successful spin-off "Go Diego Go." He was also a cast member on the hit 80s TV show, The Great Space Coaster.Gifford is a resident of...
... Danny - Francis Keane (also known as Frank Kane) ... Baxter (voice)
- John LoveladyJohn LoveladyJohn Lovelady is a right-handed puppeteer who worked with the Muppets, including on Sesame Street. He stopped working with the Muppets when The Muppet Show Season 1 ended but later joined the syndicated children's series The Great Space Coaster and also performed in a serialisation of Alice's...
... Knock Knock the Woodpecker/Edison the Elephant - Noel MacNealNoel MacNealNoel MacNeal is a puppeteer, writer, and director of children's television, best known as the voice and puppeteer of Bear in Bear in the Big Blue House and Breakfast with Bear...
... Knock Knock (1983-1986) (voice) - Jim MartinJim Martin (puppeteer)Jim Martin is a puppeteer, best known for his roles on Sesame Street. As part of the cast, he has won an Emmy Award. He has been nominated multiple times, and won for "Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design/Styling" at the Emmys, also for Sesame Street.-Early life:Martin graduated from St...
... Gary Gnu/M.T. Promises - Ken Myles ... Speed Reader
- Ray StephensRay Stephens (singer)Ray Stephens best known for starring in the 1980s TV series, The Great Space Coaster, as the character "Roy." In 1985, Stephens became the lead singer of the Village People. His sole recording with the group was their album, Sex Over the Phone.-External links:...
... Roy - Pam ArcieroPam ArcieroPam Arciero is puppeteer and voice-over artist who portrays Oscar the Grouch's girlfriend, Grundgetta, on Sesame Street.-Career:Arciero earned her Master's in Puppetry from the University of Connecticut....
... the Huggles