Pole Position
About Pole Position
The video game boom of the early 1980's did not go unnoticed on Saturday morning. Shows like Pac-Man and Saturday Supercade brought arcade hits to television screens, and 1984's Pole Position carried on the trend.
Namco's Pole Position video game consisted of one car driving against other cars in a series of races. What made for an arcade hit didn't make for a very entertaining cartoon premise, so the producers spiced things up a bit.
Dan, Tess, and Daisy were three children left orphaned as a result of their parents' death in a car accident. Despite this unfortunate incident, the kids carried on the family's traditional Pole Position Stunt Show, performing with sentient cars Wheels (the rowdy one) and Roadie (the smart one). Also along for the ride was a cat/monkey hybrid pet named Kuma.
In addition to their performing responsibilities, the kids fought crime under the direction of their uncle, Dr. Zachary, who ran a governmental "Secret Force." Between foiling evildoers and entertaining the masses, the show provided many opportunities to re-create the hard driving excitement of the arcade game.
In a case of unfortunate timing, the animated Pole Position debuted at the same time that the video game market crashed. It took the coming of the Nintendo Entertainment System to revive the market, but Pole Position didn't survive the wait.
Episode guide
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The Code
While performing a stunt show, the kids get a message from their uncle about a level 3 emergency. On the way into the truck, Tess meets up with an old friend, Greg Dumont. Dan and Tess then…
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The Canine Vanishes
Dan and Tess receive a message from Zach to go assist Dr. Hastings, who's developed an important vaccine. They arrive at his research lab to find it on fire. In Wheels, Tess and Dan rescue…
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The Chicken Who Knew Too Much
There once was an undercover agency called Pole Position, run by Dr. Zachary Darret. The children of the original Pole Position not only wind up taking over the family business of stunt car…
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Strangers On The Ice
There once was an undercover agency called Pole Position, run by Dr. Zachary Darret. The children of the original Pole Position not only wind up taking over the family business of stunt car…
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The Race
Dan and Roadie are competing in an off road race that ends in Mexico. Zach believes that the race is being used to smuggle a stolen computer chip out of the country. After doing background…
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The Thirty-Nine Stripes
The gang is late to an auction in LA to buy four paintings for their uncle. When they arrive, they find out that three of the paintings have been sold and the third has mysteriously had a s…
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The Thirty-One Cent Mystery
While the kids are doing a stunt show at a state fair, Kuma is kidnapped. Kuma comes home early the next morning, all dirty and with a collar and chewed-off leash, and shows Dan a nickel, q…
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Dial M For Magic
While in New Mexico, the kids stop for gas in a weird small town. First, there aren't any grown-ups around, only children, and then a building catches on fire. When Roadie and Wheels try to…
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The Bear Affair
During a stunt show in Seattle, the kids get a message from their uncle. Dan is told to go to a phone both where the engineer who designed Roadie and Wheels was abducted. There Dan finds a…
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To Clutch A Thief
It begins with the kids chasing a hamburger-shaped car through a town and into a junkyard. There a clown gets out of the burger and makes a run for it. Tess and Dan chase after him, since t…
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The Secret
There once was an undercover agency called Pole Position, run by Dr. Zachary Darret. The children of the original Pole Position not only wind up taking over the family business of stunt car…
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Shadow Of A Trout
The kids chase a motorcycle through a dinosaur display at an amusement park. They apprehend the driver and call their uncle. However, he isn't there. They assume something is wrong and head…
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The Trouble With Kuma
The kids are vacationing on their uncle's yacht when Zach calls them. They have to go rescue a reclusive biologist, Mark Lungo, from a tropical island that will be hit by tidal wave. When t…
