Now, here's a short-lived cartoon that has a cult following to this day - Pole Position. I would like to thank my older brother for getting me the DVD when it came out in 2008.
Named after the 1982 Namco arcade racing game of the same name, Pole Position was an 1984 cartoon about a family of three siblings called the Darretts, who, after their parents disappear in an unexplained explosion during a stunt race, run a stunt driving show as well as work for a secret government run by their uncle Zachary Darrett. With their sentient automobiles Roadie and Wheels, and their squeaky pet Kuma, teenagers Dan and Tess, and their younger sister Daisy, travel all over the United States of America catching bad guys and solving mysteries about ancient artefacts.
Now, the show was pretty much cool whenever the Darretts chased after the bad guys in their cars. Unfortunately, there wasn't that much of a plot, because the formula for all the Pole Position episodes just went basically like this:
1.The Darrett siblings drive their truck and/or do a stunt show.
2.Uncle Zachary radios in and briefs the Darrett siblings about their mission to either protect an ancient artefact or an important person, whether it be a human or an animal, from a random bad guy.
3.Kuma shows off some of his special acrobatic tricks, as Daisy looks on.
4.The Darrett siblings investigate the scene of the crime.
5.Daisy and/or Kuma get kidnapped by the bad guy, then get later rescued.
6.Dan goes out of his way to be a hero, almost getting himself killed in the process, only to be saved by either Roadie or Tess.
7.The Darrett siblings, riding Roadie and Wheels, chase after and catch the bad guy in a high-speed chase.
8.Uncle Zachary explains the whole story behind the artefact/person, solving the mystery.
9.Kuma does something silly, causing the Darrett siblings to laugh. The End.
10.Repeat next episode.
See what I mean? Now, according to co-story editor Michael Reaves, the original story arc for Pole Position was to have the Darrett siblings travel around the world, looking for clues about their parents' past as spies. But however, the deal fell through somehow. Now, considering the show has a thing for surprise twists (such as finding out in "Shadow of a Trout" that Dr. Zachary is wheelchair-bound), it's probably no surprise that the Darrett parents are still alive.
And now, my final thoughts: Since Inspector Gadget has made a comeback with his 2015 CGI cartoon, I would love to see the same treatment given to C.O.P.S., M.A.S.K., and Pole Position.
If a new Pole Position cartoon ever gets made, it should involve the Darrett siblings travelling all over the world, looking for clues to finding their parents, and here's the many cities of the world that the Darretts would visit: Paris, Toyko, Moscow, Hong Kong, Amsterdam, Hungary, London, Turkey, and so many more! The new Pole Position cartoon could also involve the Darretts actually fighting bad guys with their fists and feet, just like Speed Racer.
Also, here's who the voice-cast should be:
Bumper Robinson as Dan Darrett (just in case David Coburn isn't available)
Kath Soucie as Tess Darrett (since Lisa Lindgren died from cancer in 2005)
Tara Strong as Daisy Darrett (well, Kaleena Kiff is nowadays a director and a mom)
Jeff Bennett as Uncle Zachary Darrett (only if Jack Angel's far too old to reprise his role)
David Kaye as Roadie (I know Daryl Hickman is still alive, but he's probably retired by now)
Kevin Michael Richardson as Wheels (due to Mel Franklin passing away in 1995)
Frank Welker as Kuma (how can you go wrong with the Man of a Thousand Animal Voices?)
So there you have it, my thoughts on Pole Position.
Named after the 1982 Namco arcade racing game of the same name, Pole Position was an 1984 cartoon about a family of three siblings called the Darretts, who, after their parents disappear in an unexplained explosion during a stunt race, run a stunt driving show as well as work for a secret government run by their uncle Zachary Darrett. With their sentient automobiles Roadie and Wheels, and their squeaky pet Kuma, teenagers Dan and Tess, and their younger sister Daisy, travel all over the United States of America catching bad guys and solving mysteries about ancient artefacts.
Now, the show was pretty much cool whenever the Darretts chased after the bad guys in their cars. Unfortunately, there wasn't that much of a plot, because the formula for all the Pole Position episodes just went basically like this:
1.The Darrett siblings drive their truck and/or do a stunt show.
2.Uncle Zachary radios in and briefs the Darrett siblings about their mission to either protect an ancient artefact or an important person, whether it be a human or an animal, from a random bad guy.
3.Kuma shows off some of his special acrobatic tricks, as Daisy looks on.
4.The Darrett siblings investigate the scene of the crime.
5.Daisy and/or Kuma get kidnapped by the bad guy, then get later rescued.
6.Dan goes out of his way to be a hero, almost getting himself killed in the process, only to be saved by either Roadie or Tess.
7.The Darrett siblings, riding Roadie and Wheels, chase after and catch the bad guy in a high-speed chase.
8.Uncle Zachary explains the whole story behind the artefact/person, solving the mystery.
9.Kuma does something silly, causing the Darrett siblings to laugh. The End.
10.Repeat next episode.
See what I mean? Now, according to co-story editor Michael Reaves, the original story arc for Pole Position was to have the Darrett siblings travel around the world, looking for clues about their parents' past as spies. But however, the deal fell through somehow. Now, considering the show has a thing for surprise twists (such as finding out in "Shadow of a Trout" that Dr. Zachary is wheelchair-bound), it's probably no surprise that the Darrett parents are still alive.
And now, my final thoughts: Since Inspector Gadget has made a comeback with his 2015 CGI cartoon, I would love to see the same treatment given to C.O.P.S., M.A.S.K., and Pole Position.
If a new Pole Position cartoon ever gets made, it should involve the Darrett siblings travelling all over the world, looking for clues to finding their parents, and here's the many cities of the world that the Darretts would visit: Paris, Toyko, Moscow, Hong Kong, Amsterdam, Hungary, London, Turkey, and so many more! The new Pole Position cartoon could also involve the Darretts actually fighting bad guys with their fists and feet, just like Speed Racer.
Also, here's who the voice-cast should be:
Bumper Robinson as Dan Darrett (just in case David Coburn isn't available)
Kath Soucie as Tess Darrett (since Lisa Lindgren died from cancer in 2005)
Tara Strong as Daisy Darrett (well, Kaleena Kiff is nowadays a director and a mom)
Jeff Bennett as Uncle Zachary Darrett (only if Jack Angel's far too old to reprise his role)
David Kaye as Roadie (I know Daryl Hickman is still alive, but he's probably retired by now)
Kevin Michael Richardson as Wheels (due to Mel Franklin passing away in 1995)
Frank Welker as Kuma (how can you go wrong with the Man of a Thousand Animal Voices?)
So there you have it, my thoughts on Pole Position.