Kids Incorporated

The group members ranged in age from 8 - 17, although Moosie Drier was 20 at the beginning of the series. From Seasons 4 to 5 (1987 to 1989), there were six members (three of each gender); In Seasons 1 - 3 and 6 - 9 (1984 - 1987 and 1989 and 1991 - 1994), it consisted of three girls and two boys.

The characters on the show usually carried the names of the actors who played them (for instance, Stacy and Renee's characters were also named Stacy and Renee). However, in some cases, they were completely replaced. For example, Marta Marrero's character was named Gloria, Jerry Sharell's was named Mickey, and Jennifer Love Hewitt's was named Robin. Rahsaan Patterson was called The Kid, and his real name was not revealed as Rahsaan until well into the series. Last names rarely were mentioned.

Actors left the show when they "aged out" of their roles on it or if they wanted to work on other things. The disappearances of some actors, such as Jerry Sharell, Marta Marrero, Renee Sands, Rahsaan Patterson, and Moosie Drier, were written into the script. However, many of the characters were replaced without comment.

During Stacy's tenure on the show, she went from being the youngest to the oldest and holds the record for the longest run at six seasons, including the pilot.[2] Moosie Drier was part of the cast for five seasons. Renee Sands, Rahsaan Patterson, Kenny Ford, and Ryan Lambert were on it for four seasons each.

For many of the cast members, dancers and musicians, the show was the beginning of a successful career in the entertainment industry. The most visible stars are:

• Renee Sands and Stacy Ferguson,[3] both of whom are founding members of pop trio Wild Orchid. Stacy now performs with the Grammy Award-winning group The Black Eyed Peas, in addition to enjoying a very successful solo career, and currently is known by her stage name, Fergie.
  
• Martika (a.k.a. Marta Marrero)[4] became a singer with several hit records in the late 1980s-early 1990s ("Toy Soldiers"); she began using the single-name Martika billing during her time on the series.
• Mario Lopez[5] (Saved by the Bell, Pacific Blue, Extra and Dancing with the Stars) - Lopez appeared as a background dancer and musician throughout the series
• Eric Balfour (24, Haven, Skyline)
• Jennifer Love Hewitt,[6] who was credited simply as "Love Hewitt", (Party of Five, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Ghost Whisperer, Criminal Minds)
• Ryan Lambert (The Monster Squad, Elephone, Kill Moi)
• Haylie Johnson (Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman)
• Brian Friedman (bass guitarist, keyboards, keytar) – 1991–1994
• Brian Poth (keytarist, bass guitar, tambourine) – 1987–1988
• Shanice Wilson (keyboards, vocals) - 1984

Guest stars included both established celebrities and newcomers. Gwen Verdon, Kathy Johnson, Barry Williams, Florence Henderson (both former stars of The Brady Bunch), Billy Blanks, David Hasselhoff, John Franklin, Ryan Bollman, Christian Hoff, Paul Rodriguez, Brian Robbins, and Ruth Buzzi were among those who appeared during the run of the show. Young actors who guest starred on it included Brittany Murphy (1992), Scott Wolf, R.J. Williams, Jason Hervey, and Jeff Cohen ("Chunk" from The Goonies).

Throughout its history, various producers and production companies were associated with the show, including K-tel Entertainment, Lynch-Biller Productions (later Lynch Entertainment; now The Tom Lynch Company), RHI Entertainment, and MGM Television (a.k.a. MGM-Pathé). Hal Roach Studios/Qintex, the studio responsible for the Our Gang (Little Rascals) short films series of the 1930s, was also involved with it.

The show essentially launched the careers of creators and producers Gary Biller and Thomas W. Lynch, who would go on to create The Secret World of Alex Mack and Romeo! among many other shows, leading the New York Times to call him "the David E. Kelley of 'tween TV". Prior to it, Lynch and Biller created and produced a long-running music video series for TBS, Night Tracks.

The 1983 pilot was recorded in August 1983 but never shown on television; however, in 1985, it was released on VHS as Kids Incorporated: The Beginning. In order to include Rahsaan Patterson, who joined the show after the pilot was shot, a new storyline was edited into the film. His character, Kid, was depicted as the new kid in town, who was very shy and afraid to audition for the group. He also revealed the origins of them. The "Kid" scenes were filmed in 1985, and edited in, with the 1983 footage of the rest of the cast or in with it.

Two additional videos were released in 1985, entitled ChartBusters and The Best of Kids Incorporated. While the show was still in syndication, four albums were also released, titled

• Kids Incorporated (1983)
• Kids Incorporated (1984)
• Kids Incorporated: The Chart Hits (1985)
• Kids Incorporated: New Attitude (1985)

At least two of these achieved platinum sales status. No further ones were released when the show moved to the Disney Channel because the company that produced them, K-Tel Records, filed for bankruptcy at around the same time.

An original Japanese adaptation of the show, titled StarS, ran from 1999 to 2001. Between 13 and 26 episodes were filmed in each of its three seasons. A second version, StarS2, was scheduled to premiere on MBS in the summer of 2007. Both were produced by TOEI and co-produced by Sunrise Studios.

In addition, the American version, dubbed into Japanese, was shown on the MBS network until 2001.

The original New Zealand version of the show, High Life, began production in 1990. It ran periodically for five seasons, broadcasting six episodes per year, until 1995, when TVNZ-2 cancelled it.

The Rockets (aired on CKY Television in 1987, 1989 and 1991) is sort of a Canadian Kids Incorporated.