Adventures with Kanga Roddy
Children learn life lessons through martial arts wisdom.
Adventures with Kanga Roddy is a children's television series created by martial arts masters George Chung and Anthony Chan. It was executive produced by former San Francisco 49ers players Joe Montana and Ronnie Lott.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Children's television series
- Educational
- Adventure
- Musical
- Creator
- George Chung; Anthony Chan
- Starring
- Karen Lott
- Jennifer Montana
- Pat Morita
- Voices
- Mickey Thomas
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
- Seasons
- 2
- Episodes
- 26
Facts from the source article.
Premise
Each episode follows a group of children at a community center and their teachers, Jennifer Montana and Karen Lott, as they work on activities like reading, physical fitness, and arts and crafts. When an ethical or social problem causes unhappiness among the children, the teachers suggest they visit Uncle Pat, a rare bookstore owner played by Pat Morita. With his pet bookworm Shakespeare, Uncle Pat magically transports the children to the land of Hi-Yah, where Kanga Roddy lives. There, Kanga Roddy and his friends—Bantu, Tackle Bear, Cimbop and Kimbop, and Zatochi—help solve the problem through songs and examples. Kanga Roddy gains inspiration from flashbacks to lessons from Zatochi or encounters with Tackle Bear. The children and costumed cast present answers in song and dance, then return to review what they learned.
Cast
Pat Morita portrays Uncle Pat, a wise bookseller educated at Oxford who owns a rare book store next to the community center. He tries to read every book in the store and shares wisdom gained from his travels and reading, believing a smart person knows the right questions, not all the answers. Jennifer Montana plays Miss Lisa, a former professional volleyball player with a master's degree in physical education from UCLA, who teaches teamwork and team spirit at the community center. Karen Lott appears as Miss Becky, an artist who studied at the Sorbonne in Paris and brings celebrity friends to share knowledge with the children. Marissa Cheung plays Amy, a quiet but bossy girl who wants to be President of the United States or a company leader. Tyler Johnson portrays Billy, the class clown who is learning restraint and respect for others' feelings. Jafar Woods plays Dwain, a dancer with asthma who works to overcome it to become an athlete. Cori Najarian plays Kelly, who seeks attention and needs to learn social skills, and wants to be an actress. Alison Miller plays T.J., a singer and dancer with artistic talent who must apply herself more to her studies.
Production
Thirteen half-hour episodes were initially produced. One month after its debut, KTEH ordered 26 additional episodes and two one-hour specials. The final broadcast aired March 31, 2001, with episode 12 'We Are Family', and the show was dropped from KTEH's schedule the following month. Pat Morita hesitated to take the role of Uncle Pat due to his Karate Kid association but accepted it, deciding that was the price of fame.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which network aired Adventures with Kanga Roddy?
Adventures with Kanga Roddy aired on PBS Kids.
When did Adventures with Kanga Roddy first air?
Adventures with Kanga Roddy first aired on 4 April 1998.
When did Adventures with Kanga Roddy end?
Adventures with Kanga Roddy last aired in 2000.
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