Josie and the Pussycats in Outer Space
I was just recounting this powerhouse of a series to Michael the other day and decided a brief Googling was in order. This was the second season of the show and the prodcuers apparently felt the need to pump up the excitment by sending the very Earth-bound teen rock and roll band into the stars. It didn't really make much of a difference as the stories were all pretty cookie-cutter and more or less a weekly Scooby Doo rip-off anyway, but hey - I watched.
From beginnig to end, the series only produced 32 episodes, though as a kid it seemed there were like 175 different episodes at least. The show was clearly not a huge success for the Hanna-Barbara juggernaut at the time, but certainly gained a following in the years afterwards. A feature film, a tidy little ancillary market and nearly everyone in their mod-thirties being able to sing the theme song from beginning to end is a testament to that. Below, you can watch the theme songs from both Season One and Season Two. I know, I know. Your prayers are answered. You can thank me later.
Lunar.org has a detailed page about the series and how it came to be, along with some stills, and an explanation of how the band was launched into outer space for Season Two, as if one was really necessary for the average bleary-eyed 8 year old just out of bed:
"The story of how our heroes wound up in outer space (as recounted under the credits of every show) is that the band was invited to play at the launch of a new NASA spaceship (well, a new spaceship, anyway; there are no NASA logos or anything else that would indicate who built it, but there was nobody else in the US building spaceships at the time). They ride to the top of the gantry and pose in front of the open hatch for a photo-op. Alexandra attempts to knock Josie out of the spotlight (literally) with a body slam and they all go tumbling into to the open hatch. In a gravity and orientation challenged sequence worthy of Rocketship X-M, they fall inside, but the close-up shows them falling in toward the control panel at the front of the cabin (meaning that they were falling up since the rocket is standing on its tail). Anyway, as she falls, Alexandra grabs the launch lever and pulls it, sending them off. You don’t have to worry what happened to the photographers still on the gantry (who should have gotten toasted as the ship roared off) because the gantry conveniently disappears for the long shot of the ship taking off."
