If you've got a case that needs super detection,
Well, here come the C.A.P.E.R.s and we never lose.


If you find yourself trying to recollect the adventures of The Kids From C.A.P.E.R. but are coming up blank, perhaps their blue van, known as the Big Bologna will ring a bell. No? How about the fact that it had an enormous hot dog mounted to its roof? It’s all coming back now, isn’t it?

The Civilian Authority for the Protection of Everybody, Regardless (or C.A.P.E.R) was a group of five teen hunks who worked in an undercover capacity for the 927th Police Precinct in the town of Northeast South Weston (and nothing says undercover like a hot dog truck.) P.T. was the fearless leader who managed to sniff out the various clues with his advanced sense of smell, Doomsday was the kindly introvert who could converse with animals, Doc was the charmer and the brains behind the operation, and Bugs was the oddball muscle of the team who would absolutely lose it whenever he heard the word “bananas.” 

The team worked under the direction of Chief Vinton, as well as receiving advice from their mentor, a puppet shark named Mr. Featherstone who resided in a fish tank within the Big Bologna. The team was relentlessly pursued by a young newspaper reporter named Klintseeker, ever thirsty for an exclusive. When the team wasn’t traveling in the wienermobile, they worked from their headquarters at the Krevlin Building – the world’s tallest building that contained no elevators.

Co-created by music super-producer Don Kirshner, and modeled heavily after The Monkees, it was not surprising that each episode featured its own wannabee Top-40 single. These songs would eventually find their way to a Kids From C.A.P.E.R. compilation record, released by Kirshner Records in 1977. The theme song for the series was written and sung by Ron Dante who previously had fronted the animated group The Archies.

Unfortunately, even with catchy music, plenty of silliness, a secret code each week and a legion of loyal fans, The Kids From C.A.P.E.R., which debuted in 1976, only lasted for two months before NBC put the show on hiatus. It returned a few months later but, all in all, there were only 13 episodes produced. Even the giant hot dog truck couldn’t save the day – but it does make for some fond memories.