"All around the nation. Whoa! See the new sensation!
Have you heard, have you heard, have you heard?
Kids Incorporated, K-I-D-S!"

When a pre-teen problem arises, say a schoolyard crush or even the task of turning a leprechaun into a rock star (hey, it could happen,) there was only one place to turn for answers – Kids Incorporated. Debuting in 1983 and featuring a cast of 10-17 year-olds, the gang solved the answers to life’s problems by singing their way through a list of cover tunes that spanned from the 60s to the 80s.

A pre-teen cover group of sorts, Kids Incorporated were the house band at the local ice cream shop, The P*lace (thanks to a burned out letter “A” in the sign) run by Mike, the soda jerk. While the lineup changed frequently, the band consisted of five performers and five dancers. The group tackled such adolescent issues as divorce, friendship and courage, all while covering everything from Elvis Presley to Cyndi Lauper hits.

Often, the life lessons took the backburner to good old fashioned kiddie entertainment such as the pilot episode, “The Beginning”, which told of how the group became the eventual house band of the P*lace. Two singing rivals, Mickey and Gloria, battled it out to land the leader position of the band and provided the perfect excuse to cover “Mickey” by Toni Basil and “Gloria” by Laurie Branigan (Gloria emerged victorious, by the way, and became the leader.)

Kids Incorporated ran in syndication from 1984-1986 and then moved to the Disney Channel, where it aired from 1986-1993. In its nine-year run, the turnover rate of performers was pretty high and featured a couple of faces that would go on to bigger and better things. One was singer/songwriter Martika and the other, actress Jennifer Love Hewitt. And although the dancers didn’t get quite the same spotlight treatment, a keen eye might spot Mario Lopez from Saved by the Bell boogying in the background.

A DVD release of Kids Incorporated episodes has been rumored for a couple of years now, but music licensing rights have presented a formidable challenge, not to mention the fact that three separate companies hold the rights to the show – MGM, 20th Century Fox and the Disney Channel. Until those obstacles are overcome, fond childhood memories are all that remain of the show.