Space Racers is an educational animated television series. The show follows the Space Racers cadets, a group of anthropomorphic unique spaceships resembling and named after various species of birds, as they travel the Solar System exploring space through assigned missions. The main characters—Eagle, Hawk, Raven, Robyn, and Starling—are cadets at the Stardust Space Academy, and each episode they discover a series of space-based scientific discoveries. The cadets spend each episode traveling through outer space.345
Main article: List of Space Racers episodes
The series concept was developed by Richard Schweiger, who wanted to create a show based around animated vehicles that travel through space. In 2009, Schweiger and Julian Cohen developed the idea into a feature-film script, which won a screenwriting award. In 2010, Schweiger formed the company that would produce Space Racers, and instead of pursuing a film, decided to turn the concept into a television series.67 The idea developed into fifty individual 11 minute episodes for broadcast.8
The Space Racers TV series was produced in collaboration with NASA experts, with input from NASA experts on science-based facts incorporated into the episodes. The show also features NASA scientists and astronauts in live action interstitials. The Space Racers creators have also developed a website where viewers can find a preschool science curriculum on space science, which was developed in collaboration THIRTEEN productions (WNET) and SiiTE. SpaceRacers.com has a section for family-based education as well for educators and parents.9 Special screenings of episodes have been held at both the Kennedy Space Center and the Wallops NASA Visitor Center, in collaboration with Maryland Public Television.1011 In July 2014, the Virginia Air and Space Center opened a Space Racers-themed exhibit.12
On March 22, 2011, it originally launched as a web series under the name Space Race.13 It featured 4 characters/webisodes at launch, with two more webisodes released on April 22, 2011, and the last two on April 29, 2011.14 In total, there were 8 characters/webisodes (with 2 characters not returning in the TV series). All eight of the characters were interviewed by Gary Galaxy (played by Meyer DeLeeuw), a 3D Galaxy Adventure game, printables, and the “What Spaceship are You?” widget. As of today, the site and the webisodes (with the exception of the first webisode and trailer) are considered to be lost media.
In 2012, the web series was retitled to Space Racers.
In January 2013, it was announced that the web series would relaunch as a television series, with most of the characters remodeled and having new roles, along with some new characters. The show premiered worldwide on February 15, 2014, and in the U.S. on May 2, 2014.15161718 Since 2014, CAKE Entertainment is the international distributor for the show.1920
In mid 2016, the show was renewed for a second season, which premiered on October 31, 2016.2122
As of 2025, there has yet to be a third season for the show.
In the United States of America, the show was distributed by American Public Television and aired on select PBS stations from May 2, 2014 to October 31, 2016,23 and Universal Kids from October 31, 2016 to March 22, 2020.
In Canada, the show aired on Knowledge Kids from May 2, 2014 to November 26, 2015, and TVO Kids from November 27, 2015 to September 9, 2021.
1091 Pictures released the first two seasons on DVD and Blu-ray Disc on March 8, 2022. The first season was released on three discs, while the second season was released on two discs.
The show was first available worldwide on YouTube since May 2, 2014, and Netflix from March 15, 2015 to March 15, 2018, and March 31, 2020 to March 31, 2021. The show was added to Amazon Prime Video, Tubi, Vudu, and Roku on February 25, 2022.2728 The show was removed from Tubi in 2024.
Space Racers has won several awards in children's broadcasting including the American Public Television (APT) Programming Excellence Award in 2014 and a Parents’ Choice Recommended Award in 2015.29 30
Space Racers merchandise was introduced in November 2018. There are vehicle toys, plush toys, T-shirts, and Activity and Coloring Books. Space Racers merchandise is available for view at www.spaceracerstoys.com
Ramin Zahed (October 25, 2013). "'Space Racers' to Premiere on Public Television this Spring". Animation Magazine. Retrieved July 14, 2014. https://www.animationmagazine.net/tv/space-racers-premiere-public-television-spring ↩
Petski, Denise (May 1, 2017). "Sprout Rebranding To Universal Kids Network With 'Top Chef Junior', DreamWorks Animation Series". https://deadline.com/2017/05/sprout-rebranding-to-universal-kids-network-with-top-chef-junior-dreamworks-animation-series-1202080226/ ↩
Elizabeth Howell (March 6, 2014). "'Space Racers' TV Show Brings The Adorable (And The Science) To Preschoolers". Universe Today. Retrieved July 14, 2014. http://www.universetoday.com/110034/space-racers-tv-show-brings-the-adorable-and-the-science-to-preschoolers/ ↩
"NASA Wallops Visitor Center Hosting "Space Racers" Program for Kids". NASA. June 12, 2014. Retrieved July 14, 2014. https://www.nasa.gov/content/wallops-visitor-center-hosting-space-racers-program/ ↩
Hillary Busis (October 24, 2013). "NASA-approved 'Space Racers' coming to public television in 2014". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved July 14, 2014. http://family-room.ew.com/2013/10/24/space-racers-nasa-tv-show/ ↩
"Special viewing of preschool television program, Space Racers". Kennedy Space Center. July 11, 2014. Retrieved July 14, 2014. https://www.kennedyspacecenter.com/events/2014/july/space-racers.aspx ↩
Paitsel, Nicole (July 10, 2014). "New exhibit for kids opens at Hampton's Virginia Air and Space Center". dailypress.com. https://www.dailypress.com/entertainment/dp-xpm-20140710-2014-07-10-dp-fea-best-bets-spaceracers-0711-20140710-story.html ↩
"SPACE RACE Animated Web Series Ready for Lift Off". Business Wire. March 22, 2011. Retrieved March 22, 2011. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20110322005721/en/SPACE-RACE-Animated-Web-Series-Ready-Lift ↩
"Web Series "Space Race" Expands With Two New Episodes". Cartoon Brew. April 22, 2011. Retrieved April 22, 2011. https://www.cartoonbrew.com/biz/web-series-space-race-expands-with-two-new-episodes-41039.html ↩
Zahed, Ramin (October 25, 2013). "'Space Racers' to Premiere on Public Television this Spring". https://www.animationmagazine.net/tv/space-racers-premiere-public-television-spring/ ↩
"CAKE to distribute new space-themed series". http://kidscreen.com/2013/03/20/cake-to-distribute-new-space-themed-series/ ↩
"Space Racers: Synopsis". Cake Entertainment. Retrieved July 14, 2014. http://www.cakeentertainment.com/brand/44/space-racers/search ↩
"New Preschool Show 'Space Racers' Launches Tomorrow on Sprout". BroadwayWorld.com. November 4, 2016. Retrieved February 28, 2017. http://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwtv/article/New-Preschool-Show-SPACE-RACERS-Launches-Tomorrow-on-Sprout-20161104 ↩
Jennifer Wolfe (February 28, 2017). "CAKE to Launch 'Space Racers' Second Season". Animation World Network. Retrieved February 28, 2017. http://cakeentertainment.com/News/Item/1018 ↩
"SPACE RACERS American Public Television". www.aptonline.org. American Public Television. October 11, 2016. Archived from the original on October 11, 2016. Retrieved September 23, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20161011211718/http://www.aptonline.org/catalog.nsf/vLinkTitle/SPACE+RACERS ↩
"Space Racers | TVOKids.com". www.tvokids.com. October 19, 2016. https://www.tvokids.com/preschool/space-racers ↩
"UYoung launches preschool SVOD". https://kidscreen.com/2020/04/21/uyoung-launches-preschool-svod/ ↩
Jennifer Wolfe (March 31, 2014). "CAKE's 'Space Racers' Lands on France 5". Animation World Network. Retrieved July 14, 2014. http://www.awn.com/news/cakes-space-racers-lands-france-5 ↩
"Deals of the Week: Federation, Amazon Prime, Omens Studios". https://kidscreen.com/2022/02/25/deals-of-the-week-federation-amazon-prime-omens-studios/ ↩
"TV & Streaming News Bytes". February 25, 2022. https://www.animationmagazine.net/tv-streaming/tv-streaming-news-bytes/ ↩
Multiple Industry Awards Presented, Nearly 100 Titles Screened: American Public Television's Fall Marketplace 2014, American Public Television, November 19, 2014 http://www.aptonline.org/aptweb.nsf/vCorporateNews/Multiple%20Industry%20Awards%20Presented%20Nearly%20100%20Titles%20Screened%20American%20Public%20Television%20s%20Fall%20Marketplace%202014%7C11-19-2014/ ↩
Parents' Choice Award Winners: Television, Parents' Choice Award, January 22, 2015 http://www.parents-choice.org/award.cfm?thePage=television&p_code=p_tel&c_code=c_tel&orderby=award ↩