Rocket Power (Nickelodeon)

ROCKET POWER is a cartoon about an athletic group of kids. The ace of the group is Otto Rocket (voiced by Joseph Ashton), or "Rocket Boy" -- a loyal friend who is skilled in all sports. Otto's 'zine-publishing sister Reggie (Shayna Fox) is wiser and also a great athlete -- a good role model for viewers. Rounding out the group are future filmmaker Twister Rodriguez (Ulysses Cuadra) -- whose family adds some diversity to the show -- and Sam "the Squid" Dullard (Gary Leroi Gray), who's more timid than his friends but also courageous and extremely smart.

Although the playful animation of Rocket Power shows kids accomplishing extreme feats that few real children of the same age could perform, for the most part the sports activity is depicted safely. The kids wear safety gear, surf with an adult, and skateboard on a backyard ramp and in a local skatepark. Of course, boarding down the armrail outside the local library or staging a neighborhood street luge isn't unheard of.

Like the characters on Rugrats, the Rocket Power kids inhabit their own world and sometimes appear unsupervised. But helping the kids through life lessons are Tito (Ray Bumatai), who embodies the wisdom of the ancient Hawaiians, and Ray Rocket (John Kassir), a surfer dude through and through but a conscientious dad as well. A Jamaican teacher/skate park owner also guides the kids.