Developed for television by Phil Harnage, and executive produced by Andy Heyward, the series was conceived as a tie-in to the Hasbro line of "Maxie" fashion dolls.[5] The title character Maxie is a straight-"A" student, cheerleader, and surfer girl, who attends Surfside High School in California. In addition to her life as a "typical" teenager, she routinely finds adventure solving crimes and investigating mysteries as host of her own TV show.
Premise
The series takes place in the fictional seaside town of "Surfside" and follows the adventures of teenager Maxie and her circle of friends. She attends Surfside High School where she is a popular straight "A" student, cheerleader and surfer girl, while after school, she serves as host and investigative reporter of her own eponymous talk show Maxie's World. Through her work as a journalist, she routinely finds herself called upon to investigate mysteries and solve crimes, bringing the perpetrators to justice. Frequently accompanying Maxie in her adventures is her boyfriend, Rob, a handsome and popular football and soccer star at Surfside High.
Additional members of Maxie's circle of friends include Ashley, Carly and Simone, while male friends Mushroom and Ferdie routinely provide the series with its slapstick comedy elements. Providing much of the series' conflict is Jeri, who is envious of Maxie and is often shown manipulating events to humiliate the TV star in an attempt to sabotage her career and get her own TV show. In addition to the comedy and mystery elements, the series occasionally takes the opportunity to address more serious issues, including one episode which deals with the issue of teenage smoking, and another, which deals with the issue of eating disorders.[4]
Maxie and the girls reminisce about Maxie's first date with Rob, which includes a series of comical misadventures, ultimately resulting in true romance.
Maxie and Rob begin to witness suspicious occurrences when a mysterious tall dark man attempts to sabotage the rides at the local amusement park.
3
"Wheelie Bad Dudes"
Jack Olesker
September 20, 1989 (1989-09-20)
Maxie's wheelchair-using assistant helps foil bike thieves.
4
"The Not-So Great Outdoors"
David Ehrman Sean Roche
September 21, 1989 (1989-09-21)
Maxie and the Surfside teens find outdoor adventure and healthy competition when they divide into teams of boys versus girls for a weekend camping trip.
5
"Goodbye Ghoul World"
Phil Harnage
September 22, 1989 (1989-09-22)
Maxie and the Surfside teens are called in to investigate a haunted cruise ship, the "S.S. Lady Luck" after passengers are frightened by visions of ghosts.
6
"This Rap's for You"
Mike O'Mahony
September 25, 1989 (1989-09-25)
An exchange student comes to Surfside and Mushroom and Ferd give him a rock star/rapper makeover in exchange for him helping them pass their classes.
7
"To Be or Not To Be Ferdie"
Kevin O'Donnell Cassandra Schafhausen
September 26, 1989 (1989-09-26)
Ferd tries to impress Jeri by changing his attitude and image.
8
"Misadventures in Babysitting"
Martha Moran
September 27, 1989 (1989-09-27)
Maxie and Simone find themselves unwittingly involved in a jewel heist after two bumbling thieves hide their ill-gotten loot in Maxie's nephew's diaper bag.
9
"Breaking Up is Hard to Do"
Jack Olesker
September 28, 1989 (1989-09-28)
Carly runs away when her parents get divorced.
10
"Fat Chance"
Phil Harnage
September 29, 1989 (1989-09-29)
Maxie and the Surfside teens participate in a swimsuit fashion show, prompting Ashley to experience body dysmorphic disorder and go on a crash diet.
11
"The Maxie Horror Picture Show"
Pat Allee Ben Hurst
October 2, 1989 (1989-10-02)
Maxie and the Surfside teens begin experiencing unexplained phenomenon when they decide to produce a horror film inside an old abandoned mansion.
12
"The Phantom Artists"
Anthony Adams Christina Adams
October 3, 1989 (1989-10-03)
Maxie and the Surfside teens take matters into their own hands when the mysterious "Graffiti Squad" goes on a rampage vandalizing Surfside's landmarks.
Rob begins exhibiting symptoms of stress and fatigue after over-committing himself to schoolwork, sports, and various other extra-curricular activities.
16
"Surfside Over the Rainbow"
Jack Olesker
October 9, 1989 (1989-10-09)
Maxie dreams of a faraway land where she finds sapphire sneakers, a dog named Tutu, the Wicked Witch of the Southwest, and the Wizard of Surf TV.
17
"Very Superstitious"
Richard Glatzer
October 10, 1989 (1989-10-10)
Maxie attempts to free Rob of his superstitions when the chef responsible for his "lucky pizza" moves away, causing Rob to become insecure and frightened.
The teens take on city council positions, but everything goes haywire when a blizzard hits Surfside.
19
"Mushroom and Ferdie's Hysterical Historical Adventure"
Martha Moran
October 12, 1989 (1989-10-12)
Mushroom and Ferdie dream of encounters with a series of legendary historical figures during an all-night study session for their Women's Studies class.
20
"Pirouettes and Forward Passes"
Betty G. Birney
October 13, 1989 (1989-10-13)
When Maxie reviews the school's ballet program, it is revealed that football player, Chad is a ballet dancer. When the team makes fun of him, Maxie and the coach have to show them how much they need Chad, as well as how ballet skills transfer to football.
21
"Friend or UFO?"
David Molitor
October 16, 1989 (1989-10-16)
Maxie and the Surfside teens begin to witness UFO sightings after Jeri devises a scheme to undermine Maxie's credibility and start her own TV show.
22
"Photo Opportunity"
Jack Hanrahan Eleanor Burian-Mohr
October 17, 1989 (1989-10-17)
Maxie and the Surfside teens reminisce about their previous school photos, in anticipation of taking their first class photo with the entire gang present.
23
"Do or Diary"
Jack Olesker
October 18, 1989 (1989-10-18)
After a late night finishing a science paper, Jeri accidentally turns her paper, news report, and diary professing feelings for Ferdie to the wrong places.
24
"Beach Blanket Battle"
Jack Olesker
October 19, 1989 (1989-10-19)
Maxie and the Surfside teens meet the Beverly Hills Teens who pay a visit to Surfside in order to compete in the "Beach Blanket Battle" charity challenge.
25
"Teaching an Old Teacher New Tricks"
David Ehrman Sean Roche
October 20, 1989 (1989-10-20)
Mr. Winchell, an elderly teacher at Surfside is told that he must retire at the end of the year after the principal decides his teaching methods are out of date.
26
"Hero Word-Ship"
Celia Bonaduce
October 22, 1989 (1989-10-22)
Rob meets his idol movie star Rocky Catalina, fantasizing about quitting school to be like him when Rocky brushes off education as a waste of time.
27
"Dear Hunk"
Betty G. Birney
October 23, 1989 (1989-10-23)
Ferd and Mushroom start a Dear Hunk advice column for school, but their advice has disastrous results.
28
"The Slumber Party"
Martha Moran
October 24, 1989 (1989-10-24)
Jeri's plan has unintended consequences when she throws a slumber party and attempts to recruit Mushroom and Ferdie to humiliate Maxie and her friends.
29
"A Dog's Tale"
Lisa Maliani Margaret Belgrade
October 25, 1989 (1989-10-25)
Maxie and her friends try to cheer up Simone, who is distraught after the death of her pet dog Otto.
30
"The Five Finger Discount"
David Ehrman Sean Roche
October 26, 1989 (1989-10-26)
Carly has a little sister from a big sister program, Melissa Johnson. To thank her, Melissa starts stealing gifts from Mr. Figgs Discount Emporium where her mother works.
31
"True Brit"
Robin Lyons Andrew Oliver
October 29, 1989 (1989-10-29)
Rob's British cousin Charlie comes to visit, causing misunderstandings.
32
"Future Schlock"
Judy Rothman
October 30, 1989 (1989-10-30)
Maxie and the Surfside teens get their career aptitude test results, prompting Maxie to fantasize about an assortment of potentially suitable career paths.
Home media
In 1990, select episodes were released in the United States on 30-minute, 60-minute, and 120 minute NTSC VHS tapes by Celebrity Home Entertainment's Just for Kids Mini Features line.[6][7] Beginning in 1991, select episodes were released in the United Kingdom on 30-minute, 60-minute, and 90-minute PAL VHS tapes by Abbey Home Entertainment.[8] The series was distributed by Claster Television, which was owned by Hasbro, the makers of the "Maxie" dolls. As a result, Hasbro must give approval before any future home video release of the series is made available. [citation needed]
On October 6, 2015, Mill Creek Entertainment released Maxie's World - The Complete Series on DVD in Region 1 for the very first time.[9]
UK VHS releases
Abbey Home Media (and Tempo Super Video) (April 15, 1991 – May 6, 1991)
Australia VHS release
Pickwick Video and Abbey Home Media (1991)
Crossover with Beverly Hills Teens
The Beverly Hills Teens made a crossover appearance in the Maxie's World episode "Beach Blanket Battle", where they visit Surfside High School to compete in a "Charity Challenge" against Maxie and her friends. As a crossover episode, certain elements of the Beverly Hills Teens character designs (such as hair color) were altered to help distinguish the Beverly Hills Teens from their Maxie's World counterparts.[8]
Maxie toy line
The "Maxie" toy line was originally conceived by Hasbro in 1986 after second-year sales of its fashion doll, Jem, did not live up to the toy company's expectations. In March 1988, Maxie, an 11½-inch tall, blonde-haired, blue-eyed, "All-American" teenage fashion doll was introduced onto toy store shelves, and was described as a competitor to Mattel's Barbie. For the launch, Hasbro had reportedly spent an estimated 70% of its annual advertising budget ($7 million) marketing the new doll.
In addition to the television series tie-in, promotion consisted of live presentations and television advertisements which starred Brooke Theiss as the live model. Commercials would typically feature the Maxie doll at school or various other activities, then switch to Theiss as the "real life" Maxie, which Hasbro vice president of public relations and promotions, Wayne Charness, described at the time as "innovative advertising for a fashion doll". By October 1988, sales of Maxie were said to be strong, with Charness reporting, "She's right on target with our projections for the first year. We certainly look forward to Maxie to be around for a long time."
The Maxie doll was typically priced between $5.50–$13 (approximately $10–$25 in 2013 currency) which was considered a slightly more affordable price range than Mattel's Barbie, the #1 selling fashion doll at the time. In contrast to Barbie, who, by that time, had evolved into more "adult" careers and endeavors, Maxie was marketed as a decidedly teenaged high school student and was available in several variations, including numerous beach-themed "Makin' Waves" and "Sun Splash", "Cheerleader", "Slumber Party", "Ballerina", "Hula Hoop", and "Perfect Prom".
Also available as part of the toy line was Maxie's boyfriend, "Rob", and her best friends, blonde "Carly", redhead "Ashley", and African American "Kristen" (later renamed "Simone" in keeping with the television series). Accessories for Maxie included her horse, Tiffany, a sailboat play set, a locker and shower play set, a Surf Watchin' lifeguard play set, and a hot tub and patio play set, as well as "Fancy Face" makeup for her and "Mix 'n Match" and "Cool 'n Classy" fashion lines. Additional merchandise included Maxie paper dolls, coloring books and lunch boxes.[10][11]
In 1989, Mattel answered Maxie with the introduction of Barbie's teenage cousin, Jazzie, her boyfriend, Dude, and her friends, Chelsie and Stacie.[12] Similar to Mattel's introduction of Barbie and the Rockers which was credited, in part, for the demise of Jem and the Holograms,[13] the introduction of Jazzie was described as delivering the "coup de grâce" to Maxie and, in January 1990, Hasbro announced it was discontinuing the Maxie toy line.[12]
References
^Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 382. ISBN978-1538103739.
