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Captain Power's Nuclear Cupboard - Bijou Planks 92/365 by Mayor Paprika

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Meanwhile, in Batcave 66...* Two sinister mechanoids showed up demanding to know the whereabouts of Captain Power!**

Then the positively dreadful Lord Dread arrived, breathing out multitudinous threats against Batman...***

And it all seems to center on... Grannies Cupboard!

Captain Power: Ho, there! Hold up! Hold forth!

Pilot Chase: We've found you, you villains!

Robin: Vac-metal vixens, Batman! Who is that!?

Lord Dread: AHA! It is Captain Power! You knew Grannie's Cupboard could not protect you from the wrath of me, Lord Dread!

Captain Power: Grannie's what!?

Batman: This is all... very irregular.

Captain Power: Stand down, Lord Dread! You know there's only one end to this. So, do we walk you out...

Pilot Chase: Or drag you out!?

Lord Dread: Neither! I have both of my Bio-Dreads with me! You will wish you had stayed hidden in Grannie's Cupboard!

Captain Power: What are you talking about? What is this Grannie's Cupboard?

Pilot Chase: It's probably diabolical double-talk, Captain! I bet it's code for secret nuclear silo!

Captain Power: A nuclear silo!? You FIEND!!

Lord Dread: Nuclear what? What are you talking about?

Robin: Cacophonous chaos, Batman! We-

Batman: Robin, be silent. They may... take care of themselves.

Captain Power: Hand over those nuclear codes, NOW!

Lord Dread: Your nonsense will not help you, you-

Batman: *ahem!* May I suggest... continuing the discussion... over burgers... at Boop's.

Captain Power: This is not the time for-

Pilot Chase: Oh, Boop's would be great!

Soaron Sky Sentry: Let's go to Boop's.

Captain Power: Fine.

Lord Dread: Fine!

What is this?? The mighty Captain Power and one of his Soldiers of the Future, the coquettishly coiffed Pilot Chase!

But what of Grannie's Cupboard? Instead of milk and cookies, does Grannie's prized cedar actually contain... NUCLEAR WEAPONS??

To be continued! Same Bat-TIME! Same Bat-CHANNEL!

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A year of the shows and performers of the Bijou Planks Theater.

The 1987 TV series Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future pioneered one of the earliest forms of interactive television-toy integration, produced in partnership with Mattel.

Each episode included dedicated interactive segments (typically 30 seconds to 3 minutes long, often during battle scenes) encoded with specific visual light pulses on screen.

These did not change the show's story or outcome—the episodes played identically for everyone—but let kids with the compatible toys actively "play along" like a real-time mini-game.

The toys used photodetectors (light sensors, essentially photodiodes) that detected precise flashing light patterns broadcast on the TV screen. These were visible pulses, not invisible infrared (though early plans considered IR).

Friendly targets (e.g., red enemy robots or glowing sections): Flashed at 30 Hz (1/60th second on/off). Aiming the toy and pulling the trigger when aligned registered a "hit," scoring a point (with lights, sounds, or feedback on the toy).

Enemy fire (e.g., yellow signals): Flashed at 15 Hz (1/30th second on/off). If the toy's sensor detected this, it lost a point (simulating damage). Toys started with a set number of "hit points" (often 5); reaching zero triggered effects like a cockpit opening or pilot figure ejecting with sound effects.

The toys also fired their own visible light beam (like a light gun) for the "shooting" action, but the core feedback came from the screen-to-toy sensor link. This worked on standard CRT TVs of the era (the bright, rapid flashes were noticeable and sometimes criticized as distracting). Toys could also battle each other in laser-tag style (one toy's beam triggering another's sensor) or interact with special interactive VHS tapes (e.g., "Future Force Training" missions with cockpit-view animation and cast intros).

It was groundbreaking for 1987—blending live-action TV, early CGI in the show, and physical toy feedback years before widespread video games or smart TVs—but the integration felt gimmicky to some and didn't influence the plot.

Mattel released a line of vehicles, playsets, and figures designed for this:

Power Jet XT-7 (the flagship toy, a blue-and-white spaceship/gun hybrid): The main interactive piece. Aim it at the screen like a light gun during segments to score hits or take damage. Zero points = cockpit pops open and ejects the tiny pilot figure. It also worked player-vs-player with other toys.

Phantom Stryker (enemy Bio-Dread ship): Similar sensor-based shooting and damage system.

Interlocker Throne (Lord Dread's base): Stationary playset with a removable viewer for targeting.

Power On platform: A base for the Captain Power action figure. Screen signals (or another toy firing at it) triggered the figure's chest to light up and play the "Power On" transformation sequence.

Other vehicles and later figures had varying levels of compatibility. Points could carry over between play sessions.

In short, it turned passive viewing into an active "shoot the TV" experience during specific moments, with the toy reacting in real time via light sensors. Commercials heavily demoed it, emphasizing "They actually fire back!" This was a bold (if commercially challenging) experiment in merging toys and TV.

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