50 Fun Facts About Speed Racer
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Take the 50-question quizWhat is Speed Racer's original Japanese title?
The anime aired on Fuji Television from April 1967 to March 1968.
Who wrote and illustrated the original manga?
It was serialised in Shueisha's Shōnen Book magazine in 1966.
Which studio produced the 1967 anime?
Tatsunoko regained all rights to the franchise in 2013 after a lawsuit with Speed Racer Enterprises.
Which two hit films gave the manga's creator the idea for the character?
He combined Elvis's race-car image, neckerchief and pompadour, with Bond's gadget-filled Aston Martin.
What is the hero's name in the original Japanese version?
It honours film star Toshiro Mifune; Gō is also a homophone for the number 5 on his car.
How many episodes of the original anime were produced?
A 1997 remake ran for 34 episodes, 13 of which were later adapted in English.
Which syndicator acquired the English-language rights and premiered Speed Racer in 1967?
Speed Racer Enterprises later removed all references to Trans-Lux and recreated the logo in the 1990s.
Who wrote, directed and voiced much of the English dub, including Speed and Racer X?
He also rearranged the theme's melody and wrote its English lyrics.
What is the name of Speed's girlfriend?
Her Japanese name, Michi Shimura, honours actor Takashi Shimura, a frequent Mifune co-star.
What is the name of Speed's little brother?
The US dub's producer said the name came from his being an energetic "sprite".
What kind of animal is Chim-Chim?
He and Speed's little brother wear identical jumpsuits and striped hats and can usually be bribed with candy.
What weapon do Speed's kid brother and his pet often use against threats?
Their mischief usually ends up steering Speed away from danger.
What was Pops Racer's career before building race cars?
He quit a corporate car maker to found Mifune Motors, renamed Racer Motors in America.
What is Racer X's real first name?
He is Speed's older brother, who ran away after wrecking one of Pops's cars.
What number does Racer X's car, the Shooting Star, carry?
Later comics explain he was the ninth student of Prince Kabala, hence the number.
What colour is the Shooting Star?
Its engine is in the back, and it is often shown as more agile than the Mach 5.
How many years before the series did Speed's older brother leave home after a crash?
He had been leading with less than a lap to go when he lost control.
What does the large red M on the Mach 5's hood stand for?
North American viewers assumed it meant Mach 5, and Latin American viewers Meteoro.
How does Speed deploy the Mach 5's gadgets?
The letter designations are exclusive to the anime and the 2008 film, not the manga.
How many special functions does the Mach Five have?
Each has its own control on the steering-wheel hub.
Who designed the Mach Five?
He was the studio's art director on the 1967 series.
What letter is embroidered on Speed's blue shirt?
It stands for his Japanese first name, Gō; his girlfriend's blouse carries an M for Michi.
Which vehicle does Speed's girlfriend often pilot during races to spot for him?
In the manga her father is president of Shimura Aviation, which explains why she has one.
What is the mechanic Sparky's full name in the 2008 film and The Next Generation?
In the anime and manga he is only ever called Sparky, or Sabu in Japanese.
How many racers make up the Car Acrobatic Team?
Their cars are numbered 11 to 26 and sprout wings to jump gaps and gorges.
Who leads the Car Acrobatic Team, driving the number 11 car?
He has a skull-like face, a feather on his helmet and a Z on his uniform.
Which hotheaded anime-only rival drives the number 12 car?
In the 2008 film he leads his own team, Hydra-Cell, in a snakeskin suit.
What was the Mammoth Car built almost entirely from?
Its builder entered it in the No Limit World Race to smuggle the gold out of the country.
Who built the Mammoth Car?
It screeches like Godzilla and is over 200 yards long.
What is the Mammoth Car's total horsepower with all its wheel engines?
The main engine has 7,500 hp and each wheel adds 1,500, for a top speed of 500 mph.
How is the Mammoth Car finally destroyed?
The intense heat returns it to its original gold form.
What is the GRX?
Designer Ben Cranem and four test drivers died from the impossible speeds, and the engine was buried with him.
What side effect does the V-gas have on drivers of the GRX?
The serum sharpens reflexes but leaves drivers desperately thirsty, and Curly Cranem crashes after a pit-stop drink.
The car name "Melange" was a mistransliteration of which of Napoleon's horses?
The episode even shows a version of David's painting Napoleon Crossing the Alps.
The Speed Racer title sequence is an early anime example of which effect?
Speed freezes mid-leap from the Mach 5 while the camera arcs around him.
Who composed the original theme music?
The US producer rearranged the melody and wrote English lyrics for the dub.
Roughly how many US viewers watched the original series during the 1960s and 70s?
It defined anime in the United States until the 1990s.
Where did IGN rank the original Speed Racer on its Best 100 Animated Series list?
A Mort Todd daily comic strip also ran in the New York Post in 2000–01.
Which network revived the original series in reruns in 1993, in the early morning hours?
It moved to Cartoon Network in 1996 and then to Boomerang until 2005.
How many episodes did the unauthorised 1993 reboot The New Adventures of Speed Racer last?
It swapped the original's gang violence and family themes for robots and mutants.
What was the English adaptation of Tatsunoko's 1997 remake called?
DiC's version aired on Nickelodeon in 2002, but licensing disputes limited it to 13 episodes.
Who directed the 2008 live-action Speed Racer film?
It was a box-office failure that later gained a strong cult following.
Who plays Speed in the 2008 film?
Nicholas Elia plays his younger self; Christina Ricci plays his girlfriend.
Who plays Pops Racer in the 2008 film?
Susan Sarandon plays Mom Racer, a much bigger role than in the anime.
Who plays Racer X in the 2008 film?
Scott Porter plays his younger self, who is believed dead in the film.
Where was the 2008 film shot?
Babelsberg Studios hosted the shoot from June to August 2007, aided by a record German film-fund grant.
Roughly how much did the 2008 film gross worldwide?
It cost $120 million and opened third behind Iron Man and What Happens in Vegas.
In the 2008 film, what is the corrupt tycoon Royalton's racing car called?
Driven by Cannonball Taylor, it hides an illegal spear-hook that Speed exposes in the Grand Prix.
Which rapper's "Daytona 500" video is made entirely of original Speed Racer footage?
Volkswagen also used Speed Racer in a 1996 GTI commercial.
Which producer announced a live-action Speed Racer series for Apple TV+ in 2022?
It is based on an unproduced script he wrote in the 1990s.
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