The series premiered in the United States on September 21, 2019, on Cartoon Network.[2] In March 2020, Power Players started airing reruns on Boomerang and Netflix.
Premise
9-year-old boy Axel Mulligan fights evil living toy Madcap and his minions with the help of the titular heroic toy team, the Power Players. Axel is also able to become a toy himself using the Power Bandz, a device created by his uncle Andrew.
Characters
Main
Axel (voiced by Julien Crampon in the French version, and Kieran Walton in the English Dub)[3] – Andrew's nephew, who gains the ability to transform into an action figure after discovering the Power Bandz.
Masko (voiced by Carlos Salazar)[3] – A toy luchador whose arms, legs and head stretch and who wears various masks based on his emotions.
Sarge Charge (voiced by Greg Chun)[3] – A tough, grizzled toy soldier who is an expert in toy weapons.
Bearbarian (voiced by Jamieson Price)[3] – A powerful, yet sensitive plush bear who wields a toy sledgehammer nicknamed the “Worldbreaker".
Bobbie Blobby (voiced by Reba Buhr)[3] – A small doll-like toy who pilots a purple mech suit that can fire clay.
Galileo (voiced by Todd Haberkorn)[3] – A blue lizard-like toy who is able to turn invisible.
Slobot (voiced by Landon McDonald)[3] – A robotic inventor who moves slowly, but is a valuable asset of the team.
Zoe (voiced by Carolina Ravassa) – Axel's friend, who is the only human who knows Axel's secret.
Recurring
Andrew (voiced by Scott Whyte)[3] – Axel's uncle, a brilliant toy inventor who created both Madcap and the Power Players.
Joyride (Ronin in French) (voiced by Zach Aguilar) – A robotic tank-like toy who was brought to life by Madcap, but later betrayed him and became an ally to the Power Players.
Villains
Madcap (voiced by Paul Haapaniemi)[3] – A villainous robotic toy who wants to drain the power of Axel's Power Bandz to conquer the world. He has the power to absorb and control Minergy and can use it to bring toys to life.
Orangutank and Porcupunk (voiced by Steven T. Seagle[3] and Scott Whyte[5] respectively) – Two of Madcap's henchmen. Orangutank can fire energy disks from his back and arms, while Porcupunk can launch explosive missiles from his body.
Princess Sugar Salt (voiced by Sona Movsesian)[6] – One of Madcap's henchmen, a fairy-like toy who wields a magical wand.
Dynamo (voiced by Todd Haberkorn)[3] – One of Madcap's henchmen, who has electromagnetic powers.
Ice Crusher (voiced by Steven T. Seagle)[6] – One of Madcap's henchmen, a hockey player toy who can control ice and has a Canadian accent.
Dr. Nautilus (voiced by Richard Steven Horvitz)[7] – One of Madcap's henchmen, a mutant cephalopod toy with one eye and four stretchable arms who resides in the sewers. He is able to generate both acid and sentient eyeball creatures.
Pyrant (voiced by Neil Kaplan)[citation needed] – One of Madcap's henchmen, a pyramid toy who can answer any question and has mind-control powers.
Development and production
The show was originally greenlit in 2016 under the working title Power Toys before being renamed Power Players.[8]
On February 11, 2019, the series was officially picked up by Cartoon Network, making it the first Zagtoon production to be made and produced for this channel, and Playmates became the toy licenser.[9][10]Power Players premiered on Cartoon Network UK on February 3, 2020.[11]
Axel ventures into his uncle's strictly off-limits basement lab in hopes of fixing a broken toy, and ends up unleashing living ones instead: the renegade Madcap and a team of superpowered toys dedicated to stopping him.
Axel finds himself at the center of a disagreement between Sarge and Masko over what is more important in battle - the weapon or the one who wields it - after Dynamo bonds the trio together using magnetism.
When Axel and the team try to figure out what Sarge Charge's secret weapon is, they get ejected from the house by his newly upgraded security system and must fight their way back inside before Madcap does.
Axel's friend Zoe builds her own battle suit in hopes of joining Axel's team, and tries to assist them in a battle against Pyrant and his army of mind-control drones.
Madcap’s latest creation, the Ice Crusher, puts the whole city in a deep freeze, forcing Axel and the team to face him in a game of high-stakes hockey or risk entering another ice age.
Axel and the team take to the desert dunes of a playground sandbox as Madcap attempts to unearth an army of Spy Lizards from the same toy line as Galileo.
Axel must embrace the spirit of dodgeball to stop Madcap and Princess Sugar Salt's battle over who is the better villain from spilling over into Zoe and Cleo's argument over who is the better coach.
When Madcap and his minions crash a soapbox derby, the team must stop the baddies and help Axel - who is stuck in a car with Luka - cross the finish line.
Axel and Masko are trying to protect the Knockout Box, Andrew's latest invention, from Orangutank, the latter thinking it will make him stronger, while trying to get some goulash for Masko and keeping Andrew asleep.
Masko takes Axel's call for more discipline too seriously and loses sight of his own identity in the process, becoming a no-nonsense soldier who is set on toeing the line and ill-equipped for a lucha libre with Madcap.
After a Porcupunk sighting, Axel leads a recon mission that slowly but surely proves to be a wild goose chase devised by Sarge, who is secretly pursuing a hobby that he is afraid to share with his teammates.
Princess Sugar Salt dupes Axel into hanging out with Cleo LeBall and usurps his role as team leader, forcing Zoe to step in and keep the toys together.
Axel and the team compete against themselves in tests of skill, strength, and stamina, but when SloBot gets belittled, he splits into three separate robots - each with their own evil personalities.
Axel has to clean up the living room in time for his uncle's dinner party, but trying to do too much at once leaves him stuck as a toy with Orangutank on the loose and less than an hour until the guests arrive.
After a screening of the King Arthur tale, Axel holds out his sword and declares himself king, but when Dynamo uses his magnetism to steal the weapon and bestow it upon Masko, it casts doubt among the team over who is the true leader.
When Axel opens a subscription gift-box he didn't even order, the team finds their ranks divided by a robotic bear who turns out to be a disguised Princess Sugar Salt.
Axel and his toys deploy the Joyride in a battle against Dr. Nautilus, who has punctured a water main to flood the sewers and establish himself as "Admiral Nautilus".
As Zoe preps Cleo LeBall's birthday party, Axel and the team run damage control against a jealous Princess Sugar Salt, who turns the decorations and gifts into instruments of chaos.
Zoe leaves Axel in charge of her school project of watching over an infant simulator doll, but when Madcap brings the doll to life, Axel and the team must stop the baby without damaging it or risk getting a failing grade.
Axel juggles looking after Luka and defending the house from Dr. Nautilus's latest creation, a tentacled monster that attacks from every drain, pipe, and faucet in the building.
Axel and Bobbie Blobby skip out on Sarge's disaster-prep drills, thus leaving enough of a gap in the team's defenses for a crow to swoop in and snatch Sarge! Feeling responsible, Axel leads the team on a search-and-rescue mission.
Tired of Axel and the team taking him for granted, Masko tries to get kidnapped and ends up stuck to Dynamo, who is less than enthused with his rubbery new sidekick.
Claiming to be good at heart, Dynamo convinces Axel and the team to help him find a battery that can power his centrifuge and free him from Madtrap's control - but Bobbie Blobby isn't buying the baddie's story.
When Axel and the team accuse Galileo of stealing their possessions, the lizard must hunt down the true culprit - a mysterious creature behind the wall - to prove his innocence.
Madcap and Princess Sugar Salt trap Axel and the team inside a Minergy-powered labyrinth that attacks them with their greatest fears, forcing them to work together and escape as a unit.
With Axel’s drone-wing broken, the team must find another way to stop Madcap and his minions as they take to the skies in toy airplanes for an aerial assault on the city park.
Madcap uses Minergy to transport Axel, Galileo, and Sarge into the pages of Axel's favorite comic book, the hero of which turns out not to be so cool after all.
When the local news interviews Uncle Andrew about his toy inventing, an envious Galileo stages a play in the park with the help of Axel and the team, only to be interrupted by an equally envious Madcap, who is out to steal the spotlight for himself.
Uncle Andrew warns Axel that his vintage "Agent Danger" action figure is off-limits, only to have the toy escape on its own! Axel and the team must return Danger to its rightful place before Uncle Andrew finds out.
During a brutal heatwave, Axel and his team must track down Thermometron 9000, which has been stolen by Ice Crusher to keep his hockey rink from melting and bait them into a rematch with him.
Axel and the team find themselves bested by Madcap when he uses digital devices to track their every move in combat, forcing them to act unpredictably to defeat him.
Sarge Charge and Galileo compete in a series of music-based challenges, which Porcupunk spies on and eventually attacks.
54
54
"Go Big or Go Home"
Unknown
Unknown
April 15, 2021 (2021-04-15)
127B
N/A
The Power Players have been bored due to a lack of evil toy attacks, so they go on a recon mission. However, they are attacked by Pyrant, who puts them and Madcap's army under his control.
55
55
"Weekend at Axel's"
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April 15, 2021 (2021-04-15)
128A
N/A
Madcap creates the Inversion Blaster, a gun which can completely drain a toy of Minergy. He uses it on Galileo, leading Axel to attempt to trade the Power Bands for his safety.
56
56
"Things That Go Bump in the Night"
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April 15, 2021 (2021-04-15)
128B
N/A
Axel, Luka, and Zoe are having a sleepover when Madcap and his army attack, having built an evil replica of the Power Bands. They must defeat him without waking Luka up and letting him discover the toy's existence.
57
57
"Fetch"
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April 15, 2021 (2021-04-15)
TBA
N/A
Andrew will not allow Axel to have a dog because he does not believe him to be responsible enough. In response, Slobot takes on a dog-like form to help infiltrate Madcap's lair.
58
58
"What's Wrong with Uncle Andrew?"
Unknown
Unknown
April 15, 2021 (2021-04-15)
TBA
N/A
Ruffin, a toy thief, gives Andrew virtual reality goggles that make him dangerously oblivious to the world around him in an effort to steal his toys. While Axel tries to keep Andrew safe, his team must stop Ruffin from stealing a Minergy battery.
59
59
"Scratch my Back"
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Unknown
April 15, 2021 (2021-04-15)
TBA
N/A
Bearbarian tears his back and revives the Scratch Pack to help ease his pain. However, they prove to be irresponsive, aggressive, and unwilling to do so.
60
60
"A Fistful of Minergy"
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April 15, 2021 (2021-04-15)
TBA
N/A
Madcap hires Joyride to help steal the Power Bands, causing him to undergo a crisis of morality.
61
61
"Serge Cherge"
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April 15, 2021 (2021-04-15)
TBA
N/A
The Power Players encounter Serge Cherge, a duplicate of Sarge Charge who was previously awakened alongside the rest of the Power Players, but forgotten about and subsequently trapped inside the toybox before escaping.
62
62
"The All-New-All Different Power Players!?"
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Unknown
April 15, 2021 (2021-04-15)
TBA
N/A
Ruffin captures the Power Players, so Axel assembles a new team to rescue them, consisting of Zoe, Bot-Guy, the Scratch Pack, and Joyride.
63
63
"Operation Midnight"
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Unknown
April 15, 2021 (2021-04-15)
TBA
N/A
Ruffin steals Luka's teddy bears, so the Power Players undergo a night operation to retrieve them.
64
64
"That's the Spirit!"
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April 15, 2021 (2021-04-15)
TBA
N/A
The Power Players go on a secret mission to Andrew's workshop to get new toys, where a holographic version of Madcap attacks.
65
65
"Pyrant Park"
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April 15, 2021 (2021-04-15)
TBA
N/A
Axel, Zoe, and Luka are playing at the park when Pyrant attacks, now controlling humans rather than toys.
66
66
"Ajar"
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April 15, 2021 (2021-04-15)
TBA
N/A
Masko is injured and loses his elasticity, so the Power Players go to Andrew's workshop to fix him.
67
67
"Jungle Boogie"
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Unknown
April 15, 2021 (2021-04-15)
TBA
N/A
Dr. Nautilus uses special gas to take control of Orangutank and Bearbarian and have them work for him.
68
68
"Take Cherge"
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April 15, 2021 (2021-04-15)
TBA
N/A
Serge Cherge takes control of Madcap's army after he disappears.
69
69
"Bot Out"
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April 15, 2021 (2021-04-15)
TBA
N/A
Madcap brings a group of robots from a video game to life to have them wreak havoc on the city.
70
70
"The Most Fun Ever"
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Unknown
April 15, 2021 (2021-04-15)
TBA
N/A
Axel and Madcap both seek to obtain Luka's special collector robot.
71
71
"Hot Pursuit"
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April 15, 2021 (2021-04-15)
TBA
N/A
Porcupunk and Orangutank steal Axel's phone, and he must recover it before his secret identity is exposed.
72
72
"On the Wrong Track"
Unknown
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April 15, 2021 (2021-04-15)
TBA
N/A
An unknown thief steals Sarge Charge's binoculars, so the Power Players go to retrieve them and uncover the culprit.
73
73
"Maxel & Adcap"
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Unknown
April 15, 2021 (2021-04-15)
TBA
N/A
Axel and Madcap inadvertently swap bodies after the latter interrupts the former's transformations. While Madcap wreaks havoc in Axel's room, Axel must make his way back to his house while battling Madcap's army.
74
74
"Remote-Controlled Chaos"
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April 15, 2021 (2021-04-15)
TBA
N/A
Joyride attempts to join the Power Players, but they ignore him due to being occupied with a remote-controller car. Madcap notices this and brings the car to life to fight them.
75
75
"Selfie!"
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Unknown
April 15, 2021 (2021-04-15)
TBA
N/A
Galileo becomes overly occupied with his social media blog, which puts him in danger, and Axel must keep him safe. As the two return to the park sandbox where Madcap once built a massive sand castle, he brings the giant lizard to life again to attack them.
76
76
"The Toy Knight Returns!"
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April 15, 2021 (2021-04-15)
TBA
N/A
Axel becomes dissatisfied with his dull, nice persona, and takes on a darker, black-suited one to impress his friends.
77
77
"Big Mad (Part 1)"
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April 15, 2021 (2021-04-15)
TBA
N/A
Madcap builds a giant suit of armor in a last-ditch effort to obtain the Power Bands, and drains the Minergy of his entire army to power it. Dr. Nautilus witnesses this and warns the Power Players of Madcap's plan, as Axel contemplates getting Andrew's help and revealing his secret.
78
78
"Big Mad (Part 2)"
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April 15, 2021 (2021-04-15)
TBA
N/A
Joyride fights Madcap to give the Power Players time to escape and formulate a plan. Slobot lends Axel his giant armor, but he is defeated, and Madcap drains Joyride of his Minergy. Andrew then reveals that he knew of Axel's secrets all along, and helps him create a trap that drains Madcap of his Minergy, killing him. Afterwards, Axel and Zoe recover Joyride with the intention of reviving him.
Home media
In 2021, Shout! Studios signed a deal with ZAG Heroez to secure the North American DVD rights to Power Players. Other media companies that will produce home media include Koch Media in Italy, LEONINE in Germany, and Dazzler Media in the United Kingdom.
