Toxic Crusaders
Encyclopedia
Toxic Crusaders is an animated series based on The Toxic Avenger
films. It features Toxie, the lead character of the films leading a trio of misfit superhero
es who combat pollution
. This followed a trend of environmentally considerate
cartoons of the time, including Captain Planet and the Planeteers
, Swamp Thing
, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
. As this incarnation was aimed at children, Toxic Crusaders is considerably tamer than the edgy films it was based on (although it nevertheless contain many adult-oriented jokes that would go over most children's heads). Thirteen episodes were produced; however, only five aired on Fox
in early 1991 as a trial run for summer syndication.
, a company famous for such low-budget classic films as Chopper Chicks in Zombietown
, Class of Nuke 'Em High
, and Sgt. Kabukiman, NYPD, the animated Toxic Crusaders departed significantly from its live-action source.
The Toxic Avenger film series starred Melvin Junko, a scrawny nerd who, through exposure to toxic waste
, was mutated
into a “hideously deformed creature of superhuman size and strength.” In the films, “Toxie” took his revenge on industrial America by means of gory violence and bloodbaths. True to Troma’s reputation, other R-rated material abounded as well.
Only thirteen syndicated episodes of Toxic Crusaders were produced, but like the feature films, the episodes became cult favorites, spawning a string of merchandising.
Dr. Killemoff and Czar Zosta were cockroach-like extraterrestrials from the planet Smogula, which is a world where pollution is natural as fresh air and water is natural to Earth. Natives of Smougula thrive on pollution and need it to survive. For unexplained reasons, Czar Zosta and other Smogulans were able to withstand Earth's atmosphere without problems while Dr. Killemoff wears an breathing apparatus to survive. Killemoff, like most bad guys, also had a seemingly endless army of identical poor marksmen
called Radiation Rangers.
Other villains and heroes made their appearances on the show with equally ridiculous origins as the Crusaders. Few if any of these characters made more than one appearance.
, which was very popular in the early 1990s for its animated series
, feature film
, action figures, comic books, video games, and other merchandising. Most of the same companies that held licensing deals for Toxic Crusaders products were responsible for Ninja Turtles merchandise during this same time. Years later, Turtles co-creator Kevin Eastman
appeared in the fourth Toxic Avenger movie
as well as another Troma feature, Tales from the Crapper
. In fact, the same creative team that helped launch the Turtles franchise via Playmates Toys were responsible for interpolating the "R" rated film into something palatable for young kids, hence the name change. John Schulte and John Besmehn
from Pangea Corporation
, along with the marketing genius Karl Aaronian from Playmates Toys and other writers and designers, including Lloyd Kaufman himself, forged the look for the show, including devising characters for Toxie to battle and ideation for story lines.
Marvel Comics
released an eight-issue comic book
series which was not terribly successful. Part of the reason may be that it had no regular writer. Each issue was written by such notables as Steve Gerber
(issues #3 and #5), Ann Nocenti
(issue #7), David Leach & Jeremy Banx (lead strip script & artwork) and David Michelinie
(back up strip) (issue #8), Hilary Barta
(issue #2), and Simon Furman
(issues #1, 4, 6), none of whom had any particular interest in taking it on. A four book mini series was written and drawn by David Leach & Jeremy Banx. The series was solicited and the first issue written and drawn before being canceled along with all of Marvel TV tie-in titles. One noted issue was a direct parody of Captain Planet and the Planeteers, which spoofed the TV show and preachiness of the Planeteers, as opposed to the generally easy-going attitude of the Toxic Crusaders.
Playmates
, the same company responsible for Ninja Turtles action figures, released a line of similarly styled Toxic Crusader figures in 1991. The majority of characters featured bright neon
colors and glow-in-the-dark
accessories. TV commercials for the figures used the humorous tag line, "They're gross, but they still get girls!" A total of nine characters as well as some rather unorthodox vehicles saw toy shelves. Similar to the Ninja Turtles' Retromutagen Ooze, Playmates also marketed a canister of slime labeled Toxie's Toxic Waste. A toy line principally conceived by Aaronian and the design team at Troma and Pangea Corporation
, it saw a spike in initial sales due to its unusual and brash aesthetic. Some of the toys came packed with "Toxic Tips," which instructed kids how to make messes in their homes and otherwise muck up the environment. Angry ptotesting parents sent letters to Playmates and Pangea (and didn't bother with Troma since they were in the "R" rated drive-in movie business) to complain about their collective irresponsibility to children -- missing the obvious irony present in the toy and animated program.
Other tie-in products included coloring books, junior novels, Halloween
costumes, Colorforms
, Topps
trading cards, a board game, a card game, and puzzles. Video games were also produced by Bandai
and Sega
, which were released on the Nintendo Entertainment System
, Game Boy
, and Sega Genesis
.
Several years later, Troma released two Toxic Crusaders DVDs. The first was Toxic Crusaders: The Movie which consisted of the first three episodes of the series put together to form one story. The second release, Toxic Crusaders: Volume 1, is a collection of the first four episodes from the series. A box set, featuring all 13 episodes and all four Toxic Avenger movies, was released on April 29, 2008.
Troma was in talks to make a live action version of Toxic Crusaders at New Line Cinema. In Lloyd Kaufman
's first book, Everything I Know About Filmmaking I Learned from the Toxic Avenger, he claims that New Line did not live up to their end of the contract and the film was not made. Kaufman has speculated that New Line bought the rights because they were in negotiations to make the sequels to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie and wanted to use the Toxic Crusaders movie as leverage against the owners of the rights to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Troma sued New Line and was awarded an undisclosed amount in damages.
The Toxic Avenger
The Toxic Avenger is a 1984 comedy horror film released by Troma Entertainment, known for producing low budget B-movies with campy concepts. Virtually ignored upon its first release, The Toxic Avenger caught on with filmgoers after a long and successful midnight movie engagement at the famed...
films. It features Toxie, the lead character of the films leading a trio of misfit superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
es who combat pollution
Pollution
Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into a natural environment that causes instability, disorder, harm or discomfort to the ecosystem i.e. physical systems or living organisms. Pollution can take the form of chemical substances or energy, such as noise, heat or light...
. This followed a trend of environmentally considerate
Environmentalism
Environmentalism is a broad philosophy, ideology and social movement regarding concerns for environmental conservation and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seeks to incorporate the concerns of non-human elements...
cartoons of the time, including Captain Planet and the Planeteers
Captain Planet and the Planeteers
Captain Planet is the title character of the series. In the beginning of the series, Gaia assembles a modern-day team of "Planeteers" from several nations...
, Swamp Thing
Swamp Thing (1991 TV series)
Swamp Thing was an American animated television series based on the DC Comics character Swamp Thing. The series was short-lived, with the pilot episode airing on October 31, 1990 followed by four additional episodes airing weekly from April 20 to May 11, 1991...
, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987 TV series)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is an American animated television series produced by Murakami-Wolf-Swenson. The pilot was shown during the week of December 28, 1987 in syndication as a five part miniseries and began its official run on October 1, 1988...
. As this incarnation was aimed at children, Toxic Crusaders is considerably tamer than the edgy films it was based on (although it nevertheless contain many adult-oriented jokes that would go over most children's heads). Thirteen episodes were produced; however, only five aired on Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
in early 1991 as a trial run for summer syndication.
Overview
Prior to Toxic Crusaders, cartoons based on R-rated (under-17s must be accompanied) films had indeed been attempted with programs like Rambo: The Force of Freedom. However, the content of the Toxic Avenger films was arguably more controversial than many such films, featuring strong sexual content in addition to intense violence. Created by New York-based Troma, Inc.Troma Entertainment
Troma Entertainment is an American independent film production and distribution company founded by Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz in 1974.The company produces low-budget independent movies that play on 1950s horror with elements of farce...
, a company famous for such low-budget classic films as Chopper Chicks in Zombietown
Chopper Chicks in Zombietown
Chopper Chicks In Zombietown is a 1989 comedy horror movie released by Troma, featuring Billy Bob Thornton.The film is about an all-female motorcycle gang named the 'Cycle Sluts', who cruise into the isolated town of Zariah looking for a good time...
, Class of Nuke 'Em High
Class of Nuke 'Em High
Class of Nuke 'Em High, also known as Atomic High School, is a 1986 film made by cult classic B-movie production group Troma Entertainment. It was directed by Richard W. Haines and Lloyd Kaufman under the pseudonym Samuel Weil...
, and Sgt. Kabukiman, NYPD, the animated Toxic Crusaders departed significantly from its live-action source.
The Toxic Avenger film series starred Melvin Junko, a scrawny nerd who, through exposure to toxic waste
Toxic waste
Toxic waste is waste material that can cause death or injury to living creatures. It spreads quite easily and can contaminate lakes and rivers. The term is often used interchangeably with “hazardous waste”, or discarded material that can pose a long-term risk to health or environment.Toxic waste...
, was mutated
Mutant
In biology and especially genetics, a mutant is an individual, organism, or new genetic character, arising or resulting from an instance of mutation, which is a base-pair sequence change within the DNA of a gene or chromosome of an organism resulting in the creation of a new character or trait not...
into a “hideously deformed creature of superhuman size and strength.” In the films, “Toxie” took his revenge on industrial America by means of gory violence and bloodbaths. True to Troma’s reputation, other R-rated material abounded as well.
Only thirteen syndicated episodes of Toxic Crusaders were produced, but like the feature films, the episodes became cult favorites, spawning a string of merchandising.
Plot
Toxic Crusaders cleaned up Toxie’s act considerably. Toxie was still a grotesque mutant endowed with superhuman powers, but underneath it all, he was a good-hearted, law-abiding citizen. Another change from the films was that the toxic waste also mutated his mop into a sentient being that would sometimes battle enemies by itself or motion to Toxie ideas on how to solve problems. The villains were still polluters, albeit polluters from a different world. Hailing from the planet Smogula, Czar Zosta, Dr. Killemoff, and Psycho wreaked ecological havoc with the help of Tromaville’s corrupt Mayor Grody. Bonehead, a street punk who bullied Melvin, joins them in the first episode.Dr. Killemoff and Czar Zosta were cockroach-like extraterrestrials from the planet Smogula, which is a world where pollution is natural as fresh air and water is natural to Earth. Natives of Smougula thrive on pollution and need it to survive. For unexplained reasons, Czar Zosta and other Smogulans were able to withstand Earth's atmosphere without problems while Dr. Killemoff wears an breathing apparatus to survive. Killemoff, like most bad guys, also had a seemingly endless army of identical poor marksmen
Stormtrooper effect
The Principle of Evil Marksmanship states that enemy marksmen in action films are often very bad shots and almost never harm the main characters. They are generally only capable of hitting a target if the target is either of no value to the plot or if their death will advance said plot...
called Radiation Rangers.
Other villains and heroes made their appearances on the show with equally ridiculous origins as the Crusaders. Few if any of these characters made more than one appearance.
Crusaders
- Toxie (voiced by Paul EidingPaul EidingPaul Eiding is an American voice actor, voice instructor, and actor, perhaps best known as the voice actor behind Perceptor in the original Transformers cartoon, Roy Campbell in the Metal Gear series, the narrator in Diablo, Judicator Aldaris in StarCraft, and Max Tennyson in Ben 10, Ben 10: Alien...
) - The main protagonist of the series. Melvin Junko is a wimpy janitor at a health club who was often picked on by Bonehead and his friends. When Bonehead and his friends played a trick on Melvin which involved him wearing a tutu and unknowingly kissing a sheep, Melvin ran in embarrassment and ended up falling into a drum filled with toxic waste that turned him into a creature of superhuman size and strength. Toxie’s weapon of choice was a superpowered mop (named quite appropriately Mop) which had a mind of its own as it was also exposed to the toxic chemicals. Toxie also has a furry pink pet called Blobbie. - No-Zone - No-Zone was originally a test pilot who flew through a hole in the Ozone layerOzone layerThe ozone layer is a layer in Earth's atmosphere which contains relatively high concentrations of ozone . This layer absorbs 97–99% of the Sun's high frequency ultraviolet light, which is potentially damaging to the life forms on Earth...
and crashed into a silo of radioactive pepper. He gained the appearance of a blue-skinned humanoid with a wheel for a right foot and powerful sneezes emitted from his enormous nose. - Major Disaster - Major Disaster was originally a military man who gained the ability to control plants after falling into a radioactive swamp.
- Headbanger - A fusion of two opposing personalities into a conjoined body made up of Dr. Bender (voiced by Hal RayleHal RayleHal Rayle is an American voice actor. He has done many roles for both animated series and live action movies.-Career:Rayle has had a number of voice acting jobs over his career. Rayle's animated series roles include Lieutenant Commander Steele in SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron, Pipes, Snarl and...
) the cantankerous mad scientistMad scientistA mad scientist is a stock character of popular fiction, specifically science fiction. The mad scientist may be villainous or antagonistic, benign or neutral, and whether insane, eccentric, or simply bumbling, mad scientists often work with fictional technology in order to forward their schemes, if...
for the right half and Fender the surfer-like singing telegram boy for the left half. The Fender part was responsible for the accident where they fell into the atom-smasher and got joined into one body. Bender mutated into a green creature akin to Toxie, but Fender retained his human appearance. Headbanger originally worked with Dr. Killemoff when it came to his plot to put chemicals in the food at a fast food restaurant, but defected to Toxie's side after seeing that girls preferred the Toxic Crusaders. - Junkyard (voiced by Patric ZimmermanPatric ZimmermanPatric Laine Zimmerman is an American voice actor.He began his career in 1990, providing big voices for the animated television series Tale Spin and Tom & Jerry Kids. He voiced the character of Elroy Jetson in the film Jetsons: The Movie that same year...
) - Junkyard was originally a junkyard dogDogThe domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...
and a homeless man who took shelter in Junkyard's kennel which was covered in toxic waste when lightning struck it and merged them together into one humanoid dog.
Villains
- Czar Zosta - One of the primary antagonists of the series. Czar Zosta is a small Smogulan who is Dr. Killemoff's boss.
- Dr. Killemoff (voiced by Rodger BumpassRodger BumpassRodger Albert Bumpass is an American character actor and voice actor, who is noted for his long-running-roles as Squidward Tentacles on the hit series SpongeBob SquarePants, and The Chief from Where on Earth Is Carmen Sandiego?. He also voiced Professor Membrane on Invader Zim...
) - One of the primary antagonists of the series. He comes from the planet Smogula. Dr. Killemoff wears a breathing apparatus (which resembled a mask giving him a somewhat human appearance) in order to survive on non-polluted worlds. - Psycho (voiced by Michael J. PollardMichael J. Pollard- Early life :Born Michael John Pollack, Jr. in Passaic, New Jersey, he is the son of Sonia and Michael John Pollack. He attended the Montclair Academy and the Actors Studio.- Career :...
) - An obese bio-mechanical being that had an uncanny ability to guess the future, which was a key point in the TV show where his guesses would end up as the spoiler to how Killemoff's plans would fail. - Radiation Rangers - A bunch of hunched-over mutants in yellow hazardous material suits with intimidating gas masks that serve as Dr. Killemoff's foot soldiers.
- Bonehead (voiced by Hal RayleHal RayleHal Rayle is an American voice actor. He has done many roles for both animated series and live action movies.-Career:Rayle has had a number of voice acting jobs over his career. Rayle's animated series roles include Lieutenant Commander Steele in SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron, Pipes, Snarl and...
) - Bonehead was a bullying Earth punk who embarrassed Melvin in front of girls. He later attempts to fight Toxie when he finds Bonehead and his friends harassing Yvonne. In self-defense, Toxie throws him into a barrel of acid rain in the first episode, resulting in his skeletal appearance. Bonehead then joins forces with Dr. Killemoff. He was mostly brainless and incompetent. He is based on Bozo from the first movie. - Mayor Max Grody (voiced by Chuck McCannChuck McCannChuck McCann is a film actor, television actor, stage actor, and a voice actor from Brooklyn, New York.-Early career:...
) - The corrupt Mayor of Tromaville. He is based on Mayor Peter Belgoody from the first movie.- Mona - Mayor Grody's secretary.
Other characters
- Yvonne (voiced by Kath SoucieKath SoucieKatherine Elaine Soucie is an American voice actress. She is sometimes credited as Kath Soucie, Katherine Soucie, Kath Souci, Kath E...
in a Bronx accent) - Toxie’s buxom blonde girlfriend. Yvonne is often playing the accordionAccordionThe accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
and singing soprano so high that it would break things, but Toxie is too polite to criticize her about it. One time the show literally broke the fourth wallFourth wallThe fourth wall is the imaginary "wall" at the front of the stage in a traditional three-walled box set in a proscenium theatre, through which the audience sees the action in the world of the play...
in the form of Yvonne's singing causing the viewer's TV to break (in the form of animated broken glass), and Toxie apologizing to the viewer and saying the Toxic Crusaders will come by to buy them new TV sets. She is based on Toxie's blind girlfriend Sarah from the movies yet Yvonne is nearsighted. - Mrs. Junko (voiced by Susan SiloSusan SiloSusan Silo is an American actress and voice actress.-Early life and career:She was born in New York City, New York. Her acting career started in television on an episode of The Jack Benny Show. Silo also co-starred with Larry Blyden, Dawn Nickerson, and Diahn Williams in the NBC sitcom Harry's...
in a Jewish accent) - Toxie's mother. - Lloyd - A friend of the Toxic Crusaders. A joke about him in this series is that his wife and children also had the same full beard as he did.
- Snailman - A race car driver named Crash Shelby careened off a bridge into a barge full of snailSnailSnail is a common name applied to most of the members of the molluscan class Gastropoda that have coiled shells in the adult stage. When the word is used in its most general sense, it includes sea snails, land snails and freshwater snails. The word snail without any qualifier is however more often...
s where the engine oil merged him with a snail. He once helped the Toxic Crusaders fight Dr. Killemoff and Czar Zosta. - Mower Man - Mower Man was originally a gardenerGardeningGardening is the practice of growing and cultivating plants. Ornamental plants are normally grown for their flowers, foliage, or overall appearance; useful plants are grown for consumption , for their dyes, or for medicinal or cosmetic use...
who took a nap in a garden shed that happened to contain leaking gardening chemicals, which exploded in the heat of the day and made him into a half-man, half gardening equipment hybrid or as he preferred: "A hideously deformed creature of superhuman shears and strength." He once worked with Dr. Killemoff in a plot that involved Weed Monsters. After being fired for accidentally mowing the Weed Monsters, Mower Man was last seen applying for a job in the want ads to help Mayor Grody destroy incriminating evidence.
Episode list
- The Making of Toxie - This episode details the origin of Toxie as he becomes a superhero to fight the forces of Dr. Killemoff. He is soon joined by two more freaks named No-Zone and Major Disaster.
- This Spud's for You - Dr. Killemoff plots to place his chemicals in the food of a local fast food restaurant that No-Zone starts to work for. At the same time, Dr. Killemoff's mad scientist Dr. Bender is accidentally merged with a telegram boy named Fender which transforms them into Headbanger.
- Club Fred - To prepare for the arrival of aliens from Smogula, Dr. Killemoff has his Radiation Rangers clear out every elderly person out of their retirement homes in order to make room for their landing. The Toxic Crusaders find out about this plot and end up being joined in their battles by a humanoid dog named Junkyard.
- Tree Trouble - Dr. Killemoff plots to distribute "Smog in a Can." Meanwhile, Major Disaster falls in love with a tree surgeon named Emma Oakley.
- Pollution Solution - Dr. Killemoff sends his Radiation Rangers to infiltrate the Tromaville Toxic Dump in order to prepare for a Smogulan Invasion that is headed by his superior Czar Zosta.
- A Sight for Sore Eyes - Czar Zosta discovers a surplus of smog over the Tromaville Toxic Dump. When Dr. Killemoff's attempts to get the Toxic Crusaders out of the Tromaville Toxic Dump fails, Mayor Grody ends up moving them into his penthouse.
- Mr. Earth Superhero - Dr. Killemoff makes plans to destroy the Tromaville Shopping Mall in order to sell remote-activated Smog Inducers to the people of Tromaville. A new superhero called Mr. Earth tries to help the Toxic Crusaders, but causes more harm than help.
- Toxie Ties the Knot - Czar Zosta's daughter Princess Gerba of Smogula arrives in Tromaville where she ends up falling in love with Toxie. Dr. Killemoff ends up playimg the matchmaker for them.
- Invasion of the Biddy Snatchers - Czar Zosta has gotten tired of Dr. Killemoff's repeated failures that he ends up replacing him with GarBage. GarBage plans to replace the elderly citizens of Tromaville with evil clones.
- The Snail Must Go Through - The Toxic Crusaders prepare for Yvonne's concert as Dr. Killemoff and Czar Zosta prepare to pollute Tromaville. The Toxic Crusaders gain help from a new superhero called Snail Man.
- Nab That Toxie Cab - The Toxic Crusaders start a cab company where Toxie falls in love with his cab enough to make Yvonne jealous. Meanwhile, Dr. Killemoff and Mayor Grody plot to get rid of the Toxic Crusaders with a monster truck.
- Still Crazy After All These Shears - Mayor Grody's "Just Say Grow" campaign is actually a cover-up for Dr. Killemoff's latest plans to pollute Tromaville. Alien Seeds sprout into a Weed Monster and the Toxic Crusaders fight it alongside a new mutant named Mower Man.
- That's No Villain, That's My Mom - Czar Zosta attempts to invade Tromaville by hot air balloon filled with toxic fumes. To keep the Toxic Crusaders busy, Dr. Killemoff organizes a convention for hideously deformed creatures of superhuman size and strength. Meanwhile, Mrs. Junko ends up working as Dr. Killemoff's "Girl Friday" when Mayor Grody raises the rent of her house.
Cast
- Gregg BergerGregg BergerGreggory "Gregg" Berger is an American voice actor, who is known for his longtime role as Odie the dog from the Garfield franchise...
- - Susan BluSusan BluSusan Maria Blu , sometimes credited as Sue Blu, is an American voice actress, voice director, and casting director in American and Canadian cinema and television...
- - Rodger BumpassRodger BumpassRodger Albert Bumpass is an American character actor and voice actor, who is noted for his long-running-roles as Squidward Tentacles on the hit series SpongeBob SquarePants, and The Chief from Where on Earth Is Carmen Sandiego?. He also voiced Professor Membrane on Invader Zim...
- Dr. Killemoff - Paul EidingPaul EidingPaul Eiding is an American voice actor, voice instructor, and actor, perhaps best known as the voice actor behind Perceptor in the original Transformers cartoon, Roy Campbell in the Metal Gear series, the narrator in Diablo, Judicator Aldaris in StarCraft, and Max Tennyson in Ben 10, Ben 10: Alien...
- Toxie/Melvin Junko - Ed Gilbert -
- John MarianoJohn MarianoJohn Mariano is an Emmy Award winning American actor whose worked in film, television, animation and nightclubs. He is known for playing tough guys with a comic edge. His ability of physical comedy has been compared to Jerry Lewis and Buster Keaton. Keaton's late wife Eleanor was quoted as saying;...
- - Chuck McCannChuck McCannChuck McCann is a film actor, television actor, stage actor, and a voice actor from Brooklyn, New York.-Early career:...
- Mayor Max Grody - Michael J. PollardMichael J. Pollard- Early life :Born Michael John Pollack, Jr. in Passaic, New Jersey, he is the son of Sonia and Michael John Pollack. He attended the Montclair Academy and the Actors Studio.- Career :...
- Psycho - Hal RayleHal RayleHal Rayle is an American voice actor. He has done many roles for both animated series and live action movies.-Career:Rayle has had a number of voice acting jobs over his career. Rayle's animated series roles include Lieutenant Commander Steele in SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron, Pipes, Snarl and...
- Bonehead, Dr. Bender - Susan SiloSusan SiloSusan Silo is an American actress and voice actress.-Early life and career:She was born in New York City, New York. Her acting career started in television on an episode of The Jack Benny Show. Silo also co-starred with Larry Blyden, Dawn Nickerson, and Diahn Williams in the NBC sitcom Harry's...
- Mrs. Junko - Kath SoucieKath SoucieKatherine Elaine Soucie is an American voice actress. She is sometimes credited as Kath Soucie, Katherine Soucie, Kath Souci, Kath E...
- Yvonne - Patric ZimmermanPatric ZimmermanPatric Laine Zimmerman is an American voice actor.He began his career in 1990, providing big voices for the animated television series Tale Spin and Tom & Jerry Kids. He voiced the character of Elroy Jetson in the film Jetsons: The Movie that same year...
- Junkyard
Other media
The Toxic Crusaders franchise can be seen as a failed attempt at recreating the success of Teenage Mutant Ninja TurtlesTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are a fictional team of four teenage anthropomorphic turtles, who were trained by their anthropomorphic rat sensei in the art of ninjutsu and named after four Renaissance artists...
, which was very popular in the early 1990s for its animated series
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987 TV series)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is an American animated television series produced by Murakami-Wolf-Swenson. The pilot was shown during the week of December 28, 1987 in syndication as a five part miniseries and began its official run on October 1, 1988...
, feature film
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (film)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a 1990 American live-action film adaptation of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise directed by Steve Barron. The film was followed by three sequels: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze in 1991, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III in 1993, and...
, action figures, comic books, video games, and other merchandising. Most of the same companies that held licensing deals for Toxic Crusaders products were responsible for Ninja Turtles merchandise during this same time. Years later, Turtles co-creator Kevin Eastman
Kevin Eastman
Kevin Brooks Eastman is an American comic book artist and writer, best known as the creator of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Eastman is also the current owner, editor and publisher of the magazine Heavy Metal.-Early life:Eastman was born on May 30, 1962 in Springvale, Maine...
appeared in the fourth Toxic Avenger movie
Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger IV
Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger Part IV is a 2000 American superhero comedy film released by Troma Entertainment, directed by Lloyd Kaufman...
as well as another Troma feature, Tales from the Crapper
Tales from the Crapper
Tales from the Crapper is a 2004 straight-to-video anthology film that was a spoof of the Tales from the Crypt comics. The film was released by Troma Entertainment.-Plot:...
. In fact, the same creative team that helped launch the Turtles franchise via Playmates Toys were responsible for interpolating the "R" rated film into something palatable for young kids, hence the name change. John Schulte and John Besmehn
John Besmehn
John Charles Besmehn from San Jose, California, is a writer, director, and producer of animated and live action shows, and a developer of toys and entertainment properties...
from Pangea Corporation
Pangea Corporation
Pangea Corporation is an entertainment development and creative services company that specializes in the animation and toy industries. The company was part of the original creative team that launched the wildly popular "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" for Playmates Toys and Murakami-Wolf-Swenson, the...
, along with the marketing genius Karl Aaronian from Playmates Toys and other writers and designers, including Lloyd Kaufman himself, forged the look for the show, including devising characters for Toxie to battle and ideation for story lines.
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
released an eight-issue comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
series which was not terribly successful. Part of the reason may be that it had no regular writer. Each issue was written by such notables as Steve Gerber
Steve Gerber
Stephen Ross "Steve" Gerber was an American comic book writer best known as co-creator of the satiric Marvel Comics character Howard the Duck....
(issues #3 and #5), Ann Nocenti
Ann Nocenti
Ann "Annie" Nocenti is an American journalist, writer, editor, and filmmaker best known for her work on comic books and magazines. As an editor for Marvel Comics, she edited New Mutants and The Uncanny X-Men...
(issue #7), David Leach & Jeremy Banx (lead strip script & artwork) and David Michelinie
David Michelinie
-Biography:Some of his earliest work is for DC Comics's House of Secrets and a run on Swamp Thing , following Len Wein and preceding Gerry Conway, illustrated by Nestor Redondo. Michelinie did a run on Aquaman in Adventure Comics which led to the revival of the Sea King's own title in 1977...
(back up strip) (issue #8), Hilary Barta
Hilary Barta
Hilary Barta is an American comic book writer and artist.-Biography:Barta was born on June 17, 1957. His first comics work came in June 1982, when he helped legendary Marvel inkers Al Milgrom, Joe Sinnott and Sal Trapani provide inks for the pencils of Don Perlin on The Defenders #108...
(issue #2), and Simon Furman
Simon Furman
Simon Christopher Francis Furman is a comic book writer, particularly associated with of a number of notable Transformers comics for Marvel UK, Marvel US, Dreamwave, and most recently, IDW...
(issues #1, 4, 6), none of whom had any particular interest in taking it on. A four book mini series was written and drawn by David Leach & Jeremy Banx. The series was solicited and the first issue written and drawn before being canceled along with all of Marvel TV tie-in titles. One noted issue was a direct parody of Captain Planet and the Planeteers, which spoofed the TV show and preachiness of the Planeteers, as opposed to the generally easy-going attitude of the Toxic Crusaders.
Playmates
Playmates
"Playmates" may refer to:*Playmates , written in 1940*Playmates , directed by Mauritz Stiller*Playmates , starring Oliver Hardy*Playmates , starring Diana Serra Cary...
, the same company responsible for Ninja Turtles action figures, released a line of similarly styled Toxic Crusader figures in 1991. The majority of characters featured bright neon
Neon
Neon is the chemical element that has the symbol Ne and an atomic number of 10. Although a very common element in the universe, it is rare on Earth. A colorless, inert noble gas under standard conditions, neon gives a distinct reddish-orange glow when used in either low-voltage neon glow lamps or...
colors and glow-in-the-dark
Phosphorescence
Phosphorescence is a specific type of photoluminescence related to fluorescence. Unlike fluorescence, a phosphorescent material does not immediately re-emit the radiation it absorbs. The slower time scales of the re-emission are associated with "forbidden" energy state transitions in quantum...
accessories. TV commercials for the figures used the humorous tag line, "They're gross, but they still get girls!" A total of nine characters as well as some rather unorthodox vehicles saw toy shelves. Similar to the Ninja Turtles' Retromutagen Ooze, Playmates also marketed a canister of slime labeled Toxie's Toxic Waste. A toy line principally conceived by Aaronian and the design team at Troma and Pangea Corporation
Pangea Corporation
Pangea Corporation is an entertainment development and creative services company that specializes in the animation and toy industries. The company was part of the original creative team that launched the wildly popular "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" for Playmates Toys and Murakami-Wolf-Swenson, the...
, it saw a spike in initial sales due to its unusual and brash aesthetic. Some of the toys came packed with "Toxic Tips," which instructed kids how to make messes in their homes and otherwise muck up the environment. Angry ptotesting parents sent letters to Playmates and Pangea (and didn't bother with Troma since they were in the "R" rated drive-in movie business) to complain about their collective irresponsibility to children -- missing the obvious irony present in the toy and animated program.
Other tie-in products included coloring books, junior novels, Halloween
Halloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
costumes, Colorforms
Colorforms
Colorforms, invented by Harry and Patricia Kislevitz, refer to a general type of vinyl adhesive toy set produced under the Colorforms brand.-Definition:...
, Topps
Topps
The Topps Company, Inc., manufactures chewing gum, candy and collectibles. Based in New York, New York, Topps is best known as a leading producer of baseball cards, football cards, basketball cards, hockey cards and other sports and non-sports themed trading cards.-Company history:Topps itself was...
trading cards, a board game, a card game, and puzzles. Video games were also produced by Bandai
Bandai
is a Japanese toy making and video game company, as well as the producer of a large number of plastic model kits. It is the world's third-largest producer of toys . Some ex-Bandai group companies produce anime and tokusatsu programs...
and Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
, which were released on the Nintendo Entertainment System
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
, Game Boy
Game Boy
The , is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America in , and in Europe on...
, and Sega Genesis
Sega Mega Drive
The Sega Genesis is a fourth-generation video game console developed and produced by Sega. It was originally released in Japan in 1988 as , then in North America in 1989 as Sega Genesis, and in Europe, Australia and other PAL regions in 1990 as Mega Drive. The reason for the two names is that...
.
Several years later, Troma released two Toxic Crusaders DVDs. The first was Toxic Crusaders: The Movie which consisted of the first three episodes of the series put together to form one story. The second release, Toxic Crusaders: Volume 1, is a collection of the first four episodes from the series. A box set, featuring all 13 episodes and all four Toxic Avenger movies, was released on April 29, 2008.
Troma was in talks to make a live action version of Toxic Crusaders at New Line Cinema. In Lloyd Kaufman
Lloyd Kaufman
Lloyd Kaufman is an American film director, producer, screenwriter and occasional actor. With producer Michael Herz, he is the co-founder of Troma Entertainment film studio, and the director of many of their feature films, including The Toxic Avenger and Tromeo and Juliet. Kaufman also serves as...
's first book, Everything I Know About Filmmaking I Learned from the Toxic Avenger, he claims that New Line did not live up to their end of the contract and the film was not made. Kaufman has speculated that New Line bought the rights because they were in negotiations to make the sequels to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie and wanted to use the Toxic Crusaders movie as leverage against the owners of the rights to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Troma sued New Line and was awarded an undisclosed amount in damages.