Defending The Defenders: A Mortal Kombat Defenders of the Realm Defense

This Is a Cartoon Historian Special Presentation

Mortal Kombat Defenders of the Realm,was a Sunday Morning cartoon series that aired on the USA Network. Unfortunatly,the show was heavely critisized and dispised by the fantards,dispite having darker storylines that Almost rival that of Batman:The Animated series. Though,the show is great it's not without its faults.

Now the Fantards problem with the show is that it lacks blood,fatalities,and great fight scenes. The blood and gore aren't that big of a deal.Infact,in reality,it's a very very minor complant. Though the fantards make a big deal out of it.

However,I Will agree with them about the fight scenes and,somewhat,on the fatalities. I will now list all of the flaws of the Show.

Flaw # 1: No Deaths! There are no deaths in this series...which was annoying. The deaths don't have to be gorey(i mean look at the retro disney movies),but it was disappointing that no one died. Death Was mentioned and most villains came close to dying,but sadly no deaths.

Flaw # 2: The Not-So-Impressive Fight Scenes! If there was one thing Mortal Kombat is known for it's it awesome fight scenes. Sadly,the fight scenes in this show are slopely done. And I think there are scenes missing. Anyway,the Fantards have a right to complain about this one.

Flaw # 3: The Artwork and Animation. It's mediocre....very mediocre. Plus,it has errors. But,that's to be expected for a low budget cartoon of the early to mid 90's.

Ok,now that I've given you all of the Flawa,it's time to list the show's good aspects.

Good Aspect # 1: The Storylines. The plots of the series were good and serious,Unlike some of the other Game-based cartoons of the 90's,which were random and often times very lighthearted. Each episode is very well writen and had some emotion to them.

Another nice aspect about the Series is that The Main Bad Guy,Shao Khan,wasn't involved in all of the plots. In fact,he wes Only in a small amount of eps. There were multiple villian factions who were unrealated to Khan. This is was a huge and positive thing for action cartoons at the time.

Good Aspect # 2: The Voice Acting. The voice acting is excellent..then again,It's done by professionals. And I'm talking about the common group of VA's you hear in American Cartoons. I'll let you find out who plays who on your own.

Good Aspect # 3: The Music. The Music is well writen and goes wirth the scenes almost perfectly. In fact most of the music would fit rather well in the MK Universe.

I have said all than needs to be said about this show. It's not like what the MK Fantards say it is. It's very enjoyable..Ya just gotta give it a chance and Not compare it to the games. Here's a very very nice little tidbit for you,to help you watch the show: Don't Think Of It As A Game-Based Cartoon,But A Normal One.

Sound Advice from the Cartoon Historian to You.

Stay Gold!

*fades to black,CH Theme plays,credits roll*

Stefan 5-on-1 With The Dorkstalkers

This Is A Cartoon Historian Special Presentation

*cartoon historian theme plays*

*Stefan and All 5 members of the dorkstalkers are sitting at a round table*

Welcome to another totally awesome Cartoon Historian Special. Now this special is special,Why? because for the first time ever,I'm joined by the Dorkstalkers. This is their very first interview in over 18 years. Now some may not care about them,other may. But one things forsure,this is gonna be an interesting Interview. Welcome guys.

American Pyron: Thank you for having us.

American Raptor: Oh yeah,mate. It's great to finally be back.

American Dimitri: Yes. And Don't call us Dorkstalker. We are Not Dorks.

American Morrigan: Speak for yourself.

Dimitri: Silence,you flat-chested demon.

Morrigan: Why You!

Pyron: Enough!

American Anakaris: I am Happy to say that the Pharaoh's quest for Pudding has come to an end. And a very delicious one at that.

Riiiight. Ok. let's begin. So what have you've guys been doing for all this time?

Pyron: Well,after the Cancelation of Darkstalkers. We all decided to persue entertainment careers,despite the knowlage that once the'r show is canned,Animated characters have trouble getting work.

Raptor: We never let something like stop us from tryin'. Dig it!

Anakaris: To them,cartoon characters are like locusts in the Pharaoh's Kingdom.

Pyron: Anyway,we all auditioned for different roles...but got shot down every time. They said that we weren't the "Ideal" characters for their shows.

Morrigan: Hollywood really sucks.

Dimitri: *under breath* not as much as you *out loud* So,after many failiers,it was decided that we try other forms of work. It was a slow and painful prosses.but we each managed to get jobs.

Raptor: Unfortunatly,mate. We all were fired from them. We contacted our Agent to see if he had any roles for us? Sadly he had nothin'.

Anakaris: Good Agent,Bad Luck.

Pyron: So we decided to wait for anything from him. We spent decades living out daily life. Luckily,I had extra money.

Morrigan: Just enough to keep us goin'

Dimiti: We did do some odd jobs. But each was a 1 time deal.

Morrigan: Just like your dates.

Dimitri: Don't make me Bite you.

Morrigan: Oh,like you can.

Pyron: I said Enough!

Raptor: My latest gig was the opening act for the Misfits reunion tour. Gig didn't pay too well,but hey,a gigs a gig.

Pyron: We all pool our earnings to keep us going. We are living on my ship in space. Lucily,I have a great cloaking device,so no one can see or detect us.

Anakaris: I had a cloak once. I wonder what happened to it?

Pyron: We were thrilled when our agent called and told us that you managed to get in touch with him and were willing to help find us work.

Dimitri: At first we were hesitant,after all,could we really trust you. But after thinking it over,We've decided to take it.

Morrigan: My only gripe about this is that I might have to work with *points to dimitri* him again. It's bad enough that we live together,but do we have to work together again too. Work was my only salvation away from him.

Dimiti: You're no prize house-mate yourself. Shockingly,you're not the worst. Raptor is. He play's his loud obnoxious music every night for hours.

Raptor: Hey,I can't help it if I love playing my Ax. Besides,I gotta be prepared for any future gig that comes my way.

Pyron: *sigh* I deal with this kinda crap everyday.

Raptor: So,Mr. Cartoon Historian,what are we gonna do for this job?

Morrigan: And more importantly,how much does it pay?

It's a comedy show gig....

Dimitri *interupting and takin' offence*: We are Not Comedians. I don't do funny.

Morrigan: Then how come you dress like a clown?

Dimitri *angry*: You are Really starting to work my last nerve,you flat chested reject from a pros..*gets smacked with morrigans projectile*

Morrigan: You're Voice is getting on my last nerves,

Dimitri *gets up very angry*: That Does it *tackles morrigan out of her chair and the 2 fight*

Pyron *shouting*: Stop this at once,you Infants.

Anakaris: The Vampire and The Demon. Always fighting like Terriers and Callicos...or was that Eagles and Tigers?

Raptor: Yahoo! This fight needs some music*pulls out his guitar and starts wailing on it,playing music* Rock On,Dudes!

Pyron: *sighs and facepalm* Why did I get stuck with these idiots. Does the Universe hate me,or something?

*chuckles* Now this is great. See you guys are funny. And that's what you're gonna do..bring the funny.

Anakaris: Funny is like funny does! So says The Great Demi-God,Forrest Gump.

*Morrigan and Dimitri continue fighting*

Ok,guys that enough. *screams* Enough!

*the 2 stop fighting and return to their seats. Raptor stops playing his guitar*

Pyron: Thank you!

Now...I totally forgot the question.

Raptor: Maybe some tunes will jog your memory.

No that's fine. I just remembered another question. You can put on a concert later.

Raptor:*a bit upset* Fine.

Ok,do you guys attend any conventions?

Pyron: Not at all.

Dimitri: Not our thing.

Morrigan: Aye,those things get really crouded and ya have to wait in line for hours to get anything.

Raptor: Besides,we never get invited to any as special guests. whick kinda sucks. I mean,I have awesome musical talent.

Anakaris: Conventions are like the Great Laberynths of Nefertiti. You get lost real easily. It's very confusing.

Pyron: as are you my bandaged friend,as are you.

Ok,next question? Hows the rest of the cast doing? Do you talk with them anymore?

Morrigan: Not really.We don't seem to cross paths.

Dimitri: They are possibly avoiding you. Because you scare them so much.

Morrigan: Shut up. Atleast I'm not totally homely.

Dimitri: Oh,you're way beyond homely..you're downright gastly.

Morrigan *angry*: You want a foot in your face?

Dimitri: Forget it,you're feet smell so bad,not even I could stand it.

Morrigan *pissed*: I'm gonna...

Pyron*pissed,yelling*: Knock it Off You two or do I have to whoop both your asses..again. *sighs* Honestly,you 2 are nothing more than children. To answer your Question,Historian. No. We don't see or Here from any of them.

Raptor: Though,I heard Harry and Felicia are married. At least,so I've heard.

Anakaris: Ah,Human/Catgirl love! Very Sick! Smelly Succubus feet! Even sicker!

Dimitri: You and your scatter-brained proverbs. Do you Ever make any sence?

Anakaris: Of course I do...I think.

*Dimitri and Pyron groan*

Ok. So you guys haven't heard anything from you're former castmates?

Pyron: Nope,sorry. We haven't seen them in years.

Raptor: They never call,they never write. It's like they totally forgot about us. How rude!

So,what was it like off the set of your old show?

Pyron: Eh,pretty hum-drum. We usually talk for a while and then go our seperate ways until the filming of the next episode.

Raptor: Bishamon was kinda cool. I dig those Samurai-guys. And Hsien-Ko was kinda attractive for a Ghost Girl.

Dimitri: That Donovan was annoying,though. He and his Hindu mannerisms. He's a traveling Hindu monk in real life.

Anakaris: Hindu-Smindu,Rudabega is True Truth.

Morrigan: Would ya knock it off,with that. There Is no Great God,Rudabega.

Anakaris *grows offended*: You dare deny the existance of Rudabega,Great God of The Pharaohs! *quickly gets up* Infidel!

Pryron: Anakaris,knock it off!

Anakaris *sits back down*: Fine. But The Prophet,Mustafa will get you back for your insult,BatWoman.

Morrigan: Whatever.

Raptor: Another cutie was Felicia.

Dimitri: Yeah,she wasn't to bad looking. But Harry Grimore was another anoying one.

Morrigan: Y'know,normaly,I would say "You think everyones annoying",but this time I'm gonna agree. Grimore was a teenage wizard version of Oogtar,the Cave Kid. I never liked having him around. He was so annoying in so many ways. I also question why he was added to the show,since he wasn't even part of the games.

Raptor: Right,Luv. He also had this,'I'm Better Than You,Because I'm a Fresh Face', attitude. Little,Sot!

Pyron: Felecia was the only friend he had on the set. I trully have no clue what Felecia sees or saw in him?

Have you ever met your Real Counterparts,Y'know the Darkstalkers from the games?

Pyron: No. But they definatly heard of us. And they weren't too thrilled at the show. I read along time ago in a magazine,that they really though that the show gave them a bad name.

Dimitri: I remember that too. In that interview they said that America has turned them into jokes. I also remember,in that same interview,that my Counterpart thought that the show contributed to the falling popularity of their game series in the U.S.

Raptor: Those blokes got no sence of humor,I tell ya.

Anakaris: No Humor,No Victory!

Morrigan: I thought we did them a favor by showing them in a humorous light.

Right. Ok. Speaking of your old show.Do you wish your show got another season?

Pyron: Sometimes,late at night,I look out the window of my chamber and wonder what might have been,if the show continued beyond the 1st season. I wonder if the show would've improved or gotten worse.

Raptor *upset*: I'll tell ya what's worse,Fire dude,We didn't even get an action figure deal. That totally blows!

Anakaris: Just like the Desert Storm Winds.

Dimitri: I,for one,was glad when the show got canned. I was happy that I didn't have to work with Morrigan anymore. But unfortunatly,years later,I found out we were gonna live together. Time Sharing really bites...no pun intended.

Morrigan: Yeah well,You were no Mr. Happy Hour either,Bat-Breath. And I was triple upset that I was sharing a home with you.

Pyron *warning them*: Don't you two Dare start up again. I think you'd better move on to the next Question,Historian.

Right.Do you think you'd guys have better luck if you split up and lead seperate lives?

Pyron: I ask myself that same question almost daily. To be honest,I don't have a clue. Though,I do know that without these 4,I would have more room on my ship and less headaches.

Dimitri: I,for one,would've prefered it. Living without Morriganm would be a plesent dream. But the reality is,we can't afford to live seperatly...literaly. Our finances are limited.

Morrigan: I share the same sentement as,Dumb-Mitri here. As much as I'd love to live far away from him,I can't because of my finances. So infortunatly,I'm stuck with him.

Anakaris: We are one Big Sticky-Icky Family.

Pyron: Maybe you 4 should've time shared,and left me alone.

Raptor: C'mon dude,admit it,you can't live without us.

Pyron: Financially yes. emotionally,No way in hell.

Morrigan: Ya love us,admit it!

Pyron: I certainly will not.

Dimitri: He doesn't like to share his personal feelings. He most likely does.

Pyron *defencive*: Enough! Next Question,Please!

Do you think people often misunderstand you?

Dimitri: Yes. and it's all because of those damn Youtube poops.

Raptor: We may be goofy at times,but we're not stupid. Those videos make us look like brainless losers.

Anakaris: Youtube Poop needs to be flushed down the toilet. It's starting to smell worse than Cleopatra's sandals after a walk through the Sahara.

Morrigan: Well,the show's content didn't help matters for our popularity either. Ya gotta admit that. There were times where we acted downright dumb. I mean sure,the show was a funny parody of the Game series,but along with the funny stuff,came the Derpy stuff.

Pyron: Of course,people have different sences of humor. What's funny to some,is offencive to others. In our case,the Darkstalkers fantards. I just wish people would just treat us more seriously. We are not as stupid as these videos make us out to be.

Here's a fun one for ya. What are your opinions on todays cartoons?

Raptor: I don't mind them. In fact,I don't watch much Cartoons. Though,I do love Anime.

Dimitri: I don't watch much TV. I usually sleep during the day and go out at night.

Morrigan: I don't watch much TV either.

Anakaris: The great box of entertainment is both a blessing and a curse.

Pyron: I usually read. But from time to time,I watch TV to see whats on. Not very big on cartoons,but I must say that America's Sitcoms are getting really bad.

Ok,this ones for Dimitri. Is there anything that you and Morrigan Do agree about?

Dimitri: I hate to admit this,but yes. Sometimes we Do agree on things. Things that I will not disclose in public.

Morrigan: Not that we agree on much.

Raptor: I like it when you 2 fight. It's very entertaining.

Pyron: I wish they would get along most of the time and spare me some headaches. Too bad it won't happen.

Anakaris: 'Tis better to get along sometimes,then to have never gotten along at all.

Pyron: For a moment,Anakaris,you were starting to make sence.

Anakaris: I prefer rupies than cents.

*Pyron groans*

Ok.What do you see yourselves doing many many years from now?

Pyron *sighs*: Same old,same old,I'm afraid. I'm just cursed like that.

Raptor: With some luck,I hope to get a music contract. After all,I still rock and will always rock. I'm a much better artist than that repulsive little sot,Justin Bieber.

Morrigan: I really don't know. With so many failed jobs,things might just stay the way they are,like Pyron said.

Dimitri: God,I hope not. Spending the rest of eternity with Morrigan is a scenario would be too scary even for me.

Morrigan: Well,I'm not too thrilled about that realistic scenario either.

Anakaris: The Future is something you make yourself,like a sandwich.

Pyron: I'm impressed Anakaris. You managed to say 2 intellegent things in a row.

Anakaris: Holy Donuts!

Pyron: And now you have broken your streak.

Ok,final question. Hope you don't mind me asking,but what's your home life like?

Pyron: I,of course,am the owner of the ship. So I'm the Master.

Dimitri: Besides my forced bouts with Morrigan,I..

Morrigan *interups*: Just wait a bloody minute! What do you mean 'Forced Bouts'. You're the one who starts up. So if anythin I have forced bouts with you.

Dimitri: You're the one who starts things. I can list a million things that I can't stand about you.

Morrigan: Well I can list a trillion things I can't stand about you.

Pryon *yelling*: Shut The Hell Up! *sighs* You see now what I have to deal with. Between this,Raptor's loud insidious music,and being annoyed by Anikaris on a daily basis. My life is total hell. However,I do have those moments of peace.

Raptor: Hey,My music ain't insidious,it's Mega Awesome! You my fiery friend have no sence of music.

Anakaris: Home is like the inside of Nefertiti's sandal closet,there is no place like it.

Pyron *sarcasticaly*: Once again,Anakaris proves his great wisdom.

Ok guys,we are out of time. I'd like to thank you 5 for joining me.

Pyron: Well the pleasure was all yours. Hopefully,thanks in part to this interview,people will see us as who we truely are.

Dimitri: Yeah. I'm sick of us being looked down upon.

Raptor: If anything,those jerks they should appreciate the entertainment we've given them.

Morrigan: Or at the very least,respect it.

Anakaris: R.E.S.P.E.C.T.,That is what we'd like to see.

Well that's al for now,hope everyone enjoyed this special interview? For The Dorkstalkers...

Dimitri *interupting*: Stop Calling Us That,Damn it!

See ya next time on The Cartoon Historian.

CH theme plays,fades to black,and credits roll*

Cartoon Quickie: Mighty Max

Tom Z: Welcome to another cool edition of Cartoon Quickie. Today we'll take a look at Mighty Max,a cartoon that's based off of a semi-popular toyline.

Tom Z: Mighty Max follows the adventures of a boy named Max,a sage named Virgil,and a warrior named Norm.

Tom Z: Max is The hero of the series he's a rambunctious young teenager who is very good at getting out of (and into) trouble. One day, he receives a mysterious package containing a videotape and a red baseball cap with a large, yellow "M" on it. The cap is actually an ancient key to various portals found throughout time and space, and as he soon finds out, Max has been chosen as its bearer and protector. Upon donning the cap, he becomes the Capbearer - the Mighty One. Max soon meets Virgil and Norman. Lastly, Max meets his arch-enemy Skullmaster. Sometimes,Max shows reluctance to be the Mighty One, which only seems to get him into trouble and even greater danger. He would rather get on with being a normal everyday kid and play with his friends, but Virgil and the cap leave him with little choice.

Tom Z: Virgil is an owl-esque creture and the last living Lemurian. The Lemurians either created or discovered the portals, and later created the key in order to access them. Virgil is over ten thousand years old, and is very knowledgeable about both the past and future. However, the majority of his trust rests on his ancient texts, and he seems to lack compulsion. Virgil is always serious, and quite often frustrated by Max's carefree ways.

Tom Z: Norman is Max's mighty bodyguard. Norman is usually serious,but unlike Virgil,he seems to enjoy Max's carefree ways. Most of the time,Norman desplay's a cool temperment and has rarely given into rage.

Tom Z: Skullmaster is the primary villain of the series and the arch-nemesis of the Mighty One. He's an ancient warrior-sorcerer whose lust for power has driven him to destroy at least two civilizations, the Lemurians and the Atlanteans.

Tom Z: Warmonger is Skullmaster's lame-brained right-hand man. He usually finds himself doing Skullmaster's dirty work, but also enjoys the positions of relative power this gives him over other minions. Cruel and sadistic,he briefly showed ambition and deviousness when he tried to kill Skullmaster in one episode.

Tom Z: Max has other enemies,but I'm gonna let you see them for yourseves. This mini-review is spoiler-free after all.

Tom Z: The Artwork and Animation are typical of the 90's,though a bit better than average. The Music is good and goes with the scenes. Typical adventure show music.
The Overall Writing is pretty good,cool stories in most episodes. And The Voice Acting is top notch.

Tom Z: Mighty Max is Mighty enteertaining and is worth the watch. Well that about wraps it up for this Cartoon Quickie,I hope you enjoyed it. This'll be the last Cartoon Quickie for awhile,but when this segment returns,It'll be better than ever.

Tom Z: This is Tom Z....saying Stay Gold.

Cartoon Quickie: Street Sharks

Mina: Hey guys,Mina here bringing you another Cartoon Quickie. This time we'll be taking a look at Street Sharks. They bite,they fight,they stand for everything right.

Mina: A wacked out scientist named Dr. Paradigm is into unlawful gene-manipulation techniques. Dr. Bolton, a fellow professor, attempted to destroy Paradigm's research, and was transformed into an inhuman monstrosity by the evil scientist before escaping. Paradigm later kidnapped Bolton's four sons — John, Bobby, Coop, and Clint — to transform them into sharks. As soon as they transformed, the four brothers started causing havoc. Soon after,They planned to capture Paradigm so that they could force him to return them to normal and expose his genetic experiments.

Mina: John Bolton aka Ripster,is the oldest and smartest of the group. He's also the leader. He's not only an inventer,but a pool player as well.

Mina: Clint Bolton aka Jab is the lazy one of the group. However he loves boxing. He also have some talent with mechanics. Jab also appears to be more in tune with his animal side than his siblings, roaring and snarling when angry or excited over something.

Mina: Robert "Bobby" Bolton, Jr. aka Streex is the token 'cool' brother and self proclaimed ladies' man. He enjoys rollerblading and extreme sports.

Mina: Coop Bolton aka Big Slammu is the youngest brother. He's very sport-oriented and is the Strongman of the team.

Mina: Now for the Shark's enemy. The Evil Dr. Piranoid. Dr. Luther Paradigm is a university professor who aims to dominate Fisson City while maintaining a public image. In an accident,Paradigm is injected with piranha DNA,gaining the moniker "Dr. Piranoid". He has a bunch of lackies that are based off of sea creatures.

Mina:The Sharks have a bunch of allies and friends,but you can find out about them yourselves. Cartoon Quickie is NOT a place for spoilers. These mini-reviews started and will stay spoiler-free.

Mina: Anyway,The Artwork and Animation are the typical 90's stuff. nice looking,but has errors. The Music is good. The theme song rocks. The Overall Writing is ok,though nothing great. There are some minor inconsistacies within each episode,but you'll find that in many 80's and 90's cartoons. The Voice Acting is decent,though could've used improvement. The Acting is done by the company which is now known as Ocean Group.

Mina: So,despite the errors and minor inconsistancies,Street Sharks are Jawsome and worth watching! Stay tune for another Cartoon Quicke,where Tom Z will be taking a look at Mighty Max.

Cartoon Quickie: Tiny Toon Adventures.

Their Tiny,Their Toonyh and they are very looney. They are the Tiny Toons. Tiny Toon adventures is basically Looney Toons of the 90's generation. However,the Looney Toons characters aren't the stars. Instead,their younger counterparts are. Each Looney Toon have a modern day counterpart.

The story takes place in Acme Acres,where the LT counterparts live. The characters attend Acme Loonerversity (or acme loo for short),where their teachers are the Looney Toons themselves,with the Legendary Bugs Bunny as the principal.

Let's look at some of the characters,shall we. Buster and Babs Bunny(no relation!) are the stars of the show. Buster is a blue rabbit with a cool personality. He often takes up after his mentor (and counterpart)Bugs Bunny. Babs is the more comical of the duo. She's nergetic and random,as well as a bit ridiculous at times. One of her trademark abilities is doing impersonations of celebrities or of her friends. Unfortunatly Babs has no counterpart as Lola Bunny wouldn't be created until 1996.

Plucky Duck is both greedy and egotistical,like his hero (and counterpart)Daffy Duck,often engaging in various schemes with the goal of personal glory.

Hampton J. Pig is Porky's Counterpart.Hamton's role in the series is as a straight man, often against Plucky's antics. Hamton is also obsessed with cleanliness.

Elmyra Duff is Elmer Fudds counterpart,though she doesn't act like him much. Elmyra is obsessed with cute animals and often times captures them and takes them home with her. Elmyra is also a bit on the ignorant side,she is unaware that her affection is in fact a form of torture. as a result she accidently ends up hurting her pets serverely and sometimes even killing them.

Montana Max is Yosimite Sam's counterpart and rechest guy in Acme Acres.He is bad-tempered, loud-mouthed,and money-hungry.

There are tons more characters,but I'd rather let you discover(or re-discover)them for yourselves. Now on to the rest of the mini-review.

The Artwork and Animation are what to expect from a Warner Bros. Cartoon. However,despite how good it is,there are some errors. The Music itself isn't all that special,but it gets the job done.

The Overall Writing is good and funny. Just like you would expect from a 90's version of Looney Toones. The Voice Acting is awesome.

Tiny Toon Adventures is a cool and funny show and really really really helped the Looney Toon franchise in the 90's. The show was later replaced by Animaniacs. I really recommend watching it.

Well that's it,see ya next time on Cartoon Quickie.

Cartoon Quickie: Wild West C.O.W.-Boys of Moo Mesa

Welcome all to another adition of Cartoon Quickie. This time we'll be taking a look at the show,Wild West C.O.W.-Boys of Moo Mesa.

In the year 1890,an irradiated meteor struck the Western plains creating a miles high mesa shrouded in clouds. Almost every animal effected by said meteor evolved into a human-oid state.

Inspired by old tales of the Wild West, this new community developed to the point where they emulated that era's way of life. However,their knowledge of Wild West living was limited, and as such, many things about their culture had to be improvised. The concepts of steampunk and Wild West were utilized throughout its run.

The series focuses on trying to keep justice in the frontier territory. The lawbreakers were too much for the corrupt regulators of Cowtown (Mayor Bulloney and Sheriff Terrorbull) to handle by themselves.

Helping them out,whether they wanted it or not,were a group of peacekeepers known as C.O.W. Boys, short for "Code of the West." The C.O.W Boys had their hands full with various ruffians and outlaw gangs that plagued the otherwise peaceful town.


Marshal Moo Montana is the leader of the C.O.W.-Boys and marshall of Moo Mesa. Courageous and quick on his hooves, Moo Montana "battles the bad guys and makes the West a safer place to graze". He lives by the Code of the West, which he seems to make up as he goes along.


Marshal Moo is aided by his 2 deputies,The Dakoda Dude and The Cowlorodo Kid. The Dakota Dude is a Gentel Giant,despite how mean he looks. He's soft-spoken and possesses a cool temperament.

The Cowlorado Kid is the youngest of the group and a self-proclaimed ladies' man with a good singing voice. Regardless of his skill with the lasso and guitar. Cowlorado isn't a deputy yet. The Kid also has a bit of an adventurous side.

Supporting the heroes are,Lily Bovine,Cowlamity Kate Cudster,and Cody Calf. Lily Bovine is a former showgirl and owner of the local saloon,The Tumbleweed. She's also the saloon's bartender. Cowlamity Kate is a tomboyish rancher and operator of the highly profitable Golden Cud Mine. She's as hard-working and hard-riding as any bull, and has enough skill with a lasso to put Cowlorado to shame.

And finally their's Little Cody Calf. He idolizes the marshall and hopes to be a lawcow himself when he grows up. He is apparently related to Lily Bovine in some way and lives with her, though he does not appear to be her son; like everyone else, he refers to her as "Miss Lily". Though well meaning, he often gets himself into serious trouble trying to "help" the lawcows, but has been a useful asset on several occasions.

And now the Outlaws. Mayor Oscar Bulloney is the greedy and corrupt mayor of Cowtown in Moo Mesa, Bulloney rigs elections and makes taxes so high that the Masked Bull compares it to stealing. He also serves as Cowtown's crooked Justice of the Peace and Bank President.

Sheriff Terrorbull was selected by Bulloney to be the town's sherif. Terrorbull uses his badge to conceal his evil intentions. He was forced to leave Cowtown after losing a bet to Moo.However,he became sheriff of the remote town of Lonesome Gulch, where he continued his unlawful exploits. Of course,like any good villain,Terrorbull has cronies...Saddle Sore the Scorpion and Boot Hill Buzzard. Both of whom are baffoonish.

One thing to note about this Show is that most of the episodes (and episode titles)seem to parody popular Western films and books.

Anyway,let's get on with this mini-review. The Artwork and Animation are typical for a 90's cartoon.(ie. Good). The Action scenes are decent. The errors themselves are minimal,though still noticable. The Music itself is good,it fits the whole Wild West motif.

The Overall Writing is good as well. As for the Voice Acting,it's pretty damn great.

Y'know in a way the 3 main characters of this show reminded me of the Biker Mice From Mars. I'll list the similarities someday. Despite how good this show is,One thing that bothered about it was the unanswered questions. Like,what happened to the humans? Did they get terminated by the Meteor? And why didn't the Horses mutate? Ya gotta admit,Cows riding Horses is kinda weird.

Mina: Good Questions.

Mina,Where did you come from?

Mina: I just waltzed in while you were talking. Anyway,the thing that kinda bothered me a bit about this series was the fact that the Cows drank Milk. Yeah,I know you can't have Alcohol consumtion in a SatAM cartoon,but couldn't they drink something else. A Cow dinking their own juice is a bit disgusting.

Of course,it's a Cartoon and one shouldn't over think it.

Now,before we go,I wanna drop this interesting tidbit. The C.O.W Boy's have teamed up with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in the TMNT Mirage Comics. It's true. look it up,if you don't believe me.

Well,That's gonna do it for this edition of Cartoon Quickie. See Ya Next Time and Stay Gold.

Mina: Laters.

The Cartoon Historian Lesson 27: Inspector Gadget

{inside the CH classroom}

Welcome to another edition of Cartoon Historian,I'm Stefan,your Host and lecturer along with my assistant Mina.

Mina: On this edition we will be covering the Legendary Bumbling Bionic Detective,Inspector Gadget.

[cartoon historian theme plays]

Been a while since the last Cartoon Historian lesson hasen't it?

Mina: Yup. btw,congrats on your flawless victory against the Trio.

Thanks Mina. Well lets get to today's lesson.

Inspector Gadget revolves around the adventures of a clumsy,dim-witted cyborg detective named Inspector Gadget - a human being with various bionic gadgets built into his body. Gadget's arch-nemesis is Dr. Claw, the leader of an evil organization, known as "M.A.D."

This was the first syndicated cartoon show from DIC Entertainment. Not only that but it was the first from the company to be created specifically for American viewers, along with The Littles and Heathcliff and the Catillac Cats.

Mina: Nice little tidbit for ya.

The Show originally ran from 1983 to 1986 and remained in syndication into the late 1990s.

Mina: The series was a co-production between DIC Entertainment and Canada's Nelvana; the animation work was outsourced to foreign studios such as Tokyo Movie Shinsha in Japan and Cuckoo's Nest Studio in Taiwan.

Inspector Gadget is a famous cyborg policeman with a seemingly endless amount of gadgets he can summon by saying "Go-Go-Gadget" then the gadget's name.

Although he has all this equipment,he is frequently left clueless on his missions, so his faithful and intelegent niece Penny [who doubles as a DiD] and his intelligent dog,Brain must secretly help him solve each case.

Almost every episode of the first season follows a standard plot with little variation. A disguised Chief Quimby interrupts a normal family activity between Gadget, Penny and Brain to give him a mission to stop the latest plot by Dr. Claw and M.A.D.

The episode usually takes Gadget to some exotic locale and somehow Penny and Brain find a way to accompany him.

Brain keeps Gadget out of trouble from M.A.D. agents (who Gadget usually mistakes for friendly locals),while Penny solves the case. With the help of Penny and Brain, Gadget inadvertently saves the day, Dr. Claw escapes and Chief Quimby arrives to congratulate Gadget on a job well done.

Mina: Like most Cartoons of the 80's and early 90's,Inspector Gadget contains PSA's.

Yup,Y'see each episode ends with Gadget teaching intelligent and responsible safety tips,with most of the tips having a connection with problems Gadget had experienced during the episode.

Now lets talk about the production itself. Mina,i'm gonna let you handle this.

Mina: The show was created by Andy Heyward, Jean Chalopin and Bruno Bianchi. The initial idea for Inspector Gadget came from Heyward,who also wrote the pilot episode (Winter Olympics) with the help of Jean Chalopin in 1982. Winter Olympics is often syndicated as episode #65, Gadget in Winterland.

Mina: Chalopin, who at the time owned the DIC Audiovisual studio, helped develop the format and concept for the rest of the episodes together with Bruno Bianchi, who also designed the final versions of the main characters and served as supervising director.

Mina: According to the DVD bonus film "Wowsers",a retrospective featurette with co-creators Andy Heyward and Mike Maliani on the four-disc DVD set Inspector Gadget: The Original Series, Gadget went through approximately 150 sketches before reaching his final design.

Mina: Nelvana writer Peter Sauder was the one of the head writers for Season One. But In Season Two,Nelvana was no longer part of the production.

Mina: In Season 2 the show was written by the DiC studio's employees Eleanor Burian-Mohr, Mike O' Mahoney, Glen Egbert and Jack Hanrahan (a former Get Smart writer, among much else). Hanrahan and Burian-Mohr would later write the Christmas special Inspector Gadget Saves Christmas as well as many episodes of the Gadget Boy spinoff series. Burian-Mohr additionally wrote dialogue for the educational show Inspector Gadget's Field Trip.

The first sixty-five 22½-minute episodes were co-written,co-designed,and co-storyboarded in Canada at Nelvana Animation Studio (which co-produced the series under DiC's supervision), while being directed (long distance) by French director Bruno Bianchi.

Most of these episodes were animated in Tokyo, Japan by Tokyo Movie Shinsha, the studio that animated most DiC cartoons of the 1980s, while a few episodes were animated in Taiwan by Cuckoo's Nest Studio and Wang Film Productions,before being finished in post production by DiC and Nelvana.

In the second season,the animation increasingly began to resemble a typical 1980s Japanese anime cartoon,most likely because it was animated by DiC's own then-new Japanese-based animation facilities. It was not uncommon for Gadget to briefly freeze in an "anime" pose when shocked, or slower frame rates when characters would move.

Here's something interesting for you: Inspector Gadget went through three voices during production of the pilot episode. The first was Gary Owens, who voiced Inspector Gadget in a deep-toned, British-sounding way. Jesse White sounded closer to the voice of Maxwell Smart of Get Smart,one of the series' inspirations.

Eventually, producers decided to hire Don Adams himself instead to get the full effect, and found that he fit the role perfectly. In the first season, Gadget's nemesis Doctor Claw [as well as his pet cat M.A.D. Cat and Gadget's loyal dog Brain]were voiced by Frank Welker aka The Man of 1,000 voices.

Mina: That was interesting.

Anyway,Penny was portrayed by Cree Summer Francks in her first voice acting role; and her father Don Francks wound up playing Doctor Claw in a few episodes where Welker was unavailable for recording.

When co-production of Inspector Gadget moved from Nelvana in Canada to DiC's headquarters in L. A. for the second season, several of the voice artists (including Cree Summer and Frank Welker) were replaced.

Don Adams was the only cast member who still voiced his character. Welker did voice many supporting characters during season 2, but apparently he could not continue voicing his main roles due to contractual difficulties.

Mina: Now let's talk about the Theme music.

The theme music was inspired by Edvard Grieg's movement, "In the Hall of the Mountain King" and was composed by Shuki Levy and produced by Saban Records,(now Saban Music Group). Saban has provided music for many DiC cartoons in the 80s and 90s. Saban is still operating today.

Many of the background music cues were some sort of variation of the Gadget melody. Even at festivals or dances in the cartoon, the Gadget theme was often played.

Occasionally during an episode, such as in 'Launch Time' and 'Ghost Catchers', Inspector Gadget would hum his theme. Levy also had a range of other musical cues for each character, as well as cues for the various moods of the scenes. Penny and Brain each had several different versions of their respective musical themes.

Mina: It's time to talk about the seasons.

Season 1

The pilot episode, "Winter Olympics", was animated by Telecom Animation Film and had a slightly higher budget than the rest of the series. In the pilot, Gadget had a moustache. The pilot episode also featured slightly different opening and closing credits. Three versions of the pilot episode were produced.

Mina: Damn!

Since DiC,at the time,was a French company looking to expand its operations to the US, the show was produced for release in both France and the USA.

It was broadcast in the North America in September 1983. A month or so later, the series premiered in France, whose version also featured a theme song with French lyrics and the French title Inspecteur Gadget appearing in front of the episode.

The first season was aired from September 1983 to December 1984, comprising sixty-five episodes. After the first season, the show was a worldwide hit.

In the first season, nearly every episode saw the introduction of some new supervillain who had come to be employed by Dr. Claw to commit a crime suited to their special skills. They are typically arrested at the end of the episode, and do not appear again in the series.

For Season 2 debut on September 1985 and ended in February 1986. This season had 21 episodes,making the grand total of Inspector Gadget episodes: 86.

The format of the show was changed for this season. The episodes would be divided into "threes", i. e. three episodes in a row sharing the same general theme and often the same villains, who would often not be arrested at the end of the episode.

Each episode would normally revolve around MAD just trying to get rid of Gadget. New characters and settings were introduced. Gadget, Penny and Brain moved into a high-tech house filled with many gadgets, where a few of the episodes were actually located. Penny wasn't a DiD as much. In the season's fourth episode, Corporal Capeman was introduced as Gadget's sidekick.

Mina: What the hell were thay thinking?

The characters from Heathcliff and the Catillac Cats make various cameo appearances in the second season,just as Gadget would have cameos in their series.

Inspector Gadget also has some spin-offs and 2 Live Action-Movies,but I'm not gonna talk about them.

Mina: Inspector Gadget is truly one of our greatest Cartoon Icons. In fact,In January 2009, IGN named Inspector Gadget as #54 in it's Top 100 Best Animated TV Shows. And later this year,a new Inspector Gadget comic book will be launched in the U.S., written by Dale Mettam and illustrated by José Cobá.

Well that's all she wrote for this episode of Cartoon Historian. See Ya Next Time.

Mina: Bye!

[fade to black. credits roll as the cartoon historian closing theme plays]