The Cartoon Historian Lesson 22: Saturday Morning Cartoons

Welcome to another Cartoon Historian. I'm your instructor,Stefan and this is my assistant,Mina.

Mina: In this episode we're gonna be talking about the Saturday Morning Cartoons. It's all About Saturday Morning Cartoons on the Cartoon Historian.

[Cartoon Historian Theme Plays]

Mina: If you grew up in the 70's,80's,and 90's than you probably watched cartoons on Saturday Mornings,and thus,know about them. But for those who don't here's a little info: A Saturday morning cartoon is the term for the animated television programming which was scheduled on Saturday mornings on the major American television networks from the Late 1960s to the Late 1990s.

In the United States,Saturday mornings start from 8 am. to 12 pm. Starting in the late 60's,American networks,starting with NBC,created Program Blocks for Saturday Mornings. Though most of the shows aired on these early blocks were reruns of older shows.

Mina: Starting in the late-1970s,Network excecutives started to air shows that doubled as Toy advertisements. This was part of a special deal they made with the Toy and Game companies. Cartoons being used to sell Toys and Games was a very common practice in the 80's.

Mina: Because they had shows that contained limited animation,Filmation and Hanna-Barbera were able to produce a decent quantity of cartoons to fill the four hour time slot,without blowing too much money.

Mina: In addition to these cartoons,some Saturday morning blocks aired old Warner Bros cartoons,as well as the Pink Panther and Popeye. These Cartoons,along with live-action programming,made Saturday Morning TV a great hit.

Mina: But not everyone liked what they say. Some nutjob groups had a problem with wat was being put on Saturday Mornings. Stefan will explain this one.

In the Early 70's,Parents lobby groups voiced concerns about the presentation of violence,anti-social attitudes,and stereotypes in Saturday morning cartoons.

By the mid-1970s, these groups exercised enough influence that the TV networks felt compelled to lay down content rules for the animation houses that were a tad "restrictive"

In a more constructive direction,the networks were encouraged to create educational spots for their Blocks. Far and away the most successful effort was the Schoolhouse Rock series on ABC,which became a television classic.

Just as notable were CBS's news segments for children, In the News and NBC's Ask NBC News and One to Grow On, which featured skits of everyday problems with advice from the stars of NBC primetime programs.

Mina: According to some,the decline of Saturday Morning Cartoons began in the late 1980's,though I disagree completely. In reality,it began declining in the early-2000's. However these people have a variety of reasons on why it was declining in the '80's. Here are their reasons:

Reason 1: The rise of first run syndication animated programs,which had a greater artistic freedom and looser standards (not mandated by a network).

Reason 2: Increasing regulation of children's programming content,including educational requirements and advertising restrictions, which limited the creative options for the shows.

Reason 3: The increasing popularity of home video; this made quality animated productions easily accessible, which encouraged unfavourable comparisons with typical television animation.

Reason 4: The rise of cable TV channels like Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network which provided appealing kids entertainment throughout the week at nearly all hours, making Saturday morning blocks less important to viewers and advertisers. This reason is Bullshit!

Reason 5: Cable channels also have the additional advantage of being beyond FCC content regulations, meaning they do not have to abide by educational or advertising regulations. Now,This one I Believe!

Reason 6: Increased popularity of video game consoles and, by the late 1990s,the internet.

Reason 7: Many of the same networks who often showed Saturday morning cartoons began airing similar programs in the afternoons during the weekdays, usually when most children were out of school already. This practice has been discontinued as of late, but it was common throughout the 1990s.

Mina: Fox Kids Anyone.

Reason 8: An increase in children playing outside.

Reason 9: The success of live action Saturday morning programming for kids and teens (such as NBC's Saved by the Bell) which led to the development of more live action shows and teen programming, squeezing out cartoons. This block was called Teen NBC.

Reason 10:The gradual loss of most of the American companies which were at one time, iconic producers of kids shows. These companies include: Filmation,Ruby-Spears,Sunbow,DiC,and Rankin/Bass.

Mina: I'll admit,some of these reasons have merit,but Saturday Morning Cartoons (and cartoons in general) would continue to thrive until 2002.

Beginning in the late 1990s,Networks started airing Anime and in the early 2000's,Canadian Shows. This was a mistake...a mistake that helped killed Saturday Morning entertainment.

Mina: While animated shows still air on CBS,NBC,and ABC Saturday mornings,it's been reduced. Because of FCC regulations that began in the mid-1990s, broadcast stations were required to program a minimum of three hours of children's educational/informational ("E/I") programming per week. boy,that sucks,don't it.

Yes it does. NBC,the network that produced the first SatAM Block,abandoned its Saturday morning cartoon lineup in 1992,replacing it with a Saturday morning edition of The Today Show and adding an all live-action teen-oriented block called TeenNBC. this Small block featured Saved by the Bell,California Dreams,Hang Time,and other teen comedies. And Even though the educational content was minimal to nonexistent,NBC labeled the live-action shows with an E/I rating.

Mina: In Late 1994,NBC gave up on it's Saturday Morning Line-Up and replaced it with a mediocre Program Block that isn't considered to be a True Saturday Morning Block. Today,NBC's Saturday block is pathetic and insignificant.

CBS followed NBC's example by producing a Saturday edition of The Early Show before airing their Saturday Morning block of live-action semi-educational kids programming.

Mina: The experiment lasted a few months,and CBS brought back their animated CBS Storybreak series. In 1999,CBS's Saturday Morning Block became Pathetic,So Pathetic that it wasn't considered a True Saturday Morning Block anymore. Today,CBS's Saturday Morning Block is totally insignificant....Just Like NBC's.

Mina: But Who the hell cares what happened to NBC and CBS,because we had Fox Kids and Kids WB to fall back on.

Right. In 2004, ABC was the last of the broadcast networks to add a Saturday morning edition of their morning news program,Good Morning America,before airing their Block. In 2006,ABC's Saturday Morning Block officialy became pathetic. And Like CBS and NBC,It too lost it ligitness as a Saturday Morning Block.

Mina: Fox carried little or no E/I programming, leaving the responsibility of scheduling the E/I shows to the affiliates themselves. The WB was far more accommodating. For several years,they've aired the history-themed cartoon Histeria! five days a week,leaving only a half-hour of E/I programs up to the local program block producers.

After The Walt Ditzney Corperation bought Fox Family and Fox Kids in 2002,the Fox Kids block was canned and replaced by 4Kids Entertainment's Fox Box. In 2004,The Fox Box became 4Kids TV. This block ended in 2008.

Mina: Also in 2008,4Kids Entertainment fused with Kids WB creating the CW 4Kids. And Today,this block is known as Toonzai.

Well that was interesting. Now we are gonna give you a small timeline,chronicling the Birth and Death of Saturday Mornings.

Mina: You guys are gonna enjoy this.


1968?: The Saturday Morning TV is born; NBC creates the First Incarnation of its Saturday Morning Block,followed by CBS and ABC.
1976: Saturday Morning TV gains Popularity.
1987: Fox Enters the Saturday Morning "Race"
1990: Saturday Mornings become Sacred.
1991: Fox Kids debuts.
1992: NBC shortens it's block and rids it of Cartoons
1993: CBS shortens it's block.
1994: NBC gives up on it's Saturday Morning Block; NBC Saturday Morning Line-up becomes so pathetic,that it's no longer concidered a True Saturday Morning Block.
1995: The WB's Kids WB debuts.
1996: The USA Network's Action Extreme Team Weekend Block debuts.
1997: ABC's One Saturday Morning debuts.
1998: The USA Network's Action Extreme Team Weekend Block ends.
1999: CBS looses the ligitness of it's Saturday Morning Block; Cartoon Network's Toonami The Rising Sun debuts.
2000: Toonami The Rising Sun ends.
2002: Fox Family debuts it's Weekend Kids Block; One Saturday Morning becomes ABC Kids; Disney buys Fox Kids and Fox Family. Fox Kids ends;Fox Box debuts.
2005: The Fox Box becomes 4Kids TV; ABC shortens it's block...but not much.;Jetix invades ABC Family
2006: ABC Family ends its Weekend Kids Block; ABC Kids loses it's ligitness as a True Saturday Morning Block;Kids WB starts to get pathetic;Saturday Morning TV dies late in the year.
2008: 4Kids merges with the ailing [ratings wise] Kids WB to become CW 4Kids;4Kids TV ends.
2010: CW 4Kids becomes Toonzai.

Mina: Tragic,I know.

Saturday Morning TV may be dead,but It'll never be Forgoten. Let us have a moment of silence for Saturday Morning TV.

*Moment of Silence Begins*

*Moment of Silence Ends*

That's gonna do it for this edition of the Cartoon Historian. Stay Gold,guys.

Mina: Later.

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

Cartoon Quickie: Rugrats.

Rugrats was the 2nd Nicktoon created. The show is about a group of babies having mini-adventures in each episode.

The children can communicate with each other through baby speak,although viewers can understand them, because it is 'translated'. Often,they mispronounce words or use poor grammar.

The main character of this show is Tommy Pickles,a brave baby with a sense of justice. Joining Tommy is his good friends,Chuckie Finster,Phil Deville,Lil DeVille,and Later Dil Pickles.

Chuckie is Tommy's a semi-cowardly best friend. He's also the oldest in the group. Phil and Lil are the Twins. They are very adventurous and are eager to do new things. In later seasons,Tommy's little brother,Dil and Chuckies step-sister,Kimi are introduced. Dil is your average baby,who loves to spit up a lot....especially on Chuckie. And Kimi is care free.

Tommy has an older Cousin named Angelica,who's a bit of a jerk and bully. Still,deep down she's not as nasty as she acts. Suzie Charmichael is the babies friend and rival of Angelica. They're both the same age.

Other Characters include: Tommy's Parents,Stu and Didi;Tommy's Grandpa Lou;and Spike,Tommy's dog.

The Nicktoon with the most charm,folks. I haven't seen this show in a great while,but I remember it fondly. The art and animation were decent,though not the greatest.

The music fits the show extremely well and the voices fit each character. The writing is also good,as is the overall acting by the VA's.

This series is fun,though some may not like the Baby theme. This show also spawned a sequel series called 'All Grown Up'. It wasn't very good,trust me.

Anyway,that's gonna do it for now. See ya next time on....Cartoon Quickie.

Cartoon Quickie: Invader Zim.

Zim is a buffoonish alien invader from Planet Irk who comes to earth to dominate it in the name of his home planet. he has a stupid,yet hilarious robotic minion/sidekick called Gir. Both disguise themselves as an earthboy and his dog to study the earthlings upclose.

Zim has a Nemesis called Dib.Dib is a hardcore believer of unsolved mysteries and paranormal propaganda. His greatest goal is to get proof that Zim is an Alien..but always fails and often gets mocked by his peers for his beliefs....especially by his younger sister,Gaz. Gaz is someone that you Never wanna screw with...trust me.

Other characters include: The Tallest,Supreme rulers of Planet Irk,who treat Zim as a joke; And Dr. Memebrane,Gaz and Dib's scientist father,who oftentimes questions his Son's beliefs.

This show is funny. Dib and Zib's buffoonish antics and Gir's often hilarious acts of idiocy make this show the funniest Nicktoon Ever! Even funnier than Ren and Stimpy. Despite being a funny show,Invader Zim does have it's Gross moments.

The artwork and animation are mediocre though,as is the music.

Though,the writing and voice acting are both top notch. Invader Zim is one cartoon show that's worth checking out.

Well that's all I have to say about this show. See ya next time on....Cartoon Quickie.

Cartoon Quickie: Doug (Original)

Doug Funnie is a pre-teen who deals with everyday life in Bluffington,U.S.A. Supporting Doug in his life are best friend Skeeter Valentine,his Dog Porkchop,and his friend and crush,Patty Mayonnaise.

His family is also there for support,as well as his wacky nextdoor Neighbor,Mr. Dink. Giving Doug a tough time in and out of school is Roger Klotz,a leather jacket wearing jerk who thinks he's awesome.

Other characters include: Mr. Bone,a Don Knotts-esque man,who is the principal of Doug's school; Bee-Bee Bluff,the richest girl in Bluffington and only daughter of the town's owner;and Chalky Studabaker,a popular athlete.

And of each episode,Doug writes about the events of the episode in his Journal. Sometimes Doug likes to daydream and in a majority of them,he's either Quailman,a Super Hero or Smash Adams,a Secret Agent.

The show itself has tons of charm,as well as good writing. The artwork for this show is of average quality. The music is decent and gets the job done. Speaking of the music,in certain episodes there is a special song that's both catchy and fun to listen to.

The Voices and acting are top notch,especially with Billy "Stimpy" West as the voice of Doug.

All and all,this show is a great watch.And even though I also like Disney's version,I concider this version of Doug to be the True version.

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

The Cartoon Historian Lesson 21-H: From Games to Toons Pt.8

Mina: In this final part of this lesson we will be covering Donkey Kong Country and Sonic Underground,the Last Game Based Cartoon.

Donkey Kong Country is a French-Canadian CGI series based on the Nintendo franchise Donkey Kong country. It was created by France 2 and Nelvana. The show is called La Planète de Donkey Kong (The Planet of Donkey Kong) in France and French-Canada,but called Donkey Kong Country everywhere else.

Mina: This Cartoon is the first and Only Video Game Based cartoon that Wasn't American.

Donkey Kong Country first aired in France on September 4, 1996. It premiered late in the United States on the Family Channel in August 15, 1998.

The show begins by portraying Donkey Kong,a regular ape in the jungle,who happens to stumble upon a magic coconut called the Crystal Coconut. The Coconut,at Donkey Kong's command, summons a pile of magic bananas.

Mina: After Donkey and his friends eat the bananas,they are granted with increased intelligence and strength,enabling them to defeat enemies such as K. Rool and Kaptain Skurvy,who wish to possess the Crystal Coconut for themselves.

The main protagonist of the show are Donkey Kong,Diddy Kong,Cranky Kong,Candy Kong,Bluster Kong,Funky Kong,and Dixie Kong. While the Bad Guys are: King K. Rool,General Klump,Krush,and The Kritters. Other enemies include Polly Roger,Captain Skurvy,and the Klaptraps.

Mina: Other characters include: Eddie the Mean Old Yeti,Inka Dinka Doo the multi-faced god of Kongo Bongo Island (the setting of the series),and Kong Fu.

Mina: All and all,This show wasn't all that great. Like the Darkstalkers Cartoon,DKC never followed the games,the new characters weren't very likable,and the writing was very mediocre.

Tell me about it. And now for the Final Video Game Cartoon ever created...Sonic Underground. Mina,I'm gonna let you handle most of this.

Mina: Cool thanks. Sonic Underground (Sonic le Rebelle in French) is a series that follows the adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog and his siblings,Sonia and Manic. The series ran for forty episodes,and was canceled before the main story could be resolved.

Mina: Sonic,Sonia,and Manic are the children of Queen Aleena Hedgehog. Queen Aleena was once the kind and fair ruler of Mobius,but Robotnik and his robotic forces seized control of the planet and forced her into hiding.

Mina: She separated and hid Sonic,Manic,and Sonia after the Oracle of Delphius told her of a prophecy. Robotnik began ruling Mobius using unjust laws,roboticizing anyone who stood against him,as well as forcing the nobles into paying large amounts of money as tribute.

Mina: When Sonic,Manic,and Sonia grew up,the Oracle of Delphius revealed the prophecy to them: one day they would reunite with their mother to form the Council of Four,overthrow Robotnik,and become the rightful rulers of Mobius.

Mina: So Sonic,Manic,and Sonia go on a quest,searching throughout Mobius for Queen Aleena. Robotnik is determined to capture the royal family and prevent the prophecy from being fulfilled.

Mina: The three siblings have powerful medallions that not only change into musical instruments,but also into weapons when the triplets are in perfect harmony with each other.

Mina: Sonic's medallion is an electric guitar that can function as a gun. Sonia's medallion is a keyboard that also functions as a gun as well as a smoke machine. Manic's medallion is a drumset that can be used as a gun and an earth controller with cymbals that can deflect laserfire.

Mina: The three non only use their amulets to fight Robotnik,but also to have instruments for their underground rock band, The Sonic Underground.

Mina: Sonic SatAM and Sonic Underground are the two Sonic cartoons that most closely resemble each other. Both share a large number of stuff in common that were never in any of the games or in the 'Adventures Of' series.

Mina: These things include: Sonic's catchphrases,Uncle Chuck,the Roboticizer,Badass Robotnik,Mobotropolis/Robotropolis,Freedom Fighters,and King Acorn (or rather, a statue thereof).

The series takes place on Mobius,similar to the other Sonic Cartoons,but with notable differences. Sonic SatAM included power rings,Knothole Village and the Freedom Fighters.

Another difference is that Sonic is given a slightly different appearance from his SatAM counterpart. When viewed from behind, Sonic's signature mohawk is now two rows,his teeth show more,he has five fingers on each hand,and his eyelids are now visible.

Though the Freedom Fighters were included in Underground,many of the characters in the Freedom Fighter group that were in SatAM are completely left out,including Tails.

Unlike the previous 2 shows,Underground also includes Knuckles and his home,the Floating Island. Another difference with the Freedom Fighter group is that Freedom Fighters do not remain in one refuge but instead travel around Mobius to battle Robotnik's forces on a global scale.

Also,that Robotnik has left most of the Mobian people unroboticised,leaving multiple cities,a poor underclass,and a rich upperclass for the heroes to interact with. Plus,many of the minor characters were not easily recognizable as being based on Earth animals,instead appearing far more alien.

Jaleel "Steve Urkle" White,who voiced Sonic in both earlier cartoons,provided the voices for Sonic and his siblings....even Sonia.

Mina: Of course,this wasn't the first time,the Urkman played a female role.

The main theme was composed by Robbie London and Mike Piccirillo. The musical underscore was composed by Jean-Michel Guirao and Mike Piccirillo. The series featured a song per episode. Each of these songs were composed by Mike Piccirillo.

Like Sonic X,this show has many episodes which teach kids social skills,despite Manic's stealing and Sonia's desires for luxury. They both are seen experiencing consequences for such things. Sonic Underground is also noted as the only Sonic animated series where Tails is absent. Instead,Sonic Underground has Knuckles. The gold rings are also absent.

Mina: And Now for the interesting part.

Before the official the launch of the Dreamcast,Sega began to heavily advertise all of the system's big products. For Sonic,it contacted DiC Entertainment,who made the first 2 Sonic cartoons,to make a new Sonic cartoon.

Mina: So in a way,this show was an advertisement for Sonic Adventure. Even though it lacked Amy Rose and Tails.

Sonic Underground ran for one season in 1999 on UPN's Sunday Morning block.

Mina:While it was believed for a while that 65 episodes were made and only 40 aired,Ben Hurst,a DiC regular who worked on Sonic Underground,stated in a chat at the Sonic Amateur Games Expo in 2008,that only 40 episodes were produced with no plans for a 2nd season.

Mina: Recently rumors have begun to surface that Sega and Disney were gonna complete the series with 25 episodes that would lead to a logical ending of the series. Unfortunatly,this rumor is False.

Well that was an Awesome ride wasn't it?

Mina: It sure was. Awesome And Long.

Yup,8-parts. The Longest Cartoon Historian Lesson ever. Well,thats gonna do it for this lesson. See ya next time on The Cartoon Historian.

Mina: Laters!

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

The Cartoon Historian Lesson 21-G: From Games to Toons Pt.7

Ok,We come to the last 90's Capcom cartoon: Darkstalkers.

This cartoon is based off of the Darkstalkers games and was created by the same people who made the Street Fighter cartoon.

The Darkstalkers cartoon first aired in 1995 and featured all the characters from Night Warriors game along with several entirely new characters. The show consists of an evil being known as Pyron recruiting several Darkstalkers to help him try and take over the Earth while a team of good Darkstalkers try and stop him, helped out by a human kid called Harry.

Darkstalkers: The Animated series was a big disappointment for fans,who expected this show to be a Horror Adventure cartoon.

Mina: This cartoon was without question the most Hated-Video Game based cartoon in history. The Characters were bastardized a bit,the story lines were often stupid,the animation and artwork were mediocre. Plus,no one liked Harry Grimore. I can't say I blame'em though,he is a annoying character.

Mina: The ratings for this show were bad,so bad that Capcom had the show's producer pull the plug after 1 season. Although,you can find this show on DVD. Though,I have no clue why you'd want to.

Moving right along. Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm is based off of the Mortal Kombat game series.Produced by Threshold Entertainment and Film Roman,MK:DotR aired on the USA Network's Action Extreme Team block for one season from September to December 1996.

Mina: The characters and their backgrounds were mostly continuous with the movies Mortal Kombat and Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, although elements from Mortal Kombat 3were included.

The episode plots themselves,as good as they were,shared little to no relation with the games storylines. The characters are designed after their Mortal Kombat 3 and Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 counterparts. The only exception is Kitana,whose design looks like a mix between her MK2 and her UMK3 looks.

Mina: Perhaps the most notable aspect of the show was that it provided the debut of Quan Chi, a key character in the MK series who was the villain of Mortal Kombat 4 and part of the Deadly Alliance.

The show was focused on a group of warriors assembled by Raiden to defend Earthrealm from invaders who entered through portals from various other dimensions. The assembled warriors included Liu Kang,Kurtis Stryker,Sonya Blade,Jax,Kitana,and Sub-Zero,with Nightwolf functioning mostly as tech support but still entering the fray on various occasions.

The warriors have a hidden base,where Nightwolf and Raiden monitored portal openings. The warriors also have dragon-shaped jets,which they use to travel to their destinations. Shao Kahn was something of an arch-villain throughout the series,being responsible for allowing other realms to invade Earthrealm. In the finale,Kitana lead a rebellion from Outworld against Kahn.

The cartoon somewhat serves as a sequel to the first Mortal Kombat film. However,the show takes a Sunday morning cartoon-style approach to the series,including the toning down of the violence,which was pretty much necessary due to the fact that it was a cartoon for 8-12 year olds based on a series known for it's Gore and Fatalities.

Mina: The fight scenes are kinda weak as well. However,to make up for this,the writers and director injected serious storylines into each episode. Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm only lasted for a single season,with no plans for a second.

USA Network aired episodes of Defenders back-to-back with those of the Street Fighter animated series. Twice the amount of episodes were produced for Street Fighter.

Kung Lao,Johnny Cage,Mileena,Baraka,Sindel,Jade,Noob Saibot,Reptile,Goro,and Kintaro were not shown or referenced in the show at all. However,Kung Lao,or more specifically his ancestor The Great Kung Lao, would be the focus in the live action TV series,Mortal Kombat Conquest.

Mina: Now we go from Earthrealm to Earthworm.

Earthworm Jim is based on the Game series of the same name. It ran for 2 seasons from 1995-1996 on the Kids' WB! Saturday Morning block.

The series follows the adventures of an earthworm named Jim, who is turned into a superhero by a robotic super suit. The series was produced by Universal Animation Studios along with Akom Productions,Flextech Television Limited,and Shiny Entertainment.

Mina: Earthworm Jim retains the absurdist humor of the games,as well as introducing its own features. Most episodes involve the series' numerous villains attempting to reclaim the super suit,rule,destroy,or ruin the universe,or otherwise causing mayhem throughout the galaxy.

Other problems facing Jim include returning his neighbor's eggbeater and finding a new power source after his suit is depowered. Also, the show breaks the fourth wall alot.

Mina: Episodes begin with Earthworm Jim and Peter Puppy in some peril that has nothing to do with the main plot or the previous episode's. Not only that but little is explained on how they got into that mess in the first place.

In between parts,there is a short side-story, generally featuring one of the villains and ending with "and now, back to Earthworm Jim." The end of every episode involves Jim or any other character being crushed by a cow, a play on the first game of the series.

Many of the characters from the games were made into main characters for the show. Peter Puppy becomes Jim's sidekick and Princess What's-Her-Name is his love interest.

Many villains from the game,including Evil the Cat,Psy-Crow,Bob the Killer Goldfish,Queen Slug-for-a-Butt,and Professor Monkey-for-a-head also appear throughout the show.

The series also created many of its own new characters, such as the Galactic Heroes League, a group of wannabe superheroes including the Hamsternator and Lower Back-Pain Man.

It also introduced a major new villain named Evil Jim,an evil duplicate of Earthworm Jim,who went on to be the main antagonist for the game Earthworm Jim: Menace 2 the Galaxy.

Mina: This was a fun show. Too bad it doesn't air anymore. Anyway,we have 2 More shows to cover. So stick around for this lessons finale.

The Cartoon Historian Lesson 21-F: From Games to Toons Pt.6

Mina: Ok. We are now gonna talk about 2 of the most obsure cartoons around: Battletoads and Mutant League.

Battletoads was a cartoon show based on the hit video game of the samne name. It was produced by DIC Entertainment and first aired on Fox Kids in 1992. However, only the pilot episode made it to the airwaves. It Was never picked up as a full animated series, despite comic-style ads in GamePro magazine claiming otherwise.

Mina: Y'see the reason why it never became a TV series is because it didn't test well. Only 10-20% of those tested liked the show,while the rest didn't. So,DiC gave up on the series and just aired the first and Only episode.

Mina: A VHS tape with this episode was released on January 15, 1994. This lone episode served more as a prequel to the video game franchise.

Set in Oxnard, California, the show stars three kids (despite the fact that the comic's story revolved around three video game testers). The trio is given the ability to transform into anthropomorphic toads with superhuman strength and the ability to change their arms and legs into weapons,in techniques called "Smash Hits".

Mina: Hsien-Ko,anyone?

Anyway,The Toads job is ro protect Professor T. Bird and Princess Angelica from the Dark Queen, who wants to steal Angelica's magical amulet for her plans of universal conquest.

It is likely that the show was another attempt to capitalize on the popularity of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Incidentally, DiC Entertainment would try this again later on by producing Street Sharks and then later Extreme Dinosaurs.

Mina: Now we go from obsure to very obscure.

Yup. Mutant League was based on the videogames Mutant League Football and Mutant League Hockey. The show aired from July 1994 to February 1995.

The show ran for two seasons, with the second typically incorporating more "Mature" stories and issues,while the first seemed somewhat of a hodgepodge with little regard for continuity. There are forty episodes in all,thirteen in Season 1 and twenty-seven in Season 2.

The story goes like this: During a football game, an earthquake reveals buried toxic waste, and the fumes cause all of the attendees and players to mutate,including young Bones Justice (Bones Jackson in the games).

Soon after,A sports federation based around the superhuman beings emerges (the Mutant League) Eventually,Bones grows up and plays for the Midway Monsters.

Corrupt league commissioner Zalgor Prig constantly schemes to get the popular athlete to play for the team he owns,the Slaycity Slayers.

Bones' search for his father,missing since the day of the quake,and his personal quest to bring order and fair play to the league,are subplots throughout the series.

Several other characters from the games such as Razor Kid, Mo and Spew, K.T. Slayer, Grim McSlam and Coach McWimple regularly appear in the show.

Unlike the games, players didn't die from their unique approach to contact sports. Though they were frequently maimed to the point of losing body parts. Whenever a player was maimed,they would recieve treatments in a machine called the Rejuvenator,which bathed them in toxic chemicals.

The show also has no robot players,and only five teams: the Monsters, the Slayers, the Ooze, the Derangers and the Screaming Evils.

It also has the teams competing in all manner of sports and not just the ones seen in the games. Most commonly football,but also hockey,basketball,soccer,baseball,volleyball,and even monster truck races and sumo wrestling. What? No Boxing?

Mina: As with the videogames,the sports were modified with deathtraps and loose rules on violence to accommodate the near-indestructible nature of the players. Some episodes end with a "grudge match" between two particular players.

A line of action figures was released based on the show, but went virtually unknown.

Mina: This was definatly a greusome cartoon and one that's obviously aimed at an older croud. I bet if this show was better known,it would've been a hit?

I think it woud've been. I can't find this show Anywhere on Youtube. However,I did manage to find the Intro. Anyway,we're now gonna be moving on to a less obsure show. Mina take it.

Mina: Double Dragon is based on the video game franchise of the same name. The television series was produced by DiC Entertainment and ran for 26 episodes in 1993 and 1994.

Mina: The premise of the show had the Lee brothers separated at birth, with Billy being raised by an elderly martial arts master known as the Oldest Dragon. In contrast, his brother Jimmy is raised by the evil Shadow Master to become his second-in-command, the Shadow Boss.

Mina: As a result, the Lee brothers meet each other as adversaries after being reunited as adults. By the end of the second episode, Jimmy is betrayed by the Shadow Master,this leads to Jimmy seeing the error of his ways.

The Lee brothers were given magical swords by the Eldest Dragon. These swords contained special powers and added dragon masks to the brothers' outfit.

During the course of the series,the brothers recruited allies in their war against the Shadow Clan. In the second season the Bros. gained stronger magical weapons when the Shadow Master harnessed the strength of the even more evil Shadow Kahn. The search for their father,John Lee,was a running subplot throughout the series.

The plot of the pilot episode {which seemed rushed,btw} is loosely based on the NES version of the first Double Dragon game. Like in the first NES game, Jimmy is revealed to be the Shadow Boss in this episode, with his henchmen being Abobo and Willy, who were boss characters in the game as well.

By the end of the second episode, Abobo and Willy are sucked into the Shadow Mural, never to be seen again. Billy and Jimmy join forces to fight against the series' true antagonist, the Shadow Master.

All of the characters introduced from the second episode and onward were original creations made for the show. The story and characters of the animated series would be used in the Tradewest-produced Double Dragon V: The Shadow Falls, a Double Dragon fighting game released for home consoles.

Mina: This game was ill recieved by fans,BTW. As for the Shadow Master,I think he looks and acts like a reject from a Power Ranger series. Same goes for his henchmen.

Mina: The Power Ra...err,Lee brothers transform into their superheroic [yet power ranger clone] identities by crossing swords. Billy says "for right!" Jimmy says "for might!" I guess they couldn't use "It's Morphin' Time".

Mina: Anyway,Then in unison they say "We are Double Dragons!" They usually transform out of those forms by crossing swords again and saying in unison "by the power of the dragon!" although several episodes show that taking heavy injury can also deactivate their powers. Just like The Power Rangers.

Mina! Anyway,A major weakness is that they must both be present to activate the powers. Also,sometimes injury sustained by one is also taken by the other and if one has their powers deactivated through injury,so will the other. In addition to sharing injury,the brothers also infrequently show an ability to sense when the other is in danger.

Mina: The Dragon Warriors aka The Dragon Rangers are granted costumes and super powers through a ceremony in which the Lee brothers lay their swords on the person's shoulders and say "To uphold the code of the dragon, for might and for right, to defend the innocent against the shadow," then in unison "you are [name], Dragon Warrior!"

Mina: The Dragon Warrior can then call up their costume and weaponry by placing their right fist to their chest and saying "by the power of the dragon" or "I am [name], Dragon Warrior!" whenever Billy and Jimmy are transformed. Maybe DiC should've called them Dragon Rangers instead of Dragon Warriors,that woud've been a more accurate name for these heroes.

Most of the Shadow Warriors are mutants. The Shadow Master says in "Over the Line" these mutants are somehow created due to "high levels of EMF [electromagnetic field] generated by [Metro City's] ancient underground power grid."

Although Metro City taps into the EMF and uses it to generate power, it is not established if the power source is man-made or a natural phenomenon. According to the same episode, the EMF gives the Black Flame its power,which suggests the latter.

Mina: The series lasted 2 seasons,though a 3rd season was planned and it was gonna have Mecha.

Even though a 3rd season was planned,the whole "Mecha" thing is just a rumor. All we know about this dropped 3rd season is that Billy and Jimmy's father would've appeared/be found,we'd see the Shadow Master without his mask,ans well as the origins of the Shadows and the Dragons. The origins of the Mystic Dragon Swords and the Black Flame would've also been reveald. Unfortunatly do to mediocre ratings,the show was canned after Season 2.

Ok,you've been seeing Power Ranger references all throughout this part this lesson. We'll there's a logical explanation. Double Dragon had a Power Ranger feel to it because the producers at DiC felt that MMPR was the shows main rival. Back then Power Rangers was Huge,and DiC believed that in order to make the show more popular,they had to turn it into a Power Ranger clone.

Mina: Go,Go,Double Dragons!

Anyway,next up is a cartoon that is both liked and despised by the Mega Man fan community. It's Mega Man,the Animated series.

Mega Man,known in Japan as Mega Man: A Rockman series,is a Japanese-American series multi-produced by Capcom Productions, Ruby-Spears Productions,and Ashi Productions. It's based on the hit game series,Mega Man.

Mina: The TV series began on September 11,1994 and ended in the Fall of 1995. It was aired on many syndicated stations at the time. 2 seasons were produced with a third season planned, but the show was canned despite respectably high ratings due to budget constraints and complaints by fans and Keiji Inafune himself.

Dr. Light and Dr. Wily were brilliant scientists in the field of robotics, who worked together in a laboratory trying to advance the science. One day, they finished an extremely advanced prototype,but shortly after being activated,it went crazy.

Dr. Light immediately believed that the prototype's guidance system,which Dr. Wily had personally programmed,was the source of the problem and concluded they would start over again.

Angered, Dr. Wily attempted to steal the plans later that night, but Dr. Light catches him. Wily is able to steal the plans after knocking Dr. Light down, and goes off to what is apparently an abandoned area,and modifies the old robot prototype into Protoman. Even though we never see him take the prototype.

Months Later,Dr. Light builds Rock and Roll,advanced robots with personalities, along with Ice Man,Guts Man,and Cut Man. Dr. Wily and Protoman steal the robots and reprogram the latter three robots as henchmen. Dr. Wily attempts to reprogram Rock and Roll at his lab later,but Rock decides to trick Dr. Wily.

After doing so,he and Roll escape. Dr. Light decides to reprogram and reoutfit Rock into Mega Man,who from then on keeps the world safe. Throughout the series, Mega Man thwarts Wily's various schemes.

Mega Man starred in a Saturday-morning style cartoon that premiered in 1994. Ruby-Spears,one of the producers of the show,redesigned the characters from the Mega Man games.

Mina: At the time the show was undergoing its early development,anime had not yet achieved a "mainstream" acceptance,plus the producers felt that Mega Man looked too young to be excepted as a Saturday Morning action hero.

The final look of the characters were among many different interpretations proposed and was the most well-received by test audiences. It's worth noting that characters who appeared for the first time in season two were more faithful to their Game counterparts.

The series was targeted towards the late preteen boy audience,though Roll's expanded and much more active role in the series was used to draw in more girl viewers as well. Producer Joe Ruby joked "Also,it showed we're not male chauvinistic pigs as our wives think".

X,along with Vile,Spark Mandrill,and "Cigma" (Sigma) made a guest appearance late in the second season. He was planned to make more appearances in season 3,with the potential for his own spinoff cartoon.

Despite consistent high ratings and being a series Joe Ruby and Ken Spears really enjoyed working on,the show was cancelled after 2 seasons. A single post-season-2 episode was created to complete Ruby-Spears' contractual obligations.

However,Season 3 plans had been put into motion at the time of the cancellation. The decision to end the cartoon was handed down from Capcom,due to complaints by the Fans and their star employee,Keiji Inafune (the creator of the rockman series).

Mina: We'll be talking about the 3rd season later. But for now,we're gonna chat about the character designs.

Prior to the show's premiere a short animated promo was released which contained an artstyle that resembled the official Capcom character art. When the show was being produced,the designs of characters were changed to better appeal to American audiences.

Most characters gained more masculine and realistic looks,as well as different appearances in powers. Mega Man was given an edgier and more realistic look compared to his original anime design.

Mina: Also, Mega Man's personality changed from boyish into a teen with an attitude. Roll,instead of wearing a dress,wears a red and yellow jumpsuit. Roll comes equipped with a vacuum blaster device on her left arm,unlike the games where she is just a civilian robot.

The design also changed as Mega Man and Protoman became taller and more muscular. Often,Protoman and Mega Man would use their fists or wrestle instead of using their in game abilities. Which was a nice touch.

Mega Man and Roll were changed from children to teenagers and Eddie was changed from red to green.Because the Producers never played the games fully,Protoman became a villain who served Dr. Wily. In the games he was a loner hero.

Mina: In the games, Mega Man gains a Robot Master's ability after destroying the Robot Master,but in the series,Mega Man just has to touch the Robot Master. I actually like this method and it makes it look like Mega Man has a Super Power.

The music cues for this show were re-used for Ocean Group's Dragon Ball Z Dub. It was the dub that was produced by the Ocean Group themselves,without the aid of Funimation Entertainment. This vesion of DBZ aired only in Canada,Austrailia,the United Kingdom,and Ireland.

The Ocean Group may have placed the BGM tracks for Mega Man into their archive and retrieved them when they began dubbing the show. Some of the Music was also used for the Monster Rancher dub,another Anime that Ocean Group dubbed.

Mina: And speaking of the Music,Did you know that the Mega Man Cartoon theme was styled after the Mighty Morphin' Power Ranger theme song. Don't ask me why,it just is.

At one time, Mega Man was placed as the number one weekly syndicated kids show in the Nielsen ratings.

Mina: And now, Let's talk about the unproduced 3rd Season.

As stated earlier,the show was gonna get a 3rd season,but due to money issues,as well as complaints from fans,the season was never made. Here's what I know. Mega X making another guest appearence and even his own episode. Protoman would've switched sides,first as Breakman.

Don't ask me why,but judging by an unproduced Protoman figure this seemsd to be the case.(the figure came with a sheild and breakman mask). Flashman,Skullman,Bubbleman,and The Mega Man 6 Robot Masters would have made an appearence. And Finally,Bass would've been brought in as Protoman's replacement. There was a Bass figure in the unproduced toyline,so this is true.

Mina: Facinating.

Indeed. Let's move on to Street Fighter now,shall we.

Mina: Street Fighter was produced by InVision Entertainment based on the Street Fighter video game franchise,though it was more of a continuation of the 1994 Live-Action Street Fighter Movie. The series aired as part of the USA Network's Action Extreme Team block. It lasted two seasons which aired from 1995 to 1997.

Mina: A 3rd season was planned,but due to budget reasons and the fact that the USA Networtk threw out their childrens Block,this season was never made. We'll talk about this later.

Fans of the franchise often and wrongly criticized the cartoon for the overall bad quality in terms of writing,art,voice acting,as well as being too inaccurate to the games cannon.

Mina: We call these people,Stupid Fantards. That's their rightful name.

Amen Mina! Anyway,let's conclude this part by talking about the unproduced The 3rd season.

Season 3 was unproduced due to lack of money and the fact that the USA network made plans to (and eventually) ditched their kids block in 1998. I don't know much about this unproduced season,but here's what I found out.

In Season 3,Ryu and Ken would go their seperate ways and Ryu would travel the world participasting in Street Fighter Tournaments. Chun-Li would've quit her job as a reporter and joined interpol,but still work with Guile from time to time. Blanka would re-gain his human form for another episode. And finally,Dan Hibiki would've made an appearence.

Other than these facts,nothing else is known about Season 3 of the Street Fighter Cartoon.

Mina: Alrighty,we're almost done. Just 5 more Game based Cartoons to go.

Yup. Next up,The widely hated Darkstalkers Cartoon.