One of the main themes of television animation is that of the superheroes. From the original Superman cartoons of the 1960s, to the Justice League of the 1990s, and the X-Men of the current generation – cartoon heroes have entertained children (and some adults) for generations. The 1980s saw the emergence of a different breed of cartoon superheroes – The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The Turtles popularity led to a number of offshoot creature superhero cartoons. In a nod to the mice of Leonard Maltin’s text “Of Mice and Magic: A History of American Animated Cartoons”, this blog’s topic is about a trio of animated superhero mice that premiered during my formative years of the mid-1990s – Biker Mice From Mars.
A quick history lesson reveals that in 1994, as the mighty powers of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles appeared to be waning, Marvel Comics created an alien rodent trio to fill the void called the Biker Mice From Mars. These motorcycle-riding mice from the planet Mars came armed not only with advanced weaponry, but also with a comic book crossover, video games, and an huge Marvel Comics publicity blitz.
The show itself featured a trio of Biker Mice pictured above. They were Throttle (the tan one in sunglasses), Modo (the gray one with the eyepatch), and Vinnie (the white one with the half-metallic head). Natives of Mars, these humanlike rodents were the last of their race that has rebelled against the evil Plutarkians, who had conquered and subsequently ravaged their planet. As the evil invaders chased the mice across the solar system, the trio rode their space bikes onto the planet Earth, setting up their headquarters in Chicago.
Like the Ninja Turtles, the Biker Mice decided to stay secluded from the human race, with the exception of a single human liaison, a female mechanic named Charley. Setting up shop at Charley’s Last Chance Garage, the mice soon found that the Plutarkians had their eyes on Earth as well. The Biker Mice’s main nemesis was wealthy developer Lawrence Limburger, whom the mice recognized as a Plutarkian in disguise. Limburger surrounded himself with a cast evil-doers including Dr. Karbunkle, Grease Pit, Hard Rock, and the XTerminator. As an interesting side-note, the voice of Greasepit was provided by Emmy Award winning actor Brad Garrett – and this was before the days of famous stars lending their voices to animated features like Shrek or Toy Story.
The Biker Mice From Mars was the perfect combination of cool vehicles and weapons, animated violence, and a hard-rocking soundtrack. With their trademark phrase – “Let’s rock and ride!” – the good guys, or mice in this case, saved the day at the end of each episode. The Biker Mice From Mars had their original run last for 65 episodes over a three year period, ending in 1996. I am happy to report that the Biker Mice ride again. A new Biker Mice From Mars cartoon series launched in autumn of 2008 in Europe and the United Kingdom, and is scheduled to premiere in the United States this year. For those of you who have not had the pleasure of experiencing this animated series, take a look at the following:
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