Toxic Crusaders

[Foot Soldier Clang]

So when I was growing up my favorite cartoon was actually Toxic Crusaders. It beat out TMNT by a hair really. It was a weird, obscure, short lived series, with strange mutant heroes characters who fought an evil corporation run by space insects. The show tried to teach kids how not to pollute, but in a laid back manner. Like TMNT, there were great toys by Playmates, some video games, and other great bits of merchandise. There was even talks about a live action Toxic Crusaders movie, but it was a failed venture.

TMNT was the catalyst for lots of copycats. The whole "team of strange heroes, and their one female companion" snowballed all through the late '80's through to the mid-90's with varying results. I mostly enjoyed all of them because I like that formula. The Toxic Crusaders television show, which ran on the USA Cartoon Express, lasted only 13 episodes. Part of me wishes it got at least a second season, but I'm happy with just the thirteen episodes. They're perfectly strange, and amusing.

Part of the allure for me was the variation of each character. I love TMNT, but they were all turtles who looked similar, and other mutants on the show were also animals (with the exception of Muckman and Mutagen Man of course). Toxic Crusader mutants were all ugly, but the main cast were still likeable and sweet despite of their ugliness.

Troma, the company who created the Toxic Crusaders series has all 13 episodes up on Hulu. I highly recommend anyone who hasn't seen this show to give it a shot. Like the Playmates figures, the Toxic Crusaders fit in perfectly next to the TMNT.

Here I have some pictures of my Toxic Crusaders figures:

http://forums.thetechnodrome.com/showthread.php?t=36345

Toxic Crusaders on Hulu: http://www.hulu.com/toxic-crusaders


Any other Toxic Crusader fans here?

[Jester]

Isn't the Toxic Crusaders series based on the Troma Toxic Avenger film series?

[Foot Soldier Clang]

Yeah. Like other awesomely violent 1980's movies, the Toxic Avenger was refurnished for kids to watch in cartoon form. Like Robocop and Rambo, Toxie was given a rag tag team of heroes to fight evil with .

[Jester]

Yeah, my wife was on youtube the other night watching the opening credits for cartoons based on R rated films. She thought it was funny that the 80's-90's had so many.

[Foot Soldier Clang]

There had to be a bunch of hip young producers trying to change the status quo . Tired of kids having to watch stuff like Care Bears and Get Along Gang, they got the bright idea to get the licenses from movies they all happen to like. That's my theory at least

[TheFallen]

I actually loved the Toxic Crusaders. I had seen the first couple of Toxic Avenger movies and I was so confused and excited to see the cartoon.

I still have a couple of the figures, namely Toxie, Bonehead and Headbanger. Headbanger was easily my favourite.

A small part of me would like to see these figures come back with more articulation

[Powder]

I've not seen more than one episode of the Toxic Crusaders cartoon, though I have seen and loved all of the Toxic Avenger films.

[Original TMNT Cartoon Fan]

Originally Posted by TheFallen

I actually loved the Toxic Crusaders. I had seen the first couple of Toxic Avenger movies and I was so confused and excited to see the cartoon.

I still have a couple of the figures, namely Toxie, Bonehead and Headbanger. Headbanger was easily my favourite.

A small part of me would like to see these figures come back with more articulation

I would like to see them meet the TMNT.

[KROW]

I used to watch this show, too, when I was younger (as well as the Toxic Avenger films). I even collected the comic book, though none of the toys. I remember this being a short-lived cartoon hit, along with Defenders of Dynatron City -- which I also liked.

[ZariusTwo]

I remember the BBC showed this on a Saturday morning (fairly sure it was on "Paralel 9"). I bought into the hype at the time and got the first issue of a short-lived comic once it came on.

[Foot Soldier Clang]

I think I read somewhere there were plans for a TMNT/TC crossover if the crusaders ever caught on. I would have lost my mind if that happened

I love the Toxic Avenger movies. The first one was Troma trying to make it big with their strange mash up of genres. The Toxic Avenger was a horror-comedy-romance. I think it had some mild success here in NYC (it played for a year at the Bleecker Theater). I have no idea if it had success anywhere else.

The second and third movies (which were originally supposed to be a single film, but got sliced in half because it was 5 hours long), felt like they were trying to cater to a younger audience. The blood, guts, and sex were still all there, but the these movies didn't have the dark tone of the first film. Maybe they were trying to play up Toxie's heroic qualities so we'd ignore his murderous rampages. There was also a fourth sequel called Citizen Toxie, which might be the best reviewed movie is Troma's history.

There was a Toxic Avenger comic book series, and a Toxic Crusaders one. The Toxic Avenger series is based more on the sequel films, and is about Toxie fighting the evil Chairman of Apocalypse Inc who wanted to enslave humanity. The Toxic Crusaders comic was much like the cartoon. They fought Dr. Killemoff and his goons at Apocalypse Inc who want to pollute the Earth so that invaders from the planet Smogula can invade.

And in the comics, the Toxic Crusaders fought a parody of Captain Planet called "Corporal Globe". Probably my favorite issue of the series

[Foot Soldier Clang]

Originally Posted by Powder

I've not seen more than one episode of the Toxic Crusaders cartoon, though I have seen and loved all of the Toxic Avenger films.

Check out the link to their Hulu page I posted at the top. The whole series is there

[Walkabout]

BUMP

I was right into the Toxic Crusaders-awesome show!!!
Even as a 10 year old at the time I really loved the biting sarcasm of not only this show but Samuari Pizza Cats as well, and coming off the back of the even then frankly **** "secret of the ooze" movie I dont really think that the TMNT where on my radar when
When I saw "the toxic avenger part 3-the last temptation of toxie" at the local video store my mum hired it for me, bless her.

So of course I became a Troma fiend

Anyway, I picked up the complete series on Troma DVD very cheap and its a really good cartoon.

[Walkabout]

Here is my very own playmates Toxie, the only super hero from New Jersey!

[rodster6]

I love Toxic Crusaders. I had no idea it was based on a movie till about five or six years after first watching the cartoon and buying the toys when I was about 12. I have a few of the old UK comics too but would love more. There is so little info on-line about toxic crusaders toy and the uk comics. In an intro to one of the films Lloyd Hoffman or whatever his name is had a load of toxic crusaders mechandise on his table and I'm sure I saw a mayor Goody figure yet I can find to reference to this on the internet as an unreleased toy.

[rodster6]

Toxic Crusaders UK comics by rodstoybox, on Flickr

[AT-Man]

I bet 100 euros that you recently watched the newest AVGN episode.

I like all the Toxie movies, never seen the tv show but did buy few of them action figures and comics back in the day.

[rodster6]

I have no idea what AVGN is lol.

[AT-Man]

I meant the OP.

[Icebot]

I used to watch Toxic Crusaders while waiting for Ninja Turtles to come on. Was Dr. Killemoff the supreme leader or did he have to take orders from someone else?