If you didn’t live through the early ’90s, you missed out on the golden era of animated shows. Inspired by the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, anthropomorphic characters with attitude were the in thing at the time. From Street Sharks to Darkwing Duck, animal superheroes ruled TV. However, the only real contender to TMNT‘s throne of pop culture madness was Biker Mice from Mars.
The Concept of Biker Mice from Mars
Created by Rick Ungar in 1993, and airing across three seasons of 65 episodes each, the show couldn’t have had a more apt name. It was literally about three anthropomorphic biker mice who escaped a war on the planet Mars and arrived on Earth. Like a prototype version of Fast & Furious, this show was all about speed and action, as you found yourself either identifying with the cool, level-headed leader Throttle, the gentle giant Modo, or the wild child Vinnie, the three survivors of a race of anthropomorphic mice that have a very similar culture to human beings.
The Plot and Characters
After escaping their Mars-based home, their spaceship was shot down by the evil and villainous Plutarkians, disgusting, worm-eating, fish-like humanoids that steal resources from other planets, and crash-landing in the city of Chicago, where they met Charlene ‘Charley’ Davidson, a charming female mechanic with a streak of creative brilliance, only to find that the alien race has come to Earth to steal its natural resources as well. Not wanting to have a repeat of what happened to their homeland of Mars, the motorsports mice survivors decide to try and foil the plans of another Plutarkian takeover.
The design of the characters was peak early 1990s chic, but you couldn’t get enough of it. There was something aesthetically pleasing about this cartoon and its world that pushed the limits of creativity and looked significantly different from every other competitor. In many ways, it was so far ahead of its time that you wonder if kids of the era truly understood how game-changing it was.
The Show’s Legacy
The show was produced by Marvel Productions, which later became New World Animation, with the legendary Stan Lee serving as an executive producer. Marvel Comics also published a three-issue series and there was even a video game released in 1994 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. After a decent 65-episode run, the bros rode off into the Sun, disappearing out of sight…until 2006, when it received a short-lived 28-episode revival. While the revival did a lot of things right and offered a taste of Biker Mice from Mars to a new generation, it never quite hit the same heights as the original series.
Again, in hindsight, the show was ahead of its time. The audience is now living in a time when Fast & Furious is about to go into space. It’s literally the blueprint that Biker Mice from Mars created 27 years ago. Now is the right time to revisit this franchise and reimagine it for a new generation of fans. As it turns out, Rob Paulsen, who voiced Throttle on the show, agrees and revealed an interesting morsel of information. Speaking to ComicBook.com, he said:
“I did a show called Biker Mice from Mars years ago, that I thought was really fun. The three main characters were myself, Ian Ziering, who you guys know from 90210, and Dorian Harewood. That was a pretty cool action-adventure show with some cool music. A lot of humour. There have been rumours about maybe that being rebooted, with a whole bunch of different characters.”
If what Paulsen says is true, it means there’s a chance that someone else is thinking what we are too. Right now, the streaming wars are in full force, and every platform is seeking key soldiers for this battle. From an animated perspective, a Biker Mice from Mars reboot could be exactly what’s needed.
Biker Mice From Mars Is Back With An Animated Series From The Nacelle Company (& New Toys Too)
ComicBook.com revealed that The Nacelle Company, the studio behind hit Netflix shows like The Toys That Made Us and The Movies That Made Us, has obtained the rights to Biker Mice From Mars and have big plans for the property moving forward. This includes a new toy line and an animated series (hopefully in the style of the original series).
“Biker Mice is the perfect way to start 2023 off with a Mars-based bang! And they’ll fit in,with their unique, creative brilliance, with the rest of brands we’ve recently acquired,” Nacelle CEO Brian Volk-Weiss commented.
A Live-Action Movie?
In terms of ’90s cartoons, you couldn’t escape the Biker Mice from Mars, the science fiction action animated series created by Rick Ungar. They were everywhere — video games, comics, books, toys, you name it.
Now, we’ve uncovered some hidden details about the history of the three anthropomorphic mice motorcyclists – Throttle (voiced by Rob Paulsen), Modo (voiced by Dorian Harewood), and Vinnie (voiced by Ian Ziering)! Forget Avenger Penguins, Extreme Dinosaurs, Road Rovers, and Street Sharks. This cartoon series is where it was at.
When you think of these three mice, 1993 comes to mind immediately. All the fashion, all the attitude, all the lingo, and everything about that era. However, the show received a short revival in the 2000s as well, as Biker Mice from Mars 2006 aired for one season. And who can forget those classic ’90s toys?
In recent years, there’s been talk of a live-action Biker Mice From Mars movie, possibly even adapted to screen by Paramount Pictures and Michael Bay. But who could play these badass mice in a feature film? According to some sources online, there were reports that Liam Hemsworth would voice Throttle, Alan Ritchson would voice Modo, Josh Peck would play Vinnie, and Jack Black might be Fred the Mutant. But take that with a pinch of salt. While they’ll make great voice actors, there isn’t much proof beyond “take my word for it, bro.”
Tell us, were you a fan of the show? And did you play the infamous Biker Mice from Mars SNES game? Do you remember the show’s main villain, Lawrence Limburger (full name Lawrence Lactavius Limburger)?
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Tell us, are you excited to see a brand-new Biker Mice from Mars animated show?
