If you were a kid growing up in the 1980s leading into the 1990s and loved movies, there simply was no better time to be alive. Many exciting films were being released, and production studios were turning favorite live-action films into ongoing animated series.
A long list to rattle off, you have The Real Ghostbusters emerging in 1986 (modeled after 1984’s Ghostbusters, Teen Wolf also popping up in 1986 (inspired by the 1985 film), and The Karate Kid first airing in 1989 (carrying on from 1984 feature flick). These only being a few, it was also a bold time when studios transformed R-rated films into kid-friendly animated series, like 1986’s Rambo: The Force of Freedom (based on 1982’s First Blood and 1985’s Rambo: First Blood Part II), 1988’s Robocop (based of the 1987 film of the same name), 1988’s Police Academy: The Animated Series (inspired by the film series that started in 1984), 1990’s Attack of the Killer Tomatoes (modeled after the 1978 film of the same title), as well as 1991 Toxic Crusaders (which was based on 1984 film).
Looking at Toxic Crusaders, of all the R-rated films that transitioned to kid-friend cartoons, it was perhaps the boldest. As many recall, 1984’s The Toxic Avenger was a B-rated Horror film through independent media company Troma Entertainment. Founded by Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz some fifty years ago, Troma has been known for content primarily geared toward mature audiences. They are a gem in the eyes of Horror fans because of their ability to blend Comedy, Horror, and raunchy situations all into one package. So, how would this all translate into a cartoon? Well, naturally, they had to tone down the world of The Toxic Avenger to make a viable animated series.
With that in mind, Kaufman and Herz themselves took to assisting in crafting the new stories while calling on some big writers such as Chuck Lorre (who has been associated with everything from Two and a Half Men to The Big Bang Theory), along with D. J. MacHale and Ned Candle (who were creators of Are You Afraid of the Dark?). Rather interesting to learn they created thirteen episodes, airing a few on test markets in the summer of 1990 before the series officially debuted on January 21, 1991.
As a new venture, Toxic Crusaders successfully expanded on the universe of Toxie, but with some really cool new original characters like No-Zone, Head-Banger, and Junkyard, all of who join Toxie in his effort to rid the world of wrong-doers. This is while villains such as Bonehead and Psycho assisted the main evil bossman, Dr. Killemoff, who works for Czar Zosta but seems to have all his evil plans foiled by the Toxic Crusaders. With some other characters also included, such as Toxie’s love interest, Yvonne, the stories of the Toxic Crusaders mix adventure, humor, and an all-around good time.
However, the best part of Toxic Crusaders, while kid-friendly, was the fantastic level of sarcastic humor that would absolutely appeal to adults. It was almost an immediate hit with many kids who tuned in, and the animation was on par with some of the best cartoons of the era, thanks to Fred Wolf Films, the animation studio responsible for such bit hits like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles from 1987-1996 and The California Raisin Show in 1989. It could even be argued that Toxie himself looked better as an animated character versus live-action. In fact, the animation was so good that it inspired a whole toy line manufactured by Playmates. Some may it was a cash-in on the success of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles toys, but hey, if you were a kid who loved anything you could get your hands on related to your favorite characters, you could care less.
It is a wild story of a cult classic B-Horror flick becoming widely known far beyond what one could ever imagine. The unfortunate part is that Toxic Crusaders only lasted for the thirteen-episode first season, and that was it. There is a debate as to why it did not hold on for subsequent seasons, but whatever the case, Toxic Crusaders is an absolutely hilarious and entertaining animated series that should be revised. That is why it is exciting to learn that Troma Entertainment has put together the first-ever Blu-ray release of Toxic Crusaders, the complete series.
Put out right before Christmas 2024, on December 10th, the new two-disc Blu-ray set offers all thirteen episodes in their original format. Taking you back to a time when animation series dominated networks like FOX, CBS, and ABC, the best part is they are digitally restored and remastered, particularly for this release. Done so with care by Retroware (the creators of the forthcoming Toxic Crusaders video game), the imagery is clean and colorful. Great to see, the set also includes special features such as a new introduction by Lloyd Kaufman, original Toxic Crusaders toy commercials and TV spots, a feature-length documentary about the making of the Toxic Crusaders video game, plus more.
Overall, it is a long overdue and great way to honor the underappreciated Toxic Crusaders. It is also fantastic timing considering the surge of new interest in the Toxic Avenger world with the release of a remake that premiered at Fantastic Fest in 2023, with a theatrical release plotted for August 29, 2025, the fantastic eight-disc 4K The Toxic Avenger Collection that arrived in 2023 in celebration of 50 years of Troma Entertainment, some limited edition colored vinyl reissues of the Toxic Avengers soundtrack in 2023 and 2024 from Terror Vision Records, plus an awesome new retro-styled toyline put out there in 2024.
A good time to be a Toxic fan, Cryptic Rock gives the Blu-ray release Toxic Crusaders: The Series 5 out of 5 stars.
){kind=link}
No comment