Bucky O'Hare and the Toad Wars
Bucky O'Hare and the Toad Wars | |
---|---|
Starring |
Jason Michas Shane Meier Long John Baldry Terry Klassen Scott McNeil Dale Wilson Margot Pinvidic Garry Chalk |
Country of origin |
U.S.A. France |
No. of episodes | 13 |
Production | |
Running time | 30 minutes |
Production company(s) |
Sunbow Productions Marvel Productions Abrams/Gentile Entertainment Continuity Comics IDDH |
Distributor | Claster Television |
Release | |
Original network |
BBC (UK) first-run syndication (U.S.) |
Original release | September 8 – December 1, 1991 |
Bucky O'Hare and the Toad Wars (Also known as Bucky O'Hare and the Toad Menace in Canada) is a French-American animated series created by Sunbow Productions, Marvel Productions, Abrams/Gentile Entertainment, Continuity Comics and the French company IDDH and distributed by Hasbro's subsidiary Claster Television. It was based on the cult comic Bucky O'Hare.[1] Animated by AKOM, the show is remembered for its distinctive and popular theme tune.[2]
It debuted in 1991 in the UK on the BBC, as well as in the United States.[3]
Most of the ideas from the comic book were used for the cartoon, with three major differences: Bruce is transported into another dimension instead of killed, Willy can travel freely between Earth and the aniverse, and the omnipotent mouse is nowhere to be seen. The cartoon explored more of the aniverse and followed a loose unifying arc, with Bucky's home planet of Warren being captured by the toads in the season premiere and rescued in the finale (which was co-written by Neal Adams).[4]
Characters
Bucky and his gang are members of the S.P.A.C.E organization, which stands for Sentient Protoplasm Against Colonial Encroachment.
- Bucky O'Hare –- a green hare, captains a mammal spaceship named The Righteous Indignation. His crew was introduced in the comic and consisted of:
- Jenny –– first mate and pilot, a cat from the planet Aldebaran (not to be confused with the star in the real life universe of the same name) with mysterious magical and psionic powers common to the females of her species. They include telepathy, astral projection, energy blasts, and healing. Because of the sacred precepts of Alderbaran, she keeps these powers secret from the other members of the crew, with the exception of Willy, to whom she serves as a kind of surrogate mother.
- Willy DuWitt – – engineer, a pre-teen human from San Francisco who enters the Aniverse via a portal between the ship's photon accelerator and his own accelerator at home. He replaced Bruce, the former engineer, who was killed (or in the franchise's terms, had "attained oneness with the Aniverse"). Later, Willy became stranded in the Aniverse when his parents turned off the photon accelerator back in his room. Bucky and his crew decide to keep Willy a secret from the S.P.A.C.E organization and the Toads.
- Deadeye Duck – – gunner, a four-armed former space pirate duck from Kanopis III. He is missing an eye, and is impatient and violent, preferring to let his four laser pistols do the talking for him. Speaks with a Scottish accent in the comics.
- Blinky – – an advanced AFC ("Android" First Class). Has only one eye. Uses the phrase "Calamity and Woe!" to identify problem situations for Bucky and his crew-mates.
- Bruiser – – Bruce's brother, a Betelgeusian Berserker Baboon who joins Bucky's team as space marine on the Righteous Indignation. He, like all berserker baboons, scares the toads out of their wits and loves to beat them up. He is dimwitted but well-meaning, and has great respect for Willy.
The members of the Toad Empire introduced are as follows:
- KOMPLEX – – the undisputed ruler of the Toad Empire. This computer program was designed to run the consumerist toad culture but instead took it over and militarized it. Its name, in toad language, is an anagram for 'Feed me'.
- Toad Air Marshall – – one of KOMPLEX's foremost commanders, with a uniform adorned with medals and a face covered in warts.
- Toad Borg – – one of KOMPLEX's elite troops, part toad, part robot.
- Storm Toads – – the mindless toad soldiers who serve as the primary attack force for the Empire.
Characters only in the cartoon
Almost all the characters listed above are both from the comic book and the cartoon. Most of the new ones that were introduced are listed below.
- Bruiser – Bruce's brother, a Betelgeusian Berserker Baboon who joins Bucky's team as space marine on the Righteous Indignation. He, like all berserker baboons, scares the toads out of their wits and loves to beat them up. He is dimwitted but well-meaning, and has great respect for Willy.
- Commander Dogstar – Bucky's ally, captain of The Indefatigable, another frigate fighting against the toads.
- Mimi LaFloo – A fox (so to speak) originally a captive of the toads, Mimi is rescued by Bucky and goes on to command her own mammal frigate, The Screaming Mimi. (eps. 4 and 10)
- Toadborg – a large, purple cyborg second-in-command under KOMPLEX.
- Frix and Frax – the Air Marshal's two bumbling subordinates.
- Al Negator – a sleazasaur (bipedal crocodile) spy and mercenary frequently hired by the Air Marshal. He dresses and speaks in a manner consistent to the cajun people.
For other characters, see List of Bucky O'Hare characters.
Voice cast
Character | Voice |
---|---|
Bucky O'Hare | Jason Michas |
Willy DuWitt | Shane Meier |
KOMPLEX | Long John Baldry |
AFC Blinky | Samuel Vincent |
Deadeye Duck | Scott McNeil |
Bruiser | Dale Wilson |
Pilot Jenny | Margot Pinvidic |
Al Negator | Garry Chalk |
Toadborg | Richard Newman |
Frix | Terry Klassen |
Frax | Scott McNeil |
Captain Mimi LaFloo | Margot Pinvidic |
Commander Dogstar | Garry Chalk |
Toad Air Marshall | Jay Brazeau |
Episode list
# | Original title | Directed by | Written by | Story by | Original airdate | Prod. code |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | "War of the Warts (1)" | TBA | Christy Marx | TBA | September 8, 1991 | 101 |
Bucky O'Hare and the Righteous Indignation crew learn that the Toad Empire has taken over his homeworld Warren, and must travel there to investigate. Meanwhile, an Earth boy named Willy DeWitt enters Bucky's universe using an experimental device. | ||||||
2 | "A Fistful of Simoleans (2)" | TBA | Christy Marx | TBA | September 15, 1991 | 102 |
Willy join Bucky's crew to Planet Warren where they find information relating to the world's recent climate change. The cause is revealed to be a new weapon called the Climate Converter. Meanwhile, a spy is hired by the Toad Empire to gain access through the Aniverse capital, Planet Genus. | ||||||
3 | "The Good, the Bad and the Warty (3)" | TBA | Christy Marx | TBA | September 22, 1991 | 103 |
It's a race against time as the Righteous Indignation crew infiltrate a Toad Mothership to retrieve Planet Genus's access codes. The only things standing in their way are gun-for-hire Al Negator and the deadly Toadborg. | ||||||
4 | "Home, Swampy, Home" | TBA | Christy Marx | TBA | September 29, 1991 | 104 |
Bucky plans to infiltrate a slave colony that is currently building a new Climate Converter. | ||||||
5 | "On the Blink" | TBA | George Arthur Bloom | TBA | October 6, 1991 | 105 |
The Toad Empire has taken control of a koala homeworld and has installed a defense system that prevents any mammalian access. It's up to the android Blinky to sneak onto the planet and shut it down. | ||||||
6 | "Kreation Konspiracy" | TBA | Martin Pasko | TBA | October 13, 1991 | 106 |
Rumor has it that a powerful device is located in a barren planet and Bucky's crew must intercept it before the Toads do. Meanwhile, Blinky is kidnapped by three elder toads, who may have a connection with the Empire's leader, KOMPLEX. | ||||||
7 | "The Komplex Caper" | TBA | Doug Moench | TBA | October 20, 1991 | 107 |
KOMPLEX uses the power of Toad TV to control the mammalian population. Bucky must travel to the Toad Homeworld to shut down the transmission and, with any luck, KOMPLEX himself... | ||||||
8 | "The Search for Bruce" | TBA | Rick Merwin | TBA | October 27, 1991 | 108 |
Brusier's brother, the former R.I. engineer Bruce, has returned in a spectral form but definitely alive. Meanwhile, the Toad Empire creates a new invention to teleport squads to anywhere in the Aniverse. | ||||||
9 | "Corsair Canards" | TBA | Christy Marx | TBA | November 3, 1991 | 109 |
A treaty between the UAC Security Council and Dead-Eye's former pirate mates is about to be finalized. But a small group of pirates' recent plunders is on the verge of endangering the treaty's process. | ||||||
10 | "The Artificers of Aldebaran" | TBA | Christy Marx and Bridget McKenna | TBA | November 10, 1991 | 110 |
Jenny's pupil, Princess Felicia, is abducted by Toadborg and it's up to her and Willy to save her. The source of power that the cybernetic villain is after may spell doom for Jenny's homeworld, Planet Aldebaran, and possibly the entire Aniverse. | ||||||
11 | "The Warriors" | TBA | George Arthur Bloom | TBA | November 17, 1991 | 111 |
The Toad Air Marshal is kicked out of his army after his most recent failure at the hands of Bucky O'Hare. To regain his status, he joins a samurai lizard, who is plotting to take over a nearby planet. The place: Kanopis III, Dead-Eye's homeworld. | ||||||
12 | "Bye Bye Berserker Baboon" | TBA | Roger Slifer | TBA | November 24, 1991 | 112 |
The Toads invade the homeworld of Bruiser and his fellow Beetlegeusian Baboons, using special goggles to prevent their fear of their most terrifying foes. Bucky and crew fight back and soon encounter the empire's secret weapon: the unstoppable Terror Toad. | ||||||
13 | "The Taking of Pilot Jenny" | TBA | Neal Adams and Peter Stone | TBA | December 1, 1991 | 113 |
Jenny has been captured by the toads. Toadborg is ordering a trade for a recently relinquished Climate Converter, unaware of Bucky's true objective. |
VHS UK history
- BBC Video (September 3, 1992 – February 2, 1993)
DVD UK history
- Metrodome Distribution (October 11, 2004)
- Mini Metro (February 26, 2007)
Broadcast USA history
- first-run syndication (September 8, 1991 – December 1, 1991)
References
- ↑ Kogan, Rick (5 January 1992). "Getting into Bucky O'Hare". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 24 September 2010.
- ↑ "Interview with Doug Katsaros". The Bucky O'Hare Fan Fiction & Information Site. Retrieved 2010-01-20.
- ↑ Phil De Semlyen; Ali Plumb; Helen O'hara; James Dyer (2015-10-09). "Classic Kids' TV Shows That Still Rock Our World, Feature | Movies - Empire". Empireonline.com. Retrieved 2016-09-27.
- ↑ "Interview with Christy Marx". The Bucky O'Hare Fan Fiction & Information Site. Retrieved 2010-01-20.
External links
- The Bucky O'Hare Fan Fiction & Information Site
- Bucky O'Hare and the Toad Wars at the Big Cartoon DataBase
- Bucky O'Hare and the Toad Wars at the TV.com
- Bucky O'Hare and the Toad Wars at the Internet Movie Database