Bucky O'Hare and the Toad Wars!

Last updated

Bucky O'Hare and the Toad Wars!
Bucky O'Hare logo.jpg
Genre Action-adventure
Based on
Bucky O'Hare
by
Developed by Roger Slifer
Directed byKaren Peterson
StarringJason Michas
Shane Meier
Long John Baldry
Richard Newman
Terry Klassen
Scott McNeil
Dale Wilson
Margot Pinvidic
Sam Khouth
Jay Brazeau
Garry Chalk
Opening theme Doug Katsaros
Country of originUnited States
France
No. of episodes13
Production
Running time30 minutes
Production companies
Original release
Network first-run syndication (U.S.)
ReleaseSeptember 8 (1991-09-08) 
December 1, 1991 (1991-12-01)

Bucky O'Hare and the Toad Wars! (also known as Bucky O'Hare and the Toad Menace in Canada and Bucky O'Hare in the United Kingdom) is an animated series created by Sunbow Productions, Abrams/Gentile Entertainment, Continuity Comics and the French company IDDH, co-produced by Marvel Productions and distributed by Hasbro's subsidiary Claster Television. [1] It was based on the cult comic Bucky O'Hare , [2] and animated by AKOM. [3]

Contents

It debuted in 1991 in the United States, and 1992 in the UK on the BBC. [4]

The show was made with the intention of promoting the new Bucky O'Hare themed toy line. When plans for that fell through, the series was abruptly cancelled after only 13 episodes.

Differences from the comics

Most of the ideas from the comic book were used for the cartoon, with several major differences: the parallel universe the story takes place in is named the "Aniverse", Willy DuWitt can travel freely between Earth and the Aniverse instead of being stranded there, Bruce is transported into another dimension instead of killed, the Toad Empire are willingly following KOMPLEX instead of brainwashed, Deadeye has a Southern accent instead of a Scottish accent, the nigh-omnipotent mouse is nowhere to be seen, and Jenny reveals her psionic powers to Willy DuWitt. 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).

Characters

Bucky and his crew are members of the S.P.A.C.E. organization, which stands for Sentient Protoplasm Against Colonial Encroachment.

The members of the Toad Empire introduced are as follows:

Characters only in the animated series

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.

Episode list

TitleWritten byOriginal air datePC
1"War of the Warts (Part 1)" Christy Marx September 8, 1991 (1991-09-08)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 (Part 2)"Christy MarxSeptember 15, 1991 (1991-09-15)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 (Part 3)"Christy MarxSeptember 22, 1991 (1991-09-22)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"Christy MarxSeptember 29, 1991 (1991-09-29)104
After getting himself captured and then rescued by the Toads, Bucky plans to infiltrate a slave colony that is currently building a new Climate Converter.
5"On the Blink" George Arthur Bloom October 6, 1991 (1991-10-06)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" Martin Pasko October 13, 1991 (1991-10-13)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" Doug Moench October 20, 1991 (1991-10-20)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"Rick MerwinOctober 27, 1991 (1991-10-27)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"Christy MarxNovember 3, 1991 (1991-11-03)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"Christy Marx,
Bridget McKenna
November 10, 1991 (1991-11-10)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"George Arthur BloomNovember 17, 1991 (1991-11-17)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: Kanopis III, Dead-Eye's homeworld.
12"Bye Bye Berserker Baboon" Roger Slifer November 24, 1991 (1991-11-24)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" Neal Adams,
Peter Stone
December 1, 1991 (1991-12-01)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.

Home media releases

Sometime after its initial television airing, Family Home Entertainment released all thirteen episodes of the show on six VHS cassettes in North America. In the United Kingdom, BBC Video released twelve out of the thirteen episodes across six VHS tapes, then Metrodome Entertainment released all thirteen episodes on a Region 2 DVD set, as well as a single volume DVD, both of which are now out of print.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Professor X</span> Comic book character

Professor X is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-writer Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in The X-Men #1. The character is depicted as the founder and occasional leader of the X-Men.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marvel Universe</span> American comic book shared universe

The Marvel Universe is a fictional shared universe where the stories in most American comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Comics take place. Super-teams such as the Avengers, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, the Guardians of the Galaxy, and many Marvel superheroes live in this universe, including characters such as Spider-Man, Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, the Hulk, Ant-Man, the Wasp, Wolverine, Black Panther, Doctor Strange, Daredevil, and Captain Marvel, Blade, Black Widow, Hawkeye, among numerous others. It also contains well-known supervillains such as Doctor Doom, Magneto, Ultron, Thanos, Loki, The Green Goblin, Kang the Conqueror, Red Skull, The Kingpin, Doctor Octopus, Carnage, Apocalypse, Dormammu, Mysterio, Electro, and the Vulture. It also contains antiheroes such as Venom, Namor, Deadpool, Silver Sable, Ghost Rider, The Punisher, and Black Cat.

<i>The Empire Strikes Back</i> 1980 film directed by Irvin Kershner

The Empire Strikes Back is a 1980 American epic space opera film directed by Irvin Kershner from a screenplay by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan, based on a story by George Lucas. The sequel to Star Wars (1977), it is the second film in the Star Wars film series and the fifth chronological chapter of the "Skywalker Saga". Set three years after the events of Star Wars, the film recounts the battle between the malevolent Galactic Empire, led by the Emperor, and the Rebel Alliance, led by Princess Leia. Rebel ally Luke Skywalker trains to master the Force so he can confront the Emperor's powerful disciple, Darth Vader. The ensemble cast includes Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams, Anthony Daniels, David Prowse, Kenny Baker, Peter Mayhew, and Frank Oz.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner</span> Warner Bros. theatrical cartoon characters

Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner are a duo of cartoon characters from the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of animated cartoons, first appearing in 1949 in the theatrical cartoon short Fast and Furry-ous. In each episode, the cunning, devious and constantly hungry coyote repeatedly attempts to catch and subsequently eat the Road Runner, but is always humorously unsuccessful in doing so. Instead of his animal instincts, the coyote uses absurdly complex contraptions to try to catch his prey. They comically backfire, with the coyote often getting injured in slapstick fashion. Many of the items for these contrivances are mail-ordered from a variety of companies implied to be part of the Acme Corporation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Golden age of American animation</span> Period of animation where theatrical sound cartoons were common and popular

The golden age of American animation was a period in the history of U.S. animation that began with the popularization of sound synchronized cartoons in 1928 and gradually ended in the 1960s when theatrical animated shorts started to lose popularity to the newer medium of television. Animated media from after the golden age, especially on television, were produced on cheaper budgets and with more limited techniques between the 1960s and 1980s.

<i>Buzz Lightyear of Star Command</i> Animated television series

Buzz Lightyear of Star Command is an American animated science fiction comedy television series produced by Walt Disney Television Animation and co-produced by Pixar Animation Studios. It serves as a spin-off of the Toy Story franchise and presents a fictionalized account of the in-universe character Buzz Lightyear. The series was preceded by the direct-to-video film Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins, and aired on UPN and ABC from October 2, 2000, to January 13, 2001, as part of Disney's One Saturday Morning and Disney's One Too programming blocks. While the series is 2D animated, Pixar animated the CGI opening title sequence at the beginning of each episode.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bucky O'Hare</span> Comics character

Bucky O'Hare is a fictional character and the hero of an eponymous comic book series and spin-off media, including an animated TV series and various toys and video games. He was created by comic book writer Larry Hama and comic book artist Michael Golden between 1977 and 1978 and made its publishing debut in Echo of Futurepast #1 in May 1984 Continuity Comics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roger Slifer</span>

Roger Allen Slifer was an American comic book writer, screenwriter, and television producer who co-created the character Lobo for DC Comics. Among the many comic-book series for which he wrote was DC's Omega Men for a run in the 1980s.

<i>Bucky OHare</i> (arcade game) 1992 video game

Bucky O'Hare is an arcade game produced by Konami in 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saudi 2</span> Television channel

Saudi TV Channel 2, or as of 2014 known as Saudi 2 was the English news and entertainment TV channel of Saudi Arabia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Télétoon</span> Canadian French-language childrens TV channel

Télétoon is a Canadian French language specialty channel owned by Teletoon Canada, Inc., a subsidiary of Corus Entertainment. Launched on September 8, 1997, the channel broadcasts animated series aimed at kids, teens, and adults. Its name is a portmanteau of "télévision" and "cartoon".

Dubai Channel 33 was a national television channel transmitting terrestrially out of Dubai in English, targeting the expat community in the U.A.E. It was founded in 1977. Up until the late 1980s, it was a 12-hour channel, switching broadcasts adjacently from one of Emirates Dubai Television's frequencies starting at 2:00 pm, U.A.E. time, with a children's block, and concluding at 2:00 am. The times of the switch often changed usually during Ramadan, which varied each year. It was the only free-to-air English-language channel in Dubai at the time.

<i>Bucky OHare</i> (NES video game) 1992 video game

Bucky O'Hare is a 1992 platform game for the Nintendo Entertainment System based on the comic book series of the same name. The game was developed, under the direction of Masato Maegawa, by Konami, which also published it in North America in February 1992 and in Europe on February 18, 1993. Graphics were created by Kaname Shindoh, Madonna Taira, and Toshiharu Furukawa, and the music was composed by Tomoko Sumiyama.

"Pool Party!" is a song by American band The Aquabats which appears on their 2000 album Myths, Legends and Other Amazing Adventures, Vol. 2, which itself was a compilation of B-sides and unreleased tracks from the recording sessions for the band's 1999 studio album The Aquabats vs. the Floating Eye of Death!.

<i>Poppy Cat</i> (TV series) British television series

Poppy Cat is a British preschool animated television series, which first aired on 2 May 2011 and last aired on 5 February 2016. It is based on a series of books created by British illustrator and writer Lara Jones, and is a co-production of Coolabi Productions, King Rollo Films, Ingenious Media, and Cake Entertainment for Nick Jr. and Channel 5.

Events in 1952 in animation.

Events in 1945 in animation.

Events in 1927 in animation.

References

  1. Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 97. ISBN   978-1538103739.
  2. Kogan, Rick (5 January 1992). "Getting into Bucky O'Hare". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 24 September 2010.
  3. "Bucky O'Hare - Closing Theme". YouTube . Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. AKOM Production Co. at :29, IDDH at :33, Marvel Productions is at :37-:40 Sunbow at :56.
  4. Phil De Semlyen; Ali Plumb; Helen O'hara; James Dyer (9 October 2015). "Classic Kids' TV Shows That Still Rock Our World, Feature | Movies - Empire". Empireonline.com. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
  5. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 31 March 2017. Retrieved 14 September 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 3 July 2016. Retrieved 21 October 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)