Watch the classic Saturday morning cartoon like never before! Based on Troma’s cult classic smash The Toxic Avenger, The Toxic Crusaders animated series follows the adventures of that lovable deformed creature of superhuman size and strength, Toxie! Along with his new friends Yvonne, No-Zone, Head-Banger, and Junkyard, watch as Toxie stands up for truth and justice against the evil Dr. Killemoff and his hoards of heinous henchmen in this complete series collection!
What We Thought:
I remember the toyline for the Toxic Crusaders action figures more than I do the cartoon, but fans of the series will love this new Blu-ray set for Toxic Crusaders: The Series. The toys were made from the same company that made TMNT figures and I believe I had a Toxie figure at one point.
This 2-disc set features all 13 episodes from the early 1990s family-friendlier edition of The Toxic Avenger. Toxie still starts off as a nerd who becomes a superhero with super strength and a powerful mop, but the Troma trademark nudity and cursing isn’t there. It’s a kids show geared towards a younger audience which was pretty common at the time. Troma tried to join the likes of RoboCop and other R-Rated movies that became cartoons for younger viewers. I probably would have liked it as a kid if I remembered it because it’s full of slapstick violence and crazy sidekicks like No-Zone, Head-Banger, and Junkyard plus Toxie’s girlfriend Yvonne who plays the accordion.
What I liked most about watching the series (which I binged over two nights) is the animation style. The 1980s shows of my youth had a specific animation style that was somewhat Asian like Voltron and then the mid to late 1990s had a Nickelodeon look (think Rugrats, Rocko’s Modern Life), but the early 90s had shows like this, TMNT and Captain Planet that didn’t look flawless. I miss that style. Fans of the era will really enjoy seeing that style again. I called a friend after watching it to talk about the shows from this era and this type of animation.
I also liked the absolutely baffling bonus features. There are typical ones you expect like Troma bossman Lloyd Kaufman doing an introduction, commercials for the toyline, and Toxie making an appearance at the Thanksgiving Day Parade, but then there are some random cartoons. I mean random. They have nothing to do with the series, nothing to do with Troma and are 50+ years old and are public domain. I watched the first one without realizing it was a random cartoon. It’s “Christmas Comes But Once a Year” and I thought it was going to be another commercial for the toys, but nope it’s a 1930s Fleischer Studios production featuring Professor Grampy from Betty Boop. Other cartoons include Jack Frost, Hector’s Hectic Life and Snow Foolin’. Other than being public domain so you can do whatever you want with them, why are they part of a Blu-ray series release of Toxic Crusaders?
Toxic Crusaders: The Series will be a nice trip down memory lane for those who remember it. I didn’t remember it, but grew up watching Troma and its films like The Toxic Avenger so I found it cool even as an adult. There’s running gags throughout the series including a henchman for Dr. Killemoff predicting exactly how his plan will be defeated every single episode which I laughed at every time. If you are a Troma fan then you’ll dig it. If you remember the cartoon you’ll dig it too.
RECOMMENDED!
Bonus Features:
- New introduction by Lloyd Kaufman
- Original Toxic Crusaders toy commercials and TV spots
- Feature length documentary about the making of the Toxic Crusaders video game from Retroware
- Long lost archival footage of your favorite mop wielding mutant
- Bonus cartoons
The Nerds Templar 