Mighty Max (TV series) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mighty Max |
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Mighty Max title card
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| Genre | Fantasy Horror Science fiction Action/Adventure |
| Developed by | Mark Zaslove Rob Hudnut |
| Voices of | Rob Paulsen Tony Jay Richard Moll Tim Curry Frank Welker Kath Soucie Tress MacNeille Corey Burton |
| Theme music composer | John D'Andrea & Cory Lerios |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 40 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Running time | 21 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Film Roman |
| Distributor | Bohbot Entertainment |
| Release | |
| Original network | Syndication (Amazin' Adventures) |
| Original release | 12 September 1993 – 2 December 1994 |
Mighty Max is an American animated TV show. It's an action and horror series. The show aired from September 12, 1993, to December 2, 1994. It was based on the British Mighty Max toys. These toys were created by Bluebird Toys in 1992. The series had two seasons and a total of 40 episodes.
Contents
What the Show is About
The story follows Max, a brave teenage boy. One day, he gets a strange package in the mail. Inside is a small statue of a bird. It has ancient Egyptian writing on it. The message says, "You have been chosen to be the cap-bearer. Go to the mini-mart and wait for a sign, Mighty Max."
Max is surprised and drops the statue. It breaks, showing a red baseball cap with a yellow "M" on it. When Max puts on the cap, he discovers it's magic! The cap can create special "portals." These portals are like wormholes. They let Max teleport across time and space.
When Max goes to the mini-mart, a lava monster attacks him. This monster was sent by the evil Skullmaster. Max uses his cap to escape. He teleports to the Mongolian desert. There, he meets Virgil, a wise, bird-like creature. Virgil is a Lemurian. He explains that Max getting the cap was predicted thousands of years ago.
Max, Virgil, and Norman then team up. Norman is a strong Viking bodyguard. They travel the world together. Their mission is to protect Earth from Skullmaster's evil followers. Skullmaster is the one who destroyed Virgil's people, the Lemurians. Norman is believed to be immortal. He is linked to legends like Thor and Hercules. Most episodes involve fighting Skullmaster or his monsters. Sometimes, Max has to stop other villains too. They travel all over Earth, and even through time.
The show's final episodes are very exciting. Max, Norman, and Virgil face Skullmaster and all their old enemies. Both Norman and Virgil are killed. Max is left alone to fight Skullmaster. He can't defeat him. So, Max uses his cap to travel back in time. He goes back to the very first episode. This creates a time paradox. Max remembers everything that happened before. He uses his knowledge to finally defeat Skullmaster.
Main Characters
Heroes
- Max (voiced by Rob Paulsen)
- Max is the main character. He's a lively and smart blonde teenager.
- He gets the special cap that lets him travel through time and space.
- Max sometimes wishes he didn't have this big responsibility.
- But Virgil and the cap always pull him into new adventures.
- Virgil (voiced by Tony Jay)
- Virgil is a wise, bird-like humanoid.
- He is the last living Lemurian.
- Virgil is Max's mentor and guide.
- He is over ten thousand years old.
- Virgil knows a lot about the past and the future.
- He gets annoyed by Max's playful attitude.
- Virgil also feels bad because he once mentored Skullmaster.
- Norman (voiced by Richard Moll)
- Norman is Max's powerful bodyguard.
- He swore to be the greatest warrior ever.
- Norman became immortal by defeating a champion called the Conqueror.
- He promised to protect the "Mighty One" (Max) with his life.
- Norman is usually serious.
- He is fearless, but he really dislikes spiders.
- His famous saying is, "I eat [X] for breakfast!"
Friends and Allies
- Max's Mother (voiced by Tress MacNeille)
- She is an archaeologist who works at a museum.
- She often travels the world, leaving Max on his own.
- Max sometimes has to rescue her.
- She and Virgil often have interesting talks about history.
- Bea (voiced by Kath Soucie)
- Bea is one of Max's best friends.
- She is smart and helps Max on his adventures.
- Bea is calm and thoughtful.
- She often helps Max think things through.
- Felix (voiced by Corey Burton)
- Felix is another one of Max's friends.
- He usually gets left behind when the adventures start.
- But Max often relies on him later for help.
- Thor
- Thor is Max's pet green iguana.
- He is a loyal companion.
- In one episode, Thor was turned into a dinosaur.
- He helped Max escape from a giant dinosaur-like monster.
Villains
- Skullmaster (voiced by Tim Curry)
- Skullmaster is the main villain of the series.
- He is an ancient warrior and sorcerer.
- He destroyed the Lemurians and the Atlanteans.
- Skullmaster was trapped underground for a long time.
- In the second season, he is free and wants to control the universe.
- Warmonger (voiced by Rob Paulsen)
- Warmonger is a demon who works for Skullmaster.
- He once tried to take Skullmaster's place.
- Skullmaster was actually proud of Warmonger for being so sneaky.
- Arachnoid (voiced by René Auberjonois)
- Dr. Stanley Kirby was a scientist.
- He was mutated into a half-spider creature called Arachnoid.
- Cyberskull (voiced by Danny Goldman)
- Marlin Curt, also known as Cyberskull, was a computer programmer.
- He merged with a computer virus.
- This allowed him to change reality and become electricity.
- Professor Eggbert Zygote (voiced by Kenneth Mars)
- Eggbert Zygote is a mad scientist.
- He wants to control evolution.
- He once made a machine that turned reptiles into dinosaurs.
- Lava Lord (voiced by Frank Welker)
- Lava Lord used to rule the Underworld.
- Skullmaster defeated him and trapped him in rock.
- He sometimes teams up with Max because he hates Skullmaster so much.
- Talon (voiced by David Warner)
- Talon is a giant skull-like creature.
- He feeds on the souls of living things.
- He needs Max's cap to escape from the astral plane.
Episodes and Voice Cast
You can find a full list of episodes at List of Mighty Max episodes.
The main voices you hear in the show are:
- Corey Burton as Felix
- Tim Curry as Skullmaster
- Tony Jay as Virgil/Narrator
- Tress MacNeille as Max's Mother
- Richard Moll as Norman
- Rob Paulsen as Max and Warmonger
- Kath Soucie as Bea
- Frank Welker as Lava Lord
Educational Fun Facts
At the end of most episodes, there's a short scene. Max is usually in his room. He talks to the audience about something from the episode. It's like a mini-lesson! He might talk about the place they visited or the type of monster they fought. This was similar to other educational cartoons like The Magic School Bus.
These educational messages were about science, history, or different cultures. For example, they might teach about myths from another country. Or they might explain facts about a giant squid. Sometimes, Virgil also shares interesting facts during the show.
Mighty Max Toys and Games
The Mighty Max TV show was based on a popular toy line. The toys were even more popular than the show! Mighty Max toys were small play-sets. They came with tiny figures inside. Each set included a Mighty Max figure. It also had villains, and sometimes Virgil or Norman. There were also bigger play-sets with cool features. Most episodes of the TV show were inspired by these toy sets.
In 1994, McDonald's even offered Mighty Max toys in their Happy Meals.
A video game called The Adventures of Mighty Max was released in 1995. It was available for the SNES and Sega Genesis/Mega Drive. There were also other Mighty Max items. These included a comic book series, a sticker album, puzzles, and board games. You could even buy replicas of Max's cap in some countries!
