The Terrible Thunderlizards facts for kids

The Terrible Thunderlizards was a fun animated show that aired in Canada on YTV and in the United States as part of Eek! Stravaganza on the Fox Kids TV block. It ran from November 20, 1993, to July 28, 1997. The show was originally planned to be a spin-off from Eek! The Cat. It was made by Nelvana and Fox Kids with Savage Studios Ltd. The catchy theme song was created by Dee Snider from the band Twisted Sister.

What the Show is About

The series follows a group of three dinosaur soldiers called mercenaries. They were wrongly accused of helping an enemy dinosaur during a war and were put in prison. Scientists realized that if humans were allowed to grow in numbers, dinosaurs would no longer be in charge. So, the Thunderlizards were let out of prison. Their new job was to get rid of two early human beings.

Even though the dinosaurs are bigger and have powerful weapons, they always fail to catch the humans in funny ways. They often try to throw bombs filled with bees at the humans. But the bees usually end up chasing the dinosaurs instead, making them run for water! Even though they couldn't get rid of the humans, the Thunderlizards were good at protecting Jurassic City from other enemies. They also completed dangerous missions, like rescuing the president's kidnapped daughter. This might be why they were allowed to keep working and not sent back to prison.

Meet the Characters

The Thunderlizards Team

Doc Tari

Doc Tari is the leader of the Thunderlizards team. He is a Parasaurolophus dinosaur. He has a special hole in his head crest that hides many cool gadgets, like a buzz-saw or a grappling hook. Doc is usually the most focused member of the team. But he can also get distracted like his teammates when they are not on a mission. His voice and actions are a funny copy of characters played by Arnold Schwarzenegger in movies like Commando and Predator. His famous line is "We move!" and he is voiced by the show's co-creator, Savage Steve Holland.

Day Z. Kutter

Day Z. Kutter is the second-in-command of the team. He is a Styracosaurus, even though he was sometimes called a Triceratops. As his name suggests, he is very good with knives and is a master of knife fighting. He wears a cool skull T-shirt. Kutter is smarter than Squatt but not as smart as Doc. He often gets into silly situations with Squatt. Doc usually has to use his quick thinking and strength to get them back on track. He is voiced by Bill Kopp, who also helped create the show.

Bo Diddley Squatt

Bo Diddley Squatt is the third member of the team and their best sniper. He is an Allosaurus. Squatt is known for being clumsy and a bit dim-witted. His voice and actions are similar to the character Private Hudson from the movie Aliens. Squatt is often the one who has to check out dangerous situations first. His catchphrases are "Blast 'em all and let the archeologists sort 'em out!" and "Something tells me that's a bad thing." Kutter often replies to the second one with, "Yes Squatt, that would fit nicely in the bad things category!!!" He was voiced by Jason Priestley and later by Corey Feldman.

Dinosaur City Leaders

General Galapagos

General Galapagos

General Galapagos is the boss of the Thunderlizards. He is a green, grumpy Tyrannosaurus. He wears a blue general's military uniform with a gold-starred blue cap. He oversees all the missions where the Thunderlizards try to hunt down the humans. He often gets very angry because they never succeed. He believed that because of the team's failures, the dinosaur race was doomed. He also has a wife and a son. He is voiced by Kurtwood Smith.

Dr. Steggy

Dr. Steggy is a Stegosaurus scientist who works for the Jurassic City Military. He is voiced by Charlie Adler.

Mr. T-Rex

Mr. T-Rex is General Galapagos's best soldier. He is a Tyrannosaurus whose character is based on (and voiced by) Mr. T. Mr. T-Rex is a funny copy of Mr. T's characters like Clubber Lang from Rocky III and B. A. Baracus from The A-Team. He even says "I pity the fool" and calls the Thunderlizards "fools" or "suckas." His anger often gets him into trouble, and the Thunderlizards usually have to save him. His two helpers are Nate the Dragon, a Velociraptor who uses a staff and is like Bruce Lee, and El Gordo, a small Ceratosaurus who can hide by putting plants on himself.

The Humans

Bill & Scooter

Bill and Scooter are the two humans the Thunderlizards are trying to get rid of. Bill is tall and thin with red hair and a beard. Scooter is short, chubby, and bald with a yellow beard. Both wear animal skins, similar to characters in The Flintstones. They know the Thunderlizards are trying to harm them, but they don't know why. Sometimes, Bill and Scooter are even friends with other dinosaurs whom they help.

Bill (voiced by Charles Adler) is Scooter's grumpy partner in inventing things. He often has to test Scooter's new devices, which usually leads to funny and messy results. Bill is often sad and sometimes gets very annoyed with Scooter. He even tried to hurt Scooter once! His famous line is "When does the hurting stop?"

Scooter (voiced by Curtis Armstrong) is a happy and very excited caveman. He doesn't seem to notice how Bill feels about him. He rarely panics unless the Thunderlizards are involved. Scooter loves to invent things like a square wheel, "beesball" (using a beehive as a ball), a washing machine that uses fire, and the pogo stick. His inventions often cause problems for Bill. However, sometimes Scooter's inventions accidentally save him and Bill from the Thunderlizards. For example, he once invented Groucho glasses, which made a smart bomb think they weren't targets. Another time, a UFO landed, and aliens gave them a special three-holed sphere. Scooter used it for a game like bowling, which Bill actually thought was a good invention!

Babs

Babs is the first female human introduced later in the series. Dinosaur scientists created her using genetic material from Bill and Scooter. The Thunderlizards wanted to use Babs to trick Bill and Scooter into danger. But Babs decided to live in the jungle instead. Unlike Scooter, Babs was bossy and manipulative. She preferred Bill's company and thought up useful inventions, but she made Bill do all the hard work. Bill eventually got so angry that he was happy to go back to Scooter, who, despite everything, was not arrogant and did his own work. Babs appeared in later episodes with more ideas for Bill and Scooter.

The Villains

The Thuggosaurs

The Thuggosaurs are a group of scary, skeleton-like dinosaurs who live in the X-Zone, a dangerous area outside Jurassic City. They are often trying to attack Jurassic City. Thuggo (voiced by Brad Garrett) is the evil leader of the Thuggosaurs. He is a Megalosaurus. Thuggo cares a lot about how he looks, so he often spends more time trying to look good than carrying out his evil plans. These plans would mean the end of the living dinosaurs if they succeeded. The Thuggosaurs sometimes had clever plans, like kidnapping the president's daughter. Thuggo once called the president with his demands but accidentally dialed the wrong number! Thuggo also enjoys watching drama TV shows. Biff is Thuggo's weak and flower-loving second-in-command. He is a bit too delicate to be part of such a villainous group.

Voice Cast

• Savage Steve Holland .... Doc (36 Episodes) & Additional Voices
• Bill Kopp .... Kutter (36 Episodes) & Additional Voices
• Jason Priestley .... Squatt (I, 1993–1996) (30 Episodes)
• Corey Feldman .... Squatt (II, 1996–1997) (6 Episodes)
• Charlie Adler .... Bill (36 Episodes) & Additional Voices
• Curtis Armstrong .... Scooter (36 Episodes) & Additional Voices
• Kurtwood Smith .... General Galapagos (35 Episodes) & Thuggo (4 Episodes)
• Mr. T .... Mr. T-Rex (3 Episodes)
• Brad Garrett .... Thuggo (26 Episodes)
• Cam Clarke .... Huckleberry (2 Episodes) & Additional Voices
• Elizabeth Daily .... The President's Daughter (1 Episode)