Toxic Crusaders facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Toxic Crusaders
The Toxic Crusaders: The Television Series, Vol. 1 DVD cover
Created by	Lloyd Kaufman Michael Herz
Based on	The Toxic Avenger film series
Directed by	Bill Hutton Tony Love
Starring	Gregg Berger Susan Blu Rodger Bumpass Paul Eiding Ed Gilbert John Mariano Chuck McCann Michael J. Pollard Hal Rayle Susan Silo Kath Soucie Patric Zimmerman
Country of origin	United States
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	13
Production
Executive producer(s)	Fred Wolf
Producer(s)	Walt Kubiak
Running time	30 Minutes
Production company(s)	Murakami-Wolf-Swenson Troma Entertainment
Distributor	Sachs Family Entertainment
Release
Original network	Syndication
Original release	March 1 – May 20, 1991 (1991-05-20)

Toxic Crusaders is an animated TV show from 1991. It is based on the The Toxic Avenger movies, but it was made for kids. The show follows Toxie, the main hero, and his team of unusual superheroes. They fight against pollution and bad guys who want to harm the environment.

This cartoon was part of a trend of shows that cared about the environment. Other similar shows at the time included Captain Planet and the Planeteers and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures. Even though Toxic Crusaders came from movies made for older audiences, the TV show was much tamer and safer for children.

Only thirteen episodes were made and aired. Some episodes were shown as a test in Summer 1990. The show officially started on January 21, 1991. It also aired in Canada on YTV from 1991 to 1997.

Meet the Toxic Crusaders

Before Toxic Crusaders, there were other cartoons based on movies made for older audiences. Toxic Crusaders was created by a company called Troma, Inc.. This animated series was quite different from the live-action movies it was based on.

The original Toxic Avenger movies were about a skinny nerd named Melvin Junko. He fell into toxic waste and changed into a very strong creature.

Only thirteen episodes of Toxic Crusaders were made. But like the movies, the episodes became very popular with fans. This led to many toys and other products being made.

What the Show is About

Toxic Crusaders made the hero, Toxie, much more kid-friendly. Toxie was still a strange-looking mutant with amazing powers. But deep down, he was a kind-hearted hero who followed the rules. He lived in the made-up town of Tromaville, New Jersey.

In the show, the toxic waste also changed Toxie's mop. The mop became a living thing that could fight enemies on its own. It even gave Toxie ideas on how to solve problems!

The bad guys in the show were still polluters. But these villains came from a different world. They were from a planet called Smogula. The main villains were Czar Zosta, Dr. Killemoff, and Psycho. They caused environmental damage with help from Tromaville's dishonest Mayor Grody. Bonehead, a bully from Earth, joined them in the first episode.

Dr. Killemoff and Czar Zosta were like cockroach-like aliens from Smogula. On their planet, pollution is normal, just like fresh air is normal on Earth. Smogulans need pollution to live. Czar Zosta and other Smogulans could breathe Earth's air fine. But Dr. Killemoff needed a special mask to breathe. Dr. Killemoff also had an endless army of soldiers called Radiation Rangers.

Other heroes and villains appeared in the show. Most of these characters only showed up in one episode.

Main Characters

The Toxic Crusaders Team

• Toxie (voiced by Rodger Bumpass) – He is the main hero of the show. Melvin Junko was a weak janitor who was often picked on. One day, he fell into a barrel of toxic waste. This turned him into a super-strong creature. Toxie's main weapon is his superpowered mop, named Mop. The mop also got exposed to the toxic chemicals and has a mind of its own.
• No-Zone (voiced by Paul Eiding) – No-Zone was a test pilot. He flew through a hole in the ozone layer and crashed into a silo of radioactive pepper. He became a blue-skinned human-like creature with a wheel for a foot. He can also make powerful sneezes from his huge nose.
• Major Disaster (voiced by Ed Gilbert) – Major Disaster was a soldier. He gained the power to control plants after falling into a radioactive swamp.
• Headbanger – This character is two people joined into one body. Dr. Bender (voiced by Hal Rayle) is a grumpy mad scientist. Fender (voiced by John Mariano) is a surfer-like singing telegram delivery boy. Fender caused the accident where they fell into an atom-smasher and became one. Bender turned green like Toxie, but Fender still looked human.
• Junkyard (voiced by Gregg Berger) – Junkyard was a junkyard dog. A homeless man was hiding in Junkyard's kennel, which was covered in toxic waste. Lightning struck, merging them into one human-like dog. He joined the Toxic Crusaders to fight Dr. Killemoff.

The Villains

• Czar Zosta (voiced by Patric Zimmerman) – He is one of the main bad guys and the ruler of Smogula. Czar Zosta is a small bug-like Smogulan and Dr. Killemoff's boss.
• Dr. Killemoff (voiced by Rodger Bumpass) – Another main bad guy from the planet Smogula. He wears a mask to breathe on Earth. He always corrects people who call him just "Killemoff" by shouting, "That's DR. Killemoff!" He also never listens to Psycho's predictions, even when they could help him.
• Psycho (voiced by Michael J. Pollard) – An overweight robot-like being. He has an amazing ability to guess the future. His guesses often spoil how Dr. Killemoff's plans will fail.
• Bonehead (voiced by Hal Rayle) – Bonehead was a bully from Earth who picked on Melvin. Toxie accidentally threw him into a barrel of acid rain, which gave him a skeletal look. Bonehead then joined Dr. Killemoff. He is not very smart.
• Mayor Max Grody (voiced by Chuck McCann) – The dishonest Mayor of Tromaville. He works with the Smogulans.
  • Mona (voiced by Susan Blu) – Mayor Grody's secretary.
• Polluto – A monster made of oil slick. Dr. Killemoff created him.
• General GarBage – A Smogulan general. He tried to replace older citizens of Tromaville with evil clones.
• Radiation Rangers – These are Dr. Killemoff's soldiers. They are hunched-over mutants in yellow hazmat suits and gas masks.

Other Friends and Foes

• Blobbie – Toxie's pet, a small blob of goo.
• Yvonne (voiced by Kath Soucie) – Toxie's girlfriend. She often plays the accordion and sings very high notes that can break things.
• Mrs. Junko (voiced by Susan Silo) – Toxie's mother.
• Snailman – Crash Shelby was a race car driver who crashed into a barge of snails. Engine oil merged him with a snail.
• Mower Man – He was a gardener who became half-man, half-gardening equipment after chemicals exploded. He called himself "A hideously deformed creature of superhuman shears and strength."

Episode Guide

Voice Actors

• Gregg Berger – Junkyard
• Susan Blu – Mona
• Rodger Bumpass – Toxie/Melvin Junko, Dr. Killemoff
• Paul Eiding – No-Zone
• Ed Gilbert – Major Disaster
• John Mariano – Fender
• Chuck McCann – Mayor Max Grody
• Michael J. Pollard – Psycho
• Hal Rayle – Bonehead, Dr. Bender
• Susan Silo – Mrs. Junko
• Kath Soucie – Yvonne
• Patric Zimmerman – Czar Zosta