Biker Mice From Mars Toys: More Than Just TMNT Cash-Ins!

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) dominated the 1990s, becoming one of the most influential cartoon franchises not just of its time, but of all time. Of course, the Turtles inspired their fair share of copycats hoping to cash in on the craze, and Rick Ungar’s Biker Mice From Mars was undoubtedly one of the most successful. While Biker Mice From Mars may not have had the same staying power as everyone’s favorite crime-fighting, pizza-devouring turtles (the show only ran for three seasons), they did leave a mark on 1990s pop culture history, and spawned a range of memorable merchandise that will make any 90’s kid nostalgic.

And if you didn’t have any of these, boy did you miss out!

The Backstory

Biker Mice From Mars is known as one of the more successful TMNT clones, with creator Rick Ungar striking a unique chord between heavy metal motifs and classic 1990s kids’ cartoon action.

The story follows three anthropomorphic mice motorcyclists from outer space named Throttle, Modo, and Vinnie. One less than the Ninja Turtles, but we guess fours a crowd.

Our heroes escape their home planet of Mars before crash landing in Chicago and pledging to defend Earth from the same evil beings that destroyed their homeland (the Plutarkians). The Plutarkians are an alien race of obese, foul-smelling, worm-eating, fish-like humanoids who attempt to disguise themselves as humans. These villains are led by Lawrence Lactavius Limburger, the Plutarkian overlord and main antagonist of the show. And hey, if you think this sounds like it was inspired by the Transformers backstory, you’re definitely not alone.

With a close-knit squad of gadget-equipped heroes, flashy vehicles, and plenty of despicable adversaries, Biker Mice From Mars had all the ingredients for a great toy range.

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Biker Mice From Mars Action Figures

The Biker Mice From Mars toys from the early 90s perfectly portray the buff mice, disturbing villains, and their allies. The original toys were created by San Francisco-based toy company Lewis Galoob Toys, Inc, which was also responsible for the ultra-popular Micro Machines.

The Biker Mice From Mars action figures, vehicles, and playsets became very popular, causing kids of the time to want to collect all three leading mice motorcyclists. Each action figure came equipped with the respective character’s signature weapon, such as Throttle’s sprocket launcher, Vinne’s grip claw, and Modo’s bionic arm.

But, what about the bikes?

Luckily for kids, each biker’s action figure also came with their motorcycle helmet to use with their iconic vehicles. Some toy sets included both the action figure and their motorcycle, allowing kids to assemble the whole squad and recreate all the fast-paced action they loved from the show.

Apart from the first wave of original Biker Mice toys, Galoob also released several other toy series through 1996. Some introduced new characters like Napoleon Brie (one of Lawrence Limburger’s fellow Plutarkians), while others were variations on the core cast of Biker Mice like “Rad Rebel Vinnie” and “Totalizer Throttle” (1994) and came with additional weapons and gadgets. Other toys included the “Super Bendable” versions of Throttle, Modo, and Vinnie as well as the crossover Micro Machine sets (1993).

Here’s a look at some of the most popular Biker Mice toys that were released from 1993 to 1996.

5.5″ Biker Mice Action Figures (1993)

In 1993, Galoob released their first wave of Biker Mice From Mars action figures. The main cast of heroes and villains had their own individual figures that included their signature weapons and gadgets. As we mentioned before, almost all of the action figures in that first wave had some kind of action feature built into the figure itself or their accessories, which gave them extra play functionality.

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Biker Mice Vehicles (1994)

The range of Biker Mice From Mars toys also included five motorcycles featured on the show. Each bike had its own action feature.

• Modo’s Mondo Chopper with Double-Barrell Launchers.
• Throttle’s Martian Monster Bike with Firing Tailpipe Missles.
• Throttle’s Blazin Cycle With Glowing Wheel
• Vinne’s Radical Rocket Sled with Secret Pop-Up Weapon
• Greasepit’s Grunge Cycle with Pumpin’ and Dumpin’ Barrels

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Biker Mice Playsets (1994)

Galoob also released two Biker Mice from Mars playsets.

• The Scoreboard Hideout – The Scoreboard Hideout is the secret pad where the Biker Mice hang out, repair their bikes, shoot hoops, and pump iron in between adventures. This playset featured a large scoreboard that opened up, allowing the Biker Mice to make a quick escape.
• Dr. Karbunkle’s Transporter and Secret Lab – This playset features Dr. Karbunkle’s greatest invention, the teleporter he uses to bring villains like Lectromag and Evil Eye Weevil to confront the Biker Mice. The playset has lots of eerie scientific gadgets attached to it, and has a mechanical feature that can make an action figure appear and disappear. Appropriately, the playset comes with a pared-down Fred The Mutant figure you can use to test the contraption before you try it with more valuable characters.

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12” Mega Mice Figures (1994)

In 1994, Galoob released 12” “Mega Mice” action figures for Throttle, Modo, and Vinnie.

• Throttle 12” Mega Mice Figure
• Modo 12” Mega Mice Figure
• Vinnie 12” Mega Mice Figure

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These were just like the Giant Turtle figures we covered in our Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle toy rundown.

Biker Mice from Mars Characters

Here’s a breakdown of the Biker Mice, their friends, and the villains they had to go up against.

Throttle – Throttle is the mouse pack’s rational and ultra-buff leader. Throttle action figures show him wearing sunglasses because he lost his sight in an incident on Mars and was left with malfunctioning bionic eyes. His green sunglasses are fitted with field spec capabilities that allow him to see clearly.

He rides a black cruiser-type motorcycle, sports a leather biker vest, and wears a cestus on his right hand, called “Nuke Knucks,” which increases the strength of his punches.

Modo – Modo is the gray-furred gentle giant who is the strongest of the bunch, but often shows more empathy than the others. Modo lost his right arm and left eye in the same incident that destroyed Throttle’s eyes. His arm was replaced with a robotic arm that has a built-in laser cannon and excellent strength.

Modo action figures feature him with his futuristic-looking blue spacesuit and purple Command Cruiser.

Vinnie – Vinnie is the thrill-seeker and self-proclaimed lady-killer of the bunch. The right side of Vinnie’s face was burned off in the same explosion where Throttle lost sight and Modo lost his right arm. He wears a flex-plate shielded mask and rides a red sports bike called the Radical Rocket Sled, unlike the others’ cruisers.

Vinnie wears a green X-cross bandoleer on his bare chest, his Biker Mice signature belt, dark blue jeans, and the usual shin guards and black boots.

Charlie – Their best friend, Charley Davidson, helps the mice by servicing their bikes and opposing their enemies in any way she can. She is the only female character who was turned into an action figure.

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The Biker Mice From Mars Bad Guys

No early 1990s toy series marketed toward young boys was complete without a few resident ‘bad guys.’

Lawrence Lactavius Limburger – He’s the bloated alien from Plutarch and the archenemy of the Biker Mice. The Lawrence Limburger action figure perfectly represents his smug demure with a bright business suit and a rubber mask so he can disguise himself as human.

Fred the Mutant – a squat, masochistic mutant with three pink eyes and is often the unfortunate subject of many of Dr.Karbunkle’s experiments.

Greasepit – the muscle behind most of Lawrence Limburger’s schemes. He wears gardening shorts and rides a motorized tricycle into battle against the Biker Mice.

Dr. Karbunkle – Dr. Karbunkle is the Biker Mice From Mars villain in charge of developing machines and robots to either battle the Biker Mice or gather resources from Earth. The mad scientist is featured in the Biker Mice toy range sporting his white lab coat, high-heeled boots, and green goggles that he never takes off.

Finally, you have the Plutarkians, a race of fish-like aliens that either plan to conquer Earth or drain the planet of its resources. Each Plutarkian is named after a cheese, like Lord Camembert, Gerald Gruyere, Romana Parmesan, Gautama Gouda, and Jack Monterey.

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Biker Mice From Mars 2006 Toys

While the series ended in 1995 after airing 65 episodes, Ungar revived Biker Mice From Mars with a brand-new series in 2006. However, this last series is more of a continuation of the story rather than a complete reboot.

The 28-episode series aired from 2006 to 2009 and gave way for another major toy line release. But this time, it wasn’t Gabloob in charge of creating the toys.

Italian giant Giochi Preziosi was selected as the worldwide toy licensee for the new generation of Biker Mice toys. GP worked closely with Rick, who remained the executive producer of the new series, to develop the modern toys featuring the beloved Biker Mice From Mars characters, vehicles, and weapons used in the series.

The Biker Mice From Mars 2006 toys were slimmer and more detailed than the originals. Still, the new line needed to maintain consistency with the intellectual property and the execution of the primary toy range.

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The Biker Mice Will Return…

There’s still a lot of love out there for the Biker Mice. Vintage Biker Mice toys from the early 90s are regularly sold on resale sites like Etsy, Amazon, and eBay, and original action figures still in the box can sell from $50 to $150.

If you’re holding on to your love of the Biker Mice From Mars, you’ll be happy to know that they’re preparing to make a comeback in a big way!

Throttle, Vinnie, and Modo are heading back to the small screen in a new series being worked on by current toy rights holder The Nacelle Company and Deadpool himself – Ryan Reynolds. It’s been a few years since the project was announced, but you can already purchase new Biker Mice figures directly from Nacelle featuring the characters’ updated designs.

As for when we’ll actually be able to watch the show, who knows? You’ll have to stay tuned to R90T!

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