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Biker Mice From Mars was a 90s TV show emulating the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and had its own range of licensed action figures, vehicle kits, and playsets. Almost all the Biker Mice From Mars toys had their own quirky or exciting action feature to provide extra play value for kids. Travel back in time and take a look at all the fantastic toys based on the Biker Mice and their adversaries.
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) dominated the 1990s, becoming one of the most influential cartoon franchises 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 is 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 have a mark on 1990s pop culture history and spawned a range of memorable merchandise that will make any 90’s kid nostalgic.
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. Our heroes escape their home planet 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 a human. These villains are led by Lawrence Lactavius Limburger, the Plutarkian overlord and main antagonist of the show (if you think this sounds like it was inspired by the Transformers backstory, you’re 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.
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, playsets became very popular, and kids wanted 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 toys series through to 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 the crossover Micro Machine sets (1993).
Here’s a look at some of the most popular Biker Mice toys released from 1993 to 1996.
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. Almost all the action figures have some kind of action feature built into the figure itself or their accessories, adding a considerable amount of extra play value for kids.
The fearless and level-headed leader of the Biker Mice, Throttle comes equipped with his arm-mounted sprocket launcher, three fireable sprockets, and motorcycle helmet.
Another action figure with the ability to fire projectiles, the group’s muscle Modo comes ready to brawl with his signature bionic arm and “real firing” rocket gun. However, unlike the Throttle figure, Modo’s weapon only comes with one plastic missile (but let’s be honest, this tough guy only needs the one).
The “mouse with a cool attitude,” Vinnie is the thrill-seeking loose cannon of the group and goes into battle with his grip claw and spinning crowbar. While he lacks a projectile-firing weapon like his comrades, he was still one of the most popular Biker Mice toys.
Part Harley Davidson reference and part April O’Neil equivalent, Charlene “Charley” Davidson is the Biker Mice’s expert human mechanic and a reliable ally throughout the show. Charley comes with her light-up laser welder that can be cranked to produce a sparking effect.
Of course, your Biker Mice figures need a baddie to fight, and who better than the big cheese himself, Lawrence Limburger? Lawrence is unique in that apart from coming equipped with a working plastic mousetrap, his figure also features a plastic human mask that can be used to disguise his extra-terrestrial origins.
Limburger’s oafish right-hand man Greasepit is your standard steroidal henchmen and the perfect punching bag for the Biker Mice. While looking pretty basic at first glance, Greasepaint comes with an oil canister and gun that could fire real water.
Limburger’s own Dr. Frakenstien equivalent, textbook mad scientist Dr. Karbunkle is the diabolical genius who successfully teleports each villain-of-the-week to Earth. Dr. Karbunkle comes packaged with his sidekick ̶I̶g̶o̶r̶ Fred The Mutant with an action feature that causes his brain to pop out.
One of the reinforcing henchmen that Dr. Karbunkle manages to teleport to Earth, Lectromag is described as a “magnetic maniac energized for evil”. Apart from coming equipped with his gun from the show, one of Lectromag’s octopus-like appendages had a real working magnet on the end of it.
Another bad guy teleported to Earth by Dr. Karbunkle, Evil Eye Weevil is an undead guitar player notable for his rocker mentality and crazy eyeball. His figure has a surprising level of interactivity. His eyeball glows when you shine a light through the back of it, and he has a button on his back that makes all his skeletal limbs limp. Also, the creepy eye on his signature Eyeball Guitar can be rolled around.
The range of Biker Mice From Mars toys also included five motorcycles featured on the show. Each bike had its own action feature.
Galoob also released two Biker Mice from Mars playsets.
In 1994 Galoob released 12” “Mega Mice” action figures for Throttle, Modo, and Vinnie.
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 robotic arm with 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 any way she can. She is the only female character who was turned into an action figure.
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 is a squat, masochistic mutant with three pink eyes and is often the unfortunate subject of many of Dr.Karbunkle’s experiments.
Greasepit is 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.
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.
Vintage Biker Mice toys from the early 90s are sold on resale sites like Etsy, Amazon, and eBay. Original action figures still in the box can go from $50 to $150.
If you’re in the market for 2006 Biker Mice From Mars toys, a quick search on eBay will help you find what you’re looking for. The Biker Mice 2006 toys are generally cheap as well. Even a new-in-box Vinnie action figure is only going for around $30.
The original Biker Mice from Mars were called Throttle, Modo, and Vinnie.
The ages of the Biker Mice are never revealed, but it’s safe to assume they’re in their early to mid-twenties. However, since they’re aliens, there’s no telling how they age compared to humans.
Currently, the Walt Disney Corporation owns the rights to the Biker Mice from Mars. Unfortunately for fans of the series, Disney hasn’t flagged any interest in doing anything with the property, for now at least.
In terms of the show’s lore, we don’t know how many other Biker Mice there were. It’s revealed that members of Martian Mice society particularly enjoyed motorsports, so we can assume that Throttle, Modo, and Vinnie weren’t the only motorcycle enthusiasts on Mars.
There have been many rumors of a Biker Mice From Mars movie in recent years, with speculation that director Micheal Bay and actors like Chris Hemsworth and Jack Black would be involved. However, these rumors have no solid foundation, so Biker Mice fans can only cross their fingers and wait.
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