Remembering Biker Mice From Mars

Biker Mice From Mars was one of my favorite animated shows when I was younger. I enjoyed the combination of action and humor as well as the sly innuendos and references. I also liked the fact that it took place in Chicago, a city that doesn't seem to appear all that often in animation. The show had an excellent voice cast that included Rob Paulsen, Ian Ziering, Dorian Harewood, and a pre-Raymond Brad Garrett as well as guest appearances by nearly every 90210 cast member, a pre-King Of Queens Leah Remini, Peter Strauss, Michael Dorn, and even Malcolm McDowell. It also engaged in something that at time was rare for kids' shows--multipart episodes.

In the Chicago area, Biker Mice From Mars aired on Sundays on Channel 50, a independent station that is now a FOX-owned UPN affiliate. In fact, when it first premiered, it aired on Sunday nights along with the godawful New Adventures Of Speed Racer. Although I never once bought or asked for a Biker Mice toy (it came out at a time where I had outgrown action figures), I liked the show enough to record it every week. After the show ended, I took all the Biker Mice episodes I had scattered across my various tapes and condensed them onto one nearly six-hour-long commercial-free tape. Via eBay and other sites, I was also able to buy the entire set of prerecorded VHS tapes that were released in the U.S. Every now and then, when there is nothing to watch on TV, I pop in my self-made tape and relive the adventures of the motorcycle-riding bros.

Now, Biker Mice From Mars is the latest 1980's/1990's cartoon to get a remake. There is precious little information out there about the new show and that's understandable since it's not supposed to premiere until the Fall of 2006. However, I do know that the producers of the original show are behind this new version as well and that at least some of the original voices are returning for this new show. I also recently found a link that shows the character designs for the new series. Compare these to the character designs for the original show and you'll see how things have changed in the nearly 10 years between series.

As a fan of the original show, I'm definitely looking forward to the new version and I can't wait to see what they do this time. With the new show coming soon, I hope that Disney (or whoever owns the rights) finally releases the original show on DVD. Animaniacs is coming to DVD next year, so why not this show? Ride Free Citizens!