Street Sharks

infobox television
show_name = Street Sharks


caption = A screenshot of the TV show 'Street Sharks'. Clockwise from upper left: Jab, Streex, Slammu, Ripster.
format = Animated series
Action
Adventure
Science fiction
runtime = 30 min.
created by = Robert Askin
Phil Harnage
starring = Matt Hill
Lee Tockar
Andrew Rannells
D. Kevin Williams
Tony Wike
Terry Berner
J. Michael Lee
Pam Carter
Jim Hogget
country = USA
network = Syndicated (1994-1995)
first_aired = September 1, 1994
last_aired = May 1, 1995
num_seasons = 2
num_episodes = 26
list_episodes = Street Sharks#List of Street Sharks episodes
imdb_id = 0103559
tv_com_id = 21387
related = Extreme Dinosaurs|

"Street Sharks" was an animated television series about crime-fighting half-man/half-sharks similar to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It was produced by DIC Entertainment from 1994 to 1995. Later the Street Sharks teamed up with the Dino Vengers (an early and vastly different-in-origin incarnation of the Extreme Dinosaurs) and the show became "Street Sharks and the Dino Vengers". Like a number of children's cartoons, it was created to promote an existing toy line of the same name, created by toy maven David Siegel.

In the first episode, a university professor named Dr. Paradigm tested his gene-manipulation techniques on a marlin and a lobster. Dr. Bolton, a fellow professor, attempted to destroy Paradigm's research, and was transformed into an inhuman monstrosity by the evil scientist before escaping. Paradigm later kidnapped Bolton's four sons — John, Bobby, Coop, and Clint — to transform them into sharks. As soon as they transformed, the four brothers ate a hotdog stand, and fled from the police by diving into a lake and burrowing their way into the city by eating the dirt. The brothers planned to capture Paradigm so that they could force him to return them to their human selves and expose Paradigm's genetic experiments.

In subsequent episodes, Paradigm began to convince the residents of Fission City that the Street Sharks (as they became known) were vicious, deadly killers who were mutated by their father, Dr. Bolton. The brothers teamed up every episode to stop Paradigm and his deadly Seaviates from transforming the citizens of Fission City into mutants with no free will.

One of the characters' favorite catchphrases was "Jawsome", and their favorite food consists of hamburgers and french fries (although they're capable of eating just about anything - even if it's not food). The brothers have also expressed an obvious and very vocal dislike for pizza, an indirect acknowledgement toward the Ninja Turtles, whose image is well-known for being built around pizza.

Characters

The Bolton Family

* Ripster ("John Bolton"): John is the smartest of the four brothers and enjoys creating inventions. He's also an avid pool player. In the first episode of the show, he rides a motorbike. When he transforms into Ripster, he becomes a Great white shark. John/Ripster was voiced by Lee Tockar.

* Jab ("Clint Bolton"): Clint's defining characteristic is that he is the lazy brother, but one of his hobbies is boxing. He appears to have some talent with mechanics, though, as he uses a jetpack in the first episode. When he transforms into Jab, he becomes a Hammerhead shark. Jab also appears to be more in tune with his animal side than his siblings, roaring and snarling when angry or excited over something. Clint/Jab was voiced by Matt Hill.

* Streex ("Robert "Bobby" Bolton, Jr."): Bobby is the token 'cool' brother and self proclaimed ladies' man. He's seen everywhere wearing his rollerblades, and appears to enjoy extreme sports like parachuting and snowboarding. Later on, he demonstrates the ability to play drums professionally. When he transforms into Streex, he becomes a Tiger shark. He gets his name from the purple streaks on his body. In the pilot movie (eventually to be episodes 1-3), he was originally called "Blades". Bobby/Streex was voiced by Andrew Rannells.

* Big Slammu ("Coop Bolton"): Coop is the sport-oriented brother, and the strongest of the four as well as the youngest. He is also a football player in high school. In the first episode, he uses a skateboard to get around. When he transforms into Slammu, he becomes a Whale shark. His most prominently featured attack is called "Seismic Slam", where Slammu sets off an earthquake by hitting the ground. Coop/Slammu was voiced by D. Kevin Williams.

* Dr. Robert Bolton: Dr. Bolton was only seen in the first episode, where he tried to stop Paradigm's experiments, only to become his next subject. He transformed into an unseen inhuman creature, only to escape. It is suggested through the series that Dr. Bolton is helping the Street Sharks from the sidelines and keeps close contact with his sons. He now lives in hiding because the mutation process done to him by Paradigm is unchangeable. Now he lives to stop Piranoid and at the same time give other mutations refuge from the humans who fear them. One episode showed him defeating Piranoid and his Seaviants to rescue a kidnapped mutate. He goes on to defeat Piranoid knocking off all his armor revealing his Piranha-like form, commenting that Paradigm has become something less than human (even something lesser than Bolton himself). Dr. Bolton was voiced by David Kaye.

Dr. Piranoid and his Seaviates

* Dr. Piranoid ("Dr. Luther Paradigm"): Dr. Paradigm is a university professor, and the main villain of the show. He is easily identified by his metal eyepatch, a villain's cliché. By the second episode, he's seen wearing a giant yellow robotic suit - this is due to his action figure wearing this same suit. The suit was heavily armored and also had offensive capabilities like the ability to fire harpoons. Due to an accident in the second episode, Paradigm is injected with piranha DNA, and turns into the freakish Dr. Piranoid. The piranha DNA was unstable, however, and as a result, Paradigm only transforms into his Piranoid state when he becomes highly agitated. The DNA also drove him insane; he began plotting to take over Fission City only after he became Dr. Piranoid. Piranoid looks the same as Paradigm except for his fish-like lips and razor-sharp piranha teeth. He later injected himself with iguana DNA, believing it was Velociraptor DNA. Dr. Paradigm/Piranoid was voiced by J. Michael Lee.

* Slobster: Slobster, along with Slash, is one of Paradigm's earlier experiments. He was created by injecting a lobster with the DNA of villainous figures like Genghis Khan and Captain Blood. The lobster becomes an anthropomorphic lobster that salivates constantly. Slobster was voiced by D. Kevin Williams.

* Slash: Slash is another of Paradigm's first experiments with gene manipulation. A marlin that was also injected with the DNA of villains like Genghis Khan and Captain Blood, it transforms into an anthropomorphic fish with a drill bit on its face and a purple leotard. Slash speaks in a hissing lisp. There is a running gag in the series that revolves around Slash somehow getting his nose jammed in a wall and being unable to remove it. Slash was voiced by Terry Berner.

* Killamari: Killamari is the third of Dr. Paradigm's evil mutants ("Seaviates" in the show's lingo), created from a squid captured off the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. Slash and Killamari despise each other, mostly because Slash made a snide remark about Killamari's initial inability to talk and that Killamari is much more intelligent than Slash. Killamari has the ability to project natural 'spears' or 'harpoons' from his mouth and the many suckers covering his body- these projectiles drip with an extremely potent venom. In his first appearance, he almost killed Jab, but Lena and Bends concoted an anti-venom which has since reduced his threat. Killamari was voiced by D. Kevin Williams.

* Repteel ("Mr. Cunneyworth"): Repteel is the only one of Paradigm's Seaviates to have originally been human. The aged owner of a run-down hotel accidentally demolished by the Street Sharks during a fight with Paradigm's Seaviates, he willingly allowed Paradigm to merge his genetic codes with those of a moray eel and an electric eel. As Repteel, he feeds on electricity and shoots miniature eels from his hands, also charged with electricity. Repteel was voiced by Tony Wike.

* Shrimp Louie: Louie is the shrimp and one of Paradigm's later Seaviates. He's not very strong, quite the coward, and his primary weapons are big blaster guns.

* SharkBot: SharkBot was a result Dr. Paradigm's experimentation with robotics. Sharkbot was used to bust Repteel out of prison, and as well frame the Street Sharks for the crime. The Sharks ultimately reprogramed him to destroy Paradigm's lab, resulting in its destruction. His shell was salvaged, and remade into a SharkBot 2.0. He continued to be a threat for the sharks on many occasions until its final destruction at the end of season 2. Sharkbot was voiced by Steve Gibbs.

Allies

* Lena Mack: Lena is a student of Dr. Paradigm's who suspects that he's not as good-natured as he makes himself out to be. Her suspicions prove right when she rescues the Street Sharks and discovers what he has done to the Bolton brothers. She helps the brothers whenever she can. She also has a younger brother in high school who featured in an episode. Lena seemed to have been written out of "Street Sharks" later on in the series. Around the time that the Dino Vengers were being introduced, Lena rarely ever appeared, and when she did, her role was reduced to that of a non-speaking background character in brief scenes. Lena was voiced by Pam Carter.

* Bends: Bends is Fission University's technical genius, despite being as much of a goof as Streex and Jab. He supplies the Sharks with their motorbikes and other gear. He also provides them with a hidden base underneath the University's ice rink. Bends was voiced by Jim Hogget.

* Moby Lick ("Jets Taylor"): Moby Lick was an attempt by Dr. Paradigm to create a fourth Seaviant. After first dosing him with an experimental mind control serum, Dr. Paradigm then gene-slammed him with a killer whale. However, he eventually broke free of Paradigm's mind control and became an ally of the Sharks. Moby Lick has a long, prehensile tongue (the source of his name), great strength, and the ability to suck up water and then expel it through his blowhole. He also retains an acquaintanceship/friendship with Jab and Bends, as he knew them prior to the Boltons' gene-slamming. Jets/Moby Lick was voiced by Khary Payton.

* Rox ("Melvin Kresnik"): Rox was an up-and-coming musician before he stumbled upon a makeshift laboratory—supposedly Dr. Bolton's—and ate some of Paradigm's mutating popcorn that Bolton had stolen from Paradigm's warehouse earlier in the episode. Melvin goes to bed and the mutation occurs as he sleeps, turning him into a mako shark. Bolton had, however, previously developed an antidote for the mutagen, and put it in a salt shaker. As a result of ingesting the two together, Melvin still retained his hair. Dr. Piranoid had wanted to gene-slam all the people at a concert (which was to originally feature Melvin Kresnik) into mutants by combining popcorn with animal genes. Ultimately, the Street Sharks stopped Dr. Piranoid, and Rox continued to live his life as a rock star, remaining close friends with fellow musician Streex.

* El Swordo (?): A circus performer who worked with a large swordfish named Spike. Spike was abducted and used by Paradigm, and his trainer sought them out in the desert. The two were eventually 'fused' together, resulting in a combination of memories, but is dominantly the human in action and personality. El Swordo remains active in entertainment, having been on a Naval ship in one episode, exercising his skills with double swords by slicing fruit in half while they're in mid-air.

* Mantaman ("Dr. Terrence "Terry" Morton"): Dr. Paradigm ventured into space to examine an alien specimen found encased in stone by Dr. Terry Morton. The alien wasn't dead, however, but merely in suspended animation, and was reactivated by Paradigm's meddling. Morton then deliberately gene-slammed himself with a combination of the alien's DNA and manta ray DNA to help the Street Sharks fight the original alien. Dr. Morton, or now Mantaman, was then seen leaping towards the Earth's atmosphere at the very end of the episode. He has a younger brother named Ryan who appears in a later episode.

* Dino Vengers: An intergalactic military unit selected to hunt down the Raptors, they come from a far away planet inhabited by anthropomorphic dinosaurs self-described as 'soft skin' (different origins than their ED counterparts). They were genetically augmented to be tougher, to complete their mission, and wound up stranded on Earth, as were the Raptors. The team is composed of T-Bone, Stegz, Bullzeye, and Spike.

Others

* Guy in the Sky: Guy was Fission City's top air radio reporter and paparazzo. He was never fully seen, but people recognize him for his yellow helicopter that shows up everywhere. He was a constant nuisance to most people in Fission City, especially the Sharks. Guy was voiced by Tony Wike.

* President David Horne: The President of the United States. After the Sharks proved their innocence by stopping Paradigm from taking over the country, Horne proclaimed the Sharks as heroes, and appointed them as special agents. President Horne was voiced by Tony Wike.

* Maximillian Grecko: An aged mafia man who, before his genetic enhancement, was frequently caught saying, "I am NOT dead!" During the course of his debut episode, Grecko discovered Paradigm's secret as a fake savior of the city and blackmailed Paradigm into gene-slamming him with rhinoceros hair 'collected' earlier by Killimari. The geneslam deaged Grecko to half his age, on top of buffing up him and his two chihuahua (Zeus and Apollo). He was seen again owning a casino.

* Medusa: A rich, business owning big-game hunter who frequently targets endangered animals for his trophies. He is Moby Lick's vice in the Everglades and even trapped Moby and the brothers in a twisted hunt, as the ultimate form of sportsmanship. He was defeated in the end.

* Clambo: A mutant clam who may or may not have been human to start with. He is Medusa's right-hand man and his arsenal includes gas grenades and a bazooka that shoots pearl-based shots.

List of Street Sharks episodes

eason 1

* Episode 1: Shark Bait (1995)
* Episode 2: Shark Bite (1995)
* Episode 3: Shark Storm (1995)

eason 2

* Episode 1: Sharquest
* Episode 2: Lone Shark
* Episode 3: Shark 'n' Roll
* Episode 4: Fresh Water Shark
* Episode 5: Shark Treatment
* Episode 6: Road Sharks
* Episode 7: Sharkfight
* Episode 8: Skysharks
* Episode 9: Shark of Steel
* Episode 10: Shark Source

eason 3

* Episode 1: "'Jurassic Shark (1996)
* Episode 2: Sir Sharkalot
* Episode 3: Shark to the Future
* Episode 4: First Shark
* Episode 5: Rebel Sharks
* Episode 6: Space Sharks
* Episode 7: A Shark Among Us
* Episode 8: To Shark or Not to Shark
* Episode 9: Eco Sharks
* Episode 10: Close Encounters of the Shark Kind
* Episode 11: Satellite Sharks
* Episode 12: Cave Sharks
* Episode 13: Shark Wars
* Episode 14: Shark Father
* Episode 15: Shark Hunt
* Episode 16: Card Sharks
* Episode 17: Shark Jacked
* Episode 18: Turbo Sharks
* Episode 19: 20,000 Sharks Under the Sea
* Episode 20: Ancient Sharkonauts
* Episode 21: Sharkotic Reaction
* Episode 22: Sand Sharks
* Episode 23: Shark Quake
* Episode 24: Super Shark
* Episode 25: Jungle Sharks
* Episode 26: Trojan Sharks
* Episode 27: Shark-apolypse Now!

Mattel Street Sharks Action Figures

From 1994 to 1996, Mattel released a line of Street Sharks action figures. Here is an "incomplete" list.

Hand Shark (1994)

* #13443 Ripster

Basic Figures (1995)

* Slash (1994)
* Slobster (1994)
* Killamarisquid
* #12253 Jab – The Hammerhead Shark (Motto: “Hit is head-on!”)
* #12254 Ripster – Great White Shark (Motto: “Bite is Might!”)
* #12255 Blades – The Tiger Shark (Motto: “Cut to the quick.”)
* #12256 Big Slammu - The Whale Shark (Motto: “Lower the boom!”)
* #13438 Rox - Make Shark (Motto: “Let’s wreck & roll!”)
* #13439 Streex - Tiger Shark (Motto: “Time to Sign-Off Seaviates!”)
* #13440 Moby Lick - Killer Whale (Motto: “I blow them away!”)
* #14037 Slugger Slammu - Whale Shark (Motto: “One-Two Big Slammu!”)
* #14038 Jet Pack Jab - Hammerhead Shark (Motto: “The Sky’s the Limit!”)
* #14039 Power Bite Piranoid - Half Human / Half Piranha (Motto: “Those sharks are fishtory!”)
* #14040 Radical Bends - Homo Sapiens (Human) (Motto: “Help is just around the Bends!”)
* #14041 Repteel - Electric Eel (Motto: “I’ll turn those sharks into sushi!”)
* #15030 Mecho-Shark
* #15034 Pool Shark Ripster - Great White Shark (Motto: “Rack ‘em up boys!”)
* #15036 Mantaman - Manta Ray (Motto: “Let’s wing it!”)
* #15038 Turbo Jab - Hammerhead Shark (Motto: “Let’s hammerhead ‘em off at the pass!”)

Vehicles (1995)

* #15028 Shark Force Jet
* #15029 Shark Force Tank

Night Fighters (1996)

* #15041 Trap Jaw Ripster - Great White Shark
* #15042 Stingshot Streex - Tiger Shark
* #15043 Hydrofire Jab - Hammerhead Shark

DVD Release

DIC Entertainment currently has no plans to release the animated series on DVD at this time.

Street Sharks in other languages

*German: "Street Sharks"
*Finnish: "Katuhait"
*Portuguese: "Os Tubarões da Rua"
*Spanish (Latin America): "Los Tiburones Del Asfalto"
*Spanish (Spain): "Street Sharks"
*Italian: "Street Sharks - Quattro Pinne All' Orizzonte"
*Hungarian: "Utcai Cápák"

See also

*Anthropomorphic Superheroes
*Extreme Dinosaurs (A spin off series)

External links

* http://www.figurerealm.com/FiguresListChk.php?SID=608
* [http://www.dicentertainment.com/shows/index.php?show=119&category=ActionComedy Street Sharks at DiC Entertainment]
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* [http://www.thatchickensite.com/letters/streetsharks The Ever-Jawsome, Ever-Forgettable Street Sharks] - A tongue-in-cheek synopsis of the three-part pilot episode.
* [http://www.bcdb.com/cartoons/Other_Studios/B/Bohbot_Entertainment/Amazin__Adventures_II/Street_Sharks/index.html Street Sharks at the Big Cartoon Database]