One of the most interesting trends of the late ’80s and early ’90s was the proliferation of animated series based on not-so-kid-friendly properties. These days, we don’t get anything like that, but back then, it was everywhere. One such example was Toxic Crusaders, which was based on Troma’s The Toxic Avenger. The show ran for 13 episodes that turned the bloody, nuclear waste-themed Toxie into a hero for kids to worship. The series also gave us the infamous toy line from Playmates. Now, ScreamBox is adding Toxic Crusaders to their collection on their streaming service.
The series synopsis goes like this:
A complete and hopeless nerd, Melvin, falls into toxic waste and becomes Toxie, a hideously deformed mutant of superhuman size and strength. Teaming with other mutants, No-Zone (whose power comes from radioactive sneezes), Major Disaster (he can control plants), Head-banger (Fender, a singing telegram delivery surfer-type, and Dr. Bender, a stereotype mad scientist, fused together – a hybrid character based on the Siamese twins in Troma’s War) and Junkyard, a dog/hobo hybrid, to become The Toxic Crusaders!
Together they fight crime in every sense of the word and finally turn their attention on the Apocalypse Inc. of the movies Toxic Avenger Parts II & III, although in the series the chairman is an alien as opposed to Satan. The series follows the attempts of the crusaders to fight crime and be environmentally safe.
Check out Toxic Crusaders on ScreamBox in addition to their other great horror content.
For more on horror, make sure to check back to That Hashtag Show.
