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Street Sharks
A screenshot from the "Street Sharks" episode "Sharkbait." Clockwise from upper left: Jab, Streex, Slammu, Ripster
Genre	Action/Adventure Science fiction
Starring	Lee Tockar Matt Hill Andrew Rannells D. Kevin Williams Tony Wike Terry Berner J. Michael Lee Pam Carter Jim Hoggatt
Country of origin	United States Canada
No. of seasons	3
No. of episodes	40
Production
Running time	30 min.
Original release
Network	Syndicated (1994–1997)
Release	September 11, 1994 – May 18, 1997
Related
Extreme Dinosaurs

Street Sharks was an American-Canadian animated television series about crime-fighting half-man/half-sharks. It was produced by DIC Entertainment and aired from 1994 to 1997, originally as a part of the Amazin' Adventures lineup. Later, in 1996, the Street Sharks teamed up with the Dino Vengers and the show became "Dino Vengers Featuring Street Sharks". It was created to promote an existing Mattel toy line of the same name. The creators were David Siegel and Joe Galliani of Mr. Joe's Really Big Productions. Every episode has the word "Shark" somewhere in the episode title.

Plot

The premise of the story states that university professor Dr. Robert Bolton and his partner Dr. Luther Paradigm created a machine, known as the "gene-slammer", capable of changing aquatic animals into anthropomorphic hybrids. Attempting to prevent Paradigm from using this machine for personal power, Bolton is transformed into an unseen monstrosity yet escapes. Later, Paradigm also gives Bolton's four sons John, Bobby, Coop, and Clint the likeness of four different sharks. When Dr. Paradigm captures their friend Bends, the resulting "Street Sharks" rescue him and combine Paradigm with piranha DNA, for which he is often nicknamed "Dr. Piranoid" by other characters. In subsequent episodes, Dr. Paradigm creates a variety of monsters to destroy the Street Sharks, while attempting to persuade the inhabitants of their native metropolis of Fission City to imprison them. Of these monsters, a few sided with the Sharks themselves namely 'Rox' (a musician- mako shark, similar to the protagonists), 'Moby Lick' (based on an orca), Mantaman (a manta ray/alien hybrid), and 'El Swordo' (based on a swordfish)

The final few episodes introduced the Dino Vengers, a group of extraterrestrial dinosaurs allied with the Street Sharks against their own rivals in the Raptor Gang. The Dino Vengers had their own spinoff series called Extreme Dinosaurs.

Characters

The Bolton Family

• Ripster (voiced by Lee Tockar) - John Bolton is the smartest and oldest of the four brothers and enjoys creating inventions. He has taken up most of his knowledge and skills from his father. He's also an avid pool player. In the first episode of the show, he rides a motorbike. When he is transformed into Ripster, he becomes a great white shark with teeth that can chew through steel.

• Jab (voiced by Matt Hill) - Clint Bolton'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 as he uses a jet pack in the first episode. When he is transformed into Jab, he becomes a hammerhead shark in which he uses his head as a battering ram. Jab also appears to be more in tune with his animal side than his siblings, roaring and snarling when angry or excited over something.

• Streex (voiced by Andrew Rannells) - Robert "Bobby" Bolton Jr. is one of the brothers who is a cool 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 is transformed 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" due to his skills as a rollerblader.

• Big Slammu (voiced by D. Kevin Williams) - Coop Bolton is the sports-oriented brother and the strongest (as well as youngest) of the four. He is also a football player in high school. In the first episode, he uses a skateboard to get around. When he is transformed into Big Slammu, he becomes a whale shark (which was depicted as a carnivorous shark in this franchise instead of a filter-feeding shark). His most prominently featured attack is called "Seismic Slam" where Slammu sets off an earthquake by hitting the ground with his fists.

• Dr. Robert Bolton (voiced by D. Kevin Williams) - A university professor who is the father of the Bolton Brothers that had invented the gene-manipulation device for peaceful uses. He is only seen on-screen in the first episode where he tries to stop Dr. Paradigm's experiments only to become his next subject upon being hit by the gene-slamming device. He transforms into an unseen inhuman creature only to escape. Afterward during the series, he is only ever represented by a shadow cast on the wall which gives some idea to the creature he was transformed into. 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 Dr. Paradigm is irreversible. Now he lives to stop Dr. Piranoid and at the same time give other mutations refuge from the humans who fear them. The episode "Shark Source" shows him defeating Dr. Piranoid and his Seaviants to rescue a kidnapped young mutant crocodile. He goes on to defeat Dr. Piranoid, knocking off all his armor revealing his piranha-like form and commenting that Paradigm has become something less than human (even something lesser than Bolton himself). Afterwards, he left a part of Dr. Paradigm's armor for the Street Sharks with a note telling them to add it to their souvenirs and that he will see them soon.

• Sir Thomas Bolton - A medieval ancestor encountered in the episode "Sir Shark-a-lot," he was the target of Paradigm's time-travel excursion to rid the mad man's present of the Bolton family. Sir Thomas was a known inventor in his time.

Allies

• Lena Mack (voiced by Pam Carter) - 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 named Malik who is featured in an episode. Lena seemed to have been written out 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.

• Bends (voiced by Jim Hoggatt) - Fission University's technical genius, despite being as much of a goof as Streex and Jab. He is the Street Sharks' best pal even before they became Street Sharks and supplies the Street Sharks with their motorbikes and other gear. He also provides them with a hidden base underneath the University's ice skating rink. In episode 16, it is revealed that he cannot be mutated by a gene-slamming airborne virus. This genetic trait was passed down to his great, great, great grandson who is a member of the resistance against Dr. Paradigm in an alternate future as seen in "Shark to the Future."

• Moby Lick - Jets Taylor is a good friend of the Bolton Brothers and Bends. After dosing Jets Taylor with an experimental mind-control serum, Dr. Paradigm then gene-slammed him with a killer whale in his attempt to make a fourth Seaviate. However, he eventually broke free of Paradigm's mind control and became an ally of the Street Sharks. Moby Lick has a long prehensile tongue (the source of his name), great strength, the ability to suck up water and then expel it through his blowhole, and later demonstrated the ability to communicate with other killer whales. He also retains an acquaintanceship/friendship with Jab and Bends. Moby eventually trades in the vigilante life to become an eco-conservationist in the Everglades National Park as seen in "Shark Hunt."

• Rox - Melvin Kresnik is 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 "Shark 'N' Roll". Melvin goes to bed and the mutation occurs as he sleeps turning him into a mako shark. Dr. Bolton had however previously developed an antidote for the mind control serum and put it in a salt shaker. As a result of ingesting the two together, Melvin still retained his free will along with 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 (where he passes his current form as a costume) remaining close friends with fellow musician Streex.

• President David Horne (voiced by Tony Wike) - The President of the United States. The Street Sharks save him from being gene-washed by Dr. Paradigm (who had already gene-washed Vice-President Russell to run the county for President Horne). Following the this incident, President Horne pretends to be gene-washed so that he can secretly leak information to the Street Sharks. Since then, Prisident Horne become an ally of the Street Sharks.

• El Swordo (voiced by Garry Chalk) - A circus performer who worked with a large swordfish named Spike. Spike was abducted and used by Dr. 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 "20,000 Sharks Under the Sea," exercising his skills with double swords by slicing fruit in half while they're in mid-air.

• Mantaman (voiced by D. Kevin Williams) - A flying dinosaur-like alien specimen was found encased in stone by Dr. Terrence "Terry" Morton. The alien wasn't dead however, but merely in suspended animation and it was reactivated by Dr. Paradigm's meddling where it feeds off of electricity. Dr. 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 "Shark Jacked" when he gets captured by Dr. Paradigm. By the end of the episode, Mantaman's parents learn of what became of their son and accept his appearance. Around the "Ancient Sharkonauts" episode, Mantaman returns under the control of the Raptors using his alien DNA to sway his allegiance away from the Sharks. This lasts for an episode before he's freed of their control.

• 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.
  • T-Bone (voiced by Lee Tockar) - A Tyrannosaurus who is the leader of the Dino Vengers.
  • Stegz (voiced by D. Kevin Williams) - A Stegosaurus.
  • Bullzeye (voiced by Ian James Corlett) - A Pteranodon.
  • Spike (voiced by Gary Chalk) - A Triceratops.

Antagonists

• Dr. Luther Paradigm (voiced by J. Michael Lee) - A university professor and the primary antagonist of the series. Dr. Luther Paradigm was plotting to take over Fission City with Dr. Bolton's gene-manipulation dive while maintaining a public image. He is easily identified by his metal eyepatch, a villain's cliché. By the second episode, he's seen wearing a giant yellow robotic exoskeleton suit to deal with the Street Sharks, using offensive capabilities like the ability to fire harpoons. Due to an accident in the second episode, Dr. Paradigm is injected with piranha DNA meant for the Street Sharks gaining the moniker Dr. Piranoid. The piranha DNA was unstable however and as a result, Paradigm's face morphs into a piranha-like one with a heightened voice whenever he gets highly agitated (similar to the Hulk) without the personality shift. When in public, Dr. Paradigm wears a robe to hide his exoskeleton suit. Dr. Paradigm also invented "gene-washing" (a type of brainwashing experiment) which he used to brainwash Vice-President Russell and nearly brainwashed President David Horne. When it came to the Street Sharks working with the Dino Vengers to stop the Raptors, Dr. Paradigm injected himself with iguana DNA believing it was Velociraptor DNA where he was renamed Dr. Iguanoid as a result.
  • SharkBot (voiced by Steve Gibbs) - A machine which was a result of Dr. Paradigm's experimentation with robotics. Sharkbot was used to bust Repteel out of prison as well as frame the Street Sharks for the crime. The Sharks ultimately reprogrammed it to destroy Paradigm's lab resulting in the robot's destruction. Its shell was salvaged and remade into SharkBot 2.0. It continued to be a threat for the sharks on many occasions until its final destruction at the end of season 2.
  • Tentakill - A biped creature of unknown origins and species (if even applicable). It was first seen in the episode "Sir Sharkalot" as Paradigm's newest tactile weapon, harnessed with mounted laser cannons and buzz saw cutters and despite that, it was shown defeat. It is incapable of speech, shows limited intelligence, and was not utilized often in episodes to follow.

• Seaviates - A group of mutant sea creatures that serve Dr. Paradigm.
  • Slobster (voiced by D. Kevin Williams) - One of Paradigm's earlier experiments along with Slash. He was created by injecting a lobster with the DNA of villainous figures like Genghis Khan and Captain Thomas Blood, becoming an anthropomorphic lobster that salivates constantly. Slobster was later dropped from the series after Season Two.
  • Slash (voiced by Terry Berner) - 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 Thomas Blood, it transforms into an anthropomorphic fish with a drill bit on its nose 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 also doesn't get along well with Killamari because Slash made a snide remark about Killamari's initial inability to talk and that Killamari is much more intelligent than Slash. Slash was later dropped from the series after Season Two.
  • Killamari (voiced by D. Kevin Williams) - The third of Dr. Paradigm's evil Seaviates created from a squid that was 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 debut in the episode "Lone Shark," he almost killed Jab, but Lena and Bends concocted an anti-venom which has since reduced his threat.
  • Repteel (voiced by Tony Wike) - The only one of Dr. Paradigm's Seaviates to have originally been human. Mr. Cunneyworth is the aged owner and hotel manager of a run-down hotel that was accidentally demolished by the Street Sharks during a fight with Dr. Paradigm's Seaviates. He willingly allowed Dr. 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 (which are also charged with electricity) and wears a special pack to charge up on electricity.
  • Shrimp Louie (voiced by Andrew Rannells) - A mutated shrimp and one of Paradigm's later Seaviates. He's not very strong, is quite the coward, and his primary weapons are big blaster guns.

• Maximillian Grecko - An aged mafioso who before his genetic enhancement was frequently caught saying "I am NOT dead!" During the course of his debut episode, Maximillian Grecko discovered Dr. Paradigm's secret as a fake savior of the city and blackmailed Dr. Paradigm into gene-slamming him with rhinoceros hair "collected" earlier by Killimari as well as the DNA of a desert tortoise. The geneslam granted Maximillian Grecko the strength of a rhinoceros and the longevity of a desert tortoise which de-aged Grecko to half his age. He later had Dr. Paradigm further enhance him to take on the Street Sharks. Maximillian Grecko later returned in "Card Sharks" where he was running a casino.
  • Zeus and Apollo (voiced by D. Kevin Williams) - Maximillian Grecko's pet chihuahuas. They were genetically enhanced by Dr. Paradigm in exchange that Maximillian doesn't tell people the truth about Dr. Paradigm's evil plots. Zeus and Apollo were further enhanced so that they and Maximillian Grecko can take on the Street Sharks.

• Malcolm Medusa III (voiced by J. Michael Lee) - A rich, business-owning big game hunter who frequently targets endangered animals for his trophies. He first appeared in "Eco Sharks" where he was using Medusa Cove as a cover-up for his pollution and whale-trapping activities. The Street Sharks and Moby Lick were able to expose him. In "Shark Hunt," Malcolm Medusa III trapped Moby Lick and the Street Sharks in a twisted hunt as the ultimate form of sportsmanship. He was eventually arrested and sent to an island prison where he plans his revenge.
  • Clamando (voiced by D. Kevin Williams) - A mutant clam who was originally human. As Medusa's employee back when he was a dock worker, he slipped into the toxic waters of a clam bed and mutated underwater. He is currently Medusa's right-hand man and his arsenal includes gas grenades and a bazooka that shoots pearl-based shots. In "Shark to the Future," Clamando's appearance was first used as a Seaviate that worked for a Dr. Paradigm during the Street Sharks' visit to the future.

• The Raptors - A trio of rogue velociraptor-like criminals.
  • Bad Rap (voiced by Doug Parker) - The leader of the Raptors who has a metal brace-like device on his mouth.
  • Haxx (voiced by Doug Parker) - A Raptor with implants on the backs of each wrist that produce green blades, whose tail has been replaced with a blade-covered and is capable of spinning like a drill.
  • Spittor (voiced by Doug Parker) - The scientist and brains of the Raptors. Spittor carries a tank with various liquids released from nozzles on his hands, tail, and mouth.

Recurring characters

• Guy in the Sky (voiced by Tony Wike) - 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 Street Sharks.

• Detective Michael Brock - The police detective who is generally seen in charge of shark-related incidents and investigating them out of duty (not obsession).

Episodes

Season 1 (1994)

Season 2 (1994)

Season 3 (1995)

DVD release

On February 19, 2013, Street Sharks – The Complete Series was released on Region 1 DVD for the very first time by Mill Creek Entertainment.

Principal voice actors

• Rob Baker
• Terry Berner – Slash
• Todd Campbell
• Pam Carter – Lena
• Garry Chalk – El Swordo, Spike
• Ian James Corlett – Bullzeye
• Laurier Dubeau
• Matt Hill – Jab
• Jim Hoggatt – Bends, General Bendsini
• Jerry Longe
• Laura Marr
• J. Michael Lee – Dr. Luther Paradigm, Malcolm Medusa III
• Jason Michas
• Doug Parker – Bad Rap, Haxx, Spittor
• Andrew Rannells – Streex, Shrimp Louie
• Lee Tockar – Ripster, T-Bone
• Jerry Wall
• D. Kevin Williams – Big Slammu, Dr. Robert Bolton, Killamari, Slobster, Mantaman, Clammando, Apollo & Zeus, Stegz
• Tony Wike – Repteel, Guy in the Sky, President David Horne

Additional voices

• John St. Angelo
• Susan Baer Beck
• Kevin Erhardt
• Ryan Ewing
• Aaron Fili
• Steve Gibbs – SharkBot
• Adam Grant
• Mary Theresa Green
• Nils Holland
• Amy Kunz
• Kevin Lawlor
• Roberta Lawson
• Laura Marr
• Clyde McNeal
• M. Michelle Phillips
• Alvin Sanders
• Casey Sixt
• Ryle Smith
• David Wallace

Crew

• Pam Carter – Casting and Voice Director
• Marsha Goodman – Casting and Voice Director
• Paul Quinn – Casting and Voice Director

Tie-in products

In 1996, Archie Comics released a short-lived comic book series based on Street Sharks. They published a three-issue mini-series which were based on the first three episodes of the series, and a regular comic series, which lasted three issues.

From 1994 to 1996, Mattel released a line of Street Sharks action figures.and them'a the facts!

See also

• Anthropomorphic Superheroes
• Extreme Dinosaurs – A spin-off series.
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

References

1. char2renee User Score 5. "Amazin' Adventures on". Tv.com. Retrieved 2011-03-13. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
2. http://bulk.resource.org/copyright/hids/hid_11/hid_11658800-11659099.txt
3. Date, Cost, and Box Art for 'The Complete Series' on DVD!
4. "Street Sharks (mini series) (1996)". Comic Book Database. Retrieved 17 August 2009.
5. "Street Sharks (1996)". Comic Book Database. Retrieved 17 August 2009.
6. Lifestyles: Street Sharks are Chompin' Good!. Electronic Gaming Monthly. Issue 69. Pg.137. April 1995.

External links

• Street Sharks at IMDb
• Official Website (via Internet Archive)
• Street Sharks at the Big Cartoon Database

• 1990s American animated television series
• 1994 American television series debuts
• 1997 American television series endings
• Animal superheroes
• Fictional sharks
• Fictional quartets
• First-run syndicated television programs in the United States
• Mattel
• Superhero teams
• 1990s toys
• Television programs featuring anthropomorphic characters
• Television series by DIC Entertainment
• Television series by DHX Media
• USA Action Extreme Team
• English-language television programming
• Works based on Mattel toys