Biker Mice from Mars
Created | Updated Mar 15, 2007
Biker Mice from Mars is an American cartoon series that ran from 1993 to 1996, with a new series starting in 2006. It essentially concerns a trio of motorcycle riding, humanoid Martian mouse freedom fighters and their battle against the evil aliens who invaded their homeworld before expanding their operations to include Earth.
Basic plot
Original series
In the original series Mars had been effectively conquered by a race of humanoid fish, the Plutarkians, with only a small resistance group of Cave Mice, the Freedom Fighters, still holding out. A Martian spaceship crewed by three leaders of the liberation movement, Throttle, Modo, and Vinnie, was shot down by a Plutarkian warship and crash landed on Earth, specifically in the scoreboard of the Quigley Field baseball stadium in Chicago. Needing to effect repairs on Throttle's motorbike, the three mice visited the Last Chance Garage, where they found the owner, Charlene 'Charley' Davidson, being threatened by a thug, Greasepit; Greasepit was trying to force Charley to sign over ownership of the garage to his employer, the property developer Lawrence Limburger. It transpired that Limburger was in fact a Plutarkian in disguise, one of a number who had been sent to Earth to exploit the planet’s resources. The Biker Mice teamed up with Charley and their running battle against Limburger formed the basis of the storyline of the series. In each episode Limburger would devise a new scheme to steal Chicago's resources, which would then be foiled by the mice - generally resulting in the destruction of Limburger's skyscraper HQ, a running joke of the series. There were also a pair of three-part stories, 1994's 'Back to Mars', when the mice were able to return to their homeworld, taking Limburger to face trial, and 'Once upon a Time on Mars' (1996), which told the story of the Martian war against Plutark in flashback.
2006 revival
At some point in the ten years between the end of the original series and the start of the new, Plutark was defeated, and the mice returned to Mars. However, a new threat arose in the form of the Catatonians, humanoid felines. The Catatonians were in search of the Regenerator, a device built by Martian leader General Stoker which could convert any matter into anything else. The Martians had used it to create water, whereas the Catatonians essentially intended to use it to convert the worlds they conquered into giant litter trays. Stoker had been forced to build a second Regenerator whilst a prisoner of the human businessman Ronaldo Rump. When the Regenerator on Mars was accidentally destroyed by the Catatonians, the Biker Mice along with Stoker were despatched to Earth, pursued by the Catatonians, to retrieve the second machine. There they were reunited with Charley. Unlike the original series, which had effectively been a series of stand-alone adventures loosely linked by the overarching plot, the new series has a more flowing narrative with two interlinked storylines: one features the attempt to recover Rump's Regenerator and Stoker's attempts to build a replacement machine; the other being Stoker's mutation into a rat-like creature in sunlight, caused by excessive exposure to tetra-hydrocarbons, the power source of the Regenerator. Individual adventures take place within this context.
Characters
Heroes
Throttle23 years old at the start of the original series, and 6'4", the handsome, tan-furred Throttle was the nominal leader of the Biker Mice - a position which has been formalised in the new series by giving him the rank of Commander. He is distinguished by green mirror shades which he almost never removes - these in fact have polarised lenses to correct the faulty bionic eyes which replaced his real ones after he was blinded by a missile strike during the Plutarkian War. Softly spoken and thoughtful, Throttle can occasionally tend towards being sombre as a result of the cares placed on his shoulders by the Wars. He is certainly the most level-headed of the three Biker Mice, and places his duties above all other considerations - something which puts a strain on his relationship with his girlfriend, Freedom Fighter General Carbine. In the original series he rode a black motorcycle resembling a Harley Davidson, but this has been replaced by a green bike in the new series.
Modo
Also 23 at the start of the frst series, Modo is easily the biggest of the trio at 6'9". Grey-furred and powerfully built, he provides the real muscle behind the Biker Mice (though both Throttle and Vinnie also have very well developed physiques). He is, however, a gentle giant, with a strongly protective attitude to children (he has a niece and nephew, Primer and Rimfire) and a great respect for women. His elderly mother remains a powerful influence in his life, and virtually every episode sees him quoting her sometimes rather off-the-wall words of wisdom. In spite of his very laid back manner and preference for avoiding violence, usually exempt from this condition are Plutarkians, Catatonians and - for reasons never fully explained - Martian Rats (another humanoid species). His left eye is covered by an eyepatch, but his most distinctive feature is his bionic right arm, a replacement for the real arm he lost in the Plutarkian War; this features a built in blaster and (in the new series) a host of other useful tools. In the new series he has also been revealed to be mildly claustrophobic. Originally he rode a heavy 'Fatboy' style bike dubbed Lil' Hoss, but this has been replaced in the new series by a three-wheeler called Hard Case.
Vinnie
21 in 1993, and therefore the youngest of the Biker Mice, Vinnie is also the shortest (6'1"). White-furred and handsome, he is also probably the best biker, riding a large red sports bike in both series. Unfortunately he is all too aware of his looks and skills, and tends towards the vain and egotistical. These flaws, however, are tempered by the sensitive, loving side of his character - a side he prefers to keep hidden. The Wars have left deep scars, both mental and physical - in particular the right side of his face, which was severely disfigured when he was experimented on as a prisoner; the scars are now hidden behind a metal half-mask. He was also psychologically wounded by the loss of Harley, his girlfriend back on Mars, who was kidnapped - never to be seen again - by a Plutarkian spy. Partly as a result of these scars Vinnie lives each day as if it will be his last, which combined with his hyperactive nature and love of danger leads to some near-suicidal behaviour. Vinnie is a true ladies’ mouse, but his constant flirting with Charley is a front to cover much deeper feelings towards her. Vinnie's role in the team is - in the absence of a professional - as mechanic.
Stoker, Carbine and the Freedom Fighters
After the Martian Government sold out to the Plutarkians, one of the Cave Mice, Stoker, realised what was happening and formed a group of Freedom Fighters to combat the invaders. This included training up Throttle, Modo and Vinnie as future leaders of the Freedom Fighters, and he remains a mentor to them; he is closest to Vinnie, the mouse most like him in skills and personality, and the pair enjoy a friendly rivalry. In his turn, Vinnie is fiercely loyal to Stoker.
Stoker himself was captured and experimented on, his tail being replaced by a mechanical version. A true Lion in Winter, the ageing Stoker finds it hard to accept his glory days are behind him, but has been able to put his scientific skills to use in building the Regenerator. In the new series he has fled the Freedom Fighters after being wrongly accused of treason, but now works with the Biker Mice in the attempt to recover the Regenerator. His niece, Carbine - now a General of the Freedom Fighters - is a mouse who takes her duties very seriously. She can come across as somewhat humourless as a result, but the attractive grey mouse has a tender side: she is Throttle's long term girlfriend, although she does not let that fact get in the way of her duties.
Charley
Charlene 'Charley' Davidson is the human mechanic and owner of the Last Chance Garage in Chicago who acts as the Biker Mice's guide to Earth and its culture, and is often the voice of reason restraining their habit of confronting any problem by blowing it up. She also maintains and upgrades their bikes, sometimes helped by Vinnie. Attractive, auburn-haired and green-eyed, she delights in puncturing Vinnie's inflated ego, yet there are hints that she (albeit with a degree of reluctance) harbours romantic feelings towards the young mouse.
Villains
ORIGINAL SERIES
Limburger
Lawrence Lactavius Limburger is a blue-skinned Plutarkian businessman. However, most of the time he is seen disguised in a false human skin and purple suit to pose as a property developer in Chicago. An urbane, cultured-seeming man who affects an English accent and a complex, alliterative manner of speech, he oversees the theft of Chicago's resources from the lofty Limburger Tower. Ruthless yet unfailingly polite to his enemies he is a brilliant schemer who nonetheless is constantly foiled by the activities of the Biker Mice and the incompetence of his henchmen. After the defeat of Plutark he was exiled to Earth as a punishment for his failures, and has made a couple of guest appearances in the new series.
Camembert, Brie and the Plutarkians
The planet Plutark is a small, dark, heavily industrialised and polluted world, the dominant species of which are blue-skinned, humanoid, piscine beings, who's most distinctive feature is probably their foul smell. Virtually all the Plutarkians to appear are named after cheeses. Their whole culture is based around ruthless business ethics, and they don't so much conquer planets as buy them. This is borne of the fact that the Plutarkians long ago used up all their planet's natural resources, and so are now compelled to plunder those of other planets through a process known as strip mining: Mars used to be a flourishing, verdant planet until it was ravaged by the Plutarkians. The Plutarkians are led by an elected ruler, the High Chairman - throughout the original series and possibly still, Lord Camembert. Vicious and greedy, Camembert has a short temper and frequently vents his wrath against Limburger for the Plutarkian’s repeated failures. It was his decision to exile Limburger to Earth. Napoleon Brie, the most prominent of the Plutarkians apart from Limburger and Camembert to feature, is Limburger's opposite number in Detroit. A diminutive psychopath with a bizarre, Elmer Fudd-style voice, he and Limburger are deadly rivals. Brie was also left behind on Earth after Plutark's defeat.
Karbunkle and Fred
In many ways the archetypal mad scientist, Doctor Benjamin Boris Zachary Karbunkle is the brilliant creator of the various mechanical and chemical necessities that Limburger requires to carry out his work. An orange-haired, androgynous figure hailing from Germany, he is an inveterate sycophant whilst it suits him, and entirely mercenary, placing his own interests as his main priority. It was his work that provided the bionic replacements for Throttle's eyes, Modo's right arm and Stoker's tail, not out of kindness but as part of an abortive attempt to create cybernetic soldier-slaves. He is also the scientist responsible for the injuries to Vinnie's face. As an assistant Karbunkle created Fred the Mutant, put together from spare body parts (one arm is a tentacle and the other human looking, for example) who takes a masochistic delight in his own suffering. Karbunkle, but not apparently Fred, joined Limburger in his exile on Earth.
Greasepit
Seven-foot tall and powerfully-built, Greasepit was Limburger's chief enforcer and leader of the Plutarkian's army of thugs. Apart from his size, Greasepit might have been considered human - were it not for the fact that he continually oozed an oil-like substance from his skin. Although originally portrayed as a mean-spirited bully, as the series progressed he developed into a rather endearing character, thanks partly to his low intelligence and certain child-like qualities.
NEW SERIES
Hairball
Diminutive, Russian-accented and mildly insane, Supreme Commander Hannibal T. Hairball is the nominal leader of the Catatonian forces on Mars and Earth. The little grey cat is enthusiastic and full of military bluster, but also incompetant and easily distracted by inconsequential matters. He is also distinguished by his habit of coughing up hairballs at innopportune moments. Despite these failures, he does show rare flashes of brilliance and is possessed of a ruthless streak.
Cataclysm
Huge, dwarfing even Modo, Cataclysm is Hairball's brother and the real leader. Utterly ruthless, cruel and possibly self-serving, he will stop at nothing to crush the Martian populace and recover the regenerator. He also appears to have a taste for the flesh of Martian Cave Mice, adding an extra terror to the threat he offers.
The Catatonians
Relatively little is known of the Catatonians. What has been seen of them suggests a militaristic, imperialist society who rely heavily on technology to fight their wars. A particularly interesting varient are the Catatonian shape-shifters, seemingly exclusively female but capable of adopting with perfect accuracy the form, clothing and voice of any individual of either gender or species. It is clear that it is a genetic trait, rather than a technological advance.
Ronaldo Rump and Sir Richard Brand-Something
The most famous and most wealthy businessman in Chicago, Rump specialises in land redevelopment using the Regenerator which Stoker built for him in return for Throttle's life. His income is drawn from a wide range of interests - burger bars, golf courses and so on. However, the energy of his Regenerator is running low, so he is funding the Catatonian's operations on Earth in return for a replacement. Sir Richard is his English cousin, a hot air-balloonist who shares Rump's entrepreneurial spirit, with an airline and music store forming the hub of his business empire, and with a sideline in military androids. However, he is keen to expand, for which he needs a Regenerator.
Reception and fans
The original series was moderately successful, but attracted a following of staunchly loyal fans who point to its distinctive characters, intelligence and wry, often satirical humour as marking the series out as something special. The new series, which premiered in the UK, has proved a spectacular success (in spite of the controversial slimmed-down look of the Biker Mice), proving the most successful show of GMTV's autumn season, whilst the parallel re-runs of the original series have also been enormously popular.
'Biker Mice' has a significant fan presence on the internet. Red Planet
is probably the largest fan community, and has been adopted as the forum for the official new series website
. There is also a thriving unofficial fan club, whilst the largest source of information on the original series is to be found at the From Mars site.
