The early ’90s were a wild time to be a kid, especially when it came to cartoons that should not have existed but absolutely did. This was an era where the coolest brand in town was No Fear, kids were chugging Surge like it was a life-or-death sugar competition, and owning a Yomega Fireball yo-yo meant you were basically an extreme sports athlete. Meanwhile, Airwalks and chain wallets were the peak of human fashion, and the entertainment industry? Oh, it was absolutely obsessed with anthropomorphic animals kicking ass.
Obviously, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was the top dog (or turtle, whatever) of this weirdly specific genre. But, just like every band in the early 2000s tried to be Blink-182, every other show in the ’90s wanted a slice of that sweet mutated-animal pie.
Thus, we got a stampede of Turtles knockoffs, including Street Sharks, The Wild West C.O.W.-Boys of Moo Mesa, and—my personal favorite—Biker Mice from Mars.
In a time when frosted tips were socially acceptable and 50 Cent was still a nickel, there was nothing better than a Saturday morning cartoon about buff, leather-clad, motorcycle-riding space rodents who punched alien invaders in the face.
Created by Rick Ungar, Biker Mice from Mars ran from 1993 to 1996 with 65 episodes over three glorious seasons. It was a simpler time—when nobody questioned why three jacked Martian mice wore sunglasses indoors and talked like they moonlighted as WWE wrestlers.
The plot? Absolute ’90s perfection.
Throttle, Modo, and Vinnie—three Martian biker mice who were literally the last of their kind—escaped their war-torn planet and crash-landed on Earth. Instead of blending in like normal refugees, they immediately started waging war against the same alien scumbags who wiped out their home.
And, in true ’90s fashion, the theme song absolutely shredded.
I was obsessed with Biker Mice from Mars as a kid. So much so that I had Throttle’s action figure—complete with his motorcycle, leather vest, and neck scarf action. I played with that thing non-stop, zipping him across the coffee table at my grandma’s house, sending him flying off the kitchen counter, and making sweet motorcycle revving noises because I had no concept of indoor volume control.
But the best part? Throttle’s bike had two little plastic projectiles that could be fired from the exhaust pipes. And I, being the responsible child I was, used them exclusively to wage war against my stuffed animals.
Unfortunately, my grandma—who was violently opposed to fun—threatened to confiscate my shredded space mouse if I didn’t “tone it down.” And, in a move that will surprise no one, I immediately shot both projectiles at the living room TV.
Throttle? Confiscated.
Motorcycle? Gone.
Me? Devastated.
Years later, I found him again—on a shelf, untouched by time. But by then, I was an adult. The magic was gone and I had outgrown playing with ripped anthropomorphic animal toys. There’s a life lesson in here somewhere, but I have no idea what it is.
One of the most ridiculous things about Biker Mice from Mars was how unapologetically dedicated it was to biker culture and rodent puns.
Every character name was a ridiculous combination of mouse or motorcycle-related terminology.
- Throttle (the leader, obviously)
- Modo (the big guy, with a metal arm for extra coolness)
- Vinnie (the cocky one, who probably had a fan club)
- Charlene “Charley” Davidson (because subtlety was illegal in the ’90s)
- Greasepit (a bad guy, naturally)
- General Carbine (probably the only character with a remotely serious name)
And the voice cast? Stacked.
- Rob Paulsen (aka the voice of Pinky from Pinky and the Brain) played Throttle.
- Dorian Harewood (aka War Machine from Iron Man) voiced Modo.
- Ian Ziering (yes, Sharknado himself) played Vinnie.
- Leah Remini, Luke Perry, Brad Garrett, Brian Austin Green, and even Mark Hamill all showed up in the supporting cast.
The show was absolutely not messing around.
Unlike most ’90s cartoons that were abandoned faster than the Virtual Boy, Biker Mice from Mars actually got a revival in 2006—picking up years after the original series ended.
With 28 new episodes, a bunch of returning voice actors, and a continuation of the original story, it was one of the rare attempts to bring back a ’90s cartoon that wasn’t just a soulless reboot.
And yet, despite being part of Fox Kids Worldwide and later acquired by Disney, Biker Mice from Mars is nowhere to be found on Disney+. No doubt Mickey got jealous when he caught Minnie checking out those sweaty martian abs.
Your options for watching? Find blurry episodes on YouTube, buy the DVDs off eBay, or accept that the past is gone.
That said, we did find the first episode on YouTube, and while the quality is absolute garbage, the experience is still glorious.
Look, there’s a good chance that revisiting this show as an adult would shatter the nostalgia. But honestly? I don’t care.
Because in my heart, Biker Mice from Mars will always be a perfect, high-octane, leather-clad masterpiece of ’90s excess.
And also, my grandma can’t take Throttle away from me anymore. Because she’s dead.
