Street Sharks: The 90s Cartoon That Bit Back

The world of half-human, half-animal mutants got a little meaner with the release of 1995’s Street Sharks. These bad boys didn’t need any ninja training or rat sensais—they were buff, scary, and had a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth. And they had the awesome marketing might of an entire Kenner toy line behind them.

The Sharks were the creations of Dr. Piranoid, a mad scientist specializing in DNA experimentation. When teenage brothers John, Clint, Bobby, and Coop fell into Piranoid’s clutches, the doctor mixed their DNA with that of different shark species, turning them into the Street Sharks—Ripster, Jab, Streex, and Big Slammu. The four mutant brothers dedicated their new abilities to fighting crime, each with his own specialty. Meanwhile, Dr. Piranoid continued to develop his line of “Seaviates,” including Slobster, Killamari, and other human/seafood hybrids.

Already popular in toy form, Street Sharks came to television in a three-part miniseries in 1994. The following year, the Sharks went weekly as part of the syndicated package Amazin’ Adventures II. Thirteen episodes were produced, a few of which ran in repeats on ABC’s Saturday morning schedule for one month in the fall of 1996.