History Trivia / CaptainPlanetAndThePlaneteers

* ScrewedByTheLawyers: Captain Planet has an odd track record with this, and it may be why he's mostly shown up in parodies, with new projects involving the character getting stuck in DevelopmentHell. Captain Planet was originally created for Turner by DIC (the show is copyrighted to both DIC and TBS Productions), but when Turner bought Creator/HannaBarbera, the rights were transferred over to them to produce new seasons (the end credits noted the original show being developed by TBS and DIC); but legally speaking, ''Captain Planet'' was never merged into their library. In 2001, when Time Warner abandoned the idea of merging Creator/HannaBarbera and Warner Bros Animation into one entity, they split the Creator/CartoonNetwork Studios off as its own entity under Turner. The rights to ''Captain Planet'' actually went with them instead of with the other HB and MGM brands (presumably because of it having been created by Turner prior to his byout of H-B). As a result, Warner Bros. has had to deal with Cartoon Network on any possible ''Captain Planet'' projects and CN has often soured on new ideas as they came out, as seen below. This is of course also why he was the only non CN original character in ''VideoGame/CartoonNetworkPunchTimeExplosion''. It's not clear if this will be an issue going forward, in the wake of corporate reorganization at Creator/WarnerBrosDiscovery during the AT&T era.

* KeepCirculatingTheTapes:A few VHS tapes containing 1-2 episodes were released way back but they are now out of print and very hard to find. Creator/ShoutFactory did release season 1 on DVD but never released the rest of the series due to low sales.

* KeepCirculatingTheTapes:Aa few VHS tapes containing 1-2 episodes were released a ways back but they are now out of print and very hard to find. Creator/ShoutFactory did release season 1 to DVD but never released the rest of the series due to low sales.

* TalkingToThemselves: In the later seasons, when both Duke Nukem and Verminous Scumm were in the same episode; both were voiced by Creator/MauriceLaMarche.

** "You Bet Your Planet" had the Planeteers and the villains competing on a game show run by an alien- the announcer (a floating pair of lips) was voiced by [[Series/FamilyFeud Gene]] [[Series/{{Concentration}} Wood]].

* KeepCirculatingTheTapes: a few VHS tapes containing 1-2 episodes were released a ways back but they are now out of print and very hard to find. Creator/ShoutFactory did release season 1 to DVD but never released the rest of the series due to low sales.

** The comics, published by Marvel, are unlikely to ever be republished as the franchise is now in the hands of their major competitor Warner Brothers/DC Comics. Even if the rights were ever transferred, Dr. Blight's robot dragon that looks like Fin Fang Foom would have to be completely replaced, if not the issue shelved.

* ScrewedByTheLawyers: Captain Planet has an odd distinction to why he's been mostly used in parodies and stuck in DevelopmentHell and it is mostly due to a legal decision. Captain Planet was originally created for Turner by DIC but when Turner bought Creator/HannaBarbera the rights were transferred over to them to produce new seasons but legally Captain Planet was never merged into their library. In 2001 when Time Warner abandoned the idea of merging Creator/HannaBarbera and Warner Bros Animation into one entity they split the Creator/CartoonNetwork Studios off as its own entity under Turner. The rights to Captain Planet actually went with them instead of with the other HB and MGM brands. As a result Warner Bros has had to deal with Cartoon Network on any possible Captain Planet projects and CN has often soured on new ideas as they came out, as seen below. This is of course also why he was the only non CN original character in VideoGame/CartoonNetworkPunchTimeExplosion. Now in 2019 with AT&T removing the separate Turner management, this is now no longer an issue.

* A producer was unsatisfied with a number of facial designs for the Captain until one of the artists finally submitted the producer's face as a joke... and to make a longer story shorter, that is why Captain Planet looks like Mr. Boxer (though one would suspect the latter never had a [[YouGottaHaveBlueHair green mullet]] or the [[HeroicBuild superhero musculature]]).
* The episode "Whoo Gives a Hoot" had Looten Plunder [[TheBadGuyWins win at the end.]]

** David Rappaport was the voice of MAL for the first four episodes featuring him and Dr. Blight, but was replaced by Creator/TimCurry for the rest of the series because he passed away while the first season was still in production.

* FakeRussian: Linka's American {{voice act|ors}}ress, Creator/KathSoucie. "Linka" isn't even a valid Russian name. It could conceivably work as a nickname. You might call a girl named Galina "Linka", for example, but, as a proper name, it's more West Slavic.
** [[FridgeBrilliance And Linka's not Russian]]. She's from the Soviet Union, but that covered a lot of Eastern Europe as well as Russia. [[TheGreatPoliticsMessUp Once the Soviet Union broke down]], the credits changed to refer to her as Eastern European.
*** While her home country was never specified in-series, it is suggested to be Ukraine, due to her being from a mining family (mining, especially for coal, is one of the largest employers there) and also as a nod to the then-recent Chernobyl nuclear disaster.

* ScrewedByTheLawyers: Captain Planet has an odd distinction to why he's been mostly used in parodies and stuck in DevelopmentHell and it is mostly due to a legal decision. Captain Planet was originally created for Turner by DIC but when Turner bought Creator/HannaBarbera the rights were transferred over to them to produce new seasons but legally Captain Planet was never merged into their library. In 2001 when Time Warner abandoned the idea of merging Creator/HannaBarbera and Warner Bros Animation into one entity they split the Creator/CartoonNetworkStudios off as its own entity under Turner. The rights to Captain Planet actually went with them instead of with the other HB and MGM brands. As a result Warner Bros has had to deal with Cartoon Network on any possible Captain Planet projects and CN has often soured on new ideas as they came out, as seen below. This is of course also why he was the only non CN original character in VideoGame/CartoonNetworkPunchTimeExplosion. Now in 2019 with AT&T removing the separate Turner management, this is now no longer an issue.

* DevelopmentHell: The live-action movie has been in this since its announcement in 2011.

** The exaggeration of the villains to the point of cartoonish supervillainy meant that children watching the show would not be troubled by their parents if they worked in a polluting industry. Loggers, for example, are not monsters, but had they been portrayed as such, that could have caused confusion and conflict, so the bad guys had to be as over the top as possible. The fact loggers are portrayed as complete monsters by some {{Animal Wrongs Group}}s who take the show as a holy writ for environmentalism suggests that as exaggerated as it was StrawmanHasAPoint. Unfortunately, this may have backfired, since the unrealistic and over-the-top nature of the villains has made them a frequent target for snark for adult viewers who are more knowledgeable about environmentalism, not to mention the fact that [[Administrivia/RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgement certain real-life politicians]] have the same devil-may-care attitude towards the environment as the villains.

** The exaggeration of the villains to the point of cartoonish supervillainy meant that children watching the show would not be troubled by their parents if they worked in a polluting industry. Loggers, for example, are not monsters, but had they been portrayed as such, that could have caused confusion and conflict, so the bad guys had to be as over the top as possible. The fact loggers are portrayed as complete monsters by some {{Animal Wrongs Group}}s who take the show as a holy writ for environmentalism suggests that as exaggerated as it was StrawmanHasAPoint.
*** Unfortunately, this may have backfired, since the unrealistic and over-the-top nature of the villains has made them a frequent source of SnarkBait for adult viewers who are more knowledgeable about environmentalism, not to mention the fact that [[Administrivia/RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgement certain real-life politicians]] have the same devil-may-care attitude towards the environment as the villains.

* PosthumousCredit: MAL's original actor David Rappaport died while the first season was still in production and had only recorded dialogue for four episodes prior to his passing. In spite of this, the show's first season still acknowledges his involvement in the end credits.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: A live-action movie was in development in the mid-90s; titled ''Planet'' or ''Dark Planet'', it would've taken place AfterTheEnd and would've been significantly DarkerAndEdgier. However, the script "fell through the cracks" during the Turner/Time-Warner merger and it didn't happen; they've been trying since, though they may have abandoned those efforts since Creator/{{Paramount}} is trying to pick up the rights, attaching Creator/LeonardoDiCaprio as producer.

*** Unfortunately, this may have backfired, since the unrealistic and over-the-top nature of the villains has made them a frequent source of SnarkBait for adult viewers who are more knowledgeable about environmentalism.

* ScrewedByTheLawyers: Captain Planet has an odd distinction to why he's been mostly used in parodies and stuck in DevelopmentalHell and it is mostly due to a legal decision. Captain Planet was originally created for Turner by DIC but when Turner bought Creator/HannaBarbera the rights were transferred over to them to produce new seasons but legally Captain Planet was never merged into their library. In 2001 when Time Warner abandoned the idea of merging Creator/HannaBarbera and Warner Bros Animation into one entity they split the Creator/CartoonNetworkStudios off as its own entity under Turner. The rights to Captain Planet actually went with them instead of with the other HB and MGM brands. As a result Warner Bros has had to deal with Cartoon Network on any possible Captain Planet projects and CN has often soured on new ideas as they came out, as seen below. This is of course also why he was the only non CN original character in VideoGame/CartoonNetworkPunchTimeExplosion. Now in 2019 with AT&T removing the separate Turner management, this is now no longer an issue.

* PlayingAgainstType: One of Meg Ryan's few roles as a villain.

** The exaggeration of the villains to the point of cartoonish supervillainy meant that children watching the show would not be troubled by their parents if they worked in a polluting industry. Loggers, for example, are not monsters, but had they been portrayed as such, that could have caused confusion and conflict, so the bad guys had to be as over the top as possible. The fact loggers are portrayed as complete monsters by some [[AnimalWrongsGroup Animal Wrongs Groups]] who take the show as a holy writ for environmentalism suggests that as exaggerated as it was StrawmanHasAPoint.

* TheWikiRule: The [[http://captainplanet.wikia.com/wiki/Captain_Planet_and_the_Planeteers_Wiki Captain Planet and the Planeteers Wiki]].

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: A live-action movie was in development in the mid-90s; titled ''Planet'' or ''DarkPlanet'', it would've taken place AfterTheEnd and would've been significantly DarkerAndEdgier. However, the script "fell through the cracks" during the Turner/Time-Warner merger and it didn't happen; they've been trying since, though they may have abandoned those efforts since Creator/{{Paramount}} is trying to pick up the rights, attaching Creator/LeonardoDiCaprio as producer.

* AdoredByTheNetwork: Ted Turner loved this series.[[note]]Hardly surprising, since the show was his idea in the first place.[[/note]] However, most people didn't, not just because it was preachy, but because it supposedly played a part in how ''WesternAnimation/SWATKats'' got {{screwed|ByTheNetwork}} over. However, that's since been proven to be a rumor: Turner had nothing against the show; H-B cancelled ''SWAT Kats'' to devote their resources to the ''World Premiere Toons/What-A-Cartoon!'' project; in fact, ''Captain Planet'' ended its run not much later for the same reason.

** One episode had Kwame ([=LeVar=] Burton) trying on a [[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration futuristic visor]].
** Another episode had the Planeteers and the villains competing on a game show run by an alien- the announcer (a floating pair of lips) was voiced by [[Series/FamilyFeud Gene]] [[Series/{{Concentration}} Wood]].