Line #78 WesternAnimation/TheComicStrip


1	[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/161996_67566978205_5256426_n_6553.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:200:[[SpellingSong C-O-M-I-C, S-T-R-I-P]]!]]
3	''The Comic Strip'' was a 1987 Creator/RankinBassProductions AnimatedSeries which ran for one season, 65 episodes in all. This was Rankin/Bass's last television series before it went into dormancy. As with their previous two series, animation was primarily handled by [[Creator/WaltDisneyAnimationUnits Pacific Animation Corporation]], in conjunction with uncredited subcontractors Creator/MookDLE, Creator/{{Aubec}} and Creator/WangFilmProductions.
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5	The premise: four different cartoons (with different animation styles) were shown in rotation sequence, with two of the four appearing in roughly 12-minute slots per 30-minute episode. An animated variant of the live-action WheelProgram, essentially.
6
7	The four cartoons were:
8	* ''Mini Monsters'', which chronicled the adventures of two normal children at a summer camp also attended by the children of some of fiction's most famous monsters (including the children of {{Dracula}}, FrankensteinsMonster and the WolfMan);
9	* ''Karate Kat'', about an anthropomorphic cat detective who fought crime using [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin karate skills]];
10	* ''Street Frogs'', showing the escapades of a [[FiveManBand Five Frog Band]] of aspiring musicians and street dancers, most episodes covering their (doomed) efforts to raise money for the group;
11	* ''[=TigerSharks=]'', showing a team of human/marine hybrids and their underwater adventures. Of the four, this was the only cartoon to be consistently shown in two-part episodes. This series had an animation style similar to the earlier-produced ''WesternAnimation/{{ThunderCats\|1985}}'' and ''WesternAnimation/SilverHawks'' that distinguished it from the other three shows in the line-up.
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13	The series as a whole shared many of the same cast and crew with the ''WesternAnimation/{{ThunderCats\|1985}}'' and ''WesternAnimation/SilverHawks'' series, being the second series to be made in the wake of ''[=ThunderCats=]'''s popularity, after ''[=SilverHawks=]''.
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15	Not related to, or to be confused with ''Series/TheComicStripPresents''.
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17	A clip of the show's intro can be seen [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuDSDtgEoAU&feature=related here]].
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19	----
20	!!Tropes present in ''The Comic Strip'':
21	* ActionGirl: Octavia and Angel of the Tiger Sharks.
22	* AdultsAreUseless: Camp counselor Gary from ''Mini-Monsters'', and also Sherman and Melissa's parents in that show's first episode.
23	* AllForNothing: Most ''Street Frogs'' episodes, as their comedic antics somehow always ruin their chances to make money.
24	* AmbiguouslyHuman:
25	** The Tigersharks are ostensibly humans from Earth, but in their non-transformed forms, Lorca and Octavia have lavender and green skin respectively. Octavia's hair is also teal with streaks of light blue-silver and she has black lips. Most of the team also have pointed ears, even the ones who appear closest to baseline human. One has to wonder if alien DNA didn't enter the human genome at some point between the present day and the setting.
26	** Jynx from Mini Monsters was a witch with pointed ears and buck teeth. Whether she was human, elf or another race is never established.
27	* AsLongAsItSoundsForeign: Camp Mini-Mon, which Sherman and Melissa's mother says sounds Indian.
28	* BadassNormal: In spite of being normal kids in a camp full of super-powered monsters, Sherman and Melissa often end up saving the day on their own, including fending off an alien invasion by driving the vanguard away with pranks and annoying music.
29	* BenevolentAI: The Tigersharks' ship ''SARK'', is a friendly member of the team.
30	* TheBet: The ''Mini-Monsters'' episode "Wolfie's Bet" has Wolfie taking up a bet by the other campers that he won't tell a joke for 24 hours; if he wins, he gets Sherman's cassette player, but if he loses, he can never tell another joke at Camp Mini-Mon again. [[spoiler:He loses, but gets to continue telling jokes anyway because his bet violation was done to save Klutz's life.]]
31	* BigBad: Big Papa on ''Karate Kat''. T-Ray and Captain Bizzarly [[BigBadDuumvirate split this role between them]] on ''Tiger Sharks''.
32	* BigGood: Big Mama for Karate Kat.
33	* TheBigGuy: Katgut from ''Karate Kat'' was the biggest of Karate Kat's allies, also helping train Karate and going head-to-head with Sumo Sai.
34	* BrattyHalfPint: Downplayed. Twins Sherman and Melissa Baxter of ''Mini Monsters'' are actually decent kids with a somewhat bratty/hyper streak, but being stuck at home for another summer vacation led to them ramping up their rambunctiousness, destroying parts of their house and playing pranks on their parents until sent to the titular camp, where they find the new environment stimulating enough to calm down.
35	* TheBrute: Sumo Sai from Big Papa's gang on ''Karate Kat''.
36	* ButtMonkey: Big Max and Snappy Sam on ''Street Frogs''.
37	* ByThePowerOfGreyskull: Karate Kat's mantra before changing out of his jacket suit into his karate gi by spinning.
38	--> ''I'm lean, I'm mean, a karate machine! Keeeeee-YA!''
39	* CaneFu: Walro of ''Tigersharks'' uses a walking cane in human form, which he can defend himself with, and which also spray irritating gas from the bottom.
40	* CardCarryingVillain: As with most 80s cartoons, the villains were clear and proud of their intentions.
41	-->'''Captain Bizarrly:''' What cause do you serve?\
42	'''T-Ray:''' ''Evil!'' What other cause ''is'' there?
43	* CatsAreMean: Big Papa and his gang.
44	* CatchPhrase: Karate Kat's ByThePowerOfGrayskull mantra described above, and also "Kee-ya, ''baby''," at the end of a segment.
45	* ContrivedCoincidence: The Tiger Sharks all have names referencing the animal they turn into before the element that does that's even introduced.
46	* CoolShades: Dr. Slick on ''Street Frogs'' wears square-rimmed sunglasses.
47	* CoolShip: The Tiger Sharks' SARK could act as both a spaceship and a submarine.
48	* DancingIsSeriousBusiness: For the Street Frogs, alongside rapping.
49	* DatingCatwoman: Big Mama and Big Papa used to be married.
50	* DeadpanSnarker: Dr. Katmandu in ''Karate Kat''.
51	* DistressCall: The Tigersharks can mentally send a distress signal ("Tiger tiger by the tail!"), which shows up on ''SARK'''s monitors with their location. They may receive an answer sent from ''SARK'' ("Hold on, Tiger Tiger!"). It's not exactly clear how this works, though since it seems limited to those phrases it might be some sort of mentally-activated radio implant.
52	* DistressedDude: Lorca of the Tiger Sharks is already on Water-O when the show begins, but that also means he gets captured by the villains and takes two episodes to get rescued and get his own mutant form.
53	* DoNotCallMePaul: The first episode of ''Street Frogs'' begins with Honey Love refusing to answer to her birth name of "Loretta" when Sam is trying to get her attention, instead of the aforementioned street name she picked as part of the titular group.
54	* DoubleMeaningTitle: Broadcasting episodes of the same show five days a week is known as 'stripping' the show.
55	* TheDragon: On ''Tiger Sharks'', Dragonstein to Captain Bizzarly. Bonus points for being an actual dragon.
56	* EpisodeTitleCard
57	* EverybodyLaughsEnding
58	* EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: Karate Kat is only known as "Karate Kat" no matter by who or the circumstances.
59	* EvilTwin: Karate Kat had an evil twin brother named Karate Krud, who first turned evil after getting a bump to the head. When the two confront each other, they're so identical in appearance that it's near-impossible to tell them apart; Krud uses this to his advantage when Dr. Katmandu tries to whack him on the head with a specially-made mallet that'll force him to undergo a HeelFaceTurn. [[spoiler:Dr. Katmandu hits the correct twin, then explains that he expected Krud to be better than Kat at everything, so he simply aimed for the twin who was winning the fight.]]
60	* ExpositoryThemeTune: Besides the one for the overall show itself, the four cartoons had their own individual theme tunes.
61	* TheFaceless: Sherman and Melissa's parents in ''Mini-Monsters''.
62	* FailureIsTheOnlyOption: The Street Frogs' efforts to make a decent buck were generally hampered by their own weird antics.
63	* FightingFromTheInside: After Captain Bizarrly used a jamming device to numb ''SARK'''s mind and control him, he's almost about to attack Octavia, [[IKnowYoureInThereSomewhereFight until Angel calls out to him and tells him what he's about to do]]. She manages to get through to him, and horror at the prospect of harming Octavia allows the ship to fight the control enough to breach and sink at a speed which sweeps off the jammer.
64	* FriendlyNeighborhoodVampire: Dracky in ''Mini-Monsters''.
65	* FunnyAnimal: In ''Karate Kat'', the general cast consists mostly of anthropomorphic cats. In ''Street Frogs'', there's a wide cross-section of anthropomorphic animals besides the Street Frogs themselves (reccuring examples include Snappy Sam, who is a snapping turtle, and the local radio disc jockey Typhoon Toad, who is [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin a toad]]).
66	* GadgeteerGenius:
67	** The ''Tigersharks''' has Walro and Lorca on the heroes' side.
68	** ''Karate Kat has Doctor Katmandu, who invents all manner of contraptions for the [=McClaw=] agency, and...probably Boom-Boom Burmese on the villain's side, who runs Big Pappa's chop shop.
69	* GetRichQuickScheme: On ''Street Frogs'', every time a money-making opportunity was announced over the radio, the gang would be quick to jump on it. However, for them, [[FailureIsTheOnlyOption success was never an option]].
70	* [[GrumpyOldMan Grumpy Old Turtle]]: In ''Street Frogs'', diner owner Snappy Sam (an anthropomorphic snapping turtle) loathes the titular group immensely because of all the hi-jinks they get up to (often [[ButtMonkey at his expense]]); also, they owe him a big tab for past meals.
71	* HarmlessFreezing: Years prior to the ''Tigersharks'' series, the Waterians froze Captain Bizarrly and his cohorts into ice floes on their planet. After T-Ray sets them free, they have no ill aftereffects. Also, [[AndIMustScream they weren't unconscious]].
72	* HypnoticGaze: T-Ray's henchman Wall-Eye can mesmerize people with his whirling eyes, freezing them in place.
73	* IdiosyncraticEpisodeNaming: Almost every Karate Kat episode title has the word "Kaper" in it.
74	* IdiotHero: Karate Kat.
75	* IfItSwimsItFlies: The Tiger Sharks spaceship, the ''SARK'' which can be a submarine and travel in space.
76	* IncrediblyLamePun: On ''Mini-Monsters'', Wolfie's jokes are filled with these to the point of being utterly groan-worthy to the other campers. Klutz the monster lizard is the only one who finds them funny. To the point that Wolfie trying to go a whole day without telling a joke to win a bet almost kills Klutz.
77	* IneptMage: Melvin (son of Merlin) and Jynx (daughter of a witch), inherited magical powers from their respective parents, but being kids they have yet to master their abilities.
78	* InvadingRefugees: T-Ray and his forces were an outright villainous version of this trope in ''Tiger Sharks''. Their home planet dried up and they could only live underwater hence they fled to Water-O. But they aren't sympathetic or interested in peaceful coexistence with the Water-O natives.
79	* InvisibleStreaker: Blanko from ''Mini-Monsters'' is usually visible as a floating tee-shirt, a hat and a pair of CoolShades, as well as white gloves and a pair of shoes -- but oddly, no pants. Occasionally, if he needs to be completely invisible, he'll take off his clothes.
80	* IronicNickname: Big Max of the ''Street Frogs'' is the youngest and smallest member.
81	* JerkAss: Sherman and Melissa of ''Mini-Monsters'', at least in the first episode. It results in them both being sent to Camp Mini-Mon [[AdultsAreUseless just to get them out of their parents' hair]].
82	* KillItWithFire: On ''Tiger Sharks'', Dragonstein's primary mode of attack is to breathe fire.
83	* LandDownunder: Lorca's speech patterns on ''Tiger Sharks''.
84	* LethalChef:
85	** Jynx the witch on ''Mini-Monsters'', as her concoctions caused severe bellyaches to her fellow campers in one episode.
86	** The Street Frogs in an episode of their show are catering to a wedding, but the sandwiches and drinks they prepare cause the consumers to ''change color'' and collapse.
87	* MageSpecies: Jynx and Melvin of ''Camp Minimon'' are the kids of a witch and a wizard respectively, and are folded into the category of non-humans/"monsters". Close inspection does reveal that they have pointed ears, at least. (Technically, Merlin was only half-human in the mythos, but that's not referenced).
88	* MagicAIsMagicA: The Fish Tank shifts the Tigersharks from a human form into an aquatic form, and from an aquatic form into a human form. In one episode, when T-Ray and his crew of aquatic people get access to it, it turns them into human forms which can survive out of the water.
89	* MakeMeWannaShout: Sonic wave blasters seem to be ''SARK'''s main weapon, or at least the one it uses most when on Water-O.
90	* MobileFishbowl: In ''Tiger Sharks'' T-Ray and his {{mooks}} are water-breathing creatures from a planet that dried up. They are now trying to conquer a watery planet; the one upon which the series take place. Since the other group of villains (and their occasional allies) cannot breathe water, they have used water filled suits at least once.
91	* MonsterMash: The non-human campers at Camp Mini-Mon.
92	* NoBiochemicalBarriers: Averted. The food served at Camp Minomon appears to not be entirely compatible with normal human physiology, requiring Sherman and Melissa to drink some potions to settle their stomachs after eating.
93	* NoManOfWomanBorn: The Spellbinder is a strangely shaped wand which emits soundwaves that take over men's minds. That is, biological men, not ''SARK'' or the female members of the Tigersharks.
94	* OceanPunk: The ''Tiger Sharks'' segments take place in the ocean planet Water-O, and as a result most of the cast is capable of breathing underwater (although the protagonists had to undergo a transformation to do so) and most of the vehicles are capable of underwater travel.
95	* OddlySmallOrganization: Big Papa only has Sumo Sai and Boom-Boom Burmese working for him.
96	* OhCrap: In the ''Karate Kat'' intro sequence, Big Papa would open a safe with the intention of robbing it...only to find Karate waiting for him. Cue this expression on Big Papa's face.
97	* {{Oireland}}: Dolph's speech patterns on ''Tiger Sharks''.
98	* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Unless Karate Kat was actually named that by his parents. It's not really the weirdest name in the show.
99	* OurWerewolvesAreDifferent: Wolfie, the resident werewolf in ''Mini-Monsters'', tells jokes with [[IncrediblyLamePun Incredibly Lame Puns]] to the other campers.
100	* PetTheDog: Blanko is the first of the Mini Monsters to be friendly with new counselor Gary instead of trying to scare him away.
101	* PungeonMaster: Wolfie of ''Mini Monsters'' seems to have a compulsion to tell constant horrible jokes, mostly revolving around puns.
102	* PunnyName: The ''Tigersharks'' "villain", you might generously call him, Carper. He constantly complains. That is, he constantly carps.
103	* RapidAging: A "Tiger Sharks" episode of is centered around what looks like a [[AllThatGlitters hoard of golden spheres]], but is actually dangerous toxic waste causing this in anyone touching it. Both the heroes and one of the major villains have a problem because of it... the other villain learned his lesson many years ago.
104	* RealIsBrown: The backgrounds for ''Karate Kat'' are done in multiple shades of brown, to the point that the rare alternate colors tend to pop out.
105	* RecycledInSpace: ''Tiger Sharks'' was essentially ''Thundercats'' underwater.
106	* TheResenter: In ''Karate Kat'', resident scientist and inventor Dr. Katmandu feels this way toward the main character because he sees Karate as just a stupid muscle-head. [[IdiotHero Which is not an indefensible conclusion]].
107	* SaturdayMorningCartoon: Actually, as it was syndicated, it had a good chance of coming on any day at any time.
108	* ShockAndAwe: T-Ray's ship is equipped with "Lightning Rods" which work the opposite of what their name implies, shooting ''out'' blasts of electricity. It's ''red'' electricity, too, 'cause he's evil.
109	* ShoutOut: One ''Karate Kat'' episode, "The Twin Brother Kaper," has [[EvilCounterpart Karate]] [[EvilTwin Krud]] telling Big Papa's gang that the real Karate Kat (who he's impersonating) stands for "[[WesternAnimation/{{ThunderCats\|1985}} justice, truth, honor and loyalty]]"; this prompts one of Big Papa's goons to describe the hero as "a thunder-cat."
110	* SixtyFiveEpisodeCartoon: Just enough for syndication.
111	* TheSmurfettePrinciple:
112	** Honey Love for the Street Frogs.
113	** Solemate, a member of Captain Bizarrly's crew, is the only recurring evil female in ''Tigersharks''.
114	** Jynx is the only female Mini Monster. Some sources say that Blanko is also female, but they also call them "Blanka", which is not the case.
115	* SpellMyNameWithAnS: Jynx the witch usually has her name spelled with a "Y" but her model sheet spells her name as "Jinx" with an "I".
116	* SpellingSong: The intro theme song for the overall show. Also, the intro sequence for ''Mini-Monsters'' has this in the form of a cheer-leading sequence.
117	* SpontaneousChoreography: ''Street Frogs'', frequently.
118	* StrangerInAStrangeSchool: Sherman and Emily are the only two "normal" kids among the Camp Mini-Mon campers, while camp counselor Gary is the only "normal" adult (Dr. Jekyll doesn't count for [[JekyllAndHyde obvious reasons]]).
119	* SummerCampy: Camp Mini-Mon.
120	* SumoWrestling: The schtick of one of the evil henchmen from ''Karate Kat'', Sumo Siamese.
121	* SuperHearing: As might be expected, Dolph of the Tigersharks is particularly sensitive to sound when transformed into a dolphin-man.
122	* SwissArmyWeapon: Walro's cane.
123	* TeamDad: Walro on ''Tiger Sharks''.
124	* TeamMom: Big Mama on ''Karate Kat''.
125	* ThreateningShark: The Tiger Sharks embody this trope when it comes to fighting bad guys in both their team name and the shape of their spaceship. Furthermore, [[TheLeader their leader]] Mako can transform into a humanoid mako shark whose presence always means bad news for the bad guys.
126	* TotallyRadical: ''Street Frogs''
127	* TransformationSequence:
128	** Karate Kat, combined with ByThePowerOfGrayskull, although the "transformation" was little more than a costume change (he used the same name in both outfits and gained no new abilities) with a touch of LetsGetDangerous.
129	** The Tiger Sharks also had a transformation sequence wherein they used a special device called the "Fish Tank" to transform into their marine forms and back again.
130	* TwoGirlsToATeam: The Tigersharks have Octavia and Angel.
131	* VerySpecialEpisode: One ''Street Frogs'' episode featured Big Max tempted to do illegal things just to earn some seed (the Streetfrogverse's currency). The song used on that episode, "Don't Say Yes (When You Mean No)" echoes one of the official songs of Nancy Reagan's War on Drugs, while the episode ends with an ominous male voice saying the words "Crime does not pay!"
132	* VileVillainLaughableLackey: T-Ray on ''Tigersharks'' is played as a pretty serious threat. He has two minions named Carper and Weakfish who don't do anything but complain and run away at the first sight of the heroes.
133	* VoluntaryShapeshifting: The Tiger Sharks use AppliedPhlebotinum to transform back and forth from humans to FishPeople.
134	* [[WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes Why Did It Have To Be Water?]]: Captain Bizzarly on ''Tiger Sharks'' hates water, despite being a pirate on a planet that is almost completely covered in it.
135	* WitchClassic: Jynx from the Mini Monsters. She wore a pointed hat, used magic and had a cauldron for concocting witchcraft.

Context WesternAnimation / TheComicStrip