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''Battletoads'' is a video game
media franchise A media franchise, also known as a multimedia franchise, is a collection of related media in which several derivative works have been produced from an original creative work of fiction, such as a film, a work of literature, a television program or ...
by Rare that began with the original
beat 'em up The beat 'em up (also known as brawler and, in some markets, beat 'em all) is a video game genre featuring hand-to-hand combat against a large number of opponents. Traditional beat 'em ups take place in scrolling, two-dimensional (2D) levels, ...
game ''
Battletoads ''Battletoads'' is a video game media franchise by Rare that began with the original beat 'em up game '' Battletoads'' in 1991. Starring three anthropomorphic toads named after skin conditions, Rash, Zitz, and Pimple, the series was created to ...
'' in 1991. Starring three
anthropomorphic Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology. Personification is the related attribution of human form and characteristics t ...
toad Toad is a common name for certain frogs, especially of the family Bufonidae, that are characterized by dry, leathery skin, short legs, and large bumps covering the parotoid glands. A distinction between frogs and toads is not made in scientif ...
s named after skin conditions, Rash, Zitz, and Pimple, the series was created to rival the ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' games series. The original ''
Battletoads ''Battletoads'' is a video game media franchise by Rare that began with the original beat 'em up game '' Battletoads'' in 1991. Starring three anthropomorphic toads named after skin conditions, Rash, Zitz, and Pimple, the series was created to ...
'' game for the NES was renowned for its extreme difficulty, but still received a cult following, spawning sequels for various platforms including a
crossover Crossover may refer to: Entertainment Albums and songs * ''Cross Over'' (Dan Peek album) * ''Crossover'' (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles album), 1987 * ''Crossover'' (Intrigue album) * ''Crossover'' (Hitomi Shimatani album) * ''Crossover'' (Yoshino ...
with the ''Double Dragon'' series and a modern reboot after a 25 year gap in releases. In each of the games, the objective is to defeat the toads' nemesis the
Dark Queen The Dark Queen is the main antagonist of the '' Battletoads'' video game series by Rare introduced in the original '' Battletoads'' in 1991. Dark Queen is the nemesis of the protagonistic Battletoads. She is a mysterious mistress of evil magic ...
and her army of space mutants.


Video games


Series

* ''
Battletoads ''Battletoads'' is a video game media franchise by Rare that began with the original beat 'em up game '' Battletoads'' in 1991. Starring three anthropomorphic toads named after skin conditions, Rash, Zitz, and Pimple, the series was created to ...
'': The
Battletoads ''Battletoads'' is a video game media franchise by Rare that began with the original beat 'em up game '' Battletoads'' in 1991. Starring three anthropomorphic toads named after skin conditions, Rash, Zitz, and Pimple, the series was created to ...
have to defeat the evil
Dark Queen The Dark Queen is the main antagonist of the '' Battletoads'' video game series by Rare introduced in the original '' Battletoads'' in 1991. Dark Queen is the nemesis of the protagonistic Battletoads. She is a mysterious mistress of evil magic ...
on her planet and rescue their kidnapped partners, Pimple and Princess Angelica. Originally released for the
Nintendo Entertainment System The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit third-generation home video game console produced by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan in 1983 as the commonly known as the The NES, a redesigned version, was released in America ...
(NES) in 1991 by Rare, the game was distributed by
Tradewest Tradewest was an American video game company based in Corsicana, Texas that produced numerous games in the 1980s and early 1990s. The company was the publisher of the '' Battletoads'' and '' Double Dragon'' series in North America and the PAL regi ...
in Europe and North America, and by
Masaya Games is a video game brand. Masaya was initially established by Japanese entertainment company Nippon Computer Systems (NCS) in 1984 to take part in the video game market. The brand name was transferred to Extreme in November 2014. Video games PC-88 ...
in Japan. It was subsequently ported by Arc System Works to the
Sega Genesis The Sega Genesis, known as the outside North America, is a 16-bit Fourth generation of video game consoles, fourth generation home video game console developed and sold by Sega. It was Sega's third console and the successor to the Master Syst ...
and
Game Gear The is an 8-bit fourth generation handheld game console released by Sega on October 6, 1990, in Japan, in April 1991 throughout North America and Europe, and during 1992 in Australia. The Game Gear primarily competed with Nintendo's Game Boy, ...
in 1993, and by Mindscape to the
Amiga Amiga is a family of personal computers introduced by Commodore in 1985. The original model is one of a number of mid-1980s computers with 16- or 32-bit processors, 256 KB or more of RAM, mouse-based GUIs, and significantly improved graphi ...
and
Amiga CD32 The Amiga CD32 (stylized as Amiga CD32, code-named "Spellbound") is a 32-bit home video game console developed by Commodore and released in Europe, Australia, Canada, and Brazil. It was first announced at the Science Museum in London on July 16, ...
in 1994. * ''Battletoads'': An
LCD game Handheld electronic games are very small, portable devices for playing interactive electronic games, often miniaturized versions of video games. The controls, display and speakers are all part of a single unit. Rather than a general-purpose s ...
was released by
Tiger Electronics Tiger Electronics Ltd. (also known as Tiger and Tiger Toys) was an independent American toy manufacturer best known for its handheld LCD games, the Furby, the Talkboy, Giga Pets, the 2-XL robot, and audio games such as ''Brain Warp'' and the Br ...
in 1991. * ''Battletoads'' (Game Boy): A spin-off of the original also released in 1991. Despite having the same box art and title as the original NES release, it is an entirely different game from the NES version. * ''
Battletoads in Battlemaniacs ''Battletoads in Battlemaniacs'' is a beat 'em up platform game developed by Rare and published by Tradewest in 1993 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, part of the ''Battletoads'' series. The game was released in North America in June ...
'': Released in 1993 for the
Super Nintendo Entertainment System The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), commonly shortened to Super NES or Super Nintendo, is a 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan and South Korea, 1991 in North America, 1992 in Eur ...
(SNES) and developed in 1994 for the Sega Master System (but not released until 1996). In this game, Zitz and the daughter of Psicone Industries' CEO have been captured and it is up to Rash and Pimple to save them from being the Dark Queen. Different from the previous games, in this one each character has its own specific abilities and combos. Pimple is the powerhouse, big and boasting a large range with punches, while Rash is nimble and smaller, fighting using kicking attacks. Aside from cooperative play, a solo player is able to play as Rash by switching to the second controller. * ''Battletoads in Ragnarok's World'': A striped-down port of the original game for the
Game Boy The is an 8-bit fourth generation handheld game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan on April 21, 1989, in North America later the same year, and in Europe in late 1990. It was designed by the same ...
released in 1993. * '' Battletoads/Double Dragon'': A
crossover Crossover may refer to: Entertainment Albums and songs * ''Cross Over'' (Dan Peek album) * ''Crossover'' (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles album), 1987 * ''Crossover'' (Intrigue album) * ''Crossover'' (Hitomi Shimatani album) * ''Crossover'' (Yoshino ...
with the characters from the ''Double Dragon'' series with liberties taken. The Dark Queen and Shadow Boss team up and five heroes (the three toads, Zitz, Rash and Pimple, and the two Lee brothers, Billy and Jimmy) must stop them. For the first time in the series, the game offers players a character selection screen. Released in 1993 for the NES, Genesis, SNES and Game Boy. * '' Battletoads Arcade'': An
arcade game An arcade game or coin-op game is a coin-operated entertainment machine typically installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are presented as primarily games of skill and include arcade v ...
released in 1994, also known as ''Super Battletoads''. The arcade game, unlike the other games, featured voice-overs and several other features that distinguish it from the other games, such as a vastly increased level of violence. It follows the ''Battletoads in Battlemaniacs'' updated formula of each character having his own design and specific abilities and combos, but this time featuring the three toads, Zitz, Rash and Pimple, as selectable characters: while Rash is kept as the nimble and smaller character and Pimple as the powerhouse, Zitz is represented as the intermediate and balanced character. Vehicle levels emphasize combat, rather than memorizing and avoiding obstacles. * ''
Battletoads ''Battletoads'' is a video game media franchise by Rare that began with the original beat 'em up game '' Battletoads'' in 1991. Starring three anthropomorphic toads named after skin conditions, Rash, Zitz, and Pimple, the series was created to ...
'' (2020): An
Xbox One The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third base console in the Xbox series of video game consoles. It was first released in North America, parts of ...
and
Microsoft Windows Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...
game developed by Dlala Studios in collaboration with Rare, it was released on August 20, 2020. It features three-player couch co-op multiplayer and high resolution hand-drawn 4K 2.5D graphics. The Battletoads appear in a bonus boss encounter in the Xbox One and PC versions of ''
Shovel Knight ''Shovel Knight'' is a platform game, platform video game developed and published by Yacht Club Games. Development was crowdfunded and the game was released for Nintendo 3DS, Wii U, and Windows in June 2014. It was ported to OS X and Linux in Se ...
''. ''Battletoads'' and ''Battletoads Arcade'' are included in '' Rare Replay'', a compilation of 30 Rare games released for the Xbox One in 2015. Rash appears as a playable guest character in the third season of the fighting game ''
Killer Instinct ''Killer Instinct'' is a series of fighting video games originally created by Rare and published by Midway, Nintendo, and Microsoft Studios. The original ''Killer Instinct'' was released for arcades in 1994; the game was then released for t ...
'', available on Xbox One and Windows. Rash also appears as an action figure in '' Grounded''.


History of production

A sequel/
remake A remake is a film, television series, video game, song or similar form of entertainment that is based upon and retells the story of an earlier production in the same medium—e.g., a "new version of an existing film". A remake tells the same ...
game was being developed for the
Game Boy Advance The (GBA) is a 32-bit handheld game console developed, manufactured and marketed by Nintendo as the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001, in North America on June 11, 2001, in the PAL region on June 22, 2 ...
, but was ultimately canceled. In 2013, Phil Spencer from
Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology corporation producing computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at the Microsoft Redmond campus located in Redmond, Washing ...
's Xbox team mentioned his fondness for ''Battletoads'' while asking the fans what Rare games should be brought back for the
Xbox One The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third base console in the Xbox series of video game consoles. It was first released in North America, parts of ...
. In 2014, "Battletoads" was re-trademarked in the United States. Spencer appeared publicly in a ''Battletoads'' T-shirt in 2015, just days after
Microsoft Studios Xbox Game Studios (previously known as Microsoft Studios, Microsoft Game Studios, and Microsoft Games) is an American video game publisher and part of the Microsoft Gaming division based in Redmond, Washington. It was established in March 2000, ...
'
Ken Lobb Kenneth Alan Lobb (also credited as Ken Lobb, KAL, and K. Lobb) is an American video game designer formerly employed by Taxan USA Corp., Namco Hometek, and Nintendo of America, and currently employed by Xbox Game Studios as Creative Director. He ...
(creator of 2013's ''Killer Instinct'' reboot) said they have plans to bring ''Battletoads'' and other classic Rare series back "someday".


Other

''Battletoads: The Official Battlebook,'' the Tradewest-authorized guide to the Battletoads console games, was written by Steve Schwartz and published in 1994 by
Prima Publishing Prima Games is a publishing company of video game strategy guides in the United States. Formerly, Prima was an imprint of Dorling Kindersley, a division of Penguin Random House, and produced print ''strategy guides'', featuring ''in-depth walkthro ...
. Detailed playing tips, strategies, and secrets were provided for the following games: ''Battletoads'' (NES and Genesis), ''Battletoads in Battlemaniacs'' (Super NES), and ''Battletoads/Double Dragon'' (NES, Genesis, and Super NES).


Animated series

''Battletoads'' spun off a half-hour
animated Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most anim ...
television special A television special (often TV special, or rarely television spectacular) is a standalone television show which may also temporarily interrupt episodic programming normally scheduled for a given time slot. Some specials provide a full range of ent ...
produced by DIC Animation City in an attempt to capitalize on the popularity of the ''
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' is an American media franchise created by the comic book artists Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. It follows Leonardo (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Leonardo, Michelangelo (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Miche ...
'' (DiC would try this again later on when producing ''
Street Sharks ''Street Sharks'' is an American Superhero fiction, superhero animated series about the adventures of crime-fighting half-man/half-sharks. It was produced by DIC Entertainment, DIC Productions, L.P. and Bohbot Entertainment, and aired from 1994 t ...
'' and ''
Extreme Dinosaurs ''Extreme Dinosaurs'' is an American animated series produced by DIC Productions, L.P. and Bohbot Entertainment in 1997 based on a 1996 toy line from Mattel. This show is a spin-off of ''Street Sharks'' (where they first appeared as the Dino Veng ...
''). Intended as the pilot for a full-fledged series, the special aired in
syndication Syndication may refer to: * Broadcast syndication, where individual stations buy programs outside the network system * Print syndication, where individual newspapers or magazines license news articles, columns, or comic strips * Web syndication, ...
in the United States on the weekend of
Thanksgiving Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in the United States, Canada, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Philippines. It is also observed in the Netherlander town of Leiden and ...
1992. It was never picked up for a series however, despite comic-style ads in ''
GamePro Gamepro.com is an international multiplatform video game magazine media company that covers the video game industry, video game hardware and video game software in countries such as Germany and France. The publication, GamePro, was originally la ...
'' magazine claiming otherwise.
Buena Vista Home Video Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Inc., Trade name, doing business as Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, is the Home video, home entertainment distribution arm of The Walt Disney Company. The division handles the distribution of Disney's films ...
released the pilot on VHS in January 1994. It received an official YouTube release on August 5, 2014, on a YouTube channel run by the Canadian company
DHX Media WildBrain Ltd. (formerly known as DHX Media, Ltd.) is a Canadian media, animation studio, production, and brand licensing company, mostly associated as an entertainment company. The company is known for owning the largest library of children ...
, which currently owns the rights to DIC's cartoon library. The story served as a
prequel A prequel is a literary, dramatic or cinematic work whose story precedes that of a previous work, by focusing on events that occur before the original narrative. A prequel is a work that forms part of a backstory to the preceding work. The term " ...
to the video game franchise. Set in
Oxnard, California Oxnard () is a city in Ventura County, California, United States. On California's South Coast, it is the most populous city in Ventura County and the 22nd-most-populous city in California. Incorporated in 1903, Oxnard lies approximately west ...
, it stars three junior high schoolers. The trio is given the ability to transform into anthropomorphic toads with superhuman strength and the ability to change their arms and legs into weapons in techniques called "Smash Hits". They are charged with protecting Professor T. Bird and Princess Angelica from the Dark Queen, who wants to steal Angelica's magical amulet for her plans of universal conquest. The cartoon was adapted and written by David Wise (no relation to the ''Battletoads'' video games' composer of the same name). A comic with the backstory of ''Battletoads'', written by Rare employee Guy Millar, was also published in ''
Nintendo Power ''Nintendo Power'' was a video game news and strategy magazine from Nintendo of America, first published in July/August 1988 as Nintendo's official print magazine for North America. The magazine's publication was initially done monthly by Ninten ...
''.


Reception

In 2010, ''
Game Informer ''Game Informer'' (''GI'', most often stylized ''gameinformer'' from the 2010s onward) is an American monthly video game magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of video games and associated consoles. It debuted in August 1991 w ...
'' included ''Battletoads'' among ten gaming franchises that deserve a revival, and precisely, "a true HD sequel". In 2012, ''
Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...
'' listed it as one of five video game franchises "that need to come back from the dead", adding that a modern ''Battletoads'' "should retain its side-scroller qualities while adopting the 2.5D style" similar to ''
Mark of the Ninja ''Mark of the Ninja'' is a side-scrolling action stealth video game developed by Klei Entertainment and published by Microsoft Studios. It was announced on February 28, 2012 and later released for the Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade on September ...
''. The series' return was also demanded by other outlets, including ''
Complex Complex commonly refers to: * Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe ** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...
'', ''
Maxim Maxim or Maksim may refer to: Entertainment * ''Maxim'' (magazine), an international men's magazine ** ''Maxim'' (Australia), the Australian edition ** ''Maxim'' (India), the Indian edition *Maxim Radio, ''Maxim'' magazine's radio channel on Sir ...
'' and
GameRevolution ''GameRevolution'' (formerly ''Game-Revolution'') is a gaming website created in 1996. Based in Berkeley, California, the site includes reviews, previews, a gaming download area, cheats, and a merchandise store, as well as webcomics, screenshots ...
. On the other hand, the animated version of ''Battletoads'' was very badly received. It was included on the lists of five "worst one-shot TV cartoons ever made" by
Topless Robot Village Voice Media or VVM is a newspaper company. It began in 1970 as a weekly alternative newspaper in Phoenix. The company, founded by Michael Lacey (editor) and Jim Larkin (publisher), was then known as New Times Inc. (NTI) and the publicati ...
in 2008.


Prank call

Beginning in early 2011,
4chan 4chan is an anonymous English-language imageboard website. Launched by Christopher "moot" Poole in October 2003, the site hosts boards dedicated to a wide variety of topics, from anime and manga to video games, cooking, weapons, television, ...
users organized a mass prank calling to the Gold and Silver pawn shop, home to the popular television show ''
Pawn Stars ''Pawn Stars'' is an American reality television series shown on History and produced by Leftfield Pictures. The series is filmed in Las Vegas, Nevada, where it chronicles the daily activities at the World Famous Gold & Silver Pawn Shop, a 24 ...
''. The callers would repeatedly ask the employees if they sold ''Battletoads''. This call led Rick Harrison, star of ''Pawn Stars'' and owner of the store, to repeatedly swear and yell at the callers, who recorded this and uploaded it to
YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
. This originated a series of many other similar videos of pranksters dialing random establishments and asking about ''Battletoads''. ''Battletoads'' developer Rare has acknowledged the prank via an achievement named "Do You Have Battletoads?" in their 2015 game compilation '' Rare Replay''.


References


External links

*
''Battletoads''
at the
Internet Movie Database IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...
{{Authority control 1990s American animated television series Animated series based on video games Beat 'em ups Beat'em ups by series Fantasy video games Rare (company) Microsoft franchises Platform games Science fiction video games Side-scrolling beat 'em ups Television pilots not picked up as a series Television series by DIC Entertainment Video game franchises introduced in 1991 Video games adapted into television shows Video games about amphibians Video games about animals Video games adapted into comics