''TigerSharks'' is an American

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 ...

children's television series Children's television series (or children's television shows) are television programs designed for children, normally scheduled for broadcast during the morning and afternoon when children are awake. They can sometimes run during the early evenin ...

developed by

Rankin/Bass Rankin/Bass Animated Entertainment (founded and formerly known as Videocraft International, Ltd. and Rankin/Bass Productions, Inc.) was an American production company located in New York City, and known for its seasonal television specials, usual ...

and distributed by

Lorimar-Telepictures Lorimar-Telepictures Corporation was an entertainment company established in 1985 with the merger of Lorimar Productions, Inc. and Telepictures Corporation. Headquartered at the former Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios (now Sony Pictures Studios) ...

in 1987. The series involved a team of heroes that could transform into amalgams of

human Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, culture, ...

and

marine Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean. Marine or marines may refer to: Ocean * Maritime (disambiguation) * Marine art * Marine biology * Marine debris * Marine habitats * Marine life * Marine pollution Military * ...

animal Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the Kingdom (biology), biological kingdom Animalia. With few exceptions, animals Heterotroph, consume organic material, Cellular respiration#Aerobic respiration, breathe oxygen, are Motilit ...

s and resembled the series '' ThunderCats'' and ''

SilverHawks ''SilverHawks'' is an American animated television series developed by Rankin/Bass Productions and distributed by Lorimar-Telepictures in 1986. The animation was provided by Japanese studio Pacific Animation Corporation. In total, 65 episodes were ...

'', also developed by Rankin/Bass. The series lasted one season with 26 episodes and was part of the show ''

The Comic Strip The Comic Strip are a group of British comedians who came to prominence in the 1980s. They are known for their television series ''The Comic Strip Presents...'', which was labelled as a pioneering example of the alternative comedy scene. The c ...

'', which consisted of four

animated shorts A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...

: ''TigerSharks'', '' Street Frogs'', '' The Mini-Monsters'', and ''

Karate Kat ''The Comic Strip'' is an American animated series that features four rotating cartoon segments: ''The Mini-Monsters'', ''Street Frogs'', ''Karate Kat'' and ''TigerSharks''. The 90-minute series ran in first-run syndication during the 1987 season. ...

''. The animation was provided by Japanese studio Pacific Animation Corporation.

Warner Bros. Animation Warner Bros. Animation Inc. is an American animation studio which is part of the Warner Bros. Television Studios division of Warner Bros., a flagship of Warner Bros. Discovery. As the successor to Warner Bros. Cartoons, which was active from 1 ...

currently owns the series, as they own the 1974–89 Rankin/Bass library, which was incorporated into the merger of Lorimar-Telepictures and

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

However, no DVD or streaming release of the series has been available worldwide as of today.

Production and development

Rankin/Bass followed up their successful '' ThunderCats'' and ''

'' series with this series about a team of powered up man/marine form hybrids called the "TigerSharks". This third series also featured many of the same voice actors who had worked on '' ThunderCats'' and ''

'' including Larry Kenney, Peter Newman, Earl Hammond, Doug Preis and Bob McFadden.

Story

The members of the TigerShark team were humans who had to use a device called the Fish Tank in order to transform between human and powered-up marine forms. The TigerSharks' base was a spaceship that could also function underwater. The ship was called the SARK and contained the Fish Tank, along with other research facilities. The action took place on the fictional world of Water-O (pronounced Wah-tare-oh), which was almost completely covered by water. The planet was inhabited by a race of fish-men called the Waterians. The TigerSharks arrived there on a research mission and ended up serving as the protectors of the planet against the evil T-Ray, who had arrived there beforehand.

Characters

TigerSharks

Protectors of Water-O, the team members are: * Mako (voiced by Peter Newman) - A gifted

scuba diver Scuba diving is a mode of underwater diving whereby divers use breathing equipment that is completely independent of a surface air supply. The name "scuba", an acronym for "Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus", was coined by Chris ...

, he is considered the field leader of the TigerSharks. Mako is not only a good mediator, but also an excellent fighter. He transforms into a human/

mako shark ''Isurus'' is a genus of mackerel sharks in the family Lamnidae, commonly known as the mako sharks. Description The two living species are the common shortfin mako shark (''I. oxyrinchus'') and the rare longfin mako shark (''I. paucus''). They ...

hybrid, which grants him incredible speed underwater. Mako also uses his forearm fins and head fin to slice through metal. * Walro (voiced by

Earl Hammond Erwin Saul Hamburger (June 17, 1921 – May 19, 2002), known professionally as Earl Hammond, was an American actor, who has appeared in several films and television series. Career Earl Hammond began acting in radio at the age of 7, and continued ...

) - The scientific and mechanical genius who created the Fish Tank. He acts as the advisor of the team and is very respected by his comrades. Walro turns into a human/

walrus The walrus (''Odobenus rosmarus'') is a large pinniped, flippered marine mammal with a discontinuous distribution about the North Pole in the Arctic Ocean and subarctic seas of the Northern Hemisphere. The walrus is the only living species in ...

hybrid. He wields a cane that has a wide variety of weapons. * Rodolfo "Dolph" (voiced by

Larry Kenney Larry Kenney (born August 5, 1947) is an American voice actor and radio personality. Early life Larry Kenney was born August 5, 1947 in Pekin, Illinois, the son of George and Joyce Kenney. He has a brother, Steven, and a sister, Jody. He graduat ...

) - Second-in-command and also an experienced scuba diver. Dolph has a knack for jokes and fooling around, but he knows when to joke and when to work. Dolph turns into a human/

dolphin A dolphin is an aquatic mammal within the infraorder Cetacea. Dolphin species belong to the families Delphinidae (the oceanic dolphins), Platanistidae (the Indian river dolphins), Iniidae (the New World river dolphins), Pontoporiidae (the ...

hybrid, which makes him very maneuverable underwater and can shoot a strong jet of water from his blowhole. However it also makes him the only Tigershark unable to breathe underwater in his aquatic form. He speaks with an Irish accent. * Octavia (voiced by Camille Bonora) - Captain of the SARK, communications technician and main strategist. Octavia turns into a human/

octopus An octopus ( : octopuses or octopodes, see below for variants) is a soft-bodied, eight- limbed mollusc of the order Octopoda (, ). The order consists of some 300 species and is grouped within the class Cephalopoda with squids, cuttle ...

hybrid (with tentacles instead of hair). * Lorca - the team's mechanic and often helps Walro to repair or build new machines. He's also the team's strongest member. Lorca turns into a human/

orca The orca or killer whale (''Orcinus orca'') is a toothed whale belonging to the oceanic dolphin family, of which it is the largest member. It is the only Extant taxon, extant species in the genus ''Orcinus'' and is recognizable by its black ...

hybrid. He speaks with an Australian accent. * Bronc - A teenager who, along with his sister Angel, works as an assistant aboard the SARK. Bronc is very adventurous, and sometimes reckless. He turns into a human/

seahorse A seahorse (also written ''sea-horse'' and ''sea horse'') is any of 46 species of small marine fish in the genus ''Hippocampus''. "Hippocampus" comes from the Ancient Greek (), itself from () meaning "horse" and () meaning "sea monster" or " ...

hybrid; hence his name, which is derived from "

Bronco A bucking horse is any breed or either gender of horse with a propensity to buck. They have been, and still are, referred to by various names, including bronco, broncho, and roughstock. The harder they buck, the more desirable they are for rod ...

". * Angel - Another teenage member of the SARK's crew. She's more serious and responsible than her brother. She turns into a human/ angelfish hybrid, hence her name. * Gupp - the TigerSharks' pet

Cocker Spaniel Cocker Spaniels are dogs belonging to two breeds of the spaniel dog type: the American Cocker Spaniel and the English Cocker Spaniel of which are commonly called simply Cocker Spaniel in their countries of origin. In the early 20th century, Cocker ...

. While his name might imply that he turns into a

guppy The guppy (), also known as millionfish and rainbow fish, is one of the world's most widely distributed tropical fish and one of the most popular freshwater aquarium fish species. It is a member of the family Poeciliidae and, like almost all ...

, his features, including flipper-shaped legs and pin teeth, more closely resemble a

seal Seal may refer to any of the following: Common uses * Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly: ** Earless seal, or "true seal" ** Fur seal * Seal (emblem), a device to impr ...

sea lion Sea lions are pinnipeds characterized by external ear flaps, long foreflippers, the ability to walk on all fours, short and thick hair, and a big chest and belly. Together with the fur seals, they make up the family Otariidae, eared seals. ...

Villains

The show featured two major antagonists, both with teams of followers. Both are in alliance to conquer Water-O and destroy the TigerSharks, but plan to betray each other once these goals are met. They are: * T-Ray - T-Ray is a human/

manta ray Manta rays are large rays belonging to the genus ''Mobula'' (formerly its own genus ''Manta''). The larger species, '' M. birostris'', reaches in width, while the smaller, '' M. alfredi'', reaches . Both have triangular Pectoral fin#AnchPect ...

hybrid-type creature. He and his Mantanas arrived on Water-O because their home planet had dried up. In seeking to conquer Water-O, he freed Captain Bizzarly and his crew from their iced prison on Seaberia. He is bent on conquering the Waterians and destroying the TigerSharks. He and his assistants cannot survive outside the water without using water breathing apparatus. He wields a whip. ** Mantanas - The fish-like minions of T-Ray *** Wall-Eye (voiced by Peter Newman) A human/

frog A frog is any member of a diverse and largely Carnivore, carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order (biology), order Anura (ανοὐρά, literally ''without tail'' in Ancient Greek). The oldest fossil "proto-f ...

hybrid who is T-Ray's aide-de-camp. He can hypnotize people by spinning his eyes. *** Shad - A bad-tempered human/

grouper Groupers are fish of any of a number of genera in the subfamily Epinephelinae of the family Serranidae, in the order Perciformes. Not all serranids are called "groupers"; the family also includes the sea basses. The common name "grouper" is u ...

hybrid. He wears a belt that can shoot electrical blasts. *** Dredge - A fish-like mutant who carries a purple pet eel on his back. *** Carper and Weakfish - Two merman with frog-like faces. Identical twin brothers who (as befitting their names) whine and complain about everything. Carper has green skin; Weakfish has purple. * Captain Bizzarly - A

pirate Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...

with

aquaphobia Aquaphobia () is an irrational fear of water. Aquaphobia is considered a specific phobia of natural environment type in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. A specific phobia is an intense fear of something that poses lit ...

who controlled all crime-related activities on the vast oceans of Water-O until the Waterians froze him and his crew in ice many years ago. T-Ray freed Bizzarly and his crew expecting them to join forces. However, Bizzarly promptly betrayed T-Ray. Bizzarly now constantly tries to get rid of the TigerSharks and regain control of the oceans of Water-O. ** Dragonstein - Captain Bizzarly's pet sea

dragon A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...

. He can fly, breathe fire and maneuver underwater. ** Long John Silverfish - A humanoid whose mouth suggests a rat. He wields an electrified whip. ** Spike Marlin - Bizzarly's first mate, a wrinkly-faced human wielding a customized

polearm A polearm or pole weapon is a close combat weapon in which the main fighting part of the weapon is fitted to the end of a long shaft, typically of wood, thereby extending the user's effective range and striking power. Polearms are predominantly ...

. ** Soulmate - The only female member of Captain Bizzarly's crew. Her attire suggests a samurai. She wields a sword, among other weapons. ** Lump - A slimy, shapeshifting blob-like creature. ** Grunt - An overweight humanoid who grunts like an ape. He's the muscle of Bizzarly's crew.

Episode list

1. Voyage to Water-O 2. SARK to the Rescue 3. Save the SARK 4. The Deep Fryer 5. Bowfin 6. Pappagallo's Present 7. The Lighthouse 8. Go with the Flow 9. Termagant 10. The Terror of Dragonstein 11. The Search for Redfin 12. The Kraken 13. Stowaway 14. Iced 15. The Volcano 16. A Question of Age 17. Eye of the Storm 18. Departure 19. Murky Waters 20. Spellbinder 21. The Waterscope 22. The Point of No Return 23. The Scavenger Hunt 24. Paradise Island 25. The Treasure Map 26. Redfin Returns

In other media

The TigerSharks made a cameo in an episode of the 2011 '' ThunderCats'' remake called "Legacy." They are among the animals that were forced to work under Mumm-Ra.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tigersharks 1987 American television series debuts 1987 American television series endings 1980s American animated television series First-run syndicated television programs in the United States Television series by Lorimar Television Television series by Warner Bros. Television Studios Television series about shapeshifting English-language television shows Television series about pirates Rankin/Bass Productions television series American children's animated action television series American children's animated adventure television series American children's animated fantasy television series Nautical television series Warner Bros. Television Studios franchises