Captain Planet and the Planeteers

This article is about the TV Series. For the video game based on this TV Series, see Captain Planet (video game).

Captain Planet and the Planeteers
Captain Planet and the Planeteers title screen
Genre	Action/Adventure Science fantasy Edutainment
Created by	Ted Turner
Voices of	David Coburn LeVar Burton Kath Soucie Whoopi Goldberg Janice Kawaye Joey Dedio
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	6
No. of episodes	113 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers	Andy Heyward Robby London Barbara Pyle Nick Boxer
Running time	25 minutes
Production companies	DIC Entertainment (1990-1993) Hanna-Barbera (1993-1996) Turner Program Services
Original release
Network	TBS
Release	September 15, 1990 – May 11, 1996

Captain Planet and the Planeteers is an American animated environmentalist television program, based on an idea by Ted Turner. The show was produced by Andy Heyward, Robby London, Barbara Pyle and Nicholas Boxer. The series was developed and co-produced by Turner Program Services along with the partnership of DiC Entertainment and ran new episodes from September 15, 1990 until December 5, 1992. A sequel series, The New Adventures of Captain Planet, ran for three seasons and was produced by Turner Broadcasting and then-corporate sibling Hanna-Barbera Productions. Both programs continue today in syndication.

The program is a form of edutainment and advocates environmentalism.

Plot

Gaia, the spirit of the Earth, is awakened from a long sleep by human activity threatening ecosystems, taking place across the globe. Realizing that the damage is extensive, Gaia sends five magic rings, each with the power to control an element of nature and one controlling an extra element, heart, to five chosen youths across the globe: Kwame from Africa, Wheeler from North America, Linka from Soviet Union (changed to Eastern Europe after the Soviet Union's collapse), Gi from Asia and Ma-Ti from South America.

These five are dubbed the Planeteers and given the task of defending the Earth in the case of the greatest of disasters and making effort to keep others from happening. Gaia uses her "Planet Vision" to discover where the most devastating destruction is occurring and sends the Planeteers to help solve the problem. The Planeteers use transportation (usually a flying machine called a Geo-Cruiser) based on solar power to avoid causing pollution themselves.

In situations that the Planeteers cannot resolve alone, they can combine their powers to summon Captain Planet, a magical entity who possesses all of their powers magnified, symbolizing the premise that the combined efforts of a team are stronger than its individual parts. Captain Planet only appears in his Captain Planet garb. These are not clothes but elements of the Earth that are integral to his composition. He is able to rearrange his molecular structure to transform himself into the various powers and elements of nature. Captain Planet's outfit does not represent a specific culture. He has a grass-green proto-mullet, sky-blue skin, earthy brown eyes, a fire-red chest, gloves, and boots, and a sun-yellow globe insignia.

In a manner similar to the mid '50s-1986 incarnation of Superman, Planet has seemingly godlike superhuman powers, and seems to gain more proportionate to whatever the situation requires. Nevertheless, he is weakened by pollutants which sap his strength, from smog to nuclear radiation, in much the same manner that Superman is weakened by Kryptonite. Captain Planet's personality is also similar to that of the Silver Age version of Superman; Always remaining friendly and upbeat in the darkest of situations. Aswell as a dislike of killing even the cruelest bad guys and a strict sense of justice (such as when Captain Planet allowed himself to be jailed for a crime he didn't commit).

The Planeteers cannot use their individual powers while Captain Planet has been summoned. Despite his vulnerability to pollution, Captain Planet is a formidable and valiant hero. Once his work is done, Captain Planet returns to the Earth, restoring the Planeteers' powers. When he does this, Captain Planet reminds viewers of the message of the series with his catchphrase, "The power is yours!"

Characters

Captain Planet

Captain Planet
File:Captain Planet.jpg
Publication information
First appearance	Captain Planet and the Planeteers "A Hero for Earth-Greed Is The Word"
Voiced by	David Coburn
In-story information
Team affiliations	The Planeteers
Abilities	Weather and climate manipulation Ability to generate and control earth, fire, wind and water nearly invincible good looking testicular gigantism telepathy flight unrivaled masculinity super strength super speed

Captain Planet is the title character of the series. He is possibly based on Superman (with elements from Captain Marvel (DC Comics) aswell). In the beginning of the series, Gaia assembles a modern-day team of "Planeteers" assembled from several nations. When the modern-day Planeteers combine their powers to summon the elemental warrior, this incarnation takes on the appearance of a superhero, who takes on the superhero-like name of "Captain Planet." Captain Planet displays a wry sense of humor and often uses puns while taunting the show's cast of villains.

The Planeteers summon him when the need arises and when the crisis is too much for them to handle. When summoned, Captain Planet declares "By your powers combined, I am Captain Planet!". After the crisis is dealt with, Captain Planet disappears, and restores the powers to the Planeteer's rings. His parting phrase is, "The power is yours", implying a duty and the ability of everyone to continue protecting the environment when he is gone.

Captain Planet's abilities are never clearly defined within the show, allowing him to always have a way of defeating his enemy and solving the problem before him. He can shape-shift and alter his structure to take on the properties of any element or material as well as transmuting other objects in a similar fashion. In various episodes he flies, has great strength, and displays telepathic/empathic abilities.

Captain Planet is weakened when he is in contact with pollutants, radiation, smog, etc; This is probably an homage to Superman's weakness to Kryptonite. Like Gaia, he is bound to the physical realm of Earth. Although he is capable of flying into space, his powers and form begin to fade when he travels away from the planet. However, in one episode he is unable to "return to the Earth" completely because two of the Planeteers (and their rings) have been taken into space, leaving him unable to access his abilities associated with the other three elements.

Gaia

Gaia is the spirit of the Earth. She is a modern rendition of the primordial Greek earth mother. Tired with the destruction and pollution of Earth, she summons the Planeteers to defend Earth and gives them their elemental rings.

Gaia lives on an island with large crystals in the middle of the ocean, although its exact location is never revealed. She appears to be omnipresent; she can appear in any time or place she wishes, and can communicate telepathically with anyone at any point in time. She is bound to Earth, and her health and well being seem to be connected with the condition of the planet.

Planeteers

The Planeteers. Clockwise from left top: Gi, Kwame, Linka, Ma-Ti, and Wheeler.

The Planeteers are summoned by Gaia to defend the world from pollution, criminals, and natural disasters. The five teenagers, each originating from a different region of the world and who together represent several major ethnic groups, are each given a ring which allows them to temporarily control one of the four classical elements – Earth, Fire, Wind, and Water – as well as a fifth element, Heart, which represents love and communication and enables telepathy and empathy, as well as potential mind control. This combination has been compared to the Wiccan pentacle.

In order to summon Captain Planet, the Planeteers must activate their powers in a specific order, preceded by the phrase, "Let our powers combine"; after his appearance, the Planeteers would cheer, "Go Planet!" It can be noted that during the DiC series, the sequence of special effects preceding Captain Planet's appearance differed each and every time. In the Hanna-Barbera series, there were some creative ideas for Captain Planet's appearance when being summoned; but most of the time, it consisted of flashes of lightning, along with sounds of thunder. Animation in the DiC series was inconsistent, showing some episodes as darker or brighter in color than others, and characters looking different from one episode to the next, and in some cases one segment (or even shot) to the next.

The Planeteers' rings are, like Captain Planet himself, susceptible to weakening when in the presence of toxic waste and pollution to the point that they can no longer use their powers or summon Captain Planet.

The five Planeteers are:

• Kwame (voiced by LeVar Burton): From Africa, Kwame possesses the power of Earth. He is 18 years old and has dark brown hair and dark brown eyes. He has a soft spot for plant life. Growing up in a tribe in his homeland, he is at one with the land and its purpose, and does what he can to preserve it. The de facto leader of the group, he is the voice of reason that keeps the Planeteers in check when the group begins to lose faith in a given situation.

• Wheeler (voiced by Joey Dedio): From North America (specifically Brooklyn, NY), Wheeler controls the power of Fire. He is 17 years old and has red hair and light blue eyes. Wheeler is shown to be the least knowledgeable about earth preservation trends though this improves as the show goes on (in a way representing the oblivious aspect people have of the harm that they can cause to nature). He is the street-smart comic relief for the group who, while having his heart in the right place, tends to get himself into tight spots when acting impulsively; fittingly, he is sometimes a "hothead". Throughout the series, he openly flirts with and tries to get closer to Linka, almost always having his advances shot down. His compassion and fighting spirit adds to the team's backbone.

• Linka (voiced by Kath Soucie): From the Soviet Union (now Russia) (Eastern Europe), Linka has the power of Wind. She is 16 years old and has blonde hair and blue eyes. Linka closely studies bird life and, due to this, is extremely emotional when pollution harms them. Wheeler often tries to flirt with her, and despite more often than not shooting down these advances, is shown every now and again in her own way she too possesses feelings for him. She is a master of strategy and logic, as well as a computer expert. She is a no-nonsense girl whose common sense has helped the group when in their most critical moments.

• Gi (voiced by Janice Kawaye): Hailing from China (Asia), Gi controls the power of Water. She is 16 years old and has black hair and light brown eyes. Gi is a self-proclaimed marine biologist and fights against the evils of saline incursion into island chains such as the Maldives. Her compassion for sea life contributes to the overall effort of the Planeteers' protection of animals, becoming extremely emotional when pollution affects them, especially dolphins. She also often works on the mechanical and forensic aspects for the team.

• Ma-Ti (voiced by Scott Menville): From the Amazon rainforests Brazil and raised by a Kayapo Indian shaman, Ma-Ti uses the power of Heart to instill caring, passion, and sympathy into the people of the world to care for the planet. He can also use this power to communicate with animals telepathically. He is 12 years old and has long black hair and dark brown eyes. Ma-Ti is the youngest and the most impressionable, but his youth and innocence also aid in the level of sympathy that keeps the group together. Ma-Ti also has a pet monkey named Suchi (voiced by Frank Welker).

Eco-Villains

File:Eco-Villains.JPG

The evil Eco-Villains united in Summit to Save Earth, Part 1. Clockwise from left: Dr. Blight, Verminous Skumm, Duke Nukem, Hoggish Greedly, Zarm, Looten Plunder, and Sly Sludge.

A small group of villains, referred to as the Eco-Villains, make appearances repeatedly in the TV series to cause danger to Earth by committing pollution, deforestation, and poaching. They enjoy the destruction they cause to Earth (and the harm they bring upon anyone) by any means to obtain wealth, land, or power. Due to conflict among them from their varying self-serving interests and backgrounds, they tend to work alone most of the time. Each of these villains represent a specific ecological disaster. These include:

• Hoggish Greedly (voiced by Edward Asner) – A pig-like human who represents the dangers of overconsumption and greed. In the episode "Smog Hog", it's revealed Hoggish has a son named Junior. In the episode "Hog Tide", it is revealed that he has a grandfather named Don Porkaloin. However, unlike Greedly, Porkaloin changed his ways and became environmentally friendly, as shown in the episode "The Ghost of Porkaloin Past".
  • Rigger (voiced by John Ratzenberger) – Hoggish Greedly's henchman. In the episode "The Ghost of Porkaloin Past", Rigger mentioned that he worked with Greedly because no one else would hire him. In the episode "Hog Tide", it is revealed that Rigger has a grandfather named Rex Rigger I who was an assistant to Don Porkaloin.
• Looten Plunder (voiced by James Coburn in 1990–1992, Ed Gilbert in 1993-1995) – A wealthy poacher and greedy, corrupt businessman similar to the then-current incarnation of Lex Luthor; Who represents the evils of uncontrolled capitalism and unethical business actions, his name is even a reference of the phrase "Loot and Plunder". Looten is also shown to have a nephew named Robin Plunder as seen in the episode "Going Bats, Man". Like his uncle, his name refers to "Rob and Plunder".
  • Argos Bleak (voiced by S. Scott Bullock) – Looten Plunder's main henchman, and leader of Plunder's private army. In the episode "The Predator", he appeared without Looten Plunder when it came to tricking the people of the Florida Keys that basking sharks are deadly. Barbara Pyle and Nick Boxer (Co-producers) have confirmed that Bleak is a product of mixed races, with his mother being Australian, father being South African and studying in boarding school in England, leading to development of his accent.
• Sly Sludge (voiced by Martin Sheen in 1990–1992, Jim Cummings in 1993-1995) – An unscrupulous waste disposer who represents ignorance and the dangers of short-term thinking.
  • BP (voiced by Terry Gene Bollea) – Sly Sludge's sidekick.
• Duke Nukem (voiced by Dean Stockwell in 1990-1992, Maurice LaMarche in 1993-1995) – A doctor who changed himself into a radioactive mutant similar in appearance to The Thing, with yellow rock-like skin who represents the misuse of nuclear power. He is the only Eco-Villain able to single handedly defeat Captain Planet. His ultimate goal is to change Earth's environment to where only mutants like him can survive. He is typically seen in beach-wear.
  • Leadsuit (voiced by Frank Welker) – Duke Nukem's cowardly accomplice, who is named after the radiation suit he constantly wears to protect himself from Nukem's radioactive aura. He works for Duke under the belief he will rule the world along side his boss when he brings about the nuclear age.
• Verminous Skumm (voiced by Jeff Goldblum in 1990, Maurice LaMarche in 1991-1995) – A rat creature who represents the dangers of poor sanitation and crime. As the series progresses his goals shift more to proving to Gaia that humans are a failure as a species.
  • The Rat Pack – A gang of rat/human thugs under the command of Skumm.
• Dr. Blight (voiced by Meg Ryan in 1990, Mary Kay Bergman in 1991-1995) – A mad scientist with a half-scarred face hidden behind her hair who represents the dangers of uncontrolled technology and unethical scientific experimentation. In the episode "Hog Tide", it is revealed that Dr. Blight had a grandmother named Betty Blight who assisted Don Porkaloin in his plot. In the episode "Hollywaste", it is revealed she has a sister named Bambi and, through Bambi, it's revealed to the viewers and the planeteers that Dr. Blight's first name is Babs.
  • MAL (voiced by David Rappaport in 1990, Tim Curry in 1991-1995) – Dr. Blight's evil high-intellectual supercomputer.
• Zarm (voiced by Sting in 1990-1992, David Warner in 1993, Malcolm McDowell in 1994-1995) – Zarm is a former spirit of the Earth who left Gaia in search of other worlds and ended up laying other populous planets to ruin lacking Gaia to balance out his methods of the natural law 'survival the fittest.' He represents war and destruction. Even though Zarm doesn't have any henchmen of his own, he would often manipulate other people to do his bidding. Zarm once united Hoggish Greedly, Looten Plunder, Sly Sludge, Duke Nukem, Verminous Skumm and Dr. Blight under his leadership in the two-part episode "Summit to Save Earth".
• Mame Slaughter (voiced by Theresa Saldana in the first appearance, Mitzi McCall in the third appearance) – Leader of the Slaughter family who made their debut in The New Adventures of Captain Planet. Mame and her family are a family of poachers who represent the evils of poaching and are often in direct monetary competition with Looten Plunder. She and the Slaughter Family once collaborated with Looten Plunder and Argos Bleak in the episode "Horns A'Plenty" when the Planeteers ruined each one's rhinoceros poaching.
  • Stalker Slaughter (voiced by Charlie Adler) – Mame's son and second-in-command.

Captain Pollution

A polluting counterpart to Captain Planet named "Captain Pollution" appears in the two-part episode "Mission to Save Earth" when Dr. Blight steals the Planeteers' rings, creates polluting duplicates of them, and distributes the duplicates to most of the other Eco-villains. Each Eco-villain received a specific ring:

• Duke Nukem has a Super Radiation Ring (counterpart of Fire).
• Looten Plunder has a Deforestation Ring (counterpart of Earth).
• Sly Sludge has a Smog Ring (counterpart of Wind). In the comic book version involving Captain Pollution, Sludge was replaced by Hoggish Greedly.
• Verminous Skumm has a Toxics Ring (counterpart of Water).
• Dr. Blight has a Hate Ring (counterpart of Heart).

Each of the evil rings have malevolent faces on them, in contrast to the more element-themed Planeteer rings. Captain Pollution is weakened when he is in contact with pure elements such as water or sunlight, while he gains power from contact with pollutants (and is later shown to gain power without limit when in contact with pollutants after his resurrection). When he is summoned he says "By your polluting powers combined, I am Captain Pollution! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!", and when he disappears, he declares "The polluting power is yours!"

In his first appearance, he is sent by the Eco-villains to destroy the Planeteers but gets chased off by Commander Clash, and after a fight with Captain Planet, he returns to the evil rings causing them to explode. In the two-part episode "A Mine is a Terrible Thing to Waste", Captain Pollution is brought back to life by toxics that seep into the earth.

Captain Pollution resembles Captain Planet, but his skin is pale yellow, and covered in brown lesions. His hair is red, and styled in a Widow's peak and he has red eyes. His costume is the same color and style as Planet's, but the chest is torn in the middle, with two halves of a cracked version of Planet's chest symbol on either side. His voice has a California Valley twang to it. Captain Pollution is defeated twice by Captain Planet; first in Mission to Save Earth by being rammed through earth, lava, air and water, and then again in A Mine is a Terrible Thing to Waste by being tricked into going into an underground magma chamber.

His role as an evil/imperfect duplicate mirrors that of Superman's imperfect duplicate; Bizarro; Albeit more malevolent and less of a harmleess dunce, and with normal intelligence and lack of confusion at his surroundings.

Like his good counterpart, Captain Pollution is voiced by David Coburn in both appearances.

In the comic book version, Captain Pollution was created by Zarm.

Episodes

Main article: List of Captain Planet episodes

"A Formula for Hate"

The episode titled "A Formula for Hate" (1992) was unique for the series in that it did not deal with environmental pollution or destruction. It was also the first episode in an American children's animated series to directly deal with the AIDS-HIV pandemic (and also the first to directly mention sex on a children's show). In the episode, Verminous Skumm brainwashes a local community into thinking the virus can be spread through casual contact, and thus causing people to hate and fear a young man, infected with HIV, named Todd (voiced by Neil Patrick Harris, with his mother voiced by Elizabeth Taylor).

"Mind Pollution"

Another episode titled "Mind Pollution" was also known as it also did not deal with the environment, instead it dealt with the issue of drugs, (which was considered by the characters as a pollution of the mind) the episode revolved around an epidemic of a designer drug known as "bliss" created by Scum, it was also known for being quite dark, as it allowed a scene of Linka's cousin bleeding from his arms, as well as actually dying from an overdose of the drug. The episode was also known for the music being louder than necessary, which made the audio of the characters hard to understand.

The New Adventures of Captain Planet

File:The New Adventures of Captain Planet title.jpg

The New Adventures of Captain Planet logo.

The original series was the second longest running cartoon of the 1990s, producing 113 episodes. It lasted for three seasons under the name Captain Planet and the Planeteers (produced by TBS Productions and DiC), before many of the voice actors quit or were replaced and much licensing occurred, changing the title to The New Adventures of Captain Planet (produced by Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, which was acquired by Turner in 1991).

This series had noticeable differences from the original, such as episodes revealing more of the past of each of the characters. This does not directly contradict the first, but expands on it dramatically. Gi tells the story of her pet dolphin, while Linka is revealed to have a mining family who used canaries to detect lethal gases in the mines, and her opening sequence generalizes her birthplace as Eastern Europe to avoid confusion in viewers born after the Soviet Union’s collapse in 1991 (which would place her canonical birthplace among one of the countries that gained their independence when the Soviet Union collapsed). Dr. Blight, with a new voice actor, is revealed to have a sister who is a famous movie actress.

Other changes were also noticeable, most significantly the animation style. While the character models from the DiC episodes were retained (and the original DiC opening sequence used) the new animation relied less on shading and was slightly more colorful. Many of the characters had refurbished outfits. The sound effects utilized when the Planeteers used their rings were changed and the echo in Captain Planet’s voice when he emerged was gone, as well was the DiC season's use of a specific synth rock soundtrack; these tracks were replaced by a large number of orchestral pieces, although the famous end credits theme was retained, now showcasing footage from the Hanna-Barbera episodes. A small number of cast changes occurred, affecting Gaia and most of the eco-villains; similarly, the opening narration was voiced by David Coburn (Captain Planet) rather than LeVar Burton (Kwame), and was eventually replaced by a rap by Fred Schneider of The B-52's.

Other media

Toys

As with many popular cartoons, Captain Planet had a toy line. Released by Tiger Toys in 1990, the line ran for several years, long enough to tie into the New Adventures series. The toys were repackaged and sold by Grand Toys in Canada and Kenner throughout Europe. The toys were of average poseability, with the common five points – neck, shoulders, and hips.

Finding a comprehensive list of what was released is difficult, since not all toys shown in the initial retailer catalog were even released. The collector's market is small, the toys being somewhat rare on eBay. The Captain Planet Foundation still sells a small number of them online, however. There may have also been further foreign variations of certain toys which may be even more difficult to catalog. Various toys from the New Adventures waves are not as likely to be well known.

All five Planeteers, five Eco-Villains, Commander Clash, and several versions of Captain Planet, each with a different gimmick or paint scheme, were released, along with several vehicles. A toy ring with lights and sound and interchangeable lenses for the five elements was also released. Four small vehicles were also sold through a Burger King promotion.

Comics

Marvel Comics published a short-run comic series to tie in to the show; however, the comics were a separate continuity. While not effectively part of the Marvel Universe, issue #4's cover was a parody of the cover to Fantastic Four issue #1.

Video games

Five different Captain Planet video games exist.

1. A video game based on the series was produced for the NES by Mindscape called Captain Planet. The game, which involved a good deal of shooting, received poor reviews from game critics and thus a Sega Mega Drive (Genesis) version of the game was canceled.
2. A separate side-scrolling game was developed by Novalogic for the Mega Drive/Genesis, but only saw release in Europe and Australia.
3. David Perry and Nick Bruty developed a ZX Spectrum and Amstrad CPC game using the license, a 3-level shoot 'em up.
4. A game was also released in 1990 for the Commodore Amiga and Atari ST, written by Tony Crowther. This was a platform game, and was briefly bundled with the Amiga 500 "Cartoon Classics" pack released in 1991.[1]
5. A Commodore 64 game, probably based on either of the 2 above, was in development but never released.
6. Tiger Toys, owners of the action figure license, also created an LCD hand-held game.
7. In the videogame Cartoon Network: Punch Time Explosion, Captain Planet appears as one of the unlockable characters in the Nintendo 3DS version.

Home video

Several VHS tapes were released, usually with a single episode each. A DVD with four episodes and bonus features exists but was only available as part of a "Planeteer Pack" purchased from the Captain Planet Foundation. The "Planeteer Pack" special is no longer available.

Shout! Factory released a DVD set of the complete 1st Season on April 19, 2011. The DVD packaging is made of 100% recycled paper.

Online

In February 2009, Mother Nature Network began airing episodes of Captain Planet and the Planeteers on its website. According to the site, twenty episodes, as well as unreleased footage, aired in February 2010.

Films

Michael Reaves

Writer Michael Reaves reimagined the Captain Planet concept in a script he wrote for a theatrical movie in 1997, entitled "Planet" or "Dark Planet". The script was darker than the series, and set in a post-apocalyptic time period. The script was met with acceptance, but "got lost in the shuffle when Turner and Warner Bros. merged." The movie reached the design stage before it was abandoned. The Mother Nature Network later released footage of these designs in a special video presentation to coincide with their streaming of Captain Planet episodes.

Cartoon Network

In late 2007, it was reported that Ted Turner was in talks regarding a Captain Planet movie. In early 2008 Warner Bros. denied that a movie was planned.

On July 19, 2011, it was announced that Cartoon Network and producers Don Murphy and Susan Montford are developing a live-action film based on the series.

Cast

Heroes

• David Coburn as Captain Planet
• Whoopi Goldberg as Gaia (1990–1993)
• Margot Kidder as Gaia (1993–1996)
• LeVar Burton as Kwame
• Joey Dedio as Wheeler
• Kath Soucie as Linka
• Janice Kawaye as Gi
• Scott Menville as Ma-Ti
• Frank Welker as Suchi
• Louis Gossett, Jr. as Commander Clash

Villains

• Charlie Adler as Stalker Slaughter
• Edward Asner as Hoggish Greedly
• Mary Kay Bergman as Dr. Blight (1991–1995)
• S. Scott Bullock as Argos Bleak
• Cam Clarke as Ooze
• David Coburn as Captain Pollution
• James Coburn as Looten Plunder (1990–1993)
• Jim Cummings as Sly Sludge (1993–1995)
• Tim Curry as MAL (1991–1995)
• Dick Gautier as Oakey Pinehead
• Ed Gilbert as Looten Plunder (1993–1995)
• Jeff Goldblum as Verminous Skumm (1990)
• Maurice LaMarche as Duke Nukum (1992–1995), and Verminous Skumm (1990–1995)
• Mitzi McCall as Mame Slaughter (2nd Time)
• Malcolm McDowell as Zarm (1994–1995)
• David Rappaport as MAL (1990)
• John Ratzenberger as Rigger
• Meg Ryan as Dr. Blight (1990)
• Theresa Saldana as Mame Slaughter
• Martin Sheen as Sly Sludge (1990–1993)
• Sting as Zarm (1990–1992)
• Dean Stockwell as Duke Nukem (1990–1992)
• David Warner as Zarm (1993)
• Frank Welker as Leadsuit, Dokey Pinehead, and Tank Flusher III

Music

The show's theme (maintained by both DIC and Hanna-Barbera’s versions) is considered one of the most memorable parts of the series due to its catchy main chorus and rock track ("Captain Planet, he’s our hero, gonna take pollution down to zero") and was written by show producer Nick Boxer. It is based on the hit New Kids on the Block song, Step by Step.

Parodies

• In The Fairly OddParents episode "The Good Ol' Days", Timmy Turner turns on the television and the TV show that is on is called "Captain Green and the Eco-teens".
• In the Robot Chicken episode "1987", Ted Turner (voiced by Seth Green) gets word that Pan-Global Oil keeps dumping sludge in the ocean. Ted decides that it's time for Captain Planet to take action. Ted Turner puts on a costume and blue makeup all over his body to assume the role of Captain Planet. He then runs everywhere repeatedly screaming "CAPTAIN PLANET!", beating up anyone in his path that does anything bad for the environment. At the end of the episode, he exhorts the audience to "protect the environment ... OR I'LL Fucking KILL YOU!"
• In an issue of Cyanide and Happiness, the Planeteers are parodied with the addition of a sixth Planeteer (Death). After Death kills Suchi, it is suggested that they should only have five Planeteers.[2]
• In Doug Walker's Nostalgia Critic web series, Ma-Ti is a recurring character portrayed by Bhargav Dronamraju. He mainly appears as comic relief and to be teased and pushed around by the other critics. In the 3rd anniversary special, Suburban Knights, Ma-Ti is killed using the power of "Heart" to stop the dark sorcerer, Malachite. He's given a hero's funeral, parodying the funeral for Spock in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.
• In several animations by the internet team/universe Greasy Moose, Captain Planet makes appearances. However, his appearances often portray him as depressed and physically out of shape, purportedly due to the environmental problems of the world, for example, he has a gut due to incorrect disposal of plastic waste.
• Don Cheadle played Captain Planet in a parody on the Funny Or Die website where after being summoned, he turns everything into trees including a dog and one of the planeteers.

External links

{{{inline}}}

• Captain Planet Foundation
• Captain Planet Foundation online store
• Official Turner Captain Planet site
• Captain Planet DVD Premier
• Captain Planet and the Planeteers at IMDb
• Template:Tv.com