As you all know, I am a ‘90s Nostalgia freak! Today I want to dig into a show that was not so well received by everyone back then, the Big Bad Beetleborgs.
Well, i may not rank it among my favourite TV shows, but again, it was amusing enough when I was a kid. It kept me glued for the entire two seasons!
When I watched it recently from an adult’s perspective, it was a goof! I guess it was just not meant for the adult audience. On the other hand, I would give the Beetleborgs Toys a 10/10. They kind of managed to win more kids and adults alike with the monophonic sounds and creative designs.
A brief review of the history of Big Bad Beetleborgs
The show lasted for two years, with two seasons:
Beetleborgs Season 1
The haunted house is the den of monsters like Universal monsters that want to eat kids. In the middle of a chase, the children hit an organ unintentionally, releasing a phasm called Flabber (Billy Forester).
He was polite and offered to grant the one wish in return for releasing him. The wanted to become The Big Bad Beetleborgs, who were the heroes in their comic book.
Though, in the process, they also brought Beetleborgs’ enemies to life, the Magnavores, and their leader, evil Vexor, who can summon monsters from the comic book to fight the Beetleborgs. Roland’s father and mother, including the grandmother Nano, run the comic book store.
Vexor created Shadowborg, which was its version of Beetleborg, for the six-part match. They had to make Josh Baldwin (Warren Berkow) a temporary Beetleborg (White Blaster Beetleborg) after Shadowborg was killed, and Josh lost his powers.
During the six-part plot, the Beetleborgs would meet the comics creators and Art Fortunes to create White Blaster Beetleborg and Mega Blue Beetleborg.
In the second last episode of Season 1, the Magnavores steals a picture from Art Fortunes’ office. It was a picture of a new villain named Nukus. They bring him to life to enable them to kill the Beetleborgs. Nukus supports them by preparing destructive town attacks and making Borgslayer, who was a combination of all the monsters from Mangalore.
Unknow to the Magnvores, Nukus attempted to get rid of them. Nukus informs Trip and Van, who fled Charterville at the time of the assault of Borgslayer and directs them to take the knowledge to the Beetleborgs. They manage to defeat Borgslayer so that the Magnavores are returned to the comic book world.
Synopsis of Beetleborg Season 2
The events lead to Beetleborgs Metallix in Season 2. In this season, Nukus discovers that his creator is Les fortunes (Art’s brother, who was imprisoned).
Nukus eventually bursts Les out of prison and uses some of Les’s drawings to convene its villains, the Crustaceans. Les now serves Nukus by creating new monsters. As the Crustaceans rise, Art creates new powers, armor, vehicles, and arms, which Flabber will then bring back to life for the children who have reappeared as Beetleborgs Metallix. That is where the name came from.
The war would later escalate between the Beetleborgs and the Crustaceans, after a time capsule containing the missing comic exhumed by Fortune brothers; a story that the brothers worked on when they were teens.
The story featured the Astral Sword that could summon and control the all-powerful Roboborg if the eight Astral coins were to be obtained.
Nukus names his evil team of Borgs called Matrons, while Astral Borgs join forces with the Beetleborgs. After several fights, the Beetleborgs eventually took possession of the Astral sword and all the eight coins and used it to summon Roboborg to show his powers after that by sending Mantrons back to the Lost Comic.
The Crustaceans finally built their giant Boron robot to battle Roboborg, while Nukus and Vilor acquired upgraded super forms. The Beetlborgs were modified by Roboborgs to respond to Nukus and Vilor’s new Mega forms, which fused their Metallix powers with the original powers that created the Super Sectra Beetleborgs.
Vilor’s Mega form didn’t last long, and he quickly returned without explanation to his original look. However, mega, Nukus maintained his upgraded look.
The series ended with the Beetleborgs winning and enemy ally, Boron, who stripped Nukus from his incredible weapon in the war against Repgillian. Les Fortune decides to return to Chartenville Jail, depriving Nukus of his opportunity to create new monsters from drawings. With no exact way to return Crustaceans into the comic world, the Beetlborgs stayed with what was left of their enemies.
Beetleborgs Cast and characters
The Beetleborgs
Andrew “Drew” McCormick
He was Beetleborg’s Blue Stinger and later the Chromium Gold Beetleborgs in Season 2, where he was the leader of the Beetlebogs.
Flabber gave him the telekinesis powers, which he enabled by pointing to an object and nodding his head. After the energy axis used by Shadowborg in his original suit, Drew got an upgrade to Mega Blue Beetleborg.
When Roboborg arrived, Drew was upgraded to Mega Spectra Chromium Gold Beetleborg, after Nukus and Vilor went Mega. His armor was based on a Japanese rhinoceros beetle.
Harbie Baez ( Roland Williams)
His family owns the local comic book store called Zoom Comic, where Jo, Drew, and Herbie loved to hang out. Flabber game him the ability to move very fast (SuperSpeed), which he activated with his fingers.
When Roboborg came, Roland was upgraded to the Mega Spectra Titanium Silver Beetleborg, when Nukus and Vilor had gone Mega themselves.
Shannon Chandler/Brittany Konarzeski (Josephine McCormick)
Josephine McCormick was presented by Shannon Chandler in Episodes 1 to 39 and later by Brittany from episodes 39 to 88.
The Red Stricker Beetleborg In Season 2, and she later became the Platinum Purple Beetleborg in the second season. She was Drew’s little sister. She was given the ability of super strength by Flabber. She activated the powers by cracking her knuckles. She got an upgraded to Mega Spectra Platinum Purple Beetleborg when Nukus and Vilor went Mega.
Her armor was based on a Japanese rhino beetle, and her Platinum armor was based on a ladybug. She is also seen wearing a black baseball cap backward.
A rare Beetleborg’s casting shift occurred, and, rather than an official exit, the character Jo was removed from the cast when Shannon Chandler left the series. Halfway through the first season, Wolfgang unintentionally cast a spell that changed Jo’s appearance.
Britanny Konarzewski took over the role of Chandler as the original o with a new look and voice. To counter this, Flabber used his magic to make her look and sound as she always had, but that did not work for those who saw the spell being cast. Those who watched Flabber, Drew, Ronald, and Jo still saw Jo in the new appearance. The Hillhurst monster and the friends even saw the new look jo to be the same as before.
The spell was supposed to wear off eventually, but this didn’t happen during the show.
Warren Berkow as Josh Baldwin
The white Blaster Beetleborg was given the ability to be invisible, which was triggered by him dusting his paws. For a concise period, he was on the squad. The White Blaster Beetleborg was created following the stolen power of Shadowborg, who was Beetleborgs evil clone.
He managed to get their forces back. But soon, it was found that the white Blaster and Shadowborge were linked like the Yin Yang twins. This is because the white Blaster Power was created because of Shadowborg; if one were destroyed, the other would forever lose power. It could be presumed that this didn’t bother him, since he felt he couldn’t handle a superhero life.
For Heather, Josh and Drew were rivals. In his last fight with Shadowborgs, he transformed the previous time. Drew defeated Shadowborg, and Josh lost his strength at that time, returning to his everyday life. Josh proposed to Art Fortunes that the white blaster Beetlborgs should be used in his later comics together with the Super Blue Beetlborg. He said he would be there if other people would need him. But that was the last we saw of him. There was an implication that he was killed. His armor was based on the beetle of Hercules.
Final Thoughts
Drew was my favourite character since he had the best ability, telekinesis, and I just loved the blue on him. I remember Flabber looked more of a clown than a ghost.
One exciting thing about the show was the fact that the scenes were made as if they were from a comic book. Another thing, the cast change that occurred in season 39, was not good, in my opinion. It was really odd to see a new Jo, leave alone getting used to her.
Did you watch this rare show? What do you remember?
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