"Here he comes, that Mighty Mouse,
Coming to vanquish the foe with a mighty blow..."

This wasn’t exactly your parent’s Mighty Mouse. This was a rodent reinvented by master animator Ralph Bakshi, and fans of his earlier work such as the adult-oriented American Pop and Fritz the Cat knew to expect something a little edgier with Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures, which first aired in 1987.

Bakshi actually got his start at Terrytoons in the 60s, working on episodes of Mighty Mouse Playhouse, so he already had an established working relationship with the fearless rodent that went back decades. And when offered the opportunity to re-mold the mouse for Saturday Mornings as he saw fit, he proceeded to take quite a few liberties. He reinvented the classic character, injecting satire and subtle jabs and slyly mocking at the entertainment industry at every turn.  

Some of the changes included a new alter-ego named Mike the Mouse, a factory worker employed by none other than that familiar old flame, Pearl Pureheart. Also added was a new sidekick for Mighty, a wisecracking orphaned mouse named Scrappy who acted as confidante and provided comic relief. Mighty also had a couple of new superfriends – Bruce Vein, also known as Bat Bat and his sidekick Tick, the Bug Wonder, both fellow members of the “League of Super Rodents”. An obvious parody of the Batman character, this time around, Bat Bat didn’t just have an affinity for the winged rodents, he actually was one.

While kids and adults alike both initially took a liking to  Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures, many of the insider jokes and satire was lost on the younger viewers. Eventually sponsors realized that they were wasting their time advertising to the younger demographic and the show was cancelled after two seasons. But there are many an adult who still prefer the edgier Mighty Mouse of the 80s over the do-gooder from yesteryear.