Sure, you could look to pizza-eating ninja turtles when you needed a good dose of mutant entertainment in the 90s, but if you wanted something a little meaner, a mutant with a mouth full of razor sharp teeth for example, you turned to the Street Sharks. Debuting in 1994, Street Sharks weren’t just cool - these muscle-laden, finned fighting machines were jawsome!

Based on a line of action figures created by Mattel Toys in 1994, Street Sharks were inadvertently created in the laboratories of gene-manipulation expert, and resident mad scientist, Dr. Paradigm. While testing his techniques on a lobster and a marlin, the evil scientist was discovered by a colleague named Dr. Bolton, who soon found himself transformed into a hideous monster. When he escaped, Paradigm turned his attention to Bolton’s four teenage sons - John, Bobby, Clint and Coop – kidnapping them and turning them into shark creatures (Ripster, Jab, Big Slammu and Streex, respectively.) With their new ferocious appearance, the four teens decided to use their new personas for good, fighting crime and keeping the streets safe from the latest Piradigm monstrosities unleashed on the city – including Killamari, Slobster, Shrimp Louie and other sinister surf and turf offerings.

Street Sharks first appeared on television as part of a three-part miniseries in 1994, which led to their own series the following year, as part of the syndicated Amazin’ Adventures II. Unfortunately, only 26 episodes were ever produced, which only managed to take a mere nibble out of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle competition.