BraveStarr was an American multimedia Space Western franchise from the mid-to-late 1980s. It was created by animation studio Filmation in partnership with toy makers Mattel, both of which based in California. The franchise blends the Old West genre with science fiction, the superhero genre and steampunk.
BraveStarr is set on a frontier desert planet called New Texas in the year 2349, during a 'kerium rush' which is luring prospectors and outlaws alike. The protagonist is the namesake Marshal BraveStarr, a law officer of Native American descent with mystical superpowers.
The franchise comprises a Mattel toy line, play sets and numerous merchandise; a 3-D comic book; a video game; and an animated television series by Filmation along with an animated feature film which acts as a prequel to the series.
Franchise overview[]
The franchise was first conceived by the creation department of the celebrated animation production company Filmation in 1984.[1] Filmation was also notable for producing dozens of popular cartoons, among the notable were Filmation's Ghostbusters (where the character of Tex Hex originated), He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, ThunderCats, Blackstar, Star Trek: The Animated Series, and various superhero cartoons such as Batman, Superman, Tarzan and Shazam.
Tex Hex had been created for Filmation's Ghostbusters, but when Executive Producer Lou Scheimer saw the character he asked that it be taken from the line-up of that series, and a new series be made up using him instead. The creation of BraveStarr was accredited to Arthur Nadel, Filmation's Vice President for Creative Affairs, and art director John Grusd, but mainly staff writer Bob Forward who fleshed out the writer's guide. Bob Forward also wrote a number of the scripts for the later subsequent television series, and also the film script for BraveStarr: The Movie with writer Steve Hayes.
In collaboration with Mattel, a BraveStarr toy line was released in 1986 featuring action figures and play sets. Filmation offered the franchise to Mattel as a possible toy line, instead of the other way around as it was with He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.[2] A large number of tie-in merchandise was subsequently released - around $15 million worth[3] - from bed sheets to lunch boxes, a 3D comic book, and a BraveStarr video game for multiple consoles in January 1988. The total worth of this franchise was estiamted at around $65 million.[4]
Finally, the animated television series was produced, composed of 65, 30-minute-long episodes. It was broadcast in syndication from September 14th 1987 - February 24th 1988. A month later, a prequel animated feature film, BraveStarr: The Movie, was released in cinemas, although it was a commercial failure. However both the television series and film were well received by critics and audiences.
A second television series and a spin-off series were in the works, but these were cancelled when Filmation was sold off and closed down by its parent company soon after BraveStarr: The Movie was released. A second toy line by Mattel was also cancelled, since the first toy line had only enjoyed moderate sales, underperforming in their initial estimations. Since the second television series had been cancelled, a second toy line was unlikely to also be a large seller.
Links[]
You could be looking for:
- Marshal BraveStarr, the eponymous protagonist of the franchise
- BraveStarr (merchandise) - this article includes the 1986 action figure line, play sets, Ladybird Books and other products associated with the franchise
- BraveStarr in 3-D - a comic book released by Blackthorne Publishing in January 1987
- BraveStarr (video game) - the video game which was released in January 1988
- BraveStarr (television series) - the 65 episode animated series which ran from September 14th 1987 - February 24th 1988
- BraveStarr: The Movie - the movie which was released soon after the television series
- Bravo! - a BraveStarr spin-off also called Quest of the Prairie People was in production by Filmation when the company collapsed. The pilot episode can be found online.
- DVD's - this article covers the various home media releases