Street Sharks is an American animated television series about crime-fighting half-man/half-sharks similar to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It was produced by DIC Entertainment from 1994 to 1995. Later in 1996 the Street Sharks teamed up with the Dino Vengers (an early and vastly different-in-origin incarnation of the Extreme Dinosaurs) and the show became Street Sharks and the Dino Vengers. Like a number of children's cartoons, it was created to promote an existing Mattel toy line of the same name[1], created by toy maven David Siegel and writer/creative director, Joe Galliani of Mr. Joe's Really Big Productions[2].
In the first episode, a university professor named Dr. Paradigm tested his gene-manipulation techniques on a marlin and a lobster. Dr. Bolton, a fellow professor, attempted to destroy Paradigm's research, and was transformed into an inhuman monstrosity by the evil scientist before escaping. Paradigm later kidnapped Bolton's four sons — John, Bobby, Coop, and Clint — to transform them into sharks. As soon as they transformed, the four brothers ate a hotdog stand, and fled from the police by diving into a lake and burrowing their way into the city by eating the dirt. The brothers planned to capture Paradigm so that they could force him to return them to their human selves and expose Paradigm's genetic experiments.
In subsequent episodes, Paradigm began to convince the residents of Fission City that the Street Sharks (as they became known) were vicious, deadly killers who were mutated by their father, Dr. Bolton. The brothers teamed up every episode to stop Paradigm and his deadly Seaviates from transforming the citizens of Fission City into mutants with no free will.
One of the characters' favorite catchphrases was "Jawsome", and their favorite food consists of hamburgers and french fries (although they're capable of eating just about anything - even if it's not food). The brothers have also expressed an obvious and very vocal dislike for pizza, an indirect acknowledgement toward the Ninja Turtles, whose image is well-known for being built around pizza.
