The Kids WB was a major programming block for the Saturday Morning Cartoon wars, first beginning on the now defunct “The WB” in 1995 but ending its television run in 2008. Throughout its history, the platform would house original series such as Superman: The Animated Series, Animaniacs, Batman Beyond, Static Shock, and many more. On the anime front, the Warner Bros block housed the likes of Yu-Gi-Oh, Cardcaptor Sakura, Pokemon, and others. In a wild new reveal, it seems as though a major player in the DC Animation game was looking to have a big comic book character team up with a Kids WB original.
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Approached by a fan of both Harley Quinn and Freakazoid online, Paul Dini dropped a bombshell that he had been thinking of seeing these two characters meet. While nothing ever came of this idea, Dini did state that he mulled over the crossover and even had a pitch for Harley meeting another Warner Bros fan-favorite, “Back then, crossing the streams between the Warner Bros/DC and Warner/Amblin universes was pretty much out. Also, Harley wasn’t that well-known back then. Hence, my “Harley & The Brain” pitch was also a no-go.” For those comic book readers who aren’t familiar with Freakazoid, it’s a name you should familiarize yourselves with.
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The Abject Genius of Freakazoid
For those who are unfamiliar with the blue-skinned superhero born from the internet, Freakazoid’s titular series ran for two seasons from 1995 to 1997. Rather than focusing on a darker world like Batman, Freakazoid’s life was one where parody ran rampant and he was more than happy to bounce around giggling during his fights with villains like The Lobe. The start of the series saw nerdy high schooler Dexter Douglas mistakenly pressing a series of keys that dragged him into the internet, granting him superpowers and giving him one of the catchiest theme songs of all time. The original animated series had some big-time voice actors make appearances such as Ed Asner, Tim Curry, Mark Hamill, and Ricardo Montalban.
Unfortunately, the series was unable to dodge the axe as low ratings meant that Freakazoid wasn’t long for this world on the Kids WB. Much like Family Guy, however, the internet-based superhero was given new life thanks to Cartoon Network, where the series would air for years longer than its run on the WB. Freakazoid is a series that still holds up to this day as it blends comedy and action in ways that are still gut-busting in the present.
Freakazoid’s Unexpected Comeback
While series like Animaniacs were given new leases on life, the same couldn’t be said for Freakazoid’s show. Despite this fact, Teen Titans Go did what many believed was impossible and aired a crossover episode with Freakazoid in 2020. Hilariously titled “Huggbees”, the team-up saw Freakazoid’s original voice actor Paul Rugg return to the role as all the superheroes looked to take down the Lobe. Ever since this crossover, Freakazoid has yet to return to the public eye.
Ironically, Freakazoid did run into some unexpected controversy during its original run as creator Mike Allred believed that the superhero was based on his original character, Madman. In a big twist, Allred revealed in the year 2003 that creator Bruce Timm did in fact base the character on Madman, with the Madman creator flattered but at first, quite stunned at the “homage.” While Mike Allred was put-off initially, he would come to accept it, stating that his superhero was one that pulled from plenty of influences himself.
As of the writing of this article, there has been no confirmation that we’ll ever see Freakazoid make a comeback, which is a shame considering just how good those initial seasons were. If you’ve never had the opportunity to check out the Freakazoid series, it is currently available to stream on Amazon Prime Video if you are a subscriber. With this crossover coming to light and Harley’s popularity remaining a part of the entertainment zeitgeist, maybe we’ll one day see the Joker’s ex-girlfriend team up with the defunct hero.
Want to stay afloat on the secrets of the Kids WB? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook.com for the latest updates and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime.
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