figure: Toxic Crusaders: Headbanger

In the early 1990s, Troma Entertainment produced “The Toxic Crusaders,” a syndicated series of cartoons for Saturday-morning television programing. The show was based on the 1984 cult classic, “The Toxic Avenger.” In the cartoon series, a group of mutants fights against the pollution-loving alien Dr. Killemoff in the fictional city of Tromaville. Many of Troma’s movies centered on radiation, science gone wrong, and a conspiracy of elites whose goal it was to drain economic and spiritual capital. The availability of Toxic Crusader merchandise enabled children to create an allegiance to the characters, story, and messages.