Stone Protectors
Encyclopedia
Stone Protectors was a multi-media entertainment property consisting primarily of an action figure
line and animated series. The series also had a video game on the Super Nintendo. It served as a late attempt to market the troll doll
craze of the early 1990s to young boys. While not particularly successful, nor inspired by a prior medium, Stone Protectors generally followed in the same vein as contemporaries like Toxic Crusaders
, Swamp Thing
, and the highly popular Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
.
After being thrown out the back door of a New York
club, an awful rock band known as the Rock Detectors found the five magical stones which gave them troll-like appearances and special skills (not the least of which is playing good music). This put them at odds with the music-hating Zok and his henchman Zink, collectively known as The Predators.
.
It's notable that while the advertisements for the action figures attempted to tie the Stone Protectors into the troll doll fad, the cartoon seemed eager to avoid the comparison. For instance, it replaced the line "trolls on a roll" from the theme song in the commercials with "Don't you know?"
module would ignite inside its chest, creating a quick yet bright flash seen through the translucent chest emblem. A second series of sports-themed figures was also released.
Unfortunately, the toyline as well as the cartoon that followed it were seen as poor imitations of the popular Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
line of toys and cartoon series and overlooked by many.
game based on the property was released in November 1994 by Kemco
. A Sega Mega Drive/Genesis version was developed and completed, but not released. This version, intended to be published by Vic Tokai
, was made when ESRB was in place and had a T rating. It featured alternate case and cartridge artwork than the SNES version. The fully finished Mega Drive/Genesis prototype was finally leaked to the public domain in 2010.
Stone Protectors features 10 levels in which the heroes - Clifford, Cornelius, Chester, Maxwell, and Angus - battle The Predators throughout their mission to retrieve Zok's crystal and bring them all back to the kingdom. Weapons can also be acquired but only used by certain characters. Depending on the difficulty setting, the game's ending scene also features different music in which the Stone Protectors are seen performing as a band.
The game has received moderately positive critiques in terms of crisp graphics, pleasant music, and accurate collision detection. On the other hand, Stone Protectors plot and the repetitive nature of beat 'em up
titles has led to criticisms of blandness. In December 1994, GamePro
gave Stone Protectors a 3.5 out of 5 rating.
. In late 1993, Harvey Comics
debuted Stone Protectors "Premiere Issue" (effectively an issue #0), followed by issues #1-3.
Action figure
An action figure is a posable character figurine, made of plastic or other materials, and often based upon characters from a film, comic book, video game, or television program. These action figures are usually marketed towards boys and male collectors...
line and animated series. The series also had a video game on the Super Nintendo. It served as a late attempt to market the troll doll
Troll doll
Troll dolls, originally known as Leprechauns and also known as Dam dolls, Gonks, Wishniks, Treasure Trolls, and Norfins, became one of America's biggest toy fads from the autumn of 1963 through 1965...
craze of the early 1990s to young boys. While not particularly successful, nor inspired by a prior medium, Stone Protectors generally followed in the same vein as contemporaries like Toxic Crusaders
Toxic Crusaders
Toxic Crusaders is an animated series based on The Toxic Avenger films. It features Toxie, the lead character of the films leading a trio of misfit superheroes who combat pollution. This followed a trend of environmentally considerate cartoons of the time, including Captain Planet and the...
, Swamp Thing
Swamp Thing (1991 TV series)
Swamp Thing was an American animated television series based on the DC Comics character Swamp Thing. The series was short-lived, with the pilot episode airing on October 31, 1990 followed by four additional episodes airing weekly from April 20 to May 11, 1991...
, and the highly popular Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are a fictional team of four teenage anthropomorphic turtles, who were trained by their anthropomorphic rat sensei in the art of ninjutsu and named after four Renaissance artists...
.
Back-story
A kingdom built of crystals came under attack by the Saurians whose leader, Zok, desired the powerful crystals protected by the Queen. Zok broke into the castle and reached for the crystals only to see them explode into pieces and fly to Earth.After being thrown out the back door of a New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
club, an awful rock band known as the Rock Detectors found the five magical stones which gave them troll-like appearances and special skills (not the least of which is playing good music). This put them at odds with the music-hating Zok and his henchman Zink, collectively known as The Predators.
- Clifford holds the blue stone and became a "rock climber." He is the band's drummerDrummerA drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
. - Cornelius, the group's leader, holds the green stone and became a samuraiSamuraiis the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
with an assortment of appropriate weaponry (katanaKatanaA Japanese sword, or , is one of the traditional bladed weapons of Japan. There are several types of Japanese swords, according to size, field of application and method of manufacture.-Description:...
, shurikenShurikenA shuriken is a traditional Japanese concealed weapon that was generally used for throwing, and sometimes stabbing or slashing...
, and a pair of nunchakuNunchakuis a traditional Okinawan weapon consisting of two sticks connected at their ends with a short chain or rope.-Etymology:The Japanese word nunchaku is the Kun'yomi reading of the Kanji term for a traditional Chinese two section staff....
made of microphones). He's the band's lead singer, but also plays guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
. - Chester holds the orange stone and became an expert at wrestlingProfessional wrestlingProfessional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
and received great strength. He plays bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
and saxophoneSaxophoneThe saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
. - Angus holds the yellow stone and became a "soldier" and an expert at turning mundane objects into weapons. He plays keyboardMusical keyboardA musical keyboard is the set of adjacent depressible levers or keys on a musical instrument, particularly the piano. Keyboards typically contain keys for playing the twelve notes of the Western musical scale, with a combination of larger, longer keys and smaller, shorter keys that repeats at the...
. Angus ostensibly built up the Protectors' bizarre attack vehicles from things like barbecues and lawnmowers. - Maxwell holds the red stone and became an "accelerator" with in-line skates. He plays guitar.
Animated series
A short-lived cartoon series based on the characters debuted in 1993. In it, Princess Opal of Mythrandir splits the legendary Great Crystal into six pieces to keep it out of Zok's hands. Zok manages to capture one piece, but the other five bond with the future Stone Protectors, spiriting them away to Mythrandir to help Opal upset Zok's schemes and spread a sentiment of peace and freedom with their music. The series lasted one season; 8 out of 13 episodes were released on VHS in 1994 by Family Home EntertainmentFamily Home Entertainment
Family Home Entertainment was an American home video company founded in 1980 by Noel C. Bloom. It was a division of International Video Entertainment, which had its headquarters in Newbury Park, California.-General information:...
.
It's notable that while the advertisements for the action figures attempted to tie the Stone Protectors into the troll doll fad, the cartoon seemed eager to avoid the comparison. For instance, it replaced the line "trolls on a roll" from the theme song in the commercials with "Don't you know?"
Action figures
The Stone Protectors action figures were produced by the Ace Novelty Toy Company. All of the figures were roughly 5" tall and featured cut joints at the neck, shoulders, and elbows as well as ball joints at the hips. Their heads were a soft, rubbery material with tall, synthetic hair sticking straight out the top. In rotating the right arm of a Stone Protectors figure, a flintFlint
Flint is a hard, sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as a variety of chert. It occurs chiefly as nodules and masses in sedimentary rocks, such as chalks and limestones. Inside the nodule, flint is usually dark grey, black, green, white, or brown in colour, and...
module would ignite inside its chest, creating a quick yet bright flash seen through the translucent chest emblem. A second series of sports-themed figures was also released.
Unfortunately, the toyline as well as the cartoon that followed it were seen as poor imitations of the popular Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are a fictional team of four teenage anthropomorphic turtles, who were trained by their anthropomorphic rat sensei in the art of ninjutsu and named after four Renaissance artists...
line of toys and cartoon series and overlooked by many.
| Series 1 | Series 2: Sports Heroes/Villains | Vehicles |
|---|---|---|
| Angus the Soldier | Angus the Prince of Punch | Anti-Aircraft Barbeque |
| Chester the Wrestler | Chester the Gridiron Giant | Hang Glider Bomber |
| Clifford the Rock Climber | Clifford the Jumpin' Jammer | Mortar Launching Golf Cart |
| Cornelius the Samurai | Cornelius the Grandslam Guru | Mow 'N' Surf Attack Scooter |
| Maxwell the Accelerator | Maxwell the Slapshot | |
| Zok the Evil Leader | Suckerpuncher | |
| Zink the Horrible Hatchetman | Tackle Jackal |
Video game
A Super NintendoSuper Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
game based on the property was released in November 1994 by Kemco
KEMCO
, sometimes referred to as Kotobuki System Co., Ltd., is a Japanese video game developer and publisher established in 1984 as a subsidiary of Kotobuki Engineering & Manufacturing Co., Ltd, located in: Seika, Japan....
. A Sega Mega Drive/Genesis version was developed and completed, but not released. This version, intended to be published by Vic Tokai
Vic Tokai
is a telecommunications company in Japan providing cable and DSL services as well as network solutions. The "Vic" in Vic Tokai's name stands for Valuable Information & Communication while the "Tokai" is simply the name of its parent company TOKAI, a Japanese natural gas utility founded in 1950...
, was made when ESRB was in place and had a T rating. It featured alternate case and cartridge artwork than the SNES version. The fully finished Mega Drive/Genesis prototype was finally leaked to the public domain in 2010.
Stone Protectors features 10 levels in which the heroes - Clifford, Cornelius, Chester, Maxwell, and Angus - battle The Predators throughout their mission to retrieve Zok's crystal and bring them all back to the kingdom. Weapons can also be acquired but only used by certain characters. Depending on the difficulty setting, the game's ending scene also features different music in which the Stone Protectors are seen performing as a band.
The game has received moderately positive critiques in terms of crisp graphics, pleasant music, and accurate collision detection. On the other hand, Stone Protectors plot and the repetitive nature of beat 'em up
Beat 'em up
Beat 'em up is a video game genre featuring melee combat between the protagonist and a large number of underpowered antagonists. These games typically take place in urban settings and feature crime-fighting and revenge-based plots, though some games may employ historical or fantasy themes...
titles has led to criticisms of blandness. In December 1994, GamePro
GamePro
GamePro Media was a United States gaming media company publishing online and print content on the video game industry, video game hardware, and video game software developed for a video game console , a computer, and/or a mobile device . GamePro Media properties include GamePro magazine and...
gave Stone Protectors a 3.5 out of 5 rating.
Other merchandise
Pressman Toy Corp. released a Stone Protectors board gameBoard game
A board game is a game which involves counters or pieces being moved on a pre-marked surface or "board", according to a set of rules. Games may be based on pure strategy, chance or a mixture of the two, and usually have a goal which a player aims to achieve...
. In late 1993, Harvey Comics
Harvey Comics
Harvey Comics was an American comic book publisher, founded in New York City by Alfred Harvey in 1941, after buying out the small publisher Brookwood Publications. His brothers Robert B...
debuted Stone Protectors "Premiere Issue" (effectively an issue #0), followed by issues #1-3.
External links
- Stone Protectors (action figures) at Virtual Toy Chest
- Stone Protectors (animated series) at Blast from the Past
- Stone Protectors (video game) at EurocomEurocomEurocom is a British video game developer founded specifically to develop games for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Since then Eurocom has expanded to several other platforms including handheld game systems and most major video game consoles.The company was once famous for its arcade to console...
- Stone Protectors theme song at YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....