Environmentalism is an important concept because so many different people have tried to cram the message down our throats. Teachers, politicians, activists, movies, and of course, television. The arguably the most famous show about environmentalism was Captain Planet and the Planeteers. Airing in 1990 to 1996, the show was a superhero cartoon about… you know I’m just going to let you watch the opening theme of the show; it sums up what the concept of the series the best.
So the spirit of the Earth brings to her secret base five overbearing and overemotional humans… oh, wait that was Zordon from Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers. So Gaia enlists the help of five teenagers from five different continents, gives them magical rings that control the classical elements, some surprisingly high-tech gear and sends them off to fight pollution. When things went pear shaped, which they always did, the Planeteers would shout out the element they controlled and summon Captain Planet to save the day. Then at the end of every episode the Planeteers would do a PSA and finish the show with the Captain Planet's phrase, "The power is yours!" Now the show not only covered issues dealing with the environment, but also gangs, drugs, HIV, and peer pressure. So every episode tried to hammer a message into its viewers, and I was one of those.
Now let's talk about our heroes. Gaia was the motherly teacher of the Planeteers who was voiced by Whoopi Goldberg during the first few seasons, then later Margot Kidder. According to the show's lore, Gaia took a nap for a couple of centuries, and humans took that time to pollute the earth. Despite being M.I.A. for several hundred years, Gaia somehow poses advanced, environmentally friendly technology. The only answer I have is why the goddess of the Earth has such tech is magic. Overall Gaia doesn't have much of a personality. She gave advice to the Planeteers and told them when a problem occurred. In fact, she is like Zordon from the Power Ranger series in that way.
Then there is Captain Planet, he has a ridiculous superhero costume I've ever seen and has so many superpowers to make Superman jealous. When summoned, the Planeteers give up their ring powers in order to create the ultimate champion of Earth. Captain Planet's only weakness is coming into contact to pollution. Yeah, his weakness is the very thing he's fighting against, that doesn't make sense at all. The only reason I can think of why the writers gave Captain Planet this weakness is so the planeteers can still be useful without their powers. The thing I liked most about Captain Planet is that he was funny and made so many puns when fighting bad guys.
The Planeteers themselves don't really have much personality. From Ghana, Africa, Kwame is the leader of the Planeteers and the team's green thumb. Kwame has the power of earth, (dirt, rocks, plants), and begins the summoning of Captain Planet by saying, "Let our powers combine!" Gi, from Thailand, has the power to control water and the team's mechanic, pilot, and marine biologist. Then there's Linka, from the Soviet Union/Eastern Europe and controls the element of wind. The show never says what Linka's nationality is, so the fans assume that she is Russian. Linka's personality is that she's a computer expert, a bird lover, and she's constantly putting Wheeler in his place. The fourth member of the team is Ma-Ti who is a native of the Amazon jungle. Ma-Ti is the wide-eyed innocent of the team and its emotional center. Ma-Ti has a pet monkey and the power of Heart. Okay, so Heart sounds like a lousy power, but it does Ma-Ti telepathy and the ability to feel other living beings' suffering. So yeah, it's still not a great power.
Finally, there's Wheeler from Brooklyn, New York. Wheeler is what I think most of the world assume Americans to be, jerks who really don't know much about the rest of the world. Wheeler is the team's street smart hothead, so he, of course, has the power of fire. While Wheeler does act like a jerk, I do think he has the most personality. Wheeler has an alcoholic and verbally abusive father, causing Wheeler to spend his childhood in the streets of New York. While being a bit lazy, brash, loud, and quick-tempered; Wheeler is also brave, humorous and playful. Wheeler also hits on Linka every chance he gets, and Linka generally turns him down though occasionally she would return his affections.
All the Planeteers villains are one-note mustache-twirling baddies who are evil for the sake of being evil. We have business owners Hoggish Greedly and Looten Plunder; (insert any Trump joke of your choosing), mad scientist Dr. Blight, evil garbage collector Sly Sludge, mutants Duke Nukem and Verminous Skumm, and spirit of destruction, Zarm. These guys were all about making money and hurting the environment, even when it didn't make any sense to.
While I do have fond memories of the show as a kid, I have to say I find it now too preachy for my taste. While all shows have an eco-friendly episode or two, this show shoves environmentalism down your throat. That said, I do think it did a good job of teaching kids to be respectful toward the environment. I still enjoy Captain Planet's puns, but overall I say this show belongs in the 90's. If you are interested in seeing how the series holds up for yourselves, you can find episodes on YouTube, or buy the first season on DVD.
I'm Colin, and these are the ramblings of a guy in his twenties. Remember, the power is yours!
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