4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Throwback to when Wayne Gretzky, Michael Jordan, and Bo Jackson became animated crime-fighters in 90s cult cartoon ProStars
In 1991, NBC's 'ProStars' reimagined sports icons Wayne Gretzky, Michael Jordan, and Bo Jackson as animated superheroes fighting crime (Image via YouTube)
Before the Marvel Universe or the superhero craze took over pop culture, three real-life legends—Wayne Gretzky, Michael Jordan, and Bo Jackson—tried their hand at saving the world in a truly unique way.
In 1991, NBC aired a bold Saturday morning cartoon series called ProStars, which turned these athletic giants into animated superheroes on a mission to help kids and fight crime. While the show only lasted a single season, it remains a memorable experiment in blending sports fame with cartoon heroism.
The surprising crossover of sports and Saturday morning cartoons
At the time, Gretzky was the NHL's biggest name, Jordan was dominating the NBA, and Jackson was a rare multi-sport icon.
Capitalizing on their mainstream popularity, ProStars imagined the trio operating out of "Wayneom's Gym," a quirky base led by a character called Mom. From there, they launched into over-the-top missions using sports-themed gadgets—like Gretzky's boomerang hockey pucks, Jordan's basketball gear, and Bo's all-around athletic might.
While the premise was ambitious, the execution didn't quite deliver. Though each episode opened with live-action clips of the athletes answering fan mail and offering moral lessons, none of the stars voiced their animated counterparts.
This disconnect, coupled with flat animation and overly simplistic writing, kept the show from truly taking off.
More than a cartoon—it was a 90s time capsule
Despite its shortcomings, ProStars still holds nostalgic value. Its theme song proudly proclaimed, 'ProStars, it's all about helping kids!'—a reflection of the show's attempt to mix entertainment with education. Even with exaggerated portrayals and awkward humor, the series showcased how massive these athletes' influence was in the early '90s.
Critics may have panned the show for its outdated stereotypes and lack of real athlete involvement, but fans remember it for the novelty and audacity of the concept. In a world where athletes rarely stepped beyond their sport, ProStars dared to reimagine them as larger-than-life heroes fighting for good.
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In hindsight, the cartoon was less about the battles won and more about the cultural moment it captured—a time when Gretzky, Jordan, and Jackson were so universally admired, they could save the day not just on the ice, court, or field, but in the world of Saturday morning cartoons.
