Sidekicked

Axl is force to hunt Taz on his own when Bull Gator leaves for the Tazmania Hula-Hooping Championship Finals.

Taz, Axl, Bull Gator

Taz-Mania found Warner Brothers' drooling, manic Tazmanian Devil working as a bellhop at Australia's Hotel Tasmania, along with owner Bushwacker Bob, Constance, Thickly, and the selfish Digeri Dingo. Still crazed, though slightly less destructive than his past incarnation, "Taz" was always getting himself mixed up in one outrageous adventure after another. The series also featured Taz's family of Devils?his mellow, Bing Crosby-like father Hugh, happy homemaker mom Jean, Valley Girl sister Molly, little brother Jake, and their pet, Dog the Turtle.

Taz was constantly being hunted by various predators, like the allegedly artful Bull Gator, his sidekick Axel Gator, and Francis X. Bushlad, though no pursuer was any match for Taz. The dizzying devil also found friends in the inventive, lisping Platypus Brothers, Daniel and Timothy, who let Taz partake in their explosive experiments?usually at Taz's expense. Other recurring characters included Bushwacker Bob's Mum, the neurotic Wendell T. Wolf, a flea named Willy Wombat, Kiwi, Buddy Boar, and the occasional cameo by other cartoon stalwarts from the Warner Bros. stable.

Knowing that Taz had a fan base that was both old and young, the writers mixed intelligent, adult-oriented humor with the show's more slapstick, juvenile aspects. The combination caught on, as Taz-Mania ran for five successful seasons on the Fox schedule, bringing legions of new fans to its spinning, slobbering star.