History Series / Beetleborgs

It was about three typical all-American kids: Drew [=McCormick=], his sister Jo, and their best friend Roland Williams, whose family owns the local comic shop, where they spend most of their time. On a dare from some bullies, they go inside the local "HauntedHouse." Once inside, they free Flabber, a wacky ghost with Elvis Presley's hair, Jay Leno's chin and Liberace's wardrobe filtered through [[WesternAnimation/YellowSubmarine a Blue Meanie]], who had been imprisoned in the mansion's pipe organ. Flabber cannot thank the kids enough, so he offers to grant a wish for them. The three young comic book fans know what they want, and that is to be able to transform into their favorite superheroes, ''The Big Bad Beetleborgs''. Flabber grants their wish, and the children are given the power to turn into the heroes, but now that the heroes exist in the real world, [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor the villains from the comic book likewise come to life]] [[NiceJobBreakingItHero to spread chaos]] (via the MonsterOfTheWeek).

* TheCameo: During the convetion episode, several characters make appearances, including Franchise/SpiderMan and ComicBook/TheTick as actors in suits.

''Big Bad Beetleborgs'' was a live-action series produced by Creator/SabanEntertainment and aired on Creator/FoxKids. It was called ''Big Bad Beetleborgs'' in the first season and changed to ''Beetleborgs Metallix'' in the second. A ''Franchise/PowerRangers''-like {{Sentai}} show, it incorporated footage from a Japanese show (in this case, the ''Series/MetalHeroes'' shows, ''Series/JuukouBFighter'' and ''Series/BFighterKabuto'') with new footage created in the United States. The show lasted from September 1996 to March 1998.

* CutShort: The Beetleborgs never got to defeat the Crustaceans due to the show running out of ''B-Fighter Kabuto'' footage.

** ''Borgslayer!'' and ''Vexor's Last Laugh'' adapted the second phase of the battle (with Jagul in her upgraded form) into the battle with Borgslayer, which was consequently cut down to completely omit the involvement of the other heroes (Hyper Shou, Janperson and Super Blue Beet were the ones to mortally wound her and revert her to her original form) and villains (Bill Goldy appeared and dragged her to Hell with him after she lost her advanced form).

** The episode ''Norman Nussbaum: Vampire Hunter'' had one for the Beetleborgs and the Mansion monsters respectively. The Magnavores give a pretty brutal beatdown to the Beetleborgs outside that almost culminates in an execution before the Borgs catch their [[EleventhHourSuperpower second wind]] (which is honestly kinda disturbing given that they are children) while Norman uses his monster-hunting smarts to drive off the mansion denizens one by one in his hunt for Fang.

** A MonsterOfTheWeek in the episode ''Something Fishy'' is one of these. Initially believed to be the local legend "Charterville Charlie", a creature described as half-man, half-tuna, it turns out to be Swamp Scumoid, the latest monster from the Beetleborgs comics. (Unlike most monsters in the series, Swamp Scumoid didn't come from the source footage of ''Series/JuukouBFighter''; its suit was later used for the gigantic title character of the movie ''Kraa The Sea Monster''.)

* WhatDoTheyFearEpisode: In ''The Brain In the Attic'', the monster Dicehead's brain (a glass sphere), if held by anyone besides him for too long, will bring their worst fears to life. Consequently, Jo has to face her Aunt May and her "slobbery kisses," while Count Fangula is confronted by his "nightmare" of an ex-wife. Drew's own worst fear turns out to be giant broccoli, which scares ''everyone''. In a partial subversion, they don't have to actually face their fears to beat Dicehead, just make sure they don't hold the brain for long enough to trigger the manifestation.

* WhoWouldWantToWatchUs: In "Lights, Camera, Too Much Action," the movie director briefly ponders, making a movie about "kids who become superheroes and save the world." He then decides it's ridiculous.

* CousinOliver: Parodied. Drew and Jo have a cousin named Oliver who they - and the Magnavores - find incredibly annoying.

* CreativeClosingCredits: The credits to every episode are accompanied by sped-up footage of the monsters doing something silly - typically running around or fighting in some sort of comedic fashion.

** Mother Melzard was the Big Bad of ''B-Fighter Kabuto'', but is reduced to three minor appearances in ''Beetleborgs Metallix'' - once as the in-comic mother of a MonsterOfTheWeek (who is then summoned from the comic by Nukus) and twice as a Monster of the Week (once in her original form and once in her final form).

%%** Vilor, one of the villains in ''Metallix'', is this.
* [[FirstInstallmentWeirdness First Episode Weirdness]]:

** In "Jo's Strange Change", a miscast spell from Wolfie alters Jo's physical appearance, causing her to look like a completely different person. As Flabber is unable to counter the spell, Jo's altered appearance ends up being ''permanent''. Flabber eventually manages to cast a spell that causes most people see Jo as she used to look, but it has no effect on anyone who happened to see the spell being cast - including the viewers. The meta reason for this was due to the casting change of Jo's actress.

* LaughablyEvil: Pretty much any evil thing the Hillhearst monsters do falls here.

* LawOfChromaticSuperiority: Averted; the blue Beetleborg is the leader and the one who gets a unique powerup mode, not red, who is instead [[TheSmurfettePrinciple the only girl on the team]]. And in season 2, there isn't even a red hero to begin with; the leader dresses in gold there.

** Very much so compared to its source material ''Series/JuukouBFighter''. Despite its occaisional silliness, ''B-Fighter'' is a superhero show that plays itself straight and generally has high stakes. The villains are shown to injure and even kill. ''Beetleborgs'' is pretty much a comedy series with some superheroing thrown in. The worst thing the villains do in the first season is the occaisional vandalism and petty theft.

* MonsterMash: The House Monsters - comedic versions of Dracula, the Wolf Man, Frankenstein's Monster, and The Mummy.

* NoEnding: Like ''Series/VRTroopers'' before it, once the ''B-Fighter'' footage ran out, the show was over. ''Metallix'' ends with the heroes in charge of BOTH HumongousMecha and holding effectively all the powerups and {{MacGuffin}}s they were fighting over. Les Fortunes also quits working with Nukus. But, most notably, Nukus and his gang are never actually defeated.

* PercussiveMaintenance: A rare use of this on a living (sort of) being - the Metallix episode "Enter the Dragonborg" has Flabber get zapped by the Mantrons, which results in his usual energetic personality turning dull and listless, and his powers going on the fritz (and as a consequence, the main Beetleborgs can't borg). Little Ghoul later turns to this trope to solve the problem, restoring him to normal when she smacks his bottom with his Phasm Handbook.
%%* PoweredArmor: The Beetleborg suits.

* RedIsHeroic: Jo in season 1 wears a red armor. Downplayed in that, while she is definately a hero, she is not the teamleader.

* SelfDestructiveCharge: At the conclusion of the Shadowborg arc, [[spoiler:Vexxor comes down to deal with the Beetleborgs himself. At first he blasts them away, but they steel their resolve and charge at him, straight through his lighting blasts. They manage to impale him with their weapons, causing him to explode. The borgs are fine. Unfortunately, so is Vexxor.]]
* ShesAManInJapan: A rare inversion. Jagul from ''Juukou B-Fighter'' is female. Her counterpart, Hypnomaniac, is male.

** Josh's White Blaster Beetleborg powers are explicitly made to defeat Shadowborg...but as Shadowborg points out, he's also the ''least'' [[UnskilledButStrong experienced of the lot]], having literally only been one for a few minutes. As a result while he fairs better than the PowerTrio did and actually injures Shadowborg, he can't take him one on one and only manages to barely snatch the gems containing the other three's stolen powers by the skin of his teeth.

* SwissCheeseSecurity: Justified. The mansion is an old house that’s been abandoned for years. It’d be a miracle if the villains didn’t get inside.

* WholePlotReference: The episode ''Buggin' Out'' had Flabber conjure himself a transporter booth... And then a [[Film/TheFly1958 fly]] (actually the monster Kombat Knat) got in.

* EnergyWeapon: The Sonic Lasers in season 1 and the Data Lasers in season 2; both can fire a variety of different
beams and effects (via a keypad on the side for the Sonic Lasers, and different Input Cards for the Data Lasers).

** Inverted with Josh/the White Beetleborg - his powers were solely dependent on the existence of the Shadowborg, and faded shortly after the latter's destruction.
%%** In some ways, Les Fortunes is this to his brother.
%%** Boron serves as one to Roboborg.

* SpiritualSuccessor: Originally Saban planned to adapt ''B-Fighter'' into a third season of ''Series/VRTroopers'', but they decided to start from scratch instead with a new Americanized adaptation of the ''Series/MetalHeroes'' franchise.

''Beetleborgs'' was a live-action series produced by Creator/SabanEntertainment and aired on Creator/FoxKids. It was called ''Big Bad Beetleborgs'' in the first season and changed to ''Beetleborgs Metallix'' in the second. A ''Franchise/PowerRangers''-like {{Sentai}} show, it incorporated footage from a Japanese show (in this case, the ''Series/MetalHeroes'' shows, ''Series/JuukouBFighter'' and ''Series/BFighterKabuto'') with new footage created in the United States. The show lasted from September 1996 to March 1998.

** In "Cat-tastrophy", Drew gradually starts turning into a cat.
** In "It's a Bad, Bad, Bad, Bad World", Jo is transformed into a hideous hag.

** The episode ''Norman Nussbaum: Vampire Hunter'' had one for the Beetleborgs and the Mansion monsters respectively. The Magnavores give a pretty brutal beatdown to the Beetleborgs outside that almost culminates in an execution before the Borgs catch their [[EleventhHourSuperpower second wind]](which is honestly kinda disturbing given that they are children) while Norman uses his monster-hunting smarts to drive off the mansion denizens one by one in his hunt for Fang.

* EnergyWeapon: The Sonic Lasers in season 1 and the Data Lasers in season 2; both can fire a variety of different beams and effects (via a keypad on the side for the Sonic Lasers, and different Input Cards for the Data Lasers).

** The one of the two rich kids who is later established as "the Jock" boasts of becoming captain of the Chess Club. The Pipettes seem to be set up for a much more pivotal role. Mums also spends almost all his screen time unraveled to a MonsterOfTheWeek esque skeleton monster, able to generate red bolts of electricity, which he, of course, never did again.
** When he first gave them their powers, Flabber tells the kids they need to whistle to summon their Beetle Bonders. This never comes up again.

** In "Jo's Strange Change", a miscast spell alters Jo's physical appearance, causing her to look like a completely different person. ''Permanently''. Flabber manages to cast a spell that causes most people see Jo as she used to look, but it has no effect on anyone who saw the spell being cast. Including the viewers. The meta reason for this was due to the casting change of Jo's actress.

** In "Jo's Strange Change" a miscast spell alters Jo's physical appearance, causing her to look like a completely different person. ''Permanently''. Flabber manages to cast a spell that causes most people see Jo as she used to look, but it has no effect on anyone who saw the spell being cast. Including the viewers. The meta reason for this was due to the casting change of Jo's actress.

** In "Jo's Strange Change" a miscast spell alters Jo's physical appearance, causing her to look like a completely different person. ''Permanently''. Flabber manages to cast a spell that will causes most people see Jo as she used to look. But not for anyone who saw the spell being cast. Including the viewers. The meta reason for this was due to the casting change of Jo's actress.

* FreakyFridayFlip: Season 1, episode 44, "The Good, The Bad, and the Scary." The Borgs switch bodies (and powers) with the Magnavores.

* TheCameo: During the convetion episode, several characters make appearances, including Franchise/SpiderMan and ComicBook/TheTick as actors in suits.

* CompanyCrossReferences: In "The Ghost is Toast", ''WesternAnimation/CreepyCrawlers'', another Saban series to feature bug-themed heroes, is briefly seen on a TV.

* FlashbackWithTheOtherDarrin: Once the character of Jo was recast, the first part of the opening sequence that shows the kids inside Hillhurst and initially becoming Beetleborgs was reshot with Britanny Konarzewski standing in for Shannon Chandler.

* InvisibleParents: While Roland's parents and Nano show up regularly, we ''never'' get to see Drew and Jo's parents. On a lesser note, we never see parents of Heather, Van and Trip, or Josh.