So, I’ve been singing the theme song for this show in my head for most of my adult life. If I’m being honest, it’s probably one of the best intros in cartoon history, but that’s just my opinion. This was one of those shows you raced home to watch; flinging your schoolbag into a corner and throwing evil death glares at anyone who dared interrupted you. ‘Dinner? Get that plate out of my face, you’re in the way!’ I knew the words to that opening theme better than the prayers they made us recite in primary school. Sometimes, I would be humming that theme song under my breath while everyone else was Our-Fathering. I’d already decided that heaven was boring and that I wanted to become an undead mummy and rise in a few thousand years to torment people.
Mummies Alive! was almost compulsory after school watching. It had everything from magic to cool vehicles, mishaps galore and a bad guy that, just like a mystery rash, you couldn’t get rid of. It centred around mummies (Ja-Kal, Rath, Armon, Nefer and sacred Kitty) who rose from the grave in present day, so to speak, to correct a previous failing. You see, the Pharaoh’s son, Prince Rapses, was killed on their watch and they came back to protect his new incarnation, a boy called Presley Carnavon; unsurprisingly, from the same bad guy that got to him the first time. This time, though, they’ve had a bit of an upgrade.
Yeaaaaaah!!!
Eat three thousand year old decaying flesh-incrusted bandage, dickwad. Ahem, or something similar. These mummies kicked serious ass, when they weren’t accidentally forming bands or getting cursed or being utterly hilarious.
As a pre-teen, was it possible to dislike Mummies Alive? I don’t think it was; the show was carefully constructed to have everything you could possibly want and in crazy doses.
Mummies Alive!: Now
Oh the tropes.
Oh the many, many, many overused and sometimes very insulting tropes. This is a show that had everything. From the woman dressing as a man to join the guards, to the giant loveable guy that loves to eat, to the socially awkward geek that seems to end up the butt of most of the jokes.
And those are just from some of the characters. We’ve got 42 episodes of this. However, before I start down this road I must vent a little. The villain’s name is Scarab and, you guessed it, he has giant scarab power armour *cringe*. The only female mummy’s name is Nefer-Tina. Think about that for just a second. Just a moment and let that information soak into your squidgy brain mush. Now, on three with me. One. Two. Three *shudder*
I’m not going to further disrespect her as a character, because while they probably only got the green light to put her in as some sort of fan service to what they would assume to be their solely male audience, Nefer-Tina had her many badass moments. 
Unfortunately, the writers having her fight with the Goddess Bastet over a tuna sandwich was not among them, though to this day it remains one of my most prominent memories of her.
This was a show that liked to pick and choose its relevant ancient Egyptian mythology. Were the gods they fought malicious gods? Hell, no. Did that stop the creators from making them villains for the sake of an episode? Not a chance.
While I could list the problems with this show every day and all night long, I can’t say that it wasn’t entertaining. In fact, it’s still watchable today. It’s still enjoyable. Unlike most of the movies and shows from my childhood, this is one that just about stands the test of time. It still kicks tut! And with the strength of Ra, maybe I’ll still be able to watch it when I’m older and even think the same.
Do you remember Mummies Alive?
Were you a fan?
Let us know in the comments!
