All great stories serve up friendship on the side.
Bill and Ted.
Maverick and Goose.
Woody and Buzz.
Michael Scott and Dwight Schrute.
Elvis and Tupac… (word from the Bermuda Triangle is they’ve been hanging out lately.)
While buddy love takes different forms, we know it when we see it. For every tiff and hang up, best friends sharpen each other. A good sidekick helps the hero loosen up. Over adrenaline-pounding circumstances—detention, flight school, or a Hong Kong - LAPD joint operation—unlikely duos become amigos. With enough mileage, even deadly rivals (think Superman and Lex Luthor) turn into a kind of double act, feeding off each other’s antics like Laurel and Hardy.
Or apparently, Martha Stewart and Snoop Dogg.
To bring this around to all things rad, we hit the archives for yet another Radical Rick countdown—times when two characters became buds, paired off with a love / hate / rivalry relationship, or went through something that deepened them as friends.
For the record, this one’s all bromance, not romance.
Apologies to Bonnie Brainstorm and every other female with a Radical Rick shrine.
Warmer Weather?
We hope so.
Of course, that depends on where you are. But wherever that is, throwing on a classic Radillac shirt is a sure way to up your game.
While you’re at it, slap a sticker or two on that bike plate, skateboard, car bumper or kicker ramp.
A little rad color goes a long way.
More sticker packs, shirts, and certified rad stuff available at our website... at least for now. Get your rad on while it lasts.
Are You Ready?
Here it is.
Read on for our shortlist of the most iconic, watchable, unlikeliest buddy couples in Radical Rick.
One: Radical Rick and Skuzzer Switchblade
For love / hate double-acts, it doesn’t get better than these two stars.
When the brawny porcine hears whispers of Radical Rick from his jungle-dwelling tribal worshippers, his envy blossoms into a classic, obsessive, rivalry… granted the obsession is all on the tusk and loincloth end. If the ‘King of Wheeled Evil’ suddenly dropped out of existence, Radical Rick probably wouldn’t bat an eye.
That being said, there’s a kind of narrative ballet in how frequently (and vigorously) Skuzzer traps his slick competitor… and in how Radical Rick wiggles to freedom at the last possible moment. Watching the Radster carve down a snowy mountain on an impromptu snowboard after Skuzzer blasted him from the Attackilac’s cannon is a perfect example.
Who knows?
Perhaps the royal wart hog and his silent, superior nemesis are destined to tango for all time. The words of Heath Ledger’s Joker to the Caped Crusader might even sum it up:
“I don’t want to kill you. No—you complete me.”
Kind of touching.
Two: MX Mug and Spike Speedwrench
Radical Rick’s two sidekicks are a wild team.
Where MX Mug’s go-to-moves are taking credit, and throwing his weight around as Radical Rick’s official spokesperson (that is, when he’s not plotting to take the Radster’s place), Danny DeVito-sized Spike Speedwrench is a different breed. Next to Mug’s clumsy shenanigans and shameless, loveable, self-promotion, Spike’s gearhead knowledge, attitude, and Flash Gordon-like ability to whip up speedy solutions give him a truly supporting role.
But as things go in Crushed Crank Canyon, they’re usually stuck together. The result is a little bit like Pauly Shore… arguing with the entire pit crew of the Indy 500.
Talk about a clash of temperaments.
But in the end, two reliable sidekicks are better than one. Even if they bicker like an old married couple, both bring loyalty, courage, and much-needed problem solving skills to the table. Suffice it say, there’s room in our hearts (and in Radical Rick’s illustrious shadow) for both a goofy glory hog and a cooler, handier, wheel-savvy version of the Energizer bunny.
Three: MX Mug and Radical Rick
Need we say more?
That one element of this equation never talks while the other talks nonstop doesn’t dilute the chemistry. From his first appearance in Episode One of Radical Rick, MX Mug’s jealousy for everything Radical Rick has and represents was a kind of catalyst. In a pleasant surprise, Radical Rick’s prowess brings the best (and at times, the worse) out of Mug, turning that insatiable glory lust into a dogged loyalty. Likewise, through every shenanigan, and even in the face of certain death, Radical Rick comes through for his favorite carrot nose.
Over volcanoes, races in Alaska, skiing lessons, a meteor glow rick, American Gladiator, and even a World Piece Bomb, the friendship of the two biggest BMX names in Crushed Crank Canyon (and even beyond) speaks louder than words.
In Mug’s case, there's a lotta words, so that’s saying something.
Four: Radical Rick and Miss Wristwack
C’mon, how can we resist?
After royal Skuzzer and the green-eyed MX Mug, Radical Rick’s home room teacher is his biggest thorn in the side. On some level, behind those spectacles and those tightly pursed lips, Wristwack’s hatred for Radical Rick must be a kind of admiration… or a deep seated jealousy for his youthful agility.
In a kind of singular obsession to make sure Radical Rick never rides again, Wristwack concocts scheme after scheme to eliminate his riding hours by keeping him after class. The second Radical Rick arrives tardy, late for a test, or slides into any kind of bored daydream, she’s there with a ruler, ready to WHACK.
What’s a kid with an overactive rad gland and no interest in school going to do? It’s so sinister that this tenured Truchbull actually made our list of the top Radical Rick villains.
Better study for that quiz like your life depends on it.
Five: Bonnie Brainstorm and Radical Rick
We know, we know.
We said no romance… and rest assured, you’ll find none here. Where there’s chromoly, rad obstacles, or the remote chance of chromoly and obstacles, the fair, longsuffering Bonnie Brainstorm stands no chance.
What’s truly touching about this textbook unrequited love is the very fact that it’s forever stalled in the friend zone. If anyone, the caring, intelligent, genuinely attractive Bonnie Brainstorm is probably the best candidate for Radical Rick. Where those screeching gals at the finish line come and go, Bonnie’s loyalty and affection are made of heartier stuff. Always at his side, and with a brainy solution that saves the day, dare we say that Bonnie deserves a shot at being Radical Rick’s girlfriend?
Too bad no such shot exists… not for Radical Rick.
And yet, to quote one of Bonnie’s favorite poets, hope springs eternal.
Rad Enough?
Treasure your best buds, rad fans.
For all the tricks, capers, and zany fun, Radical Rick reminds us that friends who stick around for each other get better with age. There’s a real radness in showing up again and again for someone… even if that person smokes you in every race.
With that and for even more Radical Rick action, make Damian your buddy and follow him on instagram.
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Whatever you do, stay rad!
And don’t be a wimp.