We asked nicely – "Please Hammer, Don’t Hurt ‘Em." But that didn’t stop MC Hammer from relentlessly stomping all over his enemies each week on the animated adventure series Hammerman.
In the fall of 1991, the former Stanley Burrell was too legit to quit showing off his exceptional musical and dancing skills, so he channeled them into a weekly children’s cartoon.
Hammerman told the tale of an ordinary guy named Stanley, a super dope homeboy from the Oaktown, who worked at a kids' recreational facility. Whenever trouble lurked, all Stanley had to do was put on his Magic Dancin’ Shoes and, quicker than you can say "proper," he turned into the superhero Hammerman.
The dancin' crimefighter's main nemesis was the arch villain Boss Grindenheimer, who did his damage from behind bars via his loyal henchmen. Always looking to promote a positive image, each episode would end with the real Hammer expounding upon the day’s learned lesson, which usually focused on youth-oriented problems like vandalism, drug abuse and gangs.
Hammer believed in the project, lending his own voice to his cartoon likeness, contributing a different song each week, and making sure the character always acted as a solid role model. But after only one season, ABC executives brought down the hammer, canceling Hammerman.