Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987 TV series)

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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
TMNT_intro_screen.jpg
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles title screen
Created byFred Wolf
StarringCam Clarke
Barry Gordon
Rob Paulsen
Townsend Coleman
James Avery
Renae Jacobs
Pat Fraley
Peter Renaday
Jim Cummings
Country of origin United States
No. of episodes193 (list of episodes)
Production
Running timeapprox. 30 minutes per episode
Original release
NetworkSyndication
CBS
ReleaseDecember 10, 1987 –
November 2, 1996

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (known as Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles in the UK) is an American animated television series produced by Fred Wolf Films, which premiered on December 10, 1987. It was based on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles characters created in comic book form by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, although the property was changed considerably from the darker-toned comic in order to make it more suitable for children. The series was syndicated from 1987 to 1991; on September 8, 1990, it began it's secondary run on CBS Saturday mornings and ran as a 60-minute block from 1990 to 1994 and a 30 minute block from then until November 2, 1996.

The show helped launch the characters into mainstream popularity and became one of the most popular animated series in television history. Breakfast cereals, plush toys, and all manner of products featuring the animated versions of the Turtles populated the market during the late-1980s and early 1990s, and a successful Archie Comics comic book based on the animated show instead of the original black-and-white comics was published throughout the 1990s.

Storyline

Template:Spoiler The origin story in the 1987 animated series differs greatly from that of the original Mirage Studios comics, presumably to make it more appropriate for a family audience. In this version, Splinter was formerly a human being, an honorable ninja master named Hamato Yoshi. Yoshi was banished from the Foot Clan in Japan after being deceived by the seditious Oroku Saki, who pinned Yoshi's dogi to the wall with a knife, preventing him from kneeling before their sensei, which was seen as an insult. When Yoshi removed the knife, the sensei was again insulted, believing Yoshi was drawing the blade in opposition to him. Exiled from the ninja clan, Hamato Yoshi moved to New York City, where he lived in the sewers.

While living in the sewers with the rats as his friends, Yoshi one day found four turtles, recently bought from a pet store by an unnamed boy who accidentally dropped them in the sewer. Yoshi returned one day from his explorations around New York to find the turtles covered with a strange glowing ooze. The substance caused the turtles - most recently exposed to Yoshi - to become humanoid, while Yoshi - most recently exposed to sewer rats - became a humanoid rat, and started going by the pseudonym "Splinter". This, and the following Archie TMNT Adventures Comics, is the only origin story in the TMNT franchise where the Turtles come to Yoshi before being exposed to mutagen. Also, it differs from other version in that Splinter is Hamato Yoshi and becomes a rat, whereas in most other versions, he is Yoshi's pet rat that becomes humanoid. This is also the only version in which the Turtles become fully grown immediately after exposure to the mutagen, whereas Splinter raises them from infancy in other versions.

Yoshi adopts the four turtles as his sons and trains them in the art of ninjitsu. He names them after his favorite Italian renaissance artists: Leonardo da Vinci, Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi (Donatello), Raffaello Sanzio (Raphael), and Michelangelo Buonarroti. In most versions, the Turtles tend to go by nicknames Leo, Donnie, Raph and Mikey, but in this version they are always addressed by their full name: Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael and Michelangelo. Each Ninja Turtle wears a mask over his eyes with a distinctive color, and is trained in the art of a distinct weapon.

Meanwhile, Oroku Saki has left Japan and tracked Yoshi to New York City, where he intends to destroy him once and for all. He has become associated with Krang, a disembodied alien brain who has been banished from his home, Dimension X, where he was a great warlord. Saki has taken on a new persona, donning a suit covered with razor spikes, complimented by a long cape, and a metal mask over his mouth. He has also taken on the pseudonym "The Shredder".

It becomes clear in the first season that the mutagen that transformed the Turtles and Splinter into their new forms was dumped into the sewer by Shredder in an effort to destroy Yoshi. Shredder thought it was a deadly poison. The Turtles vow to take revenge on the Shredder for dishonoring their master, as well as turning him into a rat. The Turtles want to force him to turn Splinter back into a human again. This quickly evolves into stopping Shredder's ongoing criminal career. The Turtles quickly take on the role of vigilante crime-fighters operating outside of the jurisdiction of law enforcement against any criminals, much like Casey Jones in the third season. For the first couple of seasons, it seems as if the Turtles are constantly preoccupied with hiding their existence. This seems to be slowly relaxed and, by the last few seasons, most citizens seemed to be well aware of them.

Shredder, Krang, Bebop and Rocksteady (two street thugs morphed into animal form by exposure to the Shredder's mutagen) and a small army of robotic Foot Soldiers try to destroy the Turtles and take over the World. Much of their quest for world domination hinges on bringing the Technodrome (Krang's mobile fortress, and his and The Shredder's base of operation) to the surface as it was either stuck in the earth's core, Dimension X, the arctic or Arctic Ocean.

In the last two seasons of the show, the Turtles finally banish The Shredder and Krang to Dimension X. They destroy the engines and the "trans-dimensional portal" of the Technodrome preventing them from ever returning to Earth. The show, which had already lasted well past the average lifespan of most Saturday morning cartoon series, then went through dramatic changes. The animation became darker and closer to the original comic book style, the color of the sky in each episode changed from the traditional blue to a continuous and ominous dark red sky (which was commonplace with newer action-oriented children's programming at that time), and the theme song was changed.

A new villain, Lord Dregg, an evil alien warlord, also appears as their new chief nemesis. Lord Dregg begins a propaganda campaign against the Turtles, turning the general population against them and in favor of him and his forces. In the last episode of the series, the Turtles trap Dregg in Dimension X.

Impact

While the story diverged heavily from the original conception of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and has never been considered canon with the universe of the original Mirage comics, the 1987 TV series is probably the most notable and popular incarnation, and drove the franchise to the phenomenal status it would achieve in pop culture. The series was in production for nine years, and was still quite popular when it went out of production. It was responsible for introducing many of the catch phrases associated with the Turtles, such as "Cowabunga!", "Turtles fight with honor!" and "Turtle Power!", into our lexicon. The animated series was such a prominent part of the Ninja Turtles that many people consider it the definitive version.

Soundtrack

This version is also renowned for its critically acclaimed soundtrack. Through most part the episodes featured a background music which reflected the mood of the situation (e.g. danger, action, exploration, confusion, mystery, winning), as well as ID music for settings such as the Technodrome, the sewers etc. which contributes to the show's dynamic uniqueness. The soundtrack composed by Chuck Lorre and Dennis Challen Brown (Credited as D.C. Brown and later as Dennis C. Brown).

Characters

Main characters

File:AndSo.jpg
The main cast

These are the core characters of the series and appear in nearly every episode. However, after Season Eight, most of the main characters aside from the Turtles, April, and Splinter were removed from the show, although Krang and Shredder would return for a few episodes in Season Ten.

  • The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The main heroes of the series, taught by their Japanese Master Splinter/Hamato Yoshi. In Europe, they are known as the Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles.
    • Leonardo: Turtle with blue mask who wields two katana swords. The leader of the Turtles, he is the most serious member of team and is the closest to Splinter. His swordsmanship is unmatched. Voiced by Cam Clarke.
    • Donatello: Turtle with purple mask who wields a bo staff. His simple wooden bo can disarm any adversary. He is interested in science and is constantly tinkering with various inventions. Voiced by Barry Gordon and in some Season 3 episodes, is voiced by Greg Berg.
    • Raphael: Turtle with red mask who wields two sai daggers. No sword on Earth can withstand his sai. He's sarcastic, jokes around, is "cool but rude", and seems to get irritated often. Voiced by Rob Paulsen, except in Season 10, when he was voiced by Michael Gough.
    • Michaelangelo: Turtle with orange mask, who is the master of the whirling Nunchucks. (And master of the whirling Pizzas!) He is the most relaxed of the group, mostly interested with pizza and having a good time. He used a lot of slang, and is the source for many of the catch phrases the group used such as "Cowabunga!". Voiced by Townsend Coleman.
  • April O'Neil: Red-headed Channel 6 TV reporter who discovers the Turtles' home in the sewers. Friend of the TMNT from the first season. During the final two seasons, she becomes a freelance reporter. April O'Neil was voiced by Renae Jacobs.
  • Oroku Saki/Shredder: The Arch-villain of the Turtles and Splinter. The Shredder wears a suit covered in metal blades, a cape, and a metal helmet and mask. He typically has the bottom half of his face covered. While a rare occurrence, he has removed the mask and helmet to reveal his face. Despite the fact that the Shredder is usually the main villain in other incarnations, Shredder here has always, against his own will, had to take orders from Krang. Voiced by James Avery but replaced in the 1994-1996 seasons by William Martin, along with the alternates Dorian Harewood in 1989, Jim Cummings in 1991, and Townsend Coleman in 1993.
  • Krang: A disembodied brain who was a warlord in Dimension X before he was exiled and had his body taken away. Krang usually resides inside a large robot body and controls it from a compartment in the abdomen area, or uses a "bubble walker". He also commands the Technodrome, an enormous mobile fortress used as his and Shredder's headquarters. He also funds and helps plan most of Shredder's schemes. The character Krang was inspired by the original comics' "Utroms", who were also small, squishy aliens, but by contrast, did good deeds on Earth. Voiced by Pat Fraley.
  • Foot Soldiers: The ninjas led by the Shredder. In the 1987 animated series, most Foot Soldiers are robots.
  • Rock Soldiers: Krang's soldiers in Dimension X. Sometimes work alongside the Foot Soldiers.
  • Irma Langinstein: A Channel 6 TV associate and April's best friend. Irma is preoccupied with men, but is also a friend to the TMNT from late season 2. Voiced by Jennifer Darling.
  • Vernon Fenwick: An egotistical, self-righteous coward who is also a reporter at Channel 6 and is April's chief rival. He dislikes the Turtles and generally reports negative stories blaming them for various things in the city. At various points in the series, he is portrayed as an analgous to Geraldo Rivera. Voiced by Peter Reneday.
  • Burne Thompson: Channel 6 NEWS producer and April, Vernon, and Irma's boss. He dislikes the Turtles and blames them for everything that goes wrong and encourages his reporters to broadcast negative stories about them, similar to J. Jonah Jameson from Spider-Man. Burne was voiced by Pat Fraley.
  • Carter: Introduced in season nine, he comes to New York to study martial arts under Splinter. He is accidentally exposed to the Turtles' Mutagen, which causes him to spontaneously mutate between his human and mutant forms, and for a short time, the Turtles know nothing about it. After helping the Turtles many times against Dregg, in Season Ten, Carter decides to return to College and Donatello is able to stabilize his mutation. Shortly after he leaves, Carter briefly comes back to aid the Turtles one last time against Dregg. Carter is voiced by Bumper Robinson.
  • Lord Dregg: In the eighth season's last episode, "Turtle Trek", Krang, Shredder, Bebop, and Rocksteady are trapped in Dimension X and the Technodrome is rendered inoperable. In the ninth season, the alien Lord Dregg is introduced as the Turtles' new main adversary. The character was disliked by fans for many reasons, one being the fact that his personality and name were very similar to that of Lord Zedd from Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. Lord Dregg was voiced by the late Tony Jay.
  • HiTech: He used to be Lord Dregg's right-hand man until season ten where he was betrayed by Dregg himself. In season nine HiTech was voiced by Rob Paulsen. And in season ten he was voiced by Cam Clarke.
  • Mung: He becomes Lord Dregg's right-hand man in "The Return Of Dregg" until the end of the series run, replacing his former right hand man, HiTech. Mung was voiced by Cam Clarke.
  • TechnoGangsters: Lord Dregg's foot soldiers.

Recurring characters

This is a far from complete list of recurring characters, or characters that played a substantial role in the plots of more than one episode. The characters are arranged by frequency of appearance.

  • Casey Jones: A vigilante, and also a friend of the Turtles. Casey wears an ice hockey goaltender's mask (which is never removed in the series) and carries a wide assortment of unorthodox weapons including golf clubs, baseball bats, and cricket bats. The Casey Jones character also appears in most other incarnations of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, one of the few characters that does. Compared to his other incarnations, this version parodies a Dirty Harry like persona and is quite a psychopath. His trademark tagline..."All I wanna know is when do I get to break something?!". Voiced by Pat Fraley.
  • Dr. Baxter Stockman: A Caucasian (as opposed to African-American in the Mirage comics) mad scientist who aided Shredder in the first and second seasons before he was changed into an anthropomorphic fly in a disintegrator malfunction. He always blamed and resented Shredder for the accident, and most of his subsequent appearances involved his ambitions for revenge, or transformation back to his human self. He spent large portions of the series trapped in a rift between Dimension X, Earth with only his computer, "Z", as a companion. Baxter Stockman is also a character that appears in most other incarnations of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but this is the only one where he is turned into a fly. He was voiced by Pat Fraley.
  • The Rat King: A human inhabitant of the sewers with the ability to communicate with rats. He also hypnotized Splinter to attack the Turtles. Extremely unusual for this series (which is typically morally absolute), his role of either good guy or bad guy is sometimes blurry. While he is sometimes involved in some plot to destroy the Turtles, he also occasionally aids them. However, no matter what the circumstances, his motives always seem questionable and surreptitious. Was once one of Shredder's Rogues. The Rat King was voiced by Townsend Coleman.
  • Leatherhead: A mutated anthropomorphic crocodile with a Cajun accent. In some plots, he is the main adversary of the Punk Frogs. In season 4, he joined forces with The Rat King. Leatherhead is known for his many catchphrases at the end of his sentences, which include; “by gumbo”, “I guarantee” and “you betcha”. Was once one of Shredder's Rogues. Leatherhead was voiced by Jim Cummings.
  • General Traag: General of Krang's army of Rock Soldiers from Dimension X. Many plots involve Krang almost bringing them to Earth, but failing miserably in the end. He was voiced by Peter Renaday.
  • Slash, the Evil Turtle from Dimension X: Bebop's pet turtle, whom Bebop and Rocksteady mutate into an anthropomorphic with the intention of having him be their subordinate and do their work for them. The bad guys send him after the Turtles, but it turns out that Slash is even dumber than Bebop and Rocksteady. He returns in a later episode with a vastly enhanced intellect, but it doesn't last. Was once one of Shredder's Rogues. Slash was first voiced by Pat Fraley.
  • The Punk Frogs: The Turtles' frog counterparts. Four anthropomorphized frogs from Florida created by Shredder and trained in martial arts. They were intended for evil, but convinced to turn to good by the Turtles when the Turtles saved them from the authorities. The Punk Frogs lived out the rest of the series in the swamps of Florida, but sometimes they returned to town and visited the Turtles. Shredder named them after historic villains compared to Splinter's choice of naming his pupils after painters.
  • Neutrinos: 1950s-college-kid type people in flying cars called Starmobiles (complete with tailfins), from Dimension X. Their names are Dask, Kala, and Zak. Friendly to the Turtles, they even once left the Turtles one of their Starmobiles, but unfortunately neglected to mention it ran on plutonium. Kala, the lone female of the trio, is often shown to be affectionate to Michelangelo (who likewise has a crush on her), but it never clearly develops into full romantic relationship. In the episode "Four Turtles and a Baby" it is revealed that the TMNT have also met the Neutrinos' leader Zenter and his wife Grizzla who send their baby daughter Tribble to stay with the turtles when the Neutrino capitol is under attack by General Traag. Donatello explains how baby Neutrinos have psychokinetic powers similar to Kala's pet Grybyx.
  • Zach: An adolescent boy who loves the Turtles and wants to be one. The Turtles refer to him affectionately as "The Fifth Turtle". He is occasionally accompanied by his brother Walt. Zach was voiced by Rob Paulsen.
  • Lotus Blossom: A female ninja hired by Krang to destroy the Turtles. She developed a respect for Leonardo and tried to get him to become her partner. Lotus was voiced by Renae Jacobs.
  • Metalhead: Built by Krang in a plot to destroy the Turtles, Metalhead was a robot Ninja Turtle whose programming consisted of all the Turtles' personalities. Prone to malfunction, he was re-programmed by the Turtles and spent most of the series in Donatello's closet, but made an occasional appearance. Metalhead was voiced by Dorian Harewood (Shredder's alternate voice), Townsend Coleman (Michelangelo's voice), Rob Paulsen (Raphael's voice), Barry Gordon (Donatello's voice), Cam Clarke (Leonardo's voice), Pat Fraley (Krang's voice), and Renae Jacobs (April's voice).
  • H.A.V.O.C. (Highly Advanced Variety Of Creatures): The Turtles meet H.A.V.O.C. in the process of thrwarting a robbery, meeting mutants and H.A.V.O.C. members Raptor, Amok, and Overdrive, and then later, the H.A.V.O.C. leader, Titanus. The Turtles find out that while H.A.V.O.C. has offered the Turtles a safe haven from those who think they are the villains, H.A.V.O.C. is actually creating mutants instead of protecting them, and actually tries to turn the entire city into mutants. The Turtles spend a few episodes of season 8 battling H.A.V.O.C.
    • Titanus: Leader of H.A.V.O.C.
    • Raptor
    • Amok
    • Overdrive
    • Highbeam
    • Magma
    • Seizure
  • Pinky McFingers: Local crime boss. First appeared in season 4. Voiced by Peter Renaday.
  • Fripp the Polarisoid: An alien from the planet Polaris. He was voiced by the late Tony Pope.
  • Big Louie: A crime boss who leads a mafia. Sometimes, he works with the Shredder.
  • Brick Bradley/Bugman: Michaelangelo's comic book hero come to life, Bugman is half man-half-insect. Bugman is a parody of Spider-Man and other comic book superheros. He was transformed into a superhero by a laboratory experiment gone awry, has a secret identity, and he has a vulnerability to the metal Leestanite. He was voiced by Dan Gilvezan.
  • Don Turtelli: A local crime boss, and a spoof on the The Godfather. Being the grandson of Tony "The Tickler" Turtelli, he has a memorable form of interrogation; he uses feathers to tickle the feet of his hostages (including April, Vernon, Zach and Caitlyn); to extract information, interrogate, etc. Two known members of his gang are Rodney and Bruce. Voiced by Peter Renaday.
  • Hokum Hare: The hare from "The Tortoise and the Hare" fable. The Turtles meet him in a parallel "fairy tale" dimension. He also helped the Turtles to stop Shredder from traveling to the future and becoming a crime lord in a crime-free era. Hokum was voiced by Townsend Coleman.
  • Rex-1: An experimental robot built by the New York City authorities to replace human policemen. The Shredder used computer hacking to steal the plans for Rex-1 and build an army of robots.
  • Donald J. Lofty: A Donald Trump-esque character who owns Lofty Tower.
  • Tempestra: This female villain is from a video game. Once one of Shredder's Rogues. Voiced by Tress MacNeille.
  • Scumbug: A mutated cockroach, once one of Shredder's Rogues. Voiced by Pat Fraley.
  • Anthrax: Krang's royal executioner, also was once one of Shredder's Rogues.
  • Chrome Dome: A huge robot built by the Shredder to supervise the Foot Soldiers. He has many built-in weapons such as blasters, cannons, missiles, etc. He was destroyed by the Turtles by disabling a main chip on his back. He returned in another episode with several other villains as one of Shredder's Rogues. Voiced by Peter Renaday.

Minor characters

The series had myriad minor characters, or characters that were not part of the main cast or involved in the majority of plots. These characters generally went along with the show's theme of anthropomorphic animal fighters often mutated in a way similar to the Turtles. As was the trend with cartoons during the end of the TV era of animation, a considerable number of characters who appeared briefly, once or twice in the series were made into action figures.

  • Algernon: A lizard from another planet. Algernon's home planet orbits a star in the Turtle Nebula, a nebula in the shape of a turtle. Algernon's spaceship crashed on the Earth, and Algernon helped Donatello defeat the businessman Hiram Grelch, who tried to take over TV stations in New York City.
  • Agatha “Aggie” Marples: April's famous gumshoe aunt. Voiced by Joan Gerber. In season 3, she helped track down a horde of thugs who were stealing kimonos. She showed up again in 1992 teaming up to help solve yet another mystery!
  • Barney Stockman: Baxter's twin brother. He built a machine that enhances the humor of jokes and renders everyone who hears them helpless with hysterical laughter. He hates to be mistaken for his more famous brother. Barney Stockman is voiced by Pat Fraley.
  • Crooked Ninja Turtle Gang: A karate gang taken over by the Shredder, who ordered them to change their name to the Crooked Ninja Turtle Gang, dress up like turtles and commit robberies so the people of the city would come out against the TMNT. In European airings of the episode they were in, their name was shortened to the Crooked Turtle Gang. Smash, the leader, was voiced by Peter Cullen.
  • Fenton Q. Hackenbush: Fat man who worked for Donald J. Lofty. He tried to rip off the city by getting rid of the sewer system and in turn get rid of the TMNT. When the Turtles told Lofty of this scheme, Lofty fired Hackenbush.
  • Mondo Gecko: A lizard who was actually in the sewers the same time Turtles mutated, and also mutated himself, but was picked up and carried away by a crime boss before Hamato Yoshi arrived home. Gecko was raised by criminals and trained to commit robberies and other crimes. Michaelangelo met Mondo during one episode and talked him over to the side of the Turtles. Mondo then came to live with the Turtles in the sewer "right next door". He showed up again in 1993 to help Donatello and Raphael thwart AJ Howard whose hired accomplice Dirk Savage was kidnapping mutants all over the city!
  • Beserko a.k.a Drakus: In the season 8 episode Get Shredder! it is revealed that he helped Krang to design and build the Technodrome. But he was betrayed by Krang so, Drakus came to earth and took on a new name Berserko he wanted revenge on Krang who destroyed his world and nearly killed him. He built a tank called the Annilhilator and began a rampage on the city. Fortunatlely the turtles managed to stop him and turned him in to the authorities. Beserko/Drakus was voiced by Jim Cummings.
  • Eric Red: A man who led a gang of "modern vikings" in Norway who tried to melt the polar ice and flood coastal cities. This happened in the episode Northern Lights Out.
  • Groundchuck and Dirtbag: When Shredder wanted two new mutant grunts, a lion and a gorilla, Bebop and Rocksteady accidentally cause a bull (Groundchuck) and a mole (Dirtbag) to mutate. However, they refused to serve Shredder and left. They clashed with the Turtles before being taken to Kerma's home planet where they briefly assisted Herman the Horrible. Groundchuck was voiced by Cam Clarke.
  • The Great Bouldini: Don Turtelli's cousin, and a magician. Voiced by Peter Renaday.
  • Emperor Aleister: Emperor of the fictional state Malicuria.
  • Hiram Grelch: A businessman who tried to take over all the TV stations in New York City, but was defeated by Donatello and Algernon at the Channel 6 building.
  • J. Gordon Hungerdunger: A millionaire from Texas who tried to put chemicals into New York City's water system and brainwash the population so he could easily take over the city. hungerdunger was voiced by Peter Renaday.
  • '''Caitlyn''': Female friend of Zach, who appears in the episode "The Great Boldini". She and Zach help the Turtles prevent Rat King and Don Turtelli from carrying out their plans. She and Zach are at one point captured by Don Turtelli and subjected to his torture: Her ticklish feet where tickled with feathers. Voiced by Maggie Roswell.
  • Klaatu, Barada & Nikto an alien family from the planer Centauri who accidently beamed Rocksteady and Donatello onto their spaceship while searching for a toy of Nikto's that could destroy the Earth.
  • Kojima Brothers: Ancient warriors from Edo period Japan. Shredder stole their diary in Tokyo, Japan and created solid holograms of them to destroy the Turtles. Donatello smashed the hologram projector with his bo staff, destroying the holograms. Voiced by Peter Renaday.
  • M.A.C.C. (Mobile-Armored Computerized Combatant): A robot from 400 years in the future who travelled back in time by accident. Krang tried to re-program M.A.C.C. to destroy the Turtles, but failed, and M.A.C.C. was sent home to the future. M.A.C.C. was voiced by Peter Renaday.
  • Princess Mallory: Princess from the fictional state Malicuria, daughter of Emperor Aleister. The Shredder tried to kidnap her from at party at the Malicurian Embassy in New York and give her back in exchange for Lydium 90, a metal Krang wanted to repower the Technodrome. She looks exactly like April, who is kidnapped instead of her. Voiced by Renae Jacobs.
  • MacDonald Crump: Pizza-parlor chain owner who also has his own yacht.
  • Maxwell: Michelangelo's pet goldfish in one episode. Maxwell wasn't too cooperative for Mikey.
  • Miyoko: The Shredder's mother. Helped Shredder and Krang to send out some kind of mirror orbiting in Dimension X and burn the Earth in heat. Voiced by Jennifer Darling.
  • Mona Lisa: A mysterious female mutant who was once human. Working with Raphael, the two of them thwarted the plans of Captain Filch, a pirate, to hold the passengers of a yacht for ransom. When she first appeared, it seemed like she would become a regular character, possibly Raph's girlfriend, but this did not happen. Voiced by Renae Jacobs.
  • Lieutentant Montoya: Columbo-parodied detective.
  • Muckman and Joe Eyeball: Two garbagemen mutated with garbage. Their radiation weakened the Turtles. April convinces them that Bebop and Rocksteady were responsible for their condition, so they help the Turtles to find a cure and turn against the Shredder.
  • Mutagen Man: A geeky deliveryman, Seymour Gutz, who fell into a vat of mutagen. He has a brain/skull head and a containment suit. He has the ability to shapeshift into anyone. Shredder promises him a cure in exchange for components to make more mutagen. After the Shredder's betrayal, the Turtles infuse him with a dose of mutagen that (permanently?) changed his appearance; which was into that of a charming lady's man. It's interesting to note that while impersonating anyone, his voice also mimicked that person whereas his final form had his original voice. Voiced by Rob Paulsen.
  • Octavious Ogilvy: President of the company Octopus Inc. Worked with the Shredder until he realized that the Shredder was a bad guy who tried to brainwash businessmen. Because Octavious Ogilvy had a hearing disability, he couldn't be brainwashed because his hearing aid didn't work. Instead, Shredder locked him in a room.
  • Panda Khan: Mutated samurai panda who aided TMNT on certain occasions. Relatively infrequent character. Panda Khan comes from the comic "The Chronicles of Panda Khan" by Dave Garcia.
  • Pete: Michelangelo's pet pigeon.
  • Rondo: Action movie-hero. Parody of Rambo.
  • Shibano-Sama: Founder of the Foot Clan in Feudal Japan. When his burial urn was in the Asian-American Cultural Center, Shredder tried to open it so Shibano-Sama could teach Bebop and Rocksteady ninja skills. However, he shunned Shredder and stripped his henchmen of their powers after Spinter demonstrated the final secret techniques of the Foot, which Shredder didn't know. Oddly enough, the final Foot Techniques parodied Three Stooges slapstick (in particular, the "Cur-lee maneuver"). Voiced by James Avery.
  • Spats Sparkle: One of two Dutch thieves who tried to steal the Duchess Diamond in Amsterdam in the Netherlands and sell it. This happened in the episode April Gets in Dutch, and Shredder also tried to steal the diamond, so Krang could use it to open a portal to Dimension X and send the Technodrome to Earth.
  • Speega: A Tyrannosaurus leader who, along with a Triceratops and Pachycephalosaurus, are descendants of a group of dinosaurs that escaped extinction millions of years ago by escaping to the center of the earth. They have been on a mission to save endangered species ever since.
  • The Triceraton Empire: The Triceratons are Triceratops-like creatures from another planet. They had planned to take over the Earth up until Donatello managed to trick them into thinking he was ruler of Earth, thanks to the help of his Dark Turtle costume!
  • The Grybyx: A pet of the Neutrinos.
  • Turtle Terminator: An android who posed as Irma to try and blast the TMNT to smithereens. If anyone said "Turtle", it would attack. Voiced by Jennifer Darling (in Irma's voice).
  • Wingnut and Screwloose: In the Archie comic book series their home planet was destroyed by Krang, but in the cartoon they are two aliens who brainwash Earth's children in attempt to take over the world! Wingnut is voiced by Rob Paulsen and Screwloose is voiced by Townsend Coleman.
  • Winston Fripp/Chronos: A villain in the season nine episode "Split Second". Found by the Turtles to be committing crimes within the city under the name Chronos and challenges them to stop two other crime plans of his. Once they do so, he is revealed to be Winston Flipp, someone who the Turtles apprehended and tied up for the police in a clocktower, in which the ticking drives him insane. When the Turtles capture him once more, Lord Dregg takes advantage of it by pretending to be the man behind Chronos' capture to continue his properganda campaign against the Turtles.

Vehicles and gadgetry

Like many cartoon superheroes, the Turtles have a wide array of turtle-themed vehicles and gadgets.

Vehicles

  • Turtle Van (aka Party Wagon): A van that originally belonged to Baxter Stockman before he was arrested. Donatello rigged up the van with other equipment from Stockman's lab, including various monitoring devices and missile systems. The Turtle Van, despite having bright yellow and green colors and being very conspicuous, is the Turtles' main form of transportation. April used a van in the third issue of the original Mirage comic. The Battle Shell in the 2003 series is similar to the Turtle Van. It is apparently based on an early Dodge forward-control van, due to its split windshield and engine under the front seats).
  • Turtle Blimp: A blimp created by Donatello in the season one finale is one of the Turtles' modes of transportation. The blimp had the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles logo displayed prominently on the side. The glider can detach from the blimp to allow the Turtles better accessibility where a large blimp would be impractical. This vehicle becomes non-existant in the red-sky series.
  • Cheap Skates: Donatello made four skateboards in season two with propellers on the rear.
  • Turtle Bike: A motorcycle with a sidecar, normally ridden by Leonardo, first seen in season three.
  • Sewer Tubes
  • Sewerski

Gadgets

  • Turtle Comm: Turtle Communicators (frequently shortened to Turtle Comms) are small and designed to look like turtle shells, and were created by Donatello. The Turtles, Splinter, and April each have one and can instantly communicate with each other. The Turtles' and Splinter's communicators stretch open where April's is built with a flip top to resemble a makeup compact. Zach, a fan of the Turtles, gets a Turtle Comm in the episode The Fifth Turtle. Even the Punk Frogs have a Turtle Comm. Krang, Shredder, and the henchmutants each have a Comlink, a similar device for communication. Similar in function to the Turtle Comm, the Shell Cell in the 2003 cartoon allows the characters to talk to each other.
  • Retro catapult: Introduced in Season 3.
  • Portable portal generator: Also Introduced in Season 3.


Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles

In the UK, TMNT was released under the name Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles. This was due to the controversy surrounding ninjas and related weapons such as nunchuks at the time. The intro sequence was heavily edited because of this, replacing the words 'ninja' with 'hero' or 'fighting' in the song's lyrics, using a digitally faded logo instead of the animated blob type one and removing any scenes in which Michealangelo wields his nunchuks, replacing them with random clips from the show. The other series, Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation was also referred to as Hero Turtles, possibly using the term 'hero' to seperate the TV series from the live action movies. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2003 series), however, remained intact when shown in the UK.

Status of the 1987 TMNT TV series

There are currently no TV reruns of the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series, at least not in North America. An episode has not been shown on United States television since it ended it's original run on November 2, 1996. Repeats had also aired on USA Network's USA Cartoon Express from October 31, 1993 to September 13, 1996. Mirage Studios does not own the rights to the 1987 show, but they own one third of the rights to the 2003 show. Many episodes were released on many VHS tapes from 1988 to 1996 by Family Home Entertainment.

DVD Releases

The series was initially released in volumes, with each volume containing 9-13 episodes in production order, with the exception of the first volume, which included bonus episodes from the last season. After six volumes, it has been announced that the series will now be released in season sets, starting with season 4 [1].

For a more thorough list of which episodes are on each DVD, see the list of episodes.

  • Volume 1/Season 1 (Released April 20 2004)
    • Contains all 5 episodes of season 1 and 4 bonus episodes from season 10
  • Volume 2/Season 2 (Released April 26 2005)
    • Contains all 13 episodes of season 2
  • Volume 3/Season 3, Part 1 (Released December 6 2005)
    • Contains the first 12 episodes from season 3
  • Volume 4/Season 3, Part 2 (Released April 4 2006)
    • Contains the next 12 episodes from season 3
  • Volume 5/Season 3, Part 3 (Released August 29 2006)
    • Contains the next 12 episodes from season 3
  • Volume 6/Season 3, Part 4 (Released December 5 2006)
    • Contains the final 11 episodes from season 3 and the first episode of season 4
  • Season 4 (Released March 13 2007)
    • 5-disc set containing 40 episodes: All 13 syndicated episodes from Season 4, all 26 CBS episodes from Season 4 and one of the final two syndicated episodes of which aired in Season 5, but were left from Season 4. Also includes all new interviews with James Avery (voice of Shredder) and Pat Fraley (voice of Krang) plus a recipe for Cowabunga Cheese Pizza.

Magazine

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Magazine was a typical children's magazine published quarterly by Welsh Publishing Group, Inc during the height of TMNT popularity in the early 1990s. It was officially licensed by Eastman and Laird and available by subscription.

The $1.95, 32 page magazine featured kid friendly articles about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as well as a variety of subjects. Mirage Studios staff artists such as Dan Berger and Jim Lawson provided a majority of the covers and spot illustrations. A pull out poster was available in every issue and was painted by Mirage Studios artist Michael Dooney.


Mistakes

The turtles are often referred to as amphibians, when turtles are actually reptiles. In some scenes the Turtles are wearing the incorrect color mask. In one incidence, Michaelangelo was referred to as Chen Francisco Li. In some early episodes, the animation of each turtle does not match the proper voice actor.

References


External links

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