Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) are a group of four anthropomorphic turtle brothers, who, as one might infer from the name, are also teenagers, mutants and ninja. The Turtles are each named after a famous Renaissance artist: Leonardo (Leonardo da Vinci), Raphael (Raffaello Santi), Michelangelo (Michelangelo Buonarroti), and Donatello (Donatello). The TMNT live in the sewers of New York City.

TV Series

1987 Cartoon Series

On December 10, 1987, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' first cartoon series began, starting in daily syndication and later joining CBS' Saturday morning block as well. The weekend edition presented a full hour of Turtle Power, initially airing a couple of (then) Saturday exclusive episodes back to back. The series ran until November 2, 1996.

Related Topics:
1987 - CBS - 1996

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In animation, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are four wise-cracking, teenaged, pizza-scarfing cartoon turtles who fight the forces of evil from their neighborhood sewer hangout. In the series' twilight, new creative directions included augmenting the stars' abilities, expanding the cast, and even darkening the mood a bit. This cartoon series was made by Murakami-Wolf-Swenson Film Productions Inc. Mirage Studios does not own the rights to the old 1987 TMNT cartoon series, so changes made in this version of the TMNT have not transferred to other versions; however, they have incorporated many tributes to the series in the recent animated revival (despite Peter Laird's mixed feelings for a TV series which strayed so much from his comic book). Despite the apparent disdain, Laird has said on numerous occasions that he does not "hate" the original, and respects it for making the franchise mainstream.

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The cast included new and different characters like April O'Neil, Casey Jones, Bebop and Rocksteady, Baxter Stockman, and the Rat King. Original characters like The Shredder and Foot Soldiers stayed true to the comics in appearance and alignment only. Krang, one of the series' most memorable villains, was inspired by the design of the Utrom, a benevolent alien race from the Mirage comics. The animated Krang, however, was instead a Warlord from Dimension X, and a thoroughly evil being.

Related Topics:
April O'Neil - Casey Jones - Bebop and Rocksteady - Baxter Stockman - Rat King - The Shredder - Foot Soldiers - Krang - Utrom - Dimension X

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The TMNT cartoon was a prominent part of the TMNT, and most people are unaware of the other versions; when they are, they often refuse to accept anything but the original. Casual fans despise the new, more accurate interpretation, saying it isn't as fun as the original; while comic book purists argue the new cartoon isn't completely loyal to the comics either.

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"TMNT: The Next Mutation" Series

1997-1998, a live-action TV series was made. A fifth turtle was introduced, a female named "Venus de Milo", and the series took place generally after the storyline of the 1987 cartoon series, as Shredder had been defeated and the Ninja Turtles had new villains. This series seemed to connect with the movies as well because Splinter had a cut ear, the Foot were humans, and they lived in the lair from the second and third movies. They had two vehicles in the series a suited up hummer, and a motorcycle that only Raph rode on. These versions of the Ninja Turtles made a guest appearance on , a similar live-action superhero show of the time http://www.scary-crayon.com/spectare/pr-tmnt/. This incarnation of the Turtles was not very popular and was canceled after one season of twenty-six episodes.

Related Topics:
1997 - 1998

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Since its cancellation, the program has been considered apocryphal by the TMNT fanbase, and Laird and Eastman have disavowed all knowledge of Venus de Milo (in November 2000).

Related Topics:
November - 2000

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Anime

In addition to the American series, a Japan-only two-episode anime OAV series was made in 1996, titled Mutant Turtles: Choujin Densetsu-hen ("Superman Legend"). It featured the turtles as superheroes, who gained costumes and super powers with the use of "Muta-Stones," while Shredder, Krang, Bebop and Rocksteady gained super-villain powers with the use of a "Dark Muta-Stone." The show's characters resembled those in the original U.S. cartoon series, but with very different personalities. The show was aimed at a much younger audience, and used many non-serious elements of Sentai and superhero comics.

Related Topics:
Japan - Anime - OAV - 1996 - Shredder - Krang - Bebop and Rocksteady - Sentai - Superhero

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2003 Animated Series

On February 8, 2003, the Fox Network revived the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise with the help of 4Kids Entertainment as a Saturday-morning cartoon in Fox's Fox Box programming block, which has since been renamed "4Kids TV". The 2003 TMNT cartoon series was produced by Mirage Studioshttp://www.bcdb.com/, and Mirage Studios owns one third of the rights to the series.

Related Topics:
February 8 - 2003 - Fox Network - 4Kids Entertainment - 4Kids TV - Mirage Studios

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The show differs significantly from the 1987 cartoon in that it follows the Mirage comics more closely, providing a darker and edgier feel, but still remaining light enough to be considered children's fare. The Turtles are depicted as more of a family than as a fighting team (unlike in the 1987 cartoon).

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