Your top moments of the TMNT behaving like Teenagers.
 

In so many incarnations of the franchise, very little attention if being spend on making the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles actually behave like Teenagers. The 2003 series and the 2014 movie being the biggest examples. Yes, there HAVE been moments of typical teenager behavior in those two versions but they weren't all that frequent.

So let's showcase our favorite moments when the TMNT were actually behaving like Teenagers.

First up, from the IDW storyline "desperate measures" Here's Leonardo ranting about how he can't get his team to focus.

Leonardo: It's just - There's so many bad things going on and ALL they want to do argue with each other and goof around. I TRY to get them to focus, to take all of this seriously and they just BLOW ME OFF at every turn. Raph wants to HUNKER DOWN, Mikey wants to be a SUPERHERO and Donnie's got his HEAD BURIED in his gadgets 24/7. They're driving me CRAZY!
As he finishes his rant, Leonardo notices that Splinter is grinning.
Leonardo: It... It's NOT FUNNY Father!
Splinter: I am not laughing my son.
Leonardo: But you're GRINNING!
Splinter: Yes, yes, I AM doing that. Forgive me Leonardo, my amusement is not to be insensitive. I am just happy to know that my Teenaged boys are STILL teenaged boys even when they are away from me.

The 2012 series had plenty of moments where the Turtles were just 15 year olds on a rampage, Leonardo coming up with dumb introduction speeches, Raphael throwing tantrums, Michelangelo throwing water balloons and Donatello gawking over April.

And how many times when we were teens ourselves did we stay out late and tried to sneak in only to find that our parents/caretakers were lying in wait to catch us red handed?

Good. Because they're not teenagers and never were, not like we think of normal human teenagers. The experiences we had and guys we knew in junior high aren't remotely going to be the same as four mutant turtles living in hiding in a sewer being trained and conditioned everyday to one day murder a man.

I knew Andrew wouldn't like this thread :tlol:

Personally, I'm in the camp of preferring them "teenage" in name only.

2012's visit with younger-seeming Turtles (and human friends as kids) was fine for one series, but I wish it would stay there with that one and not have Nick continue to insist on making them increasingly teen stereotypes in other iterations (*grumbles something about 'Rise'*).

They're 35 (or 36 if you want to count their "birth" as from the time of those first sketches), and we've now done two series that try to be more teen-like... so imo it's time to head back in the more mature direction with whatever comes next and get back to a more normal demeanor for them.

That said...

I'd have to go with 2012 Leo's dorky attempts to sound heroic in the early part of that series and his fanboying over Space Heroes. (*cough* Not that there is an age limit to being a fanboy/girl over a cartoon, as we all know.) As far as making the more serious of the four seem a little younger than typical, those were good options. They added to him, but without having to throw out his normal personality to do it, and it fits well enough that I could totally see carrying a touch of it over to even a 25 or 30-year-old Leo. The serious guy who's all into his martial arts and all that...but is a tiny bit of an adorable dork over a series he follows? Yes, I could go for that sticking around. (Could even tie it together with his longtime bookworm nature, making it a show he's into that was inspired by books he loved.)

Leo grew through the 2012 series, I am glad he dropped those lines not long after they first started out and he was caught up in being a 'hero' maybe. Anyway yeah he was kinda dorky yet still serious. I don't think being a bit dorky or a fanboy is age limited to kids/teens though. (as mentioned above) I liked him having that aspect to his personality along with is usual traits, kinda rounded.

Andrew does have a point, however if we are talking about the kid versions then I don't think that them acting a little like teens in a kids show with the word teenage in the title is too shocking either. If we had the hypothetical Netflix Series people want then you might expect something else. I guess it depends on the tone.

Anyway, not to ignore the title, sorry, no specific scenes are coming to mind other then their talk of comics/collectables and beating each other at games etc. Again, that can go past teens :)

But the IDW comics is doing just that, that series is ABSOLUTELY not for kids but the Turtles themselves DO behave like real life teenage boys. (Michelangelo, more so than the others but still.) The fact that Sophie and Campbell and Matteus Santouloco draw the Turtles so looks-wise they are pretty much the 2012 Turtles (even down to Donatello having a gap tooth) unifies the series with each other.
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Michelangelo calming Slash down by giving him candy, I can so hear Greg Cipes' voice with the dialog.

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Leonardo and Karai in the IDW series. Again showing that character growth you talked about.

Problem though, the TMNT are not typical teenagers, much like an elite gymnast or figure skater or a chess prodigy are not typical teenagers. To expect them to be a typical American teenager when they are actually being raised by someone who has his influence from Japan, well, you're kind of missing the point.

Take Kick Ass for example. Kick Ass is your typical teenager, but Hitgirl is not and never will be, and our Turtle boys will lean more towards Hitgirl's maturity over Kick Ass's. So, to be upset that they are not typical teenagers is mind boggling.

But if I had to choose my favorite moment from the TMNT showcasing their youth, my personal favorite was in the 80's cartoon and they were staying with April and were making a mess of things. Especially Raph trying to make a bubble bath and misinterpreted what "cap" of soap meant.

Well, down to background? How Splinter raised them etc? how the creators want them to come across in their story. Only outlined knowledge of comics so I can't really talk in much depth there.

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Not a top moment but this scene in Rise is an honorable mention.


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I've always come down closer to Andrew, Warhorse etc. on this subject. It makes zero sense at all for the Turtles to behave much like "stereotypical" teenagers no matter how much TV they watch. Those traits are grafted onto them by writers who want the characters to appeal more to children, by presenting them in a way that's more familiar and easier to relate to, but objectively it's pretty nonsensical.

I think the Hit Girl analogy is pretty brilliant, really, as that's sort of the closest analog to the TMNT themselves as far as a young adult type who was indoctrinated into a lifestyle of training and violence by a mentor figure of questionable morality, at an age when they were too young to understand or question any of it, and "sequestered" away from the "normal world" until much later on. They'd have a lot more in common with Hit Girl than with Bill and Ted. Like yeah, they'd be exposed to movies and TV and pop culture but they would have no proper filter for any of it, no real understanding of typical "teenage" behavior, social norms and mores, any of that. It would never be as simple as, "They act like the people they see on TV", which is how I've often seen some people try and explain it. Like yeah, they'd absorb and mimic to a degree but their entire system of values and behavior would have nothing in common at all with "typical" teenagers.

That's why it never bothers me at all when they are presented as skewing "older" or more mature than their listed ages; of course they would be more mature, it's the only thing that makes logical sense. They didn't grow up at all like "stereotypical teenagers", so to me the idea that they would behave as such always feels very bizarre. Like yeah, I guess it can make them more dynamic and easier to identify with but it just doesn't make a lot of sense.

It's a strange thing. I like the turtles to be written as teenagers when they are teenagers. I also like to see them grow up and mature.

But some of those Mirage short stories where the turtles are sneaking into movies, playing tag, calling each other chuckleheads, and goofing around are a blast and the behavior displayed would fall under the "average teenager" umbrella. It's definitely not just something used to appeal to children. Eastman and Laird had that side of them displayed from the beginning.

I mean, that's part of the appeal. I love that the turtles are loveable, chill dudes that could flip on a dime and dice you up into little bits with a grin.

On the other hand, City at War is my favorite TMNT story and wastes absolutely no time with that. The turtles behave appropriately serious, given the circumstances.

S
Did either Laird or Eastman ever talk about 'Teenage' being in the title? I mean obviously they wanted the characters in that age group but then having some natural younger or immature aspects as part of a character and full on American school kid (social influence) can be different.

Course If we thought too much about what could be realistic with mutants growing up outcast in the sewers else we might not like them as much :D

Still tone for me, by which I mean if the older version was also dark and gritty. I am fine with them being how they were in 2012, (obviously) as pointed out earlier in the thread they are going for relatable/likable but also the tone of the show and story, these guys were raised by a once human Splinter and were also raised as his children, sure they still didn't have a normal kids life but besides training and discipline, he also seemed to allow them to be young. Again, someone would have to weigh in with the comics.

oh, which brings me to another moment Great Saiyaman, where they were grounded for the skateboard incident. That too shows them goofing around and Splinter giving them teen punishments (as well as when we have seen him beat them)

Well, if we want to nitpick, they were initially just called Ninja Turtles, by Eastman, before "teenage" or "mutant" were added by Laird. I mean, okay, it all happened in the span of one evening, but it could technically be argued, if anyone really wanted to, that they were purely Ninja Turtles first before being stuck as teens forever? :trazz:

I mean the account of how they came up with it really was just a joke and not with any serious intention to start with, including them being teens.

I know this is off topic, but why did Laird and Eastman grow apart? I find it odd that Eastman would just hand over the reins to Laird and walk away, when it's obvious that he still loves his creation. Such a drastic move to just sell his interest to Laird when he could of just stepped aside for ten years and then come back and bring fresh ideas to the table after Laird exhausted his.

Not exactly the first time that happened.

It's actually the other way round, Kevin Eastman stuck with the show and was actively involved in both the IDW series and the 2012 series. Peter Laird however decided to step away from the franchise for a while.

But didn't Eastman sell his interest to Peter Laird?

Long story short, Eastman & Laird's relationship, both personally & professionally, was built on a mutual love for art, admiring it, collaborating on it, etc. As time went on & the TMNT got bigger, their roles went from content creators to product overseers, & ultimately number crunching other stressful business/legal related stuff got the way. They've said that was the biggest issue, that they couldn't really have their friendship anymore, all their time was devoted to the un-fun stuff. The two had already sorta fizzled out on that + the property itself, so being at odds about Venus & how to handle TNM was kinda the final straw, as I understand it. I'm sure there were other things at play, too, but yeah, that's the gist of it. Being exhausted with it all, Kev sold his rights to Pete around 2000, I think, & didn't return until IDW hit him up post-buyout. To be fair, TMNT had really died off, I guess he didn't foresee it being the evergreen property that it is.

You're wrong.

Kevin had nothing to do with TMNT from like 1999 to 2010, & when he did return, it was in a story-building capacity alongside Tom & Bobby, on the comic reboot. The 2012 animated series was conceived by Ciro & the gang without him. Kev popped by to say hello, voice Ice Cream Kitty, & write one episode in the final season, that's about it. & Pete, of course, has virtually retired altogether, with a rare con appearance or Vol. 4 issue popping up over the years.