Well, this question got to bugging me enough that I actually asked David Wise about it. It turns out (to my absolute shock) that OT April was indeed based off that Lupin III character pannoni suggested. Furthermore, Wise had never even seen the Dr. Who episode in question on account of his local PBS station not having broadcast those episodes yet! So the Mel Bush thing really was just an amazing coincidence!
Here's our exchange:
Quote:
Me:
Hello, David, a while back a few TMNT fans got to wondering about the inspiration for April O'Neil's design in the classic cartoon.
http://forums.thetechnodrome.com/showthread.php?t=36610
The thought occurred to me that she bore an uncanny resemblance to one of Mel Bush's outfits from the 1986-1987 seasons of Dr. Who, of which I know you're a big fan! I was wondering if you could confirm or deny the Dr. Who/TMNT connection.
David Wise:
April's outfit was based on Fujiko Mine's yellow jumpsuit and mincam from the Japanese anime LUPIN THE THIRD, and someone on the forum correctly surmised!
Me:
Thanks for that clarification! I am a little shocked that the Dr. Who connection didn't have any merit though; red hair/white boots/yellow jumpsuit... it just seemed so obvious!
Did you suggest the outift, or was it already designed prior to your input?
Also, would you mind if I share the real story on the forums?
David Wise:
1) My local PBS station was only showing Tom Baker episodes at the time. I didn't get to see Mel until 1989. BTW I always thought April was a brunette!
2) I described April's outfit in the very first script.
3) Sure, go ahead!
|