Your Personal TMNT History

[PizzaPower1985]

In an effort to get to better know my fellow 'Dromers, this is a survey... Please answer the following (and be as detailed as you care to):

What year did you first discover TMNT?

For me, 1989 or 1990.

How old were you when you first discovered TMNT?

Around 4 or 5 years old.

What was your first exposure to TMNT (comics, cartoons, toys, films, games etc.)?

The 1987 cartoon or the 1990 movie.

What was your first piece of TMNT merchandise that you bought (toys, movies, food product, clothing, games ETC.)

I got all four original turtles action figures in 1990 at a K-mart in Indianapolis.

Did you stick with your TMNT fandom, or did you lose interest and get back into it later? If you lost interest, what prompted your rediscovery?

I lost interest after childhood, got rid of all my toys and rediscovered the fandom my last year of college (around 2009). Joined the 'drome in 2014 when I was 29 years old.

[neatoman]

What year did you first discover TMNT?
Not sure. Late 90's early 2000's, certainly before 4Kids at least because I remember it looking different from the other TMNT material I'd seen.

How old were you when you first discovered TMNT?
Between 6 and 9.

What was your first exposure to TMNT (comics, cartoons, toys, films, games etc.)?
Either one of the movies (I do remember watching TMNT III on TV, not sure if I saw one of the first two before that), or an audio cassette adaptation of the Fred Wolf episode where New York is frozen and Leo leaves the team.

What was your first piece of TMNT merchandise that you bought (toys, movies, food product, clothing, games ETC.)
Probably a used toy. Brand new it might have been volume 2 of the Ultimate collection. I got the second one first because it was in stock.

Did you stick with your TMNT fandom, or did you lose interest and get back into it later? If you lost interest, what prompted your rediscovery?
The first piece of TMNT media I ever really cared about enough to watch it all the way through was the 4Kids show. Which I watched uploaded to the internet alone. After it ended there wasn't much to get, the Fred Wolf being a total shitpile became more and more obvious whenever I gave it a shot so I didn't bother being an active fan. The thing that got me interested again was IDW printing up old comics and starting their own series.

[Wesley]

What year did you first discover TMNT?

1990.

How old were you when you first discovered TMNT?

4 years old.

What was your first exposure to TMNT (comics, cartoons, toys, films, games etc.)?

The 1987 cartoon when it started to air in Ireland as part of the Irish tv strand The Den on RTE Two from September 1990.

What was your first piece of TMNT merchandise that you bought (toys, movies, food product, clothing, games ETC.)

I got the Party Wagon in a Smyths store in 1995.

Did you stick with your TMNT fandom, or did you lose interest and get back into it later? If you lost interest, what prompted your rediscovery?

I never really lost interest in TMNT or forgot about them. I just became more interested in other tv shows and franchises, though I still enjoyed watching episodes of the 1987 series every now and then in my teens (it was still regularly rerun on RTE Two at that time). It was the 2003 series that made me a fan for life and it?s still one of my fav franchises, though I don?t care much for the newer stuff. I do take breaks from them like everything else.

[IndigoErth]

What year did you first discover TMNT?

I'm not really sure. It was via the first cartoon, but I'm not sure quite how soon I discovered it. Think it was relatively early.

How old were you when you first discovered TMNT?

Again not sure, though I was 8 when that cartoon started so probably 8 or 9.

What was your first exposure to TMNT (comics, cartoons, toys, films, games etc.)?

See above.

What was your first piece of TMNT merchandise that you bought (toys, movies, food product, clothing, games ETC.)

I am 99% sure it was the original basic Leo figure. Been my fave Turtle guy from the start.

Did you stick with your TMNT fandom, or did you lose interest and get back into it later? If you lost interest, what prompted your rediscovery?

Unfortunately, the down side of being first generation was the disadvantage of not having an older generation of fans ahead of us (excluding those original older Mirage readers pre-Turtlemania) and no internet to battle the stigma that they're not just a "kids thing" and still perfectly okay to like them as a teen and adult.

As such I had a mother who decided it wasn't okay anymore when I was 15 and pretty much chose to shame me into putting it away. And because she could be kind of a bitch, to put it bluntly, she pretty much enjoyed teasing/shaming me about for many years to come.

But the 2012 series grabbed my attention in early 2013... Decided to see what it was and it hooked me. Kept the renewed fandom quiet until 2014 and that film came out... and the same mother and I caught it together... the same mother who has changed her tune and after seeing the 2016 film has decided that Mikey is her own favorite. Go figure. Not how I would have guessed it would turn out one day.

I feel bad for having been away for so long and sucks that I missed the 2003 series when it was the big new thing... but a hiatus away from them wasn't all bad because getting to come back and rediscover them, now from an older perspective, was itself enjoyable and to find how these old friends had themselves grown as characters after that amount of time.

Didn't take much for that old flame with Leo to relight though; still my fave. Maybe it was never totally out. And funny enough one of the things that may have sparked my return was that I'd been playing WoW for a few years. One of my faves was (and is) my Blood Elf guy. Got curious who the voice actor is for the voice emotes... and none other than Cam Clarke himself. So, kinda came full circle in a way.

[MikeandRaph87]

What year did you first discover TMNT?
Before my earliest memory in 1989 I was two. My father taught me how to change the channel and he noticed I was watching TMNT (1987) and went around saying 'Beba and 'Ocksteady'.


How old were you when you first discovered TMNT?

Two.

What was your first exposure to TMNT (comics, cartoons, toys, films, games etc.)?

TMNT (1987) cartoon.


What was your first piece of TMNT merchandise that you bought (toys, movies, food product, clothing, games ETC.)

Michelangelo and Bebop from the original line in 1990 for my third brithday at the former Hills Department store at the local mall.


Did you stick with your TMNT fandom, or did you lose interest and get back into it later? If you lost interest, what prompted your rediscovery?

No, I never lost interest.

[Cyndaquilfan123]

What year did you first discover TMNT?

Don't remember, I remember being somewhat aware of them in the mid 2000s and the 2007 movie being a thing. We'll go with 2013 because that was when I really got to grips with the franchise.


How old were you when you first discovered TMNT?

Going by my first answer, I was pretty young when I first heard of them, but I was 13 going on 14 when I first watched it.

What was your first exposure to TMNT (comics, cartoons, toys, films, games etc.)?

The 2012 episode "The Alien Agenda."

What was your first piece of TMNT merchandise that you bought (toys, movies, food product, clothing, games ETC.)

A 2012 Leonardo

Did you stick with your TMNT fandom, or did you lose interest and get back into it later? If you lost interest, what prompted your rediscovery?

Been a consistent fan since 2013!

[MrPliggins]

What year did you first discover TMNT?

1988, November.

How old were you when you first discovered TMNT?

10.

What was your first exposure to TMNT (comics, cartoons, toys, films, games etc.)?

Action figure display in a department store.

What was your first piece of TMNT merchandise that you bought (toys, movies, food product, clothing, games ETC.)

Received Foot Soldier and Knucklehead as a gift, 1988.

Did you stick with your TMNT fandom, or did you lose interest and get back into it later? If you lost interest, what prompted your rediscovery?

I was hardcore during the "craze" (1988-91). Lost interest around 1994 or so. Joining the mailing list and the IRC channel in the late '90s sparked a resurgence in my interest, and then again with the 2003 show. My interest today lies mostly with collecting older items and I'm not very interested in the new content or collectibles.

[PizzaPower1985]

Originally Posted by MrPliggins

What year did you first discover TMNT?

1988, November.

How old were you when you first discovered TMNT?

10.

What was your first exposure to TMNT (comics, cartoons, toys, films, games etc.)?

Action figure display in a department store.

What was your first piece of TMNT merchandise that you bought (toys, movies, food product, clothing, games ETC.)

Received Foot Soldier and Knucklehead as a gift, 1988.

Did you stick with your TMNT fandom, or did you lose interest and get back into it later? If you lost interest, what prompted your rediscovery?

I was hardcore during the "craze" (1988-91). Lost interest around 1994 or so. Joining the mailing list and the IRC channel in the late '90s sparked a resurgence in my interest, and then again with the 2003 show. My interest today lies mostly with collecting older items and I'm not very interested in the new content or collectibles.

Since you're an older fan like me, what's your experience with comics? Have you checked out the IDW books?

[MrPliggins]

Originally Posted by PizzaPower1985

Since you're an older fan like me, what's your experience with comics? Have you checked out the IDW books?

I first read the Mirage comic with #16 and wore it out from reading/copying art from it. I discovered early Mirage through the First Graphic Novels, which I bought from Waldenbooks in probably early '89 (and copied the art style as well. I have so many sketchbooks from the late '80s full of Turtles). I avidly started buying the Mirage comic at #17 (and back issues I had missed) at the local flea market until its end, and subscribed to volume 2 when it came about (my subscription was cut short when Mirage ceased publication at #13). I also subscribed to Adventures for like the second half of the run.

I was buying IDW for a while and enjoying the stories, probably until around issue 50. It's hard for me to keep up with a monthly comic these days though (both buying and just sitting down to read them), so I lost track and I've been pretty behind for a while now.

[mikey0]

Originally Posted by MrPliggins

What year did you first discover TMNT?

1988, November.

How old were you when you first discovered TMNT?

10.

What was your first exposure to TMNT (comics, cartoons, toys, films, games etc.)?

Action figure display in a department store.

What was your first piece of TMNT merchandise that you bought (toys, movies, food product, clothing, games ETC.)

Received Foot Soldier and Knucklehead as a gift, 1988.

Did you stick with your TMNT fandom, or did you lose interest and get back into it later? If you lost interest, what prompted your rediscovery?

I was hardcore during the "craze" (1988-91). Lost interest around 1994 or so. Joining the mailing list and the IRC channel in the late '90s sparked a resurgence in my interest, and then again with the 2003 show. My interest today lies mostly with collecting older items and I'm not very interested in the new content or collectibles.

The TMNT craze was in 1990. TMNT was only a fad in 1989. Turtlemania is a very 1990 thing. Turtlemania erupted after TMNT the Movie came out.

[PizzaPower1985]

Originally Posted by MrPliggins

I first read the Mirage comic with #16 and wore it out from reading/copying art from it. I discovered early Mirage through the First Graphic Novels, which I bought from Waldenbooks in probably early '89 (and copied the art style as well. I have so many sketchbooks from the late '80s full of Turtles). I avidly started buying the Mirage comic at #17 (and back issues I had missed) at the local flea market until its end, and subscribed to volume 2 when it came about (my subscription was cut short when Mirage ceased publication at #13). I also subscribed to Adventures for like the second half of the run.

I was buying IDW for a while and enjoying the stories, probably until around issue 50. It's hard for me to keep up with a monthly comic these days though (both buying and just sitting down to read them), so I lost track and I've been pretty behind for a while now.

A lot of people seem to have dropped the series or otherwise just lost track of it around #50. Various reasons for this I imagine. I myself have missed most of what's not in the main IDW series and have stopped around issue #100. City At War is my final arc just because life is getting in the way and I'm just... done. Maybe I'll go back and collect some of the mini-series I've missed later but 100 issues plus micro series plus a few of the minis I have read are a LOT of comics to keep track of, especially if you collect a thousand other DC/Marvel/indie books, all that you eventually want to re-read.

[Leo656]

Originally Posted by mikey0

The TMNT craze was in 1990. TMNT was only a fad in 1989. Turtlemania is a very 1990 thing. Turtlemania erupted after TMNT the Movie came out.

Don't say I never gave you anything.

[Original TMNT Cartoon Fan]

Originally Posted by IndigoErth

Unfortunately, the down side of being first generation was the disadvantage of not having an older generation of fans ahead of us (excluding those original older Mirage readers pre-Turtlemania) and no internet to battle the stigma that they're not just a "kids thing" and still perfectly okay to like them as a teen and adult.

As such I had a mother who decided it wasn't okay anymore when I was 15 and pretty much chose to shame me into putting it away. And because she could be kind of a bitch, to put it bluntly, she pretty much enjoyed teasing/shaming me about for many years to come.

You should just reply:

Do you prefer me reading comics and watching cartoons, or maybe it's better to drink alcohol (despite being under the legal aocohol drinking age) and use drugs?

[mikey0]

Originally Posted by Leo656

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/i...EafgA&usqp=CAc

Don't say I never gave you anything.

Well, there never was a craze for TMNT that lasted from 1988 to 1991. That is factually inaccurate.

Sorry for going off-topic, OP.

[IndigoErth]

Originally Posted by Original TMNT Cartoon Fan

You should just reply:

Do you prefer me reading comics and watching cartoons, or maybe it's better to drink alcohol (despite being under the legal aocohol drinking age) and use drugs?

Was always too straight arrow and that shy, quiet kid, she'd have never bought it. lol Though it makes a good point about the absurdity of a parent having an issue with one harmless interest when they were lucky to never once have to deal with some of the things some other parents did/do with their kids.

[ABrown]

What year did you first discover TMNT?

Pretty sure it was the Fall of 1989 when the original cartoon went into five day a week syndication

How old were you when you first discovered TMNT?

Eight years old

What was your first exposure to TMNT (comics, cartoons, toys, films, games etc.)?

My first exposure was the original cartoon. But I didn't really get into it until after I saw the original movie.

What was your first piece of TMNT merchandise that you bought (toys, movies, food product, clothing, games ETC.)

First thing that I got was the original four turtle toys. I remember having to do a lot of hunting cause I kept running into variations that I had to explain to my mom that they weren't the "real ones".

Did you stick with your TMNT fandom, or did you lose interest and get back into it later? If you lost interest, what prompted your rediscovery?

Was away from the franchise from 1992-1996. I became far more interested in Kelly Kapowski/Tiffani-Amber Thiessen (Saved by the Bell) and Brenda Walsh/Shannen Doherty (Beverly Hills 90210). Also, I was really into Super Nintendo and sports. I got back in to the franchise when I discovered the "red sky" seasons of the original cartoon. And then I absolutely loved the 4Kids series and the 2007 CGI movie. I haven't loved much from the last decade. Though I did really enjoy the Batman vs Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie.

[Spike Spiegel]

What year did you first discover TMNT?

Some time in the mid '90s. I was very young and can recall checking out an incredibly battered VHS tape of the Fred Wolf pilot from the library that was so run-down it didn't show any image after about 15 minutes. It didn't make an impression on me at all, other than a vague memory of how cute April was that stayed with me long after I saw it.

How old were you when you first discovered TMNT?

Maybe 6 or 7 years of age. I was born after 1990 so the later run of Batman: TAS was the biggest pop culture thing for me at the time.

What was your first exposure to TMNT (comics, cartoons, toys, films, games etc.)?

The aforementioned Fred Wolf VHS and the premiere of the 2003 series, which hit me at the sweet spot where I still loved cartoons but was becoming interested in more adult storytelling. I also remember watching the third live action movie in my grandmother's basement on Syfy at least fifteen years ago.

What was your first piece of TMNT merchandise that you bought (toys, movies, food product, clothing, games ETC.)

I got an action figure of 2003 Raph but kept losing the weapons and belt.

Did you stick with your TMNT fandom, or did you lose interest and get back into it later? If you lost interest, what prompted your rediscovery?

The peak of my fandom was the run of the 2003 show, which happened between fifth grade and the start of high school for me. I would have lost interest but found a collected book of the first nine or so issues of Mirage at a small bookstore during my freshman year of college.

I've since picked up the IDW reprints and have found the comics to be my favorite part of the franchise (I have had a similar experience with the Wolfman/Perez Teen Titans and the series based on it that was on Cartoon Network).

Weirdly enough, I never saw the 1990 film until maybe high school. I got the DVD from the library and made a bootleg of it with a VHS tape as my family did not have a lot of money at the time.

[D-ray]

What year did you first discover TMNT?

Somewhere around 2004 and 2006.

How old were you when you first discovered TMNT?

I was a little bitter pudding, 3/5 years old very likely.

What was your first exposure to TMNT (comics, cartoons, toys, films, games etc.)?

Obliviously, it was the 2003 serie of the TMNT. Watched first on Jetix and then collected the DVD collection sold in newsstands (they sell everything in those placed here in Italy).

What was your first piece of TMNT merchandise that you bought (toys, movies, food product, clothing, games ETC.)

Tons of action figure and PS2 games (TMNT 2003 trilogy and eventual 1v1 fighting games).

Did you stick with your TMNT fandom, or did you lose interest and get back into it later? If you lost interest, what prompted your rediscovery?

Never leaved it, NEVER. I always sticked around my childhood memories, and analysed everything TMNT related from then. Heck, I started a "war" to get people to respect more the TMNT (with no success due to a change of mind).
Sadly, I never read any comic, but I wish I could do so one day, since they are very very similar to the 2003 serie.