Does Donatellos Degree take place in 1994?

[Original TMNT Cartoon Fan]

While the original series seemed to take place in the actual time, why does Donatellos Degree suddenly seems to take place in 1994?

I know it's set at springtime, but what does the "Sopho University Class of 1994" mean?

Philo Sopho said they would graduate, so it wouldn't mean they would study at the university for years, and then graducate som years later. Or did he mean Earth would spin so fast in its orbitaround Sun, that its orbital period would reduce the years, changing from 1990 or something to 1994 within some few hours.

This would, of course, cause "Too Hot to Handle" to be set some time after Donatellos Degree.

[Ninjinister]

[sdp]

I can't remember the episode and your post assumes you understand the context of the episode so I don't understand the problem. But can't the episode just take place in 1994 instead of whatever year this episode was written in?

[FredWolfLeonardo]

It could, since the Original Cartoon (especially the middle seasons) did not have a set passage of time. There were occassions of time passing being mentioned such as:

1. 2 years passing between season 8 and 9
2. Once Upon a Time Machine being set in 1991

But the overall passage of time could really be any number of years, so I don't find it odd that 3 years would pass just between 2 season 4 episodes (since that is the longest season after all, when you count Awesome Easter Special and the European Vacation).

[sdp]

We also know that the series is not in the correct order, there have been two attempts at putting the OT in continuity before on this forums but both failed as there wasn't enough interest in the community and the one doing all the work stopped coming.

As far as how long the OT took place, I made a topic about it a few years ago.

[Original TMNT Cartoon Fan]

Originally Posted by FredWolfLeonardo

It could, since the Original Cartoon (especially the middle seasons) did not have a set passage of time. There were occassions of time passing being mentioned such as:

1. 2 years passing between season 8 and 9
2. Once Upon a Time Machine being set in 1991

But the overall passage of time could really be any number of years, so I don't find it odd that 3 years would pass just between 2 season 4 episodes (since that is the longest season after all, when you count Awesome Easter Special and the European Vacation).

Even "Elementary, My Dear Turtle" is set in 1991.

So, the Technodrome is on the Volcanic Asteroid between around mid-1989 and mid-1991. The turtles visit Europe between July 1990 and early 1991.

Season 4 starts right after season 3.

[oldmanwinters]

Don't think too hard about it. After all, in the Fred Wolf-verse, who is to say that the years don't count down instead of up?

[Roseangelo]

I never saw any of the original series as taking place in any particular year. Just a generic "present time."

[CyberCubed]

In Once upon a time Machine, Michaelangelo says, "We're going back home to good old 1991."

Then in Seasons 9-10, April is always on the internet, which as we know back in 1995/1996 was something new for the public for the first time.

[sdp]

Well most cartoons/shows tend to take place at a generic present time to not date themselves in re-runs but many shows slip up from time to time and feature something that has an actual date.

Only basement dweller continuity nerds like us love to grab to those details to have a precise timeline that the creators never intended or didn't fully plan out as much as we did and we try to fix those mistakes.

It becomes a problem since most show creators just go for the sliding timeline route but most fans don't like it and we try to make it fit but run into problems when there are multiple Christmas episodes and whatnot making it hard to fit the series in a specific time frame.

[Prowler]

Originally Posted by sdp

Well most cartoons/shows tend to take place at a generic present time to not date themselves in re-runs but many shows slip up from time to time and feature something that has an actual date.

Only basement dweller continuity nerds like us love to grab to those details to have a precise timeline that the creators never intended or didn't fully plan out as much as we did and we try to fix those mistakes.

It becomes a problem since most show creators just go for the sliding timeline route but most fans don't like it and we try to make it fit but run into problems when there are multiple Christmas episodes and whatnot making it hard to fit the series in a specific time frame.

Tbh what you're saying also applies to a lot of questions we make here about the FW series, such as "where did the Turtles get their furniture?".

As for timelines, eh I don't think it's relevant in the FW series. It's an episodic show for the most part really. Just like nobody cares that Bart and Lisa Simpson never seem to age.

Aging in cartoons, anime, comics, etc. can be tough to work around. Garfield for example, ages. Every year he has his birthday, usually there is a small arc preceding it. Thing is, Jim Davis has already created Garfield in 1978, meaning Garfield is 39-40 years old by now, and we all know cats don't live that long. And noway a cat with the type of diet and lifestyle of Garfield's would manage to live more than a couple of years, let alone four full decades

[dragonside]

I kind of like that fact that there is a year there.

legit '94.

[leotony]

Considering there were 10 seasons, does that mean that the turtles were no longer Teenage somewhere into the series

[sdp]

Originally Posted by Prowler

Tbh what you're saying also applies to a lot of questions we make here about the FW series, such as "where did the Turtles get their furniture?".

Through dumpsters, people throw out a lot of good stuff and they had the time to clean it. Also they could've bought it since they were no strangers to going out in disguise.

Originally Posted by leotony

Considering there were 10 seasons, does that mean that the turtles were no longer Teenage somewhere into the series

Well that doesn't mean the ten seasons took place in their respective years, maybe the last 3 seasons take place in only one year. If the series begins when they're 13 they have 7 years to still be teenagers.

But if you click the link to the thread in my earlier post the general consensus of the fandom is that the OT turtles were not teenagers by the time the show ended.

[oldmanwinters]

Originally Posted by Roseangelo

I never saw any of the original series as taking place in any particular year. Just a generic "present time."

I actually like the idea of this international promotional flyer that pitches the whole show as taking place "in a city of the future."
https://imgur.com/CzRPHw2

Spoiler:

[pferreira]

Originally Posted by sdp

We also know that the series is not in the correct order, there have been two attempts at putting the OT in continuity before on this forums but both failed as there wasn't enough interest in the community and the one doing all the work stopped coming.

Other fans took over and came up with a couple of great continuity timelines.

Originally Posted by oldmanwinters

Don't think too hard about it. After all, in the Fred Wolf-verse, who is to say that the years don't count down instead of up?

But it is weird that the writer set it in 1994 and not when the episode was made. I wonder why.

Originally Posted by oldmanwinters

I actually like the idea of this international promotional flyer that pitches the whole show as taking place "in a city of the future."

So basically the international flyer predicted the Red Sky seasons?

[Original TMNT Cartoon Fan]

Originally Posted by pferreira

So basically the international flyer predicted the Red Sky seasons?

Does that flyer say 1991?

[pferreira]

Originally Posted by Original TMNT Cartoon Fan

Does that flyer say 1991?

Looks like an early flyer for the show.

[Original TMNT Cartoon Fan]

Originally Posted by pferreira

Looks like an early flyer for the show.

Doesn't it say Copyright 1991 below?

[pferreira]

Originally Posted by Original TMNT Cartoon Fan

Doesn't it say Copyright 1991 below?

If it does it's still before the Red Sky era of the show.