02-19-2012, 12:47 PM | #1 |
Mad Scientist
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April O'Neil's character design
Has it ever been explained anywhere what the artists were thinking when they came up with the design for the original April O'Neil?
I know it was the 80's, but the yellow jumpsuit still seems kind of strange. Were jumpsuits really that popular in the 80's? They just as easily could have designed an April that wore one of those tops that looked like football shoulder pads. Or had her with the sweater with one shoulder (maybe not when she was reporting, but in her casual scenes). If I was on the TMNT creative team, and they said, "design a reporter character", I have to admit, I'd probably make her look like Lois Lane: blouse, skirt, high heels. Maybe since it was the 80's, they would be wacky colors, and her hair would be really big. I'm not saying that April's character design was bad. Obviously it's memorable considering the cosplays you see at conventions. I just find it bizarre that out of all the possibilities and choices, that's what they ended up with. I know she wore a jumpsuit in the Mirage comics, but that was one issue, and she was a lab assistant, not a reporter. |
02-19-2012, 12:54 PM | #2 |
Overlord
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Her design was based entirely off of Mirage #2. Even her hairstyle is the same.
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02-19-2012, 12:56 PM | #3 |
Overlord
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Obviously, the jumpsuit idea came from the second issue of the Mirage comics, but the yellow jumpsuit and white boots were probably a product of either Playmates or Fred Wolf Films input.
I'm really surprised nobody has drawn attention to the similarities between Old Toon April and Mel Bush from the 1986-1987 seasons of Doctor Who. I know David Wise has been a huge Doctor Who fan over the years, so it wouldn't surprise me if he somehow influenced the design process for the pilot episodes. I guess somebody could probably ask him on his Facebook page or something.
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02-19-2012, 12:56 PM | #4 | |
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Wow, I don't know much about Doctor Who, so that took me by surprise. If I didn't know where those middle screen captures came from, I would think it was some live action Turtles thing. |
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02-19-2012, 12:59 PM | #5 |
Foot Elite
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Her yellow jumpsuit seemed to derive from the late '70s anime "Lupin the 3rd", based on the character Fujiko. I have no idea where the red hair for the OT came from, even though O'Neil is a Scottish/Irish surname where red hair is most common.
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02-19-2012, 01:07 PM | #6 | |
Overlord
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Here's a clip from the episode where Mel first appeared, sporting her April O'Neil outfit. Terror of the Vervoids: I don't know if Wise ever watched any Lupin the 3rd back in the 70s, but considering the fact that he almost certainly watched Dr. Who during 1986-1987 and wrote the pilot episodes sometime in '87... the connection just seems to be too uncanny to be coincidental.
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02-19-2012, 03:09 PM | #7 |
Hench Mutant
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I just assumed they chose that outfit for April because it was easy to color and animate.
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02-19-2012, 03:16 PM | #8 |
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02-20-2012, 12:23 PM | #9 |
Overlord
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Blouse Irma
I don't know what news reporters wear when not being on TV, but one thing that has made me wonder is Irma. Working as a secretary girl, wouldn't she usually be required by her employer to wear something better-looking than a sweater to work, something like a blouse and a skirt. Actually, Irma usually sits just where visitors open the front door, and it's her they usually talk to when they arrive and wonder where someone is, so that would make more sense.
Last edited by Original TMNT Cartoon Fan; 02-20-2012 at 04:47 PM. |
02-22-2012, 12:08 PM | #10 | |
Stone Warrior
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I think 80's APril is probably the prettiest design out there.
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02-22-2012, 01:15 PM | #11 | ||
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The Doctor Who connection is an interesting one, especially considering the Utroms/Krang are very reminiscent of the aliens inside the Dalek armor.
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03-19-2012, 05:53 PM | #12 | |
Overlord
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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:
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03-19-2012, 06:21 PM | #13 | |
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03-19-2012, 06:23 PM | #14 | |
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Maybe we should do a thread about "things we should ask David Wise about the 87 series," since now we can. Hmm. |
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03-19-2012, 06:30 PM | #15 | |
Overlord
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Any idea which incarnation of the character he might have gotten the yellow jumpsuit and mini-cam idea from? While David Wise seems like he's one of the few creative minds who doesn't mind talking in detail about his work on the classic series, I wouldn't recommend we starting flooding his inbox(s) with oodles of TMNT questions. It just seems a little rude; hence, why I waited so long to actually contact him in the first place. So... I guess that just means use discretion.
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03-19-2012, 06:49 PM | #16 |
Jedi Master
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My anime knowledge is primarily Pokemon,Digimon,and Dragonball. With that and the fact I am away from a computer the rest of the night so would someone post a picture of of this Lupin The Third design?Thanks and thanks Mr. Winters and one of my two favorite cartoon writers of all time.
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03-19-2012, 07:02 PM | #17 |
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[QUOTE=mikeandraph87;926194 With that and the fact I am away from a computer the rest of the night so would someone post a picture of of this Lupin The Third design?Thanks and thanks Mr. Winters and one of my two favorite cartoon writers of all time.[/QUOTE]
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03-19-2012, 07:57 PM | #18 | |
Hench Mutant
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Of course, your point to not flood his inbox with all these fan questions is well taken. I didn't imply that we should, but was thinking outloud with "if you could." Actually, in my top 5 questions for him, April's character design isn't one of them, but very good to know. In his contributions with the 25th anniversary DVD documentary, he was rather open and affable. Nice to see that confirmed, as, frankly, he didn't have to answer you. Last I checked, wasn't he the head of a manga or anime company? Either way, he clearly has more important things to do with his time, so, again, discretion to be used at best or worst. |
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03-19-2012, 08:08 PM | #19 |
Stone Warrior
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That's so cool of David Wise to answer this. Many thanks.
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03-19-2012, 09:10 PM | #20 |
Jedi Master
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Thanks,Turtle Titan97. I could have looked it up but I have been away from a computer several hours and iPhones are much harder to navigate.
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april o'neil, fred wolf series |
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