Have you grown tired

[EZweasel]

I am just curious if anyone has grown tired of ninja turtles as a whole but sticks around here just for the fun of talking and interacting with each other.

[GK Punk]

I have somewhat. I still love the TMNT, but I've lost interest in the new show quite a bit.

[Weapon X]

Im only a fan of old school TMNT and I still like it just not as much as 12 years ago. :ohwell:

[Kazari]

I don't grow tired..I just keep switching from TMNT to SK back to TMNT. I miss SK. I know if SK was ever brought back, I don't think TMNT would stand a chance to me LOL

[Jo Dawn]

*Looks around warily*


Um... kinda. I used to be up way early to see even repeats. Now I'm glad for the time to snooze longer! I missed a episode, new, and thought, 'eh. I'll catch it eventually'. Haven't bought any toys or anything for... well, a loooong time. And I really don't know what to do with the stuff that I do have. It's going to waste. Then I think of all that money I spent, and what else I could have spent it on... *sigh* It's no longer 'life or death' if I miss an episode. I'm *gasp* growing up. ;)

I mean, don't anyone get ticked at me, but, it's only a cartoon. And I have realized that. My real life has too much stuff going for it that I need to focus on. This cartoon will be around forever, thanks to the DVDs and such. You can always go back and reminisce on it. You can't go back and re-do life. Can't get back those moments... those moments that I cherish.

Yeah, I dunno. Real life is... well, way more important.

[Raven]

ive gotten to the point were I hate the new show, its just getting really stupid, the storys are just terrible!

[Kazari]

LOL That may change, Major Pain! I am writing my own script to hopefully get it in there LOL

[OA]

I still feel pretty strong about TMNT after about 14 years or so of being a fan. I went through a faze through all of middle school and early high school that I didnt even think about tmnt ever. But junior/senior I got back in, right when the last of the old school toys (mutant masters, mutaforce, etc.) were still on pegs. That was when I discovered ebay...and well that just changed everything. I went through all of college collecting, reading, watching the cartoon...and now I'm married and my wife has grown to enjoy them as well (thank god!)..we watch the show on the weekends together and pick up toys whenver we can...we are buying a house soon with the full intention of making an upstairs room, a turtle room, full of all my turtlebilia...fortunately, financially and otherwise, seriously collecting and enjoying tmnt is a very real part of my life...so , NO, I have not grown tired of tmnt... :)

[Weapon X]

I still feel pretty strong about TMNT after about 14 years or so of being a fan. I went through a faze through all of middle school and early high school that I didnt even think about tmnt ever. But junior/senior I got back in,

Thats like exactly how I felt. :)

[Doppleganger]

A little. After the old show ended I kind of forgot about for years until the new show started up. Then the new show started up and saw it for nostalgia (but didn't think too highly of it) until the end when I got into it. The second and third seasons are awesome! But I'm wondering if my interest is going to ebb.

Anyways nothing will take it's place away from my 1st show. Which is Gargoyles.

[Foxy Boy]

I really got into the new show (No humour, no nostalgia, IMO, no quality), but I like the old show more and more every day. ^_^

[MrPliggins]

Hmm.. I have never felt "life or death" if i miss an episode. But I still consider myself a pretty big fan. I too have alot going on in my life (especially at the moment), but it's nice to see a new tmnt ep to get away from my troubles for a half hour. Back in the days of the old school cartoon, I was taping every episode, and even kept track of which episodes aired on what day. Now I just catch it when I can and I only tape them to watch them. Also, back in the old days I used to keep every tmnt item I could, even junk like cereal boxes and pie wrappers. Now I just watch the show and buy the comics. Haven't gotten any of the merchandise. I'm still a big fan, just a different kind of one, I guess.

[LionO]

I loved TMNT as a kid and I had a lot of the figures. They were my biggest toy collection when I was a kid. I had the T-shirts, the watch, the sun glasses and dam it, even the cerial! In my teen years I could care less about toys as I forgot how good I had it as a kid. In College Nostlgia hit me and since then I've been very nostalgic and jumped right back into being a kid agin :D I still wake up early Saturdays to watch my Saturday morning line up and I don't care if they are repeats I still watch them because I can't get enough of them.

[Kazari]

You sound like me *laughs* I am not as bad with TMNT like I was with SK LOL

[KROW]

Have I grown tired of the Ninja Turtles? Nope. I like it all. Old toon, new toon, Mirage books, Archie books, and even the Image books. I haven't seen much of TNM but if I did, I'd probably be entertained by that, too. I love them terrapins, but I'm not a fanatic or purist. They were a big part of my childhood, and I am still very fond of the franchise.

[Voltron]

I'm an old toon junkie. I know I don't talk about it much(due to my controversial views on certain Leonardo related matters), but I'm still a huge fan.

[Kazari]

LOL Old Toon Leo got on my nerves! But I digress! I am not as bad as I was with SK though. I mean I have missed TMNT reruns due to work and such. But SK I never missed reruns lol

[Kid Icarus]

I'm pretty much where Jo is. I missed a couple episodes because of work, and just kinda lost intrest in keeping up with it. I'd buy the toys still, but I think the lines become utter crap. If they'd make figures, and stop putting stupid action features in toys, i'd pry pick up more of them.

[ThirdMarioBro]

OMFG I'm posting outside the GD area!!! :o :D


I lost intrest in the toys because simply put, they suck. BUt I still watch the series hardcore. Honestly, the stuff on prime time TV stuff is pretty much sh*t to me, and mostly I through with American TV anyways. The only reason I'll get up is if the cable box says "New Episode". Then I wake up happily. The Fox Box is hell, but it's worth it for TMNT. Then I post opinions here, and go back to bed.

I don't believe people have to outgrow anything. Honestly, it's the adults who don't that are usually the most fun to be around in general. The new series is still great, and looks to get better as the season goes on, but the toys are pure crap. I used to be paranoid if I missed an episode, but now that I know they'll eventually all be released on DVD, it's not such a big deal. Maybe dissappointed, but I'll see it a couple months later. My TMNT fandom may go into hibernation when the new series eventually ends, but they'll always be in my heart. And if a new movie comes out, I'll be there opening day. Parents and kids can give me looks and glares all they want. Damn them. :lol: I love animation (any country as long as it's good), and I don't see it as a kid's medium as the general US populace does. Just another way of telling interesting stories that aren't feasable in live action.

The only thing I've never moved on from in my life is gaming. Probobly never will. If there was no new TMNT, I'd probobly have moved on from it by now, but then I'd never have found this place. THank heavens for the new series. ;)

[Barkworm]

I really liked the beginning of the new show's season 1. There were still a couple of good episodes after that but most of them were rather boring. I'm here 99% because of the people.

[starry]

Being a kind of "Born-again fan" I'm still really into TMNT as a whole. I'm nowhere near caught up to the new season of the new series, and there are still tons of comics to hunt down and read. I always wander over to the TMNT figures section when I go to the store, and as of late at my house, one of the movies or cartoon episodes is playing in the background at any given time. So...nope, not tired of 'em yet! ^__^

When the new series has finished its run, I'll still love the Ninja Turtles as much as ever, but chances are I'll become more involved with something else...that's happened to me in a lot of fandoms where nothing new is released.

[Kazari]

I hear ya starry.

[EZweasel]

im actually surprized at all the replies on here..I realy thought i was the only one. It does make me sorta sad though because i realy do want to like them like i did again, but i cannot bring myself back to it like it was :cry:

[Peanut]

I haven't really grown tired of it, but...I don't know how to explain it. I use to make sure I was up on time to catch the show, but now I probably haven't seen it for a couple months. I saw everything up to The Big Brawl then I kinda started drifting off. I never really had any toys or dvds, because there's basically nothing here in Canada. As for comics, I read the new Mirage stuff up to around #14? 15? I can't remember, but then I just couldn't find that much money to spend on comics, and Spider-Man comes before TMNT, so I had to phase it out. I even started getting some of the old stuff off Ebay for awhile. After I completed getting the old Tales series I just quit. Basically I still love the TMNT, but it's hard for me to find the time, and especially money, to invest into the franchise much anymore.

[XERO]

I guess it's because of the fact we're all grown up.

I'll admit, it's becoming more difficult to hold onto my young mindset of enjoying a cartoon series.

But I'll never forget the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Never.

Enjoy them while they're here. I know I am. :)

[Kazari]

My problem is that if a show goes into reruns, I'll kind of stop liking them for awhile and either pick up a new show or watch an older show I use to like until newer episodes appear.

[Foxy Boy]

I think part of the reason some the adults on this forum (I'm 17, so I'm nearly there) haven't got a problem staying interested in TMNT is because they've developed a connection with the characters, and because of memories. I'm especially guilty of the former, since I can relate to and establish an emotional connection to anthro- or nearly-anthro-characters much more easily than human ones for some reason (For those of you wondering, no, I'm not a furry). Which is one good reason that I can't enjoy the new show as much as the old one (Another reason is because the new show, IMO, sucks). They took out all of the good characters that I had grown fond of, and the few they included (Like Leatherhead, for example) were killed or disappeared after a very short time, even one episode.
I'm also not immune to warm and fuzzy memories, but they're not the main reason I'm still fond of the old TMNT.

[CyberCubed]

I've *never* lost interest in the TMNT. Like most people I was introduced to them with the Original Cartoon. I think I was around 12 or 13 when the Old cartoon was cancelled. I remember watching the Dregg episodes over and over, wondering when the repeats would end and if new episodes would start. I was very disappointed to see it end.

I even watched the Next Mutation in it's entirety and repeats of it galore.

Around the time that the new Volume 4 comic started, I started buying all the back issues of the old TMNT series. After missing out on them as a kid, I finally read most of the Volume 1, 2, 3, Tales, Archie comics that I missed out on. Some comics are really horrible (Volume 1 guest writers and the Archie specials come to mind) but for the most part they were great stories.

Of course I love the new cartoon, and I've bought as many of the new toys as possible. All the new TMNT varients are starting to take their toll though, I don't feel like collecting some of the newer ones.

Overall though TMNT has been a part of my life since I was around 4 years old and I will never lose interest in the Ninja Turtles. It is such a wonderful concept, and I hope the new cartoon lasts for many years to come.

I'm surprised at all the negative comments around here of people losing interest. Sure I don't watch the reruns on cartoon network, but that doesn't mean I've lost interest in the franchise. I just don't have to see the same episodes 10+ times over and over like I did when I was a kid. Seeing each episode once or twice a year is enough.

Also for the record Season 2 had some really bland filler eps, but other than that Season 1 and 3 have been exceptional. Season 2 of the new toon was also very good, but all the one-shot episodes after City at War were disappointing. Season 2 is a good season, but overall Season 1 and 3 have much better pacing and less bland fillers.

[OA]

I'm actually a little surprised as well to hear so many people are losing interest..when i first read the thread title I thought there wouldn't be many people at all who would say they were gettin tired...interesting...

[raphael90]

I guess I've kinda come off the second wind I got for TMNT a few years back...I don't watch the new show and only pull out the old ones here and there. But I still get a figure every now and then and will always hold a special place for the TMNT in my heart, they're excellent! And I enjoy posting time to time on here.

[azure turtle]

we are buying a house soon with the full intention of making an upstairs room, a turtle room, full of all my turtlebilia...
OMG, I have the same dream. Forget the white-picket fence, I want a turtle room! :D

To answer the original question, yes, there was a time when I grew tired of TMNT. It was back in the late 90's where my fandom almost disappeared. I rarely watched the Red Sky eps of the old 'toon, and I only caught a handful of Next Mutation episodes. I don't think it was me getting tired of TMNT in general, but I wasn't enjoying all of the TMNT projects going on at the time. It wasn't until late 2001 that my fandom was rekindled after finding the TMNT official website. I then bought the first issue of volume 4, and lurked on the Technodrome before finally signing up. I haven't stopped being a fan since, and I continue to watch the new show every time it's on (except for reruns, since I can catch up on sleep). I'm still buying all the new comics, and I'm even trying to fill in gaps in my collection of all the past comics. I stopped buying the toys (I only liked waves 1 and 2, with a few other action figures here and there), and I limit my spending on other TMNT merchandise (I've become unemployed recently). But I don't think I'm gonna lose interest again any time soon, especially with Peter Laird overseeing things. ;)

[Weapon X]

I was a huge fan from '89-'93 then in'94 I got into SPIDERMAN and then in '95-'99 I was takin over by STAR WARS and then there was nothing really.i RECENTLY GOT BACK INTO IT BECAUSE OF THE fORUMS AND THE RETRO REVIVAL AND FINDING MY OLD STUFF.

[TuRtLeTiTaN]

hmmmmm lets see i have to say every time turtles has reruns for like 5 weeks or nothing happens like no new dvds i grow tired of it then when a new episode comes out it comes back to being cool

[LionO]

I guess it's because of the fact we're all grown up.

I'll admit, it's becoming more difficult to hold onto my young mindset of enjoying a cartoon series.

But I'll never forget the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Never.

Enjoy them while they're here. I know I am. :)

You hit it right on the head. Most of us who watched the turtles as kids are adults so we don't have that mind set. Our minds wonder, complain, function in all these directions. As a kid I couldn't care less what was going on around me as long as I had the turtle on screen.

[Jester]

I had my falling out around red sky, and i was in Italy during NT:TNM so i didn't see but the movie, which i bought at the BX. I did however buy the figs at the local toy stores....when i heard the new toon was coming i cam beck whole heartedly....and now, thanks to DVD i can relive my TMNT hayday bliss....though i had a gap in fandom....I'm back and stronger than ever....

[MrPliggins]

Yeah, you guys are right. Being an adult, there are bigger things to worry about financially and just all around. Back then I had no worries except whether i had enough tape left to tape the new episode. Its true what they say, enjoy being a kid, cuz once it's gone, it's gone.

[Kazari]

I know being an adult sucks! *poutz* I wish I was young again.

[Ra]

i have just entered my teens about one month ago...so......:embarass:

i was a TMNT fan from the begining. i have no idea if i watched the old eps, but i definatly watched NT shows. when that finished, i pretty much forgot about them. i did have the ocaional dream with some shots of the show, and i'd wake up thinking "what the heck was that about?"

about one or two years ago, i first saw the new show. all of a sudden everything clicked, i was reborn

i first looked up TMNT on the net, i somehow discovered the drome. i thought everybody was pretty friendly. i joined up. when i first discovered there were some people my age, and even older, who kept the fandom alive, i thought it wasn't so bad to like something like the turtles (well, it's considered a kids show aimed at the ages of about eight) i was pretty impressed when i discovered it was origonally started as a comic for teens and adults. and to top it all off, some of my friends are catching onto the TMNT *puts on dark voice* and the fandom grows... :evilgrin:

[Lisardo]

I agree with most everything Jo Dawn said on the subject. While real life ins't totally busy for me, at least not yet, I still have other worries and such that keep me from constantly thinking or watching TMNT like I used to. I suppose I too am *sorta* growing up. Also I am a fan to other shows and things now as well. So some of my interest has gone more to those other things/shows. I tend to phase in and out of a fandom like that, I guess I can't help it.

Don't get me wrong tho, I do like the new FoxBox TMNT cartoon, but I guess I can't get into it as much as some ppl do. You won't find me discussing a new ep every week, talking about this figure or that figure, talking about the video game, etc. Infact, I've had the first PL2 game of it for prolly over a year now and not once have I played it. My older brother plays it more than me. I prolly will play it later on, just haven't gotten around to it yet. I have old comics that are still lying around unread. I haven't kept up on the new comics and don't care to. All I really do with TMNT is watch the new show on FoxBox, and that's it. Sad really. I suppose my older brother was right at the time he told me this and I was too immature and obsessed with TMNT to believe him: "You're gonna drive them to the ground!" Maybe I have, or did rather. I dunno. I'm sorry to be a 'fading' fan (so it seems). But I do still like the TMNT deep down, I guess I'm just not into it like I used to be. And I don't go overboard with it like used and like how I know some ppl in the fandom do (thank God).

The reason I still lurk around the forums is to meet ppl and discuss some of the new series. I practically have no real life social life, :( Once and while I discuss the new eps on FoxBox. Also I discuss other fun TMNT things from the older versions like the movies, comics, Original Series cartoon, etc. Stuff I know a pretty good deal about.

[Buslady]

I am just curious if anyone has grown tired of ninja turtles as a whole but sticks around here just for the fun of talking and interacting with each other.

NEVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I will never ever stop loving them! Especially Raph *swoon*

hehhe

im a dork i know

Hell, I'm 33. I've been through alot in the past 10 years. TMNT is my retreat from real life. Yeah I'm a bit obsessive with Raphael, but it's my nature. I am an obsessive person. I don't I can ever abandon him...yea yea he's only fiction..so what.
I dont like missing a new ep, I go nuts but I know I'll see it somehow. Usually repeats. It's really the only show I watch. I hate sitcoms, i hate the reality shows, I had all those evening dramas....cartoon network repeats things over and over...sick of that junk...

[Kazari]

You're not a dork!

[audman]

I would say that I have not really lost interest. I may not get to watch them on tv when first televised but I do give effort. Another note why many of us maybe don't feel we are as interested is....

1. When you are a kid everything is new even when you watch it forty times. I know five year olds that watch tapes over and over until they wear out.

We as teens and adults know we have it on tape so when a repeat airs we look for something new to watch. I know that I like the show. I think feeling that you are not as interested is caused by not being able to devote the time you did when you were 7 years old to something. I love other toy lines and shows as well but when there is a dry spell I look elsewhere until something new happens. It is only natural. (rambling finished)

[Mandi-chan]

I still love the new toon with a passion!

I started off as a TMNT because of the movies, and kinda forgot about them until I saw a teaser for the premire of the new cartoon. I remembered the movies and that there had been a cartoon when I was little (I'm 18 now) and thought the new toon looked cool. I didn't get around to watching it until the end of season one, and I fell in love! :tlove:

I don't collect the Merch, I'm getting the series on dvd and would like to buy the giant figures of the guys, a plushi of Mikey, and figures for other characters I liked.

I don't think the new toon has gotten boring at all, if anything, it gets better and better. I'm kinda upset by all the negative reponses concerning the new toon here...

[Kazari]

True and maybe I feel this way right now because of the reruns..hopefully when the new episodes start up again, I'll be fine! LOL

[HorseTechie]

Heh-heh... yes, I will admit I finally grew tired of the TMNT too. Not so much that I want no more. Just enough that I'm not like obsessively thinking about them. Or wanting to chat with friends about TMNT, or write fanfic and draw fanart.

I just stick around for the sake of my freinds. I have been a fan of the TMNT since 1990. I've been there though it all, every up and down. It wasn't until 1997 that I discovered the online community. That was a wild blast for a many great year. Then, like the saying goes, I finally had enough of that good thing. The new cartoon is great.. I do make an effort to watch that. And pick up the new comics. But I my hunger for all things TMNT is finally satisfied.

Of course, getting hooked into another fandom doesn't help keep my interest on the TMNT much anymore either... :roll:

[ThirdMarioBro]

I really liked the beginning of the new show's season 1. There were still a couple of good episodes after that but most of them were rather boring. I'm here 99% because of the people.

Yeah, that's pretty much the same story here. This board is about the people. TMNT is just what brought us here. The people is what makes us stay.

[Dinogrrl]

"Not so much that I want no more. Just enough that I'm not like obsessively thinking about them. Or wanting to chat with friends about TMNT, or write fanfic and draw fanart."

You know I've never related the writing of fic or drawing of art or owning of toys with intensity of interest or lack of interest in a fandom. Probably because I never draw fanart or write fanfic or buy toys, but I think fandom covers all forms from the maniacal completist collecter to someone like me who likes to watch the show for fun and has a few knick knacks but isn't interested in toys or with being bothered with getting up to watch the new episodes. Hey, they come out on dvd eventually anyway.

So I don't think what Jo Dawn and HT described is necessarily a loss of interest as a shifting of priorities back toward RL (as it should be), or perhaps more accurately, passing through the "honeymoon" period and settling into 'mature' fandom. It doesn't mean we like it any less, just that it's only one facet of our lives.

[Jo Dawn]

I know being an adult sucks! *poutz* I wish I was young again.

Oh dear God... I don't!! I hated being young.


So I don't think what Jo Dawn and HT described is necessarily a loss of interest as a shifting of priorities back toward RL (as it should be), or perhaps more accurately, passing through the "honeymoon" period and settling into 'mature' fandom. It doesn't mean we like it any less, just that it's only one facet of our lives.

Wow. Yeah.

Writing fanfiction is a way for me to... get some things out of my system. It's therapeautic.

Okay, see... that's it. My priorities are for my real life; the stuff that keeps going on and on and will move me FORWARD as a person. Real life dosn't come out on DVD or reruns. Once it's gone, it's gone.

And, you know, that's just it. It's the growing up. Can you be a grown up and still love the TMNT? Yes!! It's a wonderful part of our lives that should never, ever be forgotten or forfeited. But...

My focus is on my life. My work, my love.

I'm still a fan, I always will be. But it can't be like it was before.



...Nothing ever can.

[nWoCHRISnWo]

18 years old, don't post here much at all, mostly read some of the threads, but...

I am as interested in the TMNT right now as I've ever been. I like the TV show better and better every week, I collect the DVDs, I buy TMNT shirts, new toys, old collectables off Ebay and other places, TMNT puzzles, games, you name it. I would go absolutely nuts if I missed a new episode. Like, I'd be more angry at that than if I lost my job, car, or wallet.

Suprised with all the replies with people losing TMNT interest. :(

[Kazari]

Wow, JD. Your post is so true, depressing, but yet so true LOL

[Jester]

i'd write more fan fics...if i could end the stinks....:P

[Jo Dawn]

Wow, JD. Your post is so true, depressing, but yet so true LOL

*nods* Yeah, that it is.


I mean, no one wants to hear that the time of youth, of innocense, has passed them by. They want to retain that time of wide eyed wonder that only comes with youth, and is destroyed by time.

Unfortunately, as much as even I hate to say it... It happens. Fantasy comes harder, with more difficulty, and reality comes to us more harshly.



...Hey... I think this could be used in the 'Quote Yourself' thread. Heh. ;) :)

[ZariusTwo]

I have a saying to describe the harsh effects of priorities in people's lives consuming thier love and appreciation for certain parts of any fandom, in large or small ways, or Turtles or otherwise...

"Your childhood does'nt betray you...you betray it."

[Jo Dawn]

But you have to admit, that, at some point, reality... priorities, become the necessity.

Unless you are a cartoonist, or a voice actor, or some other profession in which you deal with this line of work constantly, and make a living off of it.

Betray? Well, heh, I don't think so.

I'm sorry, but... If I had to choose... Real life people who love me, and real arms to hold me take precedence over shows I can watch in my spare time off a tape or DVD.

I need to make money and I need to be loved. *shrugs* So sue me. ;)

[Leonardo Mystic]

Never, never, never will I get tired of the Turtles. Mostly in part because I'm a 'born again' fan.

I had a falling out with them about the time the OS cartoon was to be cancelled, the third movie was released, and before NT:NM started its short-lived run. I had moved on to other things by then. Until that time, I had a blast with them, and Leonardo was always my favorite, love, and passion. At seven years old, I had declared him my 'boyfriend.' I swear it. Anyone who would have asked me then if I had a boyfriend I'd instantly reply "Leonardo", and I was dead serious about it too.
*giggles* It was funny because they'd give me this weird look, and I'd be like "You know, the Ninja Turtle" and their look would just get stranger.

Though in all honesty, even now it's not far from the truth. It's hard to explain, and I'm probably considered crazy for it, but an indescribeable happiness fills within me everytime I see his face, watch as he moves, and hear his voice as he speaks. Though he's fictional, I love him as if he were real, and that's what's depressing about it to me. I'd give up everything in this world to have him be real, just in human form, but I'd have better odds at winning the lottery jackpot first before that could happen, if ever. :cry: Jeez, I'm pathetic...

*ahem* Anyway, I was alerted rather strangely about TMNT's revival. I had a dream (yes, I'm serious), about them in live-action form just around the time, I think, that the new cartoon was half way through it's first season in 2003; a year and a half ago. Of course, I just about freaked out because I had not thought of the Turtles in years. Not since probably around '96, '97, and I had a normal, casual conversation with them just as if I would have with anyone. We were all sitting in the living room of their home as the setting, and Leo had me sitting in his lap. Basically, I think they were telling me they were back, though don't ask me how a dream like this ensued to begin with because I haven't got a clue.

After I had the dream, I didn't know what to make of it, and I didn't even check to see if there was any kind of evidence to back it up, though I should have. Plus, I thought it was a random thing my subconscious had somehow pulled out from memories after nearly a decade of lying dormant. However, I've now come to really pay attention to my dreams, especially when I found out it was true. It was a Sunday afternoon around 4-ish in March of last year, and I was eating dinner at a pizza place called "Stevie B's." There are several televisions in the resturant, and one of them was on Cartoon Network. I happen to glance up at the screen, and just about choked on the slice of the cheese pizza I was eating when I recognized what was on it. I was thinking at the moment "No freakin' way!! It can't be!!", but it was. That was just the beginning of the domino effect that eventually led me back into the Turtles wholeheartedly. Though it was in June, several months later after the incident, that I first saw an episode, which was "Darkness at the Edge of Town." I immediately fell in love with it, and the rest, they say, is history.

I found again what I had been missing for years. It feels like a second chance, and this time, I'm not letting go. I started collecting so many things as well. Figures, games, watches, tins, keychains, plushes, notebooks, shirts, fleece throw, beach towels, backpack, posters, Mirage Volume One comics when I learned about them, and cards. Most all of it is of Leonardo, but a few things are a group shot with him.

So that's why I'll never get tired of it.

[Kazari]

Well actually JD I am trying to an animation writer. I already finished my first script to send in so i guess this MAY be my profession lol

[Jo Dawn]

Hey, that's cool, Kazari!!


To be honest, when I was little, I wanted to be a VA. Heh.

The point of my post was not to belittle those workers who hold those jobs. It's a job, yes, as respectable as any other. I respect them as much as I do anyone else who works hard for a living.


Go for it, girl. It'd be an awesome job. :)

[Weapon X]

To be honest, when I was little, I wanted to be a VA. Heh. Go for it, girl. It'd be an awesome job. :)

You too huh :)

I think we can all agree that TMNT is one of those things that will stay with us forever no matter how old we are.

[Kazari]

Yeah I can't do voices. I tried but I can't *laughs* 2 of my best friends can...one of them is trying to pursue it. She's young but she's taking acting classes. I am more of a writer than anything. I need to edit my script and then send it off *keeps fingers crossed* Luckily Mike Pollock and Sam were helping me with it and giving me tips.

[KROW]

I don't see the "life is more important" aspect of this. That's most likely because I never looked at the TMNT as something that took my entire childhood. Not once did it suck up my existence back in the day to the point where it would be all I thought of or the only thing I would want to talk about. I was a big fan, having toys, comics, coloring books, even a lunchbox, but it wasn't anything close to an obsession where it would affect my decisions on life. The cartoon never made me want to decide a career, but it was one of the factors that made me interested in story and art.

The franchise was never a huge ideal in my mind, and it still isn't. However, it wasn't just something to kill time, either. I'm a bit in the middle of the spectrum, so to speak; indifferent on the subject, you could say.

[Archon_Turtle]

I really only follow the toy lines. the new show doesnt do much for me but i still love the figures and the turtles as a concept. I'm 23, have the turtles tattooed on my arm and still collect religiously. I can't stop now...it's an addiction........help.....me....

[Kazari]

LOL Why help you?

[Archon_Turtle]

eh, I don't need help, collecting is fun as hell...but um...the turtles HAVE consumed my life....my appartment...my bank account...my arm....they own everything!

[XERO]

Except for Carrot Top.

[KROW]

Except for Carrot Top.
That bastard ran up my phone bill.

I say listen to Carrot Top and collect! *rimshot*

[Kazari]

I remember when Carrot Top had his own show on CN *shudders*

[Mandi-chan]

I love the Ninja Turtles, but It's not the main focus of my life or anything...I'm not a very social person, true, but I do have other things on my mind other than my favorite shows.

Leonardo Mystic, I know how you feel, I a crush on movie Michelangelo when I was a kid. I still love Mikey now, but I realize he's not real (sadly) so I don't have a crush on him like I had when I was a kid.


Carrot Top had his own show on CN ?!

[Kazari]

Yeah he did...it was scarey *laughs*

[Tigerfog]

When I was young, I used to love those TMNT figures. I watched the old cartoon whenever I could and I loved the games. I would even get in teams with my brothers and friends and play ninja turtles together!
When I moved to France, I started to lose interest a little bit. If it wasn't for "Turtles in Time" on my SNES and the TMNT episodes in french that I watched every week, I think I wouldn'T be here in this forum now. Eventually, I noticed that the TMNT old cartoon were getting awfully childish and boring and just having my mother seeing me watch those shows would embarass me so I stopped.
From 7th grade to 11th grade, I never spoke a word about TMNT. I was all for Pokémon. :) But in 12th grade, I did some research and found out about the REAL TMNT in the old Mirage comics. I was immediately into it and I was even happier when I learnt that the new cartoon would be based off the Mirage story. When I saw how different Raph's personality was in the new cartoon, I became dedicated to TMNT. ^O^ One year and a half later, I started to draw TMNTs again.

Although I know we all have to enjoy life while we're young, I've always been a little less outgoing than my friends. I don't hang out in downtown or in Chinatown, I don't like to go play pool, I don't do raves and dance clubs. Instead, I like going to movies with friends or going over to their house. And of course, drawing's a big part of my life and it's certainly not dedicated just to TMNTs. I have to improve my manga style if I wanna start somewhere in life. ;) So... right now my interest in TMNT is relatively high, but I hope the Shredder Raph episode will come soon or that the stories be more serious and dark or else my interest will start to decline...

[Kazari]

Awww, TF *huggles* Yeah some eps in the new season I could live without LOL

[MC]

Jo Dawn, you're spot on! Real life is more important than TMNT. I like the turtles, I'm a pretty big fan, but it's not nearly as important as going out with your friends or spending time with your family. Anyway, the cartoon is only half an hour long a week, and the comic only comes out once a month, so it couldn't consume that much time anyway really.

I'm not as big a turtles fan now as I was a couple of years ago as I much preferred the Image series. I re-discovered the TMNT in 1999, and picked up back issues which I thought were fantastic. Volume 4 is interesting but it just doesn't compare, it isn't as character driven as Image. Although I'm aware that most people here didn't like Image...each to their own, I suppose!

I'm surprised that some people say they stick around for the people..... do people on this board consider the board some sort of surrogate social life? I find a lot of posts interesting but I would never consider anyone here my friend. Does anyone here consider other message board users their friends?

[Kazari]

*huffs* Yes actually I do have best friends on here. I have met them in person too so I kind of disagree with you there, MC.

[MC]

Gosh, I didn't think people joined this board to make friends.... I don't want to offend anybody but is it not somewhat unhealthy to have your best friends be on a messageboard?Do people here have friends in the real world as well or what? I'm not trying to be offensive, but this is the only board I post on a lot, so I am kind of intrigued.

[Kazari]

I have friends in real life too but it's a great way to MAKE new friends. One of my best friends I met off a forum and we have met in person. She's a terrific person and she is my friend.

[Leonardo Mystic]

I have lots people here that I consider friends. Not only here, but other places too, even outside the TMNT universe. How could you not make friends with the other members? There are some very cool people here, and if you take the time to get to know them, you'll find they are interesting as well.

I have to ask this: Are you that dead set against online friends you detach yourself to establishing a connection to these people when you post here? They may be online, but they're real people too. Though you may not get to physically see them much or at all if you're in a financial fix, you can still talk to them just as you could in person. It's like using the telephone, for goodness sake. Are you against talking to friends on the telephone too, I wonder.

[HorseTechie]

You know I've never related the writing of fic or drawing of art or owning of toys with intensity of interest or lack of interest in a fandom. Probably because I never draw fanart or write fanfic or buy toys, but I think fandom covers all forms from the maniacal completist collecter to someone like me who likes to watch the show for fun and has a few knick knacks but isn't interested in toys or with being bothered with getting up to watch the new episodes. Hey, they come out on dvd eventually anyway.

So I don't think what Jo Dawn and HT described is necessarily a loss of interest as a shifting of priorities back toward RL (as it should be), or perhaps more accurately, passing through the "honeymoon" period and settling into 'mature' fandom. It doesn't mean we like it any less, just that it's only one facet of our lives.
Yeah.. I wasn't impliying that we had to be active as writers or artists or collectors to be devote fans... I was saying I find it harder for me now to keep up with all the discussions, fanfic to read, art to view, and the other online TMNT activities like I used too. So I just go into lurk mode before the frusteration drives me mad.

I'm still a fan, yes, because I will claim that I like the TMNT. But I am not obsessed as much as I had been. I just don't have the time or desire to commit to the obsession anymore. Like what JD was saying... I got this thing called real life that overrides everything else online. Same holds true for the 'other fandom' too. ;)

[KROW]

Does anyone here consider other message board users their friends?
Yep. I do, and I can name them for you if you like.

Do people here have friends in the real world as well or what?
Yep. I do, and I am the only one among them that like the TMNT, so making friends here is not so ridiculous as you might think. Well, not for some people, anyway.

[zkarlette]

I totally agree with Krow I do consider some of the people here friends too and I do have friends In the real world but they arent interested in the TMNT or at least I dont think they are so talking with people that like them makes sense :)

[Weapon X]

I am very close to alot of people on her.But I also have alot of friends outside my computer,but as many say they dont like the TMNT so thats why It's good to have some people here you get along with well.

[Jo Dawn]

Whoa, whoa, whoa... No one said that they were against making friends online. So don't twist words around. They said that they were surprised that people came online to make friends. Nothing wrong with that.

Did I make friends here? Yup. Some very good ones, actually. :)

Do I have friends in real life? Yep.

Am I saying that because I have real life friends that the online ones aren't as important? Not at all! And I never want to be accused of that, either. My friends are important to me, whether online, or in real life.

But I am not obsessed as much as I had been. I just don't have the time or desire to commit to the obsession anymore

Exactly. My desires... I suppose, well... Heh, are none of anyone's business. ;) :P Hehe. But seriously. I... I dunno. It's just different.

[zkarlette]

I dont think youre against actually you made a good point I think, I dont seem to have that much time lately either but well I try :)

JD ,You should keep your figures , maybe in another 20 years kids will like TMNT again and you can give them to your kids /grandkids ;)

[Silent FOx]

I'm a fan of the old tmnt and still love it today.

[Brinatello]

Honestly, the spirit of the TMNT will never leave me no matter how hard I try. My devotion sort of goes in the direction of reading the old comics, fic writing and drawing them, sometimes extended to the interest of the VA's careers because I've been a long-time Voice Chaser since 1998. I do believe I post here a lot because of the members. Same with TMNT-L. It's fun chatting with friends. :)

[azure turtle]

Gosh, I didn't think people joined this board to make friends.... I don't want to offend anybody but is it not somewhat unhealthy to have your best friends be on a messageboard?Do people here have friends in the real world as well or what? I'm not trying to be offensive, but this is the only board I post on a lot, so I am kind of intrigued.
I have friends in RL, of course. However, none of them are TMNT fans, which is how I joined the fandom. At first, I was just looking for fellow fans to talk turtles with. But after you've been a part of this community for as long as I have (3 years and counting), then yes, you'll end up making friends. There are many people who I've met online that I consider very good friends and would like to meet in person someday.

[MasterMole]

Tired Of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?! No Way. I'm a big fan of the new show and toys. I plan to buy every basic figure released. I hope the show runs strong for ten more years, producing even more toys than the old show. I can't wait for season two of the old show to hit DVD later this year.
I do wish these toys were better though, like the old ones. I'm sure we will get another Baxter and Oroku Saki figures, and some kind of villain playset.

[Jo Dawn]

...Something occured to me... Just this second, heh. This is the only thread I check in any of the TMNT sections here....



...Wow...

[zkarlette]

What??? JD youre a Mod .....shame....NOW straigthen up and go check all the othe TMNT threads Now!!! :)

[KROW]

Don't be mean to our Local Forum Diva. :P

[Jo Dawn]

Don't be mean to our Local Forum Diva. :P

That's right! I may just... do something... Diva-y...



...Hehe... ;) :P

[zkarlette]

I was joking with JD of course :D

[VaughnMichael]

yea I've been really buisy as of late to I moved to los angeles and have been non stop buisy...I don't hate the turtles I buy the comics every time I see them.....and try and get up to watch the show on saterdays but man I'm worn out cause I work late nights on fridays....and have trouble getting up at 10 am lol! so I've just been buying the dvd's I hope they keep pumping them out as fast as the have been....
the only thing I dislike now are the toys and thats the thing that got me into tmnt originally...the new toys are just to childish for me with all the stupid action fetures...many of which are pointless....exploding traximus anyone...shesh..lol
the turtles are still my number one though!
-Putrescent

[XERO]

That's right! I may just... do something... Diva-y...



...Hehe... ;) :P


That sounds like a line coming from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. :lol:

As for the friend thing, why not make friends on a messageboard? That's pretty much the whole reason people join them. To know and to be known.

That's why I joined, because I wanted people to know me, to feel my joy, to share our interests together. On the Internet, that's the greatest accomplishment you can achieve. :)

It never hurts to make some friends, no matter where you are. 8)

My name is Benvenuto. I call myself the '5th Turtle.' And I am your friend.

Turtles 4 Life ;)

[Duke]

I agree w/ JD and others. I still love the turtles, but real life comes first. I don't buy the figures because they suck and i don't really have the money to spend. But after realizing how much money i spent on first/second wave mechandise i doubt i'd buy them if i could afford them. Collecting toys just isn't that important to me any more. I have college to pay for, bills, and video games to buy. But real life even comes before buying video games too. If my friends needed money for something important i'd stop buying games to an help them as much as i could. I've finally realized that people come before fantasy. I still buy the new dvds, but i don't find myself setting an alarm to watch the show. If i'm up and not doing anything else than i will but if not then i miss it. Something i would never do as a kid w/ the old show.

[Jamezer]

im more of a fan of the old cartoon. i was overcome with excitement when i heard about the dvd of the 1st season. my status as a turtle fan has not changed much. i still love the old cartoon, i still collect the old figures, and i also love the tmnt artwork that i come across all the time. of coarse tmnt is not as big of a part of my life, as it used to be, but it still has a special place in my life.

[IceFlash78]

I've always been an TMNT fan. I loved the first two movies and watched the old cartoon when I could. I had tons of TMNT toys (my favorite was the Leonardo figure that I could morph back and forth between mutant and turtle. It's retro now!) But when I became busy on saturdays and were convinced that TMNT was "uncool," I missed most of the TMNT episodes (both old and new) and lost interest for a while.

But I think I never really fully lost interest in TMNT. I never knew that they remade the show until last year/this year when I saw Return to NY on Cartoon Network. My interest were rekinkled when Cartoon Network started showing TMNT at 5:30 every night, and I caught up fairly quickly.

I became interested in the TMNT universe, and searched for the comics, but the local store never had them, and I can't order them online, so I lost interest. (I plan to someday read all of the comics, but not now..)

Long story short, I'm still a TMNT fan, but I probably will become too busy with highschool/college to really enjoy TMNT the way it hsould be appreicated. I love watching the cartoon and the movies. I don't really remember the old cartoon, but I enjoy the new cartoon immensely... it's alot more dark and teen-oriented.

[Que_the_sun]

Well, I've only known the TMNT for about a year half -there is still the tough test of time I have to go through. But right now I'm definitely not tired of it, why else would I be on the forum, replying to this tread at this very moment? :)

[Mulsis]

I'm 23, and I was big into the original cartoon as much as anyone was. I remember being heartbroken one Christmas because I didn't get the Casey Jones figure that I desparately wanted. I think I got a foot soldier instead. I believe my dad still has some pictures of me dressed up as Raph, running around the house.

I lost interest somewhere between the release of second and third movies and had only thought about the old toon in a nostalgic sense. I was never big into fan art or fiction, or the comics.

I watch the new toon, if I don't have any more pressing responsibilities. I cringe during the moments when it becomes obvious that I'm watching a show intended for kids 10 years younger than me ("turtles forever") but it's a pretty good show, as far as saturday morning cartoons go.

But, as has been expressed iover and over again in this thread, my love for them won't be anything like it was in 1990, when they were the center of my universe.

[Bry]

My interest hasn't waned much. I moved to Ottawa in August, and I don't get FoxBox here, so it's impossible for me to keep up with the show each Saturday. But I prefer to watch series on DVD these days, anyway. I picked up the first season disc of the old series, though I doubt I'll bother to pick up the second season when it's released - In hindsight, the show seemed to 'jump the shark' when the Turtles got cuddlier and the series lost that essential bit of edge.

I haven't bought many of the action figures lately, either (I picked up the "armourized" Shredder and that last can of Ooze a few months back, and got the Toddler Turtles and Usagi Yojimbo for X-Mas), but that's mostly due to a lack of availability in Canada and a lack of interest in the latest releases.

I mainly follow the comic books, anyway (Tales has been bloody phenomenal!), so that usually whets my Turtle appetite.

[Demented Utrom]

I saw the DVDs in Alberta where I live.I also have a dish that gets the Fox channels.Even the town I live in gets them in at the local walmart.

[Misfit]

YES. I have been totally gone from the TMNT fandom for months because I just lost interest. I really got into other things, mostly Jem and Dungeons & Dragons (the cartoon). But since FoxKids...uh, Jetix (still can't get used to the name change) started re-running season two of the new TMNT cartoon and I FINALLY managed to see it (only the first two episodes so far) I'm throwing myself right back in to TMNT.

I think sometimes breaks from an obsession can be healthy. I was so into TMNT that I kind of burned myself out with it and it started to get where I didn't care about TMNT anymore. But now I'm really getting into it again and I think taking a break helped (along with Jo Dawn's amazing fanfic "What The Heart Wants"...I'm on Chapter 15 now and can't stop reading!).

[Lone Wolf]

I'm 19 years old, a full-time college student, and my story seems to be quite the opposite of what most people on the board have related so far. When I was a kid, the turtles were a passing fascination; something I loved, but loved as a passing trend. I adored the movie and the games, and I watched the cartoon occasionally. Eventually I moved on and completely forgot about it; from 6th to 11th grade, the TMNT concept could have fallen off of the edge of the earth for all I knew. I wasn't aware of the the Next Mutation, the end of the old cartoon, or the comics.

Then one Saturday morning of my junior year, I came across a marquee for "Mutant Turtles" on the digital cable listings. What? Reruns of my childhood fascination? It turns out, no, not at all. Its Raphael-a NEW Raphael- and Casey Jones, duking it out, just like in the first movie! It set me on fire. I got online, downloaded all of the episodes, found thetechnodrome.com, read everything I could find on the TMNT, found out that there were comics from Mirage Studios that portrayed the Turtles similarly to their New Toon and First Movie incarnations, and then bought ALL OF THEM. (That is right, I have every single Mirage TMNT comic, although not all of them are first printing... I didn't really buy them for their rarity).

Then of course I had a girlfriend or two, I transferred over to college, I went to my first anime convention, I started working 30+ hours a week while going to school, and so the TMNT started to fade out for a while. Of course, when I say "fade out", I mean I let the cartoon episodes get ahead of me, and only bought the first wave of the new toys (I HATE variants, always have). TMNT are the only reason I kept (and still have) toys or physical comics (I'm purely digital now, save for TMNT and one manga I like).

Now I am more into it than ever. I have kind of sacrificed the social life I used to have, but I think its actually more healthy to have something like TMNT as a hobby than drinking or raving or whatever, as it doesn't seem to screw up my GPA or overall positive lifestyle in general, and is more life affirming than hanging out with other unambitious people who like to spend their time drinking and dancing their lives away.

So basically I am more into now then I ever was, even with "real life" growing more cumbersome, thanks to the Mirage and 4Kids versions of the TMNT. Of course, I have never really felt I was a victim of the dichotomy that everyone in this thread keeps suggesting, the one that states that TMNT is "an escape" and that "real life" will necessarily encroach upon ones ability to entertain such dreams.

Personally, I love the TMNT for the same reason I like any other fictional universe or cast of characters: They appeal to my sense of life. They reflect the world as I see it. Behind the absolute ridiculousness of the idea of four battle-hardened turtles with a rat as a sensei, I see four individuals that are completely unique and alone in the world, that must discover for themselves the meaning and purpose of their own lives. Like all of us, they have a cultural heritage to draw from (Splinters Ninja teachings or whatever), but their raw enthusiasm and intransigent independence have always separated them, made them unique. They face increasingly hostile and morose situations, but they never (at least not permanently) lose their benevolent sense of life, of their implicit conviction of the world being a place appropriate for their existence, of the idea that they can achieve a life worth living. Thats what absorbed me about the first movie; that they could live amidst such greyness, but are themselves such beacons of the potential exuberance in the act of living. They can make you laugh, even when the situation might ask for the worst from you. This perspective has made them a regular part of who I am, of the things I enjoy in this world. I have never felt as if I've had to "grow up" from something I see as so important to my enjoying life as an adult: the projection of characters that either illuminate or reinforce the priorities of my life, namely that of spiritual perseverance (in the idea of possessing such a conviction of one's own efficacy that they can only smile or laugh at lifes adversities, which are trivial by comparison) and of a belief in the good ( that what you believe in is _really_ worth fighting for, and that when its challenged, you don't back down) and for me, thats what the Turtles do. Do I read more intricately woven, more subtext laden literature? I'm an English major; sure I do. Have I read Maus, or any other avant-garde comics? Yes. Does that stop the Turtles from being something I "seriously" enjoy? No.
I could go on forever (I think that much is obvious), but to summarize, I will never outgrow the idea that the Turtles and their adventures are whats right about my soul, and that the parts of the world that think them "trivial" or "dumb" or "childish" are exactly those things.

[PizzaPower]

You sound like a true Turtle Fan Dude.

[Lone Wolf]

Cowabunga. :tthumbsu: :twink:

[verminator_x]

loved the four green guys since i was 6 year old and sometimes i takes breaks. like for two years ago i hadent read in the old tmnt archies comics and when i just sat down and read them i was in the old tmnt fantasy world like i was when i was kid. i think i always will have tmnt some where close to my heart. my friends think im immature and silly that i still like turtles but we are all different.

[Sage Ninja]

I was tottally obessed with the TMNT when I was younger they where so cool and i couldn't get enough of the interaction that the turtles had with each other. I loved them to bits.

the funny thing is that I wasn't in to them until I was about seven or eight years old. (I was was only three years old in 1987 when they first came out) and when I was wicked little I only remember watching a handful of episodes.

But when I was like seven or eight years old (maybe I was possiably a bit older) the USA station got a hold of them and had permission to run the series on there station ( the reruns while the newer ones where run on staturdays). I remember they used to come on twice a day monday through friday. Two episodes back to back, they would show it in the morning and then they would show the same two episodes in the eveing at 5:00 in the afternoon they used to come on right after Real Ghost Busters. And during the summer they would show three eppisodes back to back with each other, I was in turtle heaven and was so hooked on them :tpizza: :tparty: .

It was watching them on this station that made me fall in love with them because of the great treatment they got on there channel. I remmber when I would see the same episodes on NBC that they would sometimes cut for time and put in more commercials :x

Then I would watch the newer episodes that they would air on saterdays and that always made me happy. the best thing was that when a new episode came on saterday it didn't really take a ridiculously long time for it be shown during the week on the USA channel. In fact at one point they where showing new episodes that I never even saw on NBC, it was on this channel that i got to see the European episodes and the first live action movie.

I was really getting Ninja turtles like six days a week two sometimes three times a day.

Then at some point USA stopped airing them and started airing episodes of American Gladiators in the morning and at night :x So I only had saturdays now to enjoy my turtles. And then they got into the redsky episodes and I really didn't care for them at all and I abandoned them and my fandom went into hybernation for many years and I got into other things and the TMNT where really just a distant memory.

It was not until just recently when I saw the first season of the classic TMNT the first season adverticed in a comic book store that was sparked slightly. By that time the new toon was on and since the TMNT was something of my past I really didn't give it to much notice execpted for a slight morbid curosity.When I got the first season on vhs and I watched the pilot episodes OMG i felt like I had just been watching these episodes the other day. In other words I picked up where i left off. Leaving me wanting more and more of my turtles again.

ANd seriously if it weren't for the mad slow pace these seasons of the orginal toon coming out on dvd, i probably wouldn't have given the new toon the time of day. But since my Turtle fandom had come back with a vengence I nedded my daily helping of turtles. Rehashed turtles or not. And eventually I came to appricate the new toon in its own glory. But I'm still a huge fan of the classsic toon :lol: no matter how much it gets bashed for not be clase enough to the mirage comics. It was kick ass in its own damn right.

So am I tired of the turtles? NO way! I am surpriced as heck that after all these years that I am again back into the turtle fandom and I even get to enjoy a completley new spin on the turtles as well as the one that I grew up with as well. I know that at some point after the turtles run its course on TV ( or the start to suck again like they did in Redsky) It'll go into hybernation (maybe for good this time around seeing as I'm adult now) again and I'll move on again to other things.

[ThirdMarioBro]

I'm 19 years old, a full-time college student, and my story seems to be quite the opposite of what most people on the board have related so far. When I was a kid, the turtles were a passing fascination; something I loved, but loved as a passing trend. I adored the movie and the games, and I watched the cartoon occasionally. Eventually I moved on and completely forgot about it; from 6th to 11th grade, the TMNT concept could have fallen off of the edge of the earth for all I knew. I wasn't aware of the the Next Mutation, the end of the old cartoon, or the comics.

Then one Saturday morning of my junior year, I came across a marquee for "Mutant Turtles" on the digital cable listings. What? Reruns of my childhood fascination? It turns out, no, not at all. Its Raphael-a NEW Raphael- and Casey Jones, duking it out, just like in the first movie! It set me on fire. I got online, downloaded all of the episodes, found thetechnodrome.com, read everything I could find on the TMNT, found out that there were comics from Mirage Studios that portrayed the Turtles similarly to their New Toon and First Movie incarnations, and then bought ALL OF THEM. (That is right, I have every single Mirage TMNT comic, although not all of them are first printing... I didn't really buy them for their rarity).

Then of course I had a girlfriend or two, I transferred over to college, I went to my first anime convention, I started working 30+ hours a week while going to school, and so the TMNT started to fade out for a while. Of course, when I say "fade out", I mean I let the cartoon episodes get ahead of me, and only bought the first wave of the new toys (I HATE variants, always have). TMNT are the only reason I kept (and still have) toys or physical comics (I'm purely digital now, save for TMNT and one manga I like).

Now I am more into it than ever. I have kind of sacrificed the social life I used to have, but I think its actually more healthy to have something like TMNT as a hobby than drinking or raving or whatever, as it doesn't seem to screw up my GPA or overall positive lifestyle in general, and is more life affirming than hanging out with other unambitious people who like to spend their time drinking and dancing their lives away.

So basically I am more into now then I ever was, even with "real life" growing more cumbersome, thanks to the Mirage and 4Kids versions of the TMNT. Of course, I have never really felt I was a victim of the dichotomy that everyone in this thread keeps suggesting, the one that states that TMNT is "an escape" and that "real life" will necessarily encroach upon ones ability to entertain such dreams.

Personally, I love the TMNT for the same reason I like any other fictional universe or cast of characters: They appeal to my sense of life. They reflect the world as I see it. Behind the absolute ridiculousness of the idea of four battle-hardened turtles with a rat as a sensei, I see four individuals that are completely unique and alone in the world, that must discover for themselves the meaning and purpose of their own lives. Like all of us, they have a cultural heritage to draw from (Splinters Ninja teachings or whatever), but their raw enthusiasm and intransigent independence have always separated them, made them unique. They face increasingly hostile and morose situations, but they never (at least not permanently) lose their benevolent sense of life, of their implicit conviction of the world being a place appropriate for their existence, of the idea that they can achieve a life worth living. Thats what absorbed me about the first movie; that they could live amidst such greyness, but are themselves such beacons of the potential exuberance in the act of living. They can make you laugh, even when the situation might ask for the worst from you. This perspective has made them a regular part of who I am, of the things I enjoy in this world. I have never felt as if I've had to "grow up" from something I see as so important to my enjoying life as an adult: the projection of characters that either illuminate or reinforce the priorities of my life, namely that of spiritual perseverance (in the idea of possessing such a conviction of one's own efficacy that they can only smile or laugh at lifes adversities, which are trivial by comparison) and of a belief in the good ( that what you believe in is _really_ worth fighting for, and that when its challenged, you don't back down) and for me, thats what the Turtles do. Do I read more intricately woven, more subtext laden literature? I'm an English major; sure I do. Have I read Maus, or any other avant-garde comics? Yes. Does that stop the Turtles from being something I "seriously" enjoy? No.
I could go on forever (I think that much is obvious), but to summarize, I will never outgrow the idea that the Turtles and their adventures are whats right about my soul, and that the parts of the world that think them "trivial" or "dumb" or "childish" are exactly those things.

That was well said dude. Well said indeed.

[Masked Ninja]

It was indeed well said. Details aside, it's how it is for me, too. I am a happily revived TMNT fan, and it's mostly an art hobby for me.

[NeoBix]

Nah I'll never get tired of TMNT. I might put them on hold for a while for something more important (like real life) but I'll never forget them or be tired of them. 8)

[XERO]

I have all 3 movies, the first season of the New Cartoon, and the COOTS songs all memorized. :ohwell:

I must be insane. :o

[Jester]

I have all 3 movies, the first season of the New Cartoon, and the COOTS songs all memorized.
I must be insane.
Not at all, cause u were there....:P

[Spitfire]

Ive loved Turtles ever since I could remember. I always had some TMNT toy in my hand or a comic book in front of my eyes. And that still lingers on inside me it just isnt as consuming. My love for TMNT still shows. I have a huge stack of the comics in my closet, a large poster on my door, a big beach towel hung on my wall*Hey I like that towel!*, All the current DVDs lined up all pretty on my DVD rack, an old comic poster by my bed, this old cloth thing with the turtles surfing on it on the back of my door, an old TMNT blanket on my couch, and my bed spread is the old school TMNT*Sadly it got stained though....*. That seems like alot and maybe it is but it doesnt show to much with the huge RE 4 display on my wall and an entire wall covered with records! haha yeah. What Im getting at is. I never stopped loving TMNT but my life is going on and I dont lose intrest but it is no longer the number one concern of mine. I have other things to worry about

[sdp]

I've always gone in cycles of being super interested and then not caring for a while, that's how I am with most franchises I like, and it always keeps things fresh for me since when I come back there's all this stuff I missed in the down years. I think the current cycle peaked around the time 2012 ended and it's only been a downward slide since then in interest despite being in a golden age of TMNT figures.

[CyberCubed]

I wonder what people were tired about in 2005. The early 2000's was like the first revival of the TMNT franchise we ever had.

[Venom]

I dunno man, Next Mutation drag was still mildly lingering, the Image comics were all "wtf-y" to folks, 2K3 was still finding it's footing and Volume 4 was considered ugly and Pete's soap box to some.

[shredder orokusaki]

Today imet with one of my friends who is 37 years old and he is big fan of me and my foot ninjas too. He told me thath e saw the 2016 movie3 days ago on tv and he liked it becuase of Krang. Then i told him that the movie was not good and that it deserved to fail because i didnt fight the turtles. Then he alsso said about how when he was a kid and watched the 1987 series that some of his friends were telling him that it is not for children because Krang looks like a brain and they tryed to convice him to stop watching it. But he watched to see how hard i beat the turtles and all of my adentures while i and Krang were trying to conquer the world. So they found Krang scary but not me? Imagine what those people would had said if they saw the 2003 series where i tear Stockman apart piece by piece!

[D-ray]

Yeah but back then they had the comics, the 1987 show and other stuff. The 2003 adaptation was barely hired in the whole world.

[Prowler]

I dunno man, Next Mutation drag was still mildly lingering, the Image comics were all "wtf-y" to folks, 2K3 was still finding it's footing and Volume 4 was considered ugly and Pete's soap box to some.

I don't live in the States and I was a kid at the time stll. All I knew about The Next Mutation was what I read about it on the Mirage official website at the time, and I had no clue what Image comics were. I didn't read the Mirage comics besides the first few issues that were available for free on Mirage's old website in the early-mid 2000s.

As a kid who grew up watching reruns of the 87 series in the late 99s/esrly 2000s, I was excited when I heard a new TMNT series was coming. I certisblt wasn't losing interest. Now, ofc, after a couple of seasons, and as I got deeper in my teenage years, I also focused on other stuff. The Turtles weren't my sole interest.

I began losing interest in the TMNT around 2012. I wst he'd the first few Nick show episodes and didn't like it much. Plus, I was busy with university. And, around a year or two later, the awful first Bay Turtles movie comes out and single handedly made me lose interest in any modern take on the TMNT.

I'll forever treasure my memories of the 87 and 2003 series, but I can't say I call myself a big Ninja Turtles fan any more. The only thing that would make me check out any future TMNT stuff again would be if Viacom sold it to a company that would handle the property well.

[LeotheLateBloomer]

The only thing that would make me check out any future TMNT stuff again would be if Viacom sold it to a company that would handle the property well.

This. While I am happy both the two Bay produced films and Rise failed financially, I won't be satisfied until the property is out of their hands. They no longer have any good will from me despite The Last Ronin and Batman vs TMNT (which also has its issues).

If there's a property they should look into buying, it's Doug.