What did you think of TMNT as a kid?

[ToTheNines]

I'm sure every one here realizes that the OT was a a bit of a silly show, not a bad silly but a good silly, but when I was a kid I thought of the turtles as bonafide ass-kickers and I thought Shredder was a real threat (I remember having a few nightmares about him). I suppose the movie really rubbed off on me, any ways, what did you think of the turtles?

[Scandia]

Goofy would be a better term than silly, because it never gets ridiculous.

And personally, I LOVED it. I even had the Del Monte yogurts represent each Turtle since they came in their colors- even if it was the Chipmunks (whom I liked a lot too) the ones who were in their boxes. I would draw pics of the Turtles in my school folders. Too bad they stopped showing it on CBS. We did not have Fox back then. So you bet I have not even seen Red Sky. But I want to.

[CyberCubed]

I loved it.

But I think we all realized the silly humour and lack of action in some episodes, even as kids. I remember when I was like 8 or so and watching the show, that in some eps I was disappointed that there were no fight scenes.

Kids are a lot smarter than people give credit for, and I do remember how I viewed the episodes back then, especially when my memory is refreshed as I watch the DVDs.

[ToTheNines]

I loved it too, but what I'm talking about is how when I was little I thought the turtles were tough-**** (I also realized that it was a funny show) but now I realize how the action isn't what it was through the eye's of my 4-year old self.

[triplexxx]

However much action and humor there was or that I used to think there was, the OT always was and stll is the perfect combination of both in my eyes. I mean in the OT, the turtles still move/perform like martial artists like in any universe.

[Courk]

As a kid I loved it. I was too young, really, to notice any differences in tone between the toon and the first movie. My kid brain smooshed them all together and loved it. I don't remember much about the toon to really pinpoint specific thoughts or feelings, though.

[Tinuvielsdreams]

oh I took it so seriously when I was a kid. If the turtles got captured it was the end of my world, or at least for the 20 minutes it took to end the episode ...lol
I was the same way with the comics. My best friend and I would act episodes out and make them the way we wanted. Obsessed then and obsessed still

[MrPliggins]

I got pretty much obsessed with it, and taped every episode and watched them every chance I got. I probably still know all the episode names by heart to this day. Now when I watch it, I've seen them so much that I don't care to watch them any more. But yeah, it was awesome back then..

[Blithe]

I thought it was cheesey, but it was kind of meant to be. I didn't have to take it seriously in order to enjoy it! Although it deemphasized the family aspect, it did present one of my favorite portrayals of Raphael: heavier on the sarcasm and less "Captain Testosterone".

Oh, and Krang grossed me out. Bleach! A juicy, squishy, talking, pink brain. Shredder was a cutie though.

[SassyGal]

My best friend and I would act episodes out and make them the way we wanted. Obsessed then and obsessed still

My little sister and I did that too!! We didn't have a lot of the TMNT toys so we used to use our Barbies and Kens to act out our stories :lol:

I remember thinking the show rocked & was sooo badass. I remember thinking the turtles were so skilled and could kick anybody's butt! I hated Krang cuz he was so yucky, especially in the 1st season. He was drawn all pulsating and nasty :o but even back in the day, I thought Shredder was so cute! And as many people can probably tell, I still do :D

Now when I watch the OT I still laugh at the humour and goofiness of some of the plots, but it just brings back all my childhood memories & I enjoy it on a whole new level :)

[Fiendishglow]

Goofy would be a better term than silly, because it never gets ridiculous.

Yes it does, it gets ridculous all the time. They're four mutant turtles who happen to be ninjas and were tought by a giant rat. :lol:

As a kid I thought it was more serious. Maybe it's more because of the movies and the first five episodes.. but I remember the ninja turtles being more ass kickers than not. I mean, I still enjoy the episodes today, a lot actually.. but I just remember the turtles for more the way they were portraid in the first five episodes and the movies.

[Revan]

A young 4 year old mind doesn't always grasp the concept that the turtles ALWAYS escape trouble. They would always cut to commercial with a shot of certain doom for the boys and I would freak out for the entire break.
When the shot would fade back in, the turtles would simply step to the side and the danger would pass. 'Sweet relief'

I watched turtles quite religiously as a child and the last I saw of them was Red Sky. I think I noticed a slight change in animation but my memory is a bit fuzzy. Anyway, that is how I remembered the turtles, Red Sky. Then when the DVD volumes started coming out and I re-watched the episodes, I realized that the animation was quite kiddy and the storylines were a tad silly. Wow I miss being a child.

[Nightwatcher]

I thought they were the greatest things of all time. I religiously watched the cartoon and had epic battles with my figurines.

I never used weapons with them though and Raph was the only one alive at the end as he and Donnie were the only two original figurines I had. I used a Leo that was in a Trenchcoat and eventually the samurai Leo from the third movie I think later. I never got a good Mikey so I always just made some excuse as to why he wasn't in the fight.

I also remember having a colorforms set where all I really remember is having fights between the turtles and a mouser.

I also remember one specific moment where I was coloring in a coloring book for the turtles and in my imagination they were frozen in place until I colored them in completely and I had to do it as quickly and precisely as possible or the city would be destroyed.

Man I was a weird kid.

[jenna]

Oh I loved it! I was too young to think it was ridiculous. I just loved the concept of the turtles themselves. All the other characters were secondary to me then.

I just thought that Raphael was awesome, like in one ep (is it Attack of 50 ft Irma?) the others are behind Shredder and Raph comes up a manhole in front of him and delivers some biting remark. Awesome!!

My sister and I had all the plushies, and they were as real as the Velvetine Rabbit. They used to sit at the kitchen table with us, and to this day, Mike's teeth are all faded and gross where my sister brushed them with a real toothbrush and toothpaste!! :lol: Leo had to have life-saving surgery when the fabric on his plastron came loose. By the end, Raphael had shrunk to a mere fragment of his former self because I loved him too much and cuddled him till he had no fluff left. Man, I wish I still had him. :cry:

Me and my friend used to stay up at night (it felt late but it was probably 10 :lol: ) and make up stories about the turtles. the only one I can remember was April married Krang and he was wheeled up the aisle on a trolly. That is so funny when you're 7 years old! :lol:

Those were the days.....

[Scandia]

I would play with my brother's OT toys a lot. He even had the lair.

I have no space to display my NT toys.

April marrying Krang? Poor April! She can do MUCH better than that. In the NT episodes I have seen recently, April and Casey cannot keep their hands off each other! But OT April is just so SEXY! Not just her figure and clothes- it's the LIPS that make her so sexy.

[ToTheNines]

I hate OT April now, I thought she actually helped the turtles when I was young.

[Blithe]

Jenna, I am waaaay past 7 and find the idea of April marrying a trolly-riding Krang to be nothing short of hysterical :lol:

I'm picturing their cake topper: a small plastic bride standing next to a tiny, pink, scowling brain...in a tux. :D

Thanks, that totally made my day!

[Drtooth]

Better than Christmas!

[PipingPringle]

Oh, man. I remember when I was little watching the OT.. I realized that lines were SUCH groaners. After such a line was delivered I would leave the room out of embarrassment, but then rush back in lest I miss anything. It was a love/hate thing. Though, mostly just love! My first week of grade 1, I remember drawing the turtles on an activity sheet when asked what our favourite TV show was!

[Coola Yagami]

Yeah, I thought they were the hottest things since sliced bread. As a kid, I was also blinded and thought it was the most kick-ass action show around. Even when the first movie came out I was thinking we'd be seeing live-action turtles doing all those sweet martial arts moves 'just like the cartoon'. It was heaven the day they announced new episodes, or when CBS started airing an hour of them cause it meant an hour of all-new episodes every single week. And like most kids that collected the toys at the time, it was extra sweet to see people like Leatherhead, Rat King, Casey Jones and the rest all make appearances on the show.


Of course... now I realize how goofy and silly the old show was and how there was hardly any action at all... like, throwing a pizza at shredder's face or kicking a roller skate so Bebop and Rocksteady can trip over it and whatnot. The movies were still cool, though still overly silly, and the NT rocks until they started that Fast Forward garbage.

[ToTheNines]

Goofy would be a better term than silly, because it never gets ridiculous.

It definantly gets rediculous, I'll just use the two episodes I most recently watched:

Beware the Lotus Blossum: The smelling device that runs on DNA.
Lotus found the Turtles lair and didn't reveal it to Krang.
Donatello somehow smuggles a bo-staff into Lotus's hideout.
Leonardo "sneaks around to the back" while he is in clear sight of Krang.
(Theres alot more, but i'd be getting nit-picky)

Blast From the Past: Splinter looses him memory from a "Ninja Potion" that knocks them out for 4 seconds.
Shredder's use of the word "Super Ninjas"
The ghost tells the turtles to save him the last slice of Pizza
(This one actually pisses me off a bit): The Cur-ly manuever *nyuk nyuk*

I know this is mostly humor and I accept that, but it is certainly rediculous.

[Original TMNT Cartoon Fan]

It was my favourite cartoon.

[ToTheNines]

Was anyone else afraid of shredder?

[Revan]

Was anyone else afraid of shredder?
No way. But I was afraid of Tempestra

[Andromeda32]

I got pretty much obsessed with it, and taped every episode and watched them every chance I got. I probably still know all the episode names by heart to this day.

I did the exact same thing! One time I ran out of tapes and was frantic, as a new episode had started. Ended up just grabbing an unmarked tape and recorded over my mom's favorite movie....ooops.

[The Shelf]

Well, I watched it religiously like any good turtle fanboy. I only had two tapes, so whenever the turtles weren't on tv, I'd watch those four episodes over and over again. I actually wore out one of the tapes, and the other one could go at any time. Of course, I watched a lot of tv back then, and ninja turtles was only the first among many shows that I would watch religiously, but it was the one that always stuck with me the most. I had more turtles toys than anything else too.

Anyways, back to what I thought of it as a kid.... Actually, my favorite part of it was the original intro. I remember wishing that every episode had that same dark animation style to it, but I still loved the show anyway. Back then, I thought the action was top-notch. Now all I have to do is picture that one episode where Leo decides to go off on his own and I cringe -- in a sparring match with Don, he just smacks himself in the head with his sparring stick (I forget what they're called) and goes, "See? I'm a terrible leader," or something like that. At the time, I don't think I noticed too many of the cheesy lines and silly plot devices that they used, but now I think I understand why so many older people roll their eyes at me when I reveal that I'm still a huge turtles fan. Of course, now I'm mostly a fan of the turtles because of the comics. If all that existed were the OT episodes, I probably wouldn't be as big a fan anymore. My little brother has bought most of the OT dvds, and sometimes I get a little embarrassed if someone walks in on me while I'm watching them because they were so silly.

OMG, while we're on the topic of OT episodes.... The funniest episode ever is "Leatherhead Meets the Rat King." Toward the end of that episode, Rat King is throwing bombs or something, and the turtles have to run through his line of fire to do something or other. They go, "Okay, let's go," and the entire animation style speeds up at least 2x while they're running and then goes back to normal about 2 seconds later. I dunno why, but the way that scene was set up, my brother and I watched it at least 5 times and laughed hysterically. Then at the end of the episode when Vernon is zombified. They ask him how he is or something, and he just goes, "Uh... uh, uh..." :lol: Priceless!

[DonatelloDomeHead31]

Just this about the TMNT and me as a kid: whenever I saw their action figure from the cartoon series (the old series), I had to buy it.

For example, when I saw the Turtle Van from the series, I immediately bought it (well folks did seeing as I was a little kid :lol: )

[ToTheNines]

oh I took it so seriously when I was a kid. If the turtles got captured it was the end of my world, or at least for the 20 minutes it took to end the episode ...lolI was the same way with the comics. My best friend and I would act episodes out and make them the way we wanted. Obsessed then and obsessed still

What would you have done if you watched "The Shredder Strikes Back pt. 2" as a kid? They made it seem like our heroes were dead, no BS about it.

[General Traag]

As a kid i found it exciting to watch the turtles, now i rewatch it because it's just such a good goofy comedy.
And i'm just waiting for wrong drawings and giant-sized plotholes to giggle at. :D

[SimplerSimon]

No way. But I was afraid of Tempestra

Heh, so was I, to a certain extent. Not that I had nightmares or such, but Tempestra was one of the creepier non-shredder villains. What also helped was the common theme running through those spotlight episodes where one Turtle stumbled onto some plot and the others didn't believe him, and were blocked from showing up till the last minute. Gave the episodes a bit more tension.

I loved the old series, and I honestly didn't realize how goofy it was during its heyday, because there wasn't much else to compare it to on TV. It's funny to look back now at everything that seemed so logical as a kid, and realize all the plot holes, contrivances, and cartoon logic being used. Part of it was the writers winking at an audience too young to understand, the other part was just the standard for cartoon writing wasn't so high back in the day. I'm glad we've moved up considerably since then.

[OrangeMike]

Me and my brother used to go outside to the woods and make weapons form tree branches and pretend we were ninja turtles. He was Leonardo and I alternated with Michelangelo and Raphael.

The Turtles were my heros when I was a kid. No doubt about it. :D

[Shark_Blade]

Was anyone else afraid of shredder?
I was inspired that he's one of the meanest badass villain ever when I was young. Whenever we played ninja turtles among my friends (lol) I remember I like being the Shredder, announcing that the swing area is my dimension x screen thing lmao.

I eventually win the tmnt 2 game after beating Shredder using Michealangelo and he wsa instantly my most fave turtle after that. Before this I used Leonardo a lot, thinking that swords should fight with swords, and it'll do more damage to him, silly me! :lol:

[blue_angel99]

I was 6 when it was first on channel 13 in LA. I thought it looked stupid and I made my younger brother turn off the tv when it came on. At the babysitters house, I had no power over the remote and sat through the very first episode. To my shock, I enjoyed it and couldn't wait till tommorrow morning. At first Leo was my favorite cause he wore a blue mask, but now he's my favorite cause he is just an awesome character. Thus my addiction to anything ninja turtles began...:D

[Euan Buchan]

I loved it had the books, toys, masks everything and I bet most of you had abit of a crush on April. Who didn't eh? I also remember the other chracters aswell Wilma, Baxter Stopman etc. I remeber the Turtles had a Turtle Com. I really wanted one of them so I could talk to them.

[gobo]

I doubt you wanna know what I thought about it.

[ToTheNines]

I loved it had the books, toys, masks everything and I bet most of you had abit of a crush on April. Who didn't eh? I also remember the other chracters aswell Wilma, Baxter Stopman etc. I remeber the Turtles had a Turtle Com. I really wanted one of them so I could talk to them.

Who the hell is Wilma?

[gobo]

Who the hell is Wilma?
A Flintstone. ^_^

[ToTheNines]

A Flintstone. ^_^

Oh, the one that had a gay old time?

[gobo]

No, that was the next-door-neighbor, silly. :P

[Shark_Blade]

lol isn't it Irma or something?

[Original TMNT Cartoon Fan]

Yeah, I thought they were the hottest things since sliced bread. As a kid, I was also blinded and thought it was the most kick-ass action show around. Even when the first movie came out I was thinking we'd be seeing live-action turtles doing all those sweet martial arts moves 'just like the cartoon'. It was heaven the day they announced new episodes, or when CBS started airing an hour of them cause it meant an hour of all-new episodes every single week. And like most kids that collected the toys at the time, it was extra sweet to see people like Leatherhead, Rat King, Casey Jones and the rest all make appearances on the show.


Of course... now I realize how goofy and silly the old show was and how there was hardly any action at all... like, throwing a pizza at shredder's face or kicking a roller skate so Bebop and Rocksteady can trip over it and whatnot. The movies were still cool, though still overly silly, and the NT rocks until they started that Fast Forward garbage.

The martial arts action was at least better during the first seasons.

[Euan Buchan]

It be great if they re released the orginal cartoons on DVD like they recently done with Thundercats.

[The Shelf]

It be great if they re released the orginal cartoons on DVD like they recently done with Thundercats.

Dude, where have you been? The first four seasons of the old toon have been out on dvd for some time now. The fifth season comes out soon too, if it's not already out.

[Euan Buchan]

Dude, where have you been? The first four seasons of the old toon have been out on dvd for some time now. The fifth season comes out soon too, if it's not already out.

Are they? I've not seen them at all only the up to date Turtles these are the ones I've only seen

http://g-ec2.images-amazon.com/images/I/51TNJVQQ70L._SS500_.jpg

[The Shelf]

I'm pretty sure you could find them on Amazon or something. Just do a little digging. But I've actually seen them in Best Buy and places like Target, Wal-mart, and K-mart. I'm sure you could probably find them in a Toys-r-us or something too. I even saw some at Hot Topic the other day. The first season is on the Volume 1 dvd, the second season is on the Volume 2 dvd, the third season is split among Volumes 3, 4, 5, and 6, and the fourth season comes in a 4-dvd collection. I believe season 5 comes out around August 7, the same day as the new movie.

[CharmedSerenity]

I'm pretty sure you could find them on Amazon or something. Just do a little digging. But I've actually seen them in Best Buy and places like Target, Wal-mart, and K-mart. I'm sure you could probably find them in a Toys-r-us or something too. I even saw some at Hot Topic the other day. The first season is on the Volume 1 dvd, the second season is on the Volume 2 dvd, the third season is split among Volumes 3, 4, 5, and, and the fourth season comes in a 4-dvd collection. I believe season 5 comes out around August 7, the same day as the new movie.

I'm not sure if anything beyond Season 1 of the 2003 cartoon was released on DVD in the United Kingdom, where me and Euan come from.

[The Shelf]

Hmm, that stinks. Well, like I said, I'm sure you can still find them on Amazon or something. They're really worth it if only for nostalgia's sake.

[gobo]

I'm not sure if anything beyond Season 1 of the 2003 cartoon was released on DVD in the United Kingdom, where me and Euan come from.
Your 2K3 releases went up to the end of season 1. Then, you have the movies, and various releases of Mighty Morphin' Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation. I'd be very disappointed if I was a UKer. :( But, you're the only English-speaking society that gets TNM releases as far as I know. So, that's something to feel special about... maybe. :ohwell:

[CharmedSerenity]

Well, I'm considering ordering the rest of TMNT 2003 from Australia as their DVDs may just work on our DVD players.

[pannoni1]

I'm bumping this for the new members that have joined, including myself. :D

Whenever TMNT was coming on TV, it was AN EVENT in the minds of a Preschooler-3rd grader. I had no idea on the concept of "reruns", so I assumed there was always the possibility of a new episode airing that next day, even though I knew, especially later that it would often be a re-airing. Still, hearing that climatic background theme before a commercial was menacing, hearing that Krang-like voice announcing the commercial break. At the end of the episode, I would often change the channel when the voiceover said "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles..." and said "is over" because I knew it wouldn't be worth returning to simply watch the credits that I've seen on the FHE videotapes, which (I still have today) would be among the first things I could watch without being accompinied by an adult. I enjoyed the videogames almost as much as Mario and Co. However, I don't remember reading a single comic back then (I believe I saw an Archie once or twice, but I guess it felt a bit too mature or my parents just didn't know much about the comics). I tried not to talk too much about the turtles so I could keep in focus, but in those pre-Internet, kids don't have money to spend days, I only had so much TMNT I could enjoy at any amount of time. Seeing the live action TMNT and some interviews on TV shows led me to believe that the TMNT were as real as Santa Claus for a few years. Your childhood is such an innocent, magical time of life that you can only imagine and metitate as adults to try to rekindle that experience. Nowadays, with all these threads/eBay/other TMNT-related sites, you can literally spend all this time finding new stuff about TMNT to the point that it is now much more excessive/crazy then when I was a kid (though I haven't told my parents that I like TMNT, feeling that it is a big "guilty pleasure" of mind and am a little afraid to do so.)

[gobo]

OT pilot season: Eh... It's not quite ThunderCats, but it's a pretty good substitute.
season 2: Wow. Unsatisfying. Next season better be cooler or I'm outta here.
Season 3: Only liked 1 outta 4 of these. Thank goodness for Archie!
1st CBS season: Story's still lacking, especially with these generic mad scientists and comedy-based plots. But, hey, at least the animation isn't as much of an eyesore!

[Bauer536]

[QUOTE=The Shelf;531285]Well, I watched it religiously like any good turtle fanboy. I only had two tapes, so whenever the turtles weren't on tv, I'd watch those four episodes over and over again. I actually wore out one of the tapes, and the other one could go at any time. Of course, I watched a lot of tv back then, and ninja turtles was only the first among many shows that I would watch religiously, but it was the one that always stuck with me the most. I had more turtles toys than anything else too.

Anyways, back to what I thought of it as a kid.... Actually, my favorite part of it was the original intro. I remember wishing that every episode had that same dark animation style to it, but I still loved the show anyway. Back then, I thought the action was top-notch. Now all I have to do is picture that one episode where Leo decides to go off on his own and I cringe -- in a sparring match with Don, he just smacks himself in the head with his sparring stick (I forget what they're called) and goes, "See? I'm a terrible leader," or something like that. At the time, I don't think I noticed too many of the cheesy lines and silly plot devices that they used, but now I think I understand why so many older people roll their eyes at me when I reveal that I'm still a huge turtles fan. Of course, now I'm mostly a fan of the turtles because of the comics.[QUOTE]

Just curious: I didn't see this episode. I'm a Leonardo fan, but I don't like it when any (and I mean ANY) hero just says, "I quit!" So who said, "See? I'm a terrible leader!"? Was it Leo or Don? You're making it sound confusing.:tconfuse: What sparring stick? What's Don's reaction? Do you have a clip of this?

[Jester]

I think it's Take Me To Your Leader. Leonardo quits the team, leaving Donatello, Raphael, and Michelangelo to rotate leadership...learning they need Leo in the process.

[Powder]

What kinda question is that? I LOVED 'em! That's why I'm 21 years old and still here reppin' the boys.

[Luzmagica]

What kinda question is that? I LOVED 'em! That's why I'm 21 years old and still here .......

:lol::lol::lol: Change for me 21 for 36 ...and Ta´dah!!!! Here I am too! :lol:

....I am an adult who specializes in catching and still enjoying the best and happiest moments,.... :tgrin::twink:

[TheCanadiandrome]

I remember loving it and watching it religiously! I thought it was the greatest

[adz]

Thought they were the best thing ever!! still do :-D. After seeing the first flick my little bro and I went around knocking on manhole covers seeing if they would come out hehehe!!

[mysterycolor]

I ♥'d them as soon as i first saw the cartoon- after that i started stealing my older brothers action figures to make my own collection :) couldnt get enough of the first two movies either!!!

[ssjup81]

I remember loving it and watching it religiously! I thought it was the greatest
Same here, until both my Fox and CBS affiliate stopped showing it. I'm one of those who lived in an area where Sat morn programming was dropped early...before Red Sky even started. There was always the USA Cartoon Express, though.

[TheCanadiandrome]

i'm almost certain that both my Fox and CBS affiliate stopped showing it also, which is why when it comes to the later seasons, i've never recalled seeing an episode

[EvilStarLegacy]

There was nothing better than the TMNT. I used to watch the OT all the time and I had tons of action figures, including the Party Wagon. You take a look at pictures of my early birthdays and during 4 to 5 years straight all you can see are TMNT related stuff.

[Stingray69]

tmnt took over my life as a kid and has followed me to this day as a 25 yr old adult. Everything I owned as a kid was turtles my bed toys my whole room. Never really fell out of it. When the 4kids show come on I watched that. I did stop buying the toys though but a few months ago I got back into collection anything from the original series.

[Jephael]

I remember when I first heard of the Ninja Turtles I wasn't that interested but the first time I watched an episode I was hooked!

[Shawn_1978]

What did I think about the TMNT 87 series? Loved it!

To me, the show was like a sitcom and daytime drama rolled into one! every cliffhanger to me was dramatic whenever it looked like the turtles were possibly going to be done for. The background music of the show definitely fit all the moods that kept you on the edge of your seat, wondering what would happen next.

looking back on the show now, yes it may have been a bit silly, but it was always entertaining to me. It gave me happiness and lots of laughs during my depressing childhood and rough times in school. Whenever I felt really down, I'd pull out one of my Turtle VHS tapes and watch it. After awhile, I was able to forget my problems and feel alot better.

I miss the 80s and 90s era of cartoons, when cartoons were actually good and not like today's terrible garbage. As for the TMNT 2003 series, I thought the first season was ok, but I just couldn't get into them like I could with the 87 series.

I will definitely check out the new 2012 series on Nickelodeon when it starts and see what Nick comes up with for them. I'm hoping they'll recapture the humor and all the things that made the 87 series so great, while yet still making it different from the old series.

One thing I enjoy today about the old series, is conversing with other fans of the 87 series on YouTube, who watch it as well on there.

I watch more TMNT episodes on YouTube than I do on my DVD's. Fun times! we didn't have the internet back in the late 80s and early 90s.

I remember back after the episode "The Evil Eye" ended with Shredder throwing his metal helmet into the river and it exploded. I always wondered how Shredder was wearing his helmet in the next episode. my cousin said "he probably made another one" Which was most likely true. But since when did we argue with cartoon logic back then? I never did.

The channel I used to see TMNT on was Channel 12 when we have cable. it was called "Channel 43's Kidsland, which I think was the WUAB station, which was in Cleveland. I remember Liz, the Channel 43's Kidsland host, who I thought was very sweet and I wanted to meet her when I was a kid.

Fun times, and so many great memories TMNT brought to my life back then, as a child.

[longbowhunter]

As a kid my first exposure to the TMNT were through the Mirage comics. I remember being MASSIVELY disappointed when the first episode of the cartoon aired....although the toys were pretty cool.

[Tora]

What did I think about the TMNT 87 series?
The channel I used to see TMNT on was Channel 12 when we have cable. it was called "Channel 43's Kidsland, which I think was the WUAB station, which was in Cleveland. I remember Liz, the Channel 43's Kidsland host, who I thought was very sweet and I wanted to meet her when I was a kid.

Fun times, and so many great memories TMNT brought to my life back then, as a child.

I live in Ohio and grew up watching the Kidsland 43 with Host Liz and have to say she was my first crush as a kid and I always wondered what became of her seeing how they replaced her years later with an older lady.

[Powder]

Considering that dude hasn't been here in over a year, I doubt he'll see your post.

[Shark_Blade]

The best thing EVER.

[Cobrakahn]

I remember TMNT coming out during my 6th Christmas, I got Donetello first then Ralpheal. The show was on WDCA 20 which might have been the Paramount Channel then. I never really got to watch the show because my brother was in charge of the remote.

But I remember aspects of the tv show, now that I own them on Itunes I recognize allot of the jokes.

[BubblyShell22]

My siblings and I used to watch TMNT before we went to school, but we never got to see the end of the episodes because we always had to leave before they ended. My bro had the four Turtles and Baxter Stockman as the fly as well as one of the vehicles. One time we even played with My Little Pony and TMNT together. Man, those were the days. But I loved the show a lot and thought it was awesome. I used to have dreams about the Turtles and talk about them every morning to my family. My love of them is still strong with the new Nick show and what they've done with our boys.

[blindturtle02]

I friggin loved the TMNT as a kid and still do. I remember getting the 4 turtles, the sewer playset, Shredder, April, Splinter, Slash, and muckman with Joe Eyeball for my 7th birthday one year. I'd watch the show every afternoon at my friend's house because she loved the turtles too and I didn't have cable. My grandma would tape several episodes on VHS about 12 per tape and send them in the mail usually as Christmas presents. Those 2 episodes per FHE tape just never did it for me. I never had the whole series though so it's a treat to own them all now via Lion's Gate.

I think my all time favorite birthday present was the Technodrome. I got that for my 8th and played never got tired of it. I found out years later that mine was missing one of the guns and runningboards on the sides. I think I was one of the only kids in my school who still liked Turtles when their popularity was waning. I got into Power Rangers along with everyone else but still bought Turtles stuff along with all the megazords from PR.

My buds and I would play Raid the Technodrome every morning on the playground in elementary school. That was awesome. I'd fill the sink up with water and soap in hopes of making mutagen at home but that never worked out too well. My stepdad was pretty livid lol. Good times.

[Original TMNT Cartoon Fan]

My buds and I would play Raid the Technodrome every morning on the playground in elementary school.

What's that kind of game? "Raid the Technodrome"? What did you use for it?

[shreddinghead]

In short, mesmerizing. I don't have many concrete memories of what i was thinking about the show while watching it as a child. However, i have been told that i was jumping up and down on the couch if i wasn't hiding behind it, when watching tmnt as my 5 year old self. :lol:

[blindturtle02]

What's that kind of game? "Raid the Technodrome"? What did you use for it?

Aw nothing really. We'd pretend that the entire playground and the equipment therein was all part of the drome. We weren't allowed to bring toys to school so I guess it was sort of, well, Larping maybe now that I think of it. Allot of us loved the episodes where the tmnt would break into the drome for various reasons, and there was a period of maybe 2 weeks or so when we played out this huge story. Each of us would make stuff up as we went along. The jungle gym was, say, a foot soldier factory. The slides were used as elivators etc. If it had rained the day before, puddles were mutagen spills lol. We were around 7-8 so imaginations ran wild. I wanna say around 20something kids got into it. The teachers must have all thought we were nuts but most of them had kids that loved the show too so they'd just shake their heads. The play was pretty wacky like the cartoons so none of us ever got into any trouble.

[Original TMNT Cartoon Fan]

Aw nothing really. We'd pretend that the entire playground and the equipment therein was all part of the drome. We weren't allowed to bring toys to school so I guess it was sort of, well, Larping maybe now that I think of it. Allot of us loved the episodes where the tmnt would break into the drome for various reasons, and there was a period of maybe 2 weeks or so when we played out this huge story. Each of us would make stuff up as we went along. The jungle gym was, say, a foot soldier factory. The slides were used as elivators etc. If it had rained the day before, puddles were mutagen spills lol. We were around 7-8 so imaginations ran wild. I wanna say around 20something kids got into it. The teachers must have all thought we were nuts but most of them had kids that loved the show too so they'd just shake their heads. The play was pretty wacky like the cartoons so none of us ever got into any trouble.

Sounds cool. Around which year was that? (so I can know which season was around back thenn, anf se if there were many Technodrome break-in episodes)

I always liked episodes with Technodrome out of power-Bebop and Rocksteady must break into power stations.

[Gin Rummy]

I liked it. I watched the Movies, & Played with the toys, although TMNT was my Brother's passion, I just usually went along with what he was always doing. As a kid I was much more into The Biker Mice, & Street Sharks. I didn't start to really get into TMNT until 2k3.

[shuriken]

I thought they were the most awesome thing to ever happen like ever. I was kinda obsessed to be honest.

[CansecoBat]

The toys were awesome, it was a competitive thing among friends. It was a status thing for kids regarding their turtle collection.

The cartoon? It was fun. It acknowledged the silliness of it all, but had fun with the characters. It didn't take itself seriously.

The movie? Now this was the turtles. Serious bidness here. The definitive version for me then, and now as an adult. This movie took things seriously, but wasn't devoid of the fun elements of the characters from the cartoon.

[Mzx10484]

I thought I wanted to be like them, I really wanted to have their weapons, I wanted to deal with them, my father then built my nunchucks and I was one of them a little closer. Later my Bo was a broomstick with tape in the middle. :D It made a lot of fun.

[MsMarvelDuckie]

My first exposure to them was the 1990 movie, but once I discovered the cartoon (I was a bit late in finding it) I watched it religiously. Every afternoon when I came home, from sixth grade until (yes, really!) it stopped airing in my area during my last year of high school. Watched it on Saturday mornings, too. I was a TMNT fan-girl, and even though I was "too old" for the toys or anything like that, I still collected posters, buttons, movie novels, and other stuff. It started both my love of TMNT and of superhero/action cartoons and comics in general. This was at the same time that the Spider-Man and X-Men cartoons were on, too, so between the three, I became quite the geek-girl, LOL! Still am, even now.

On a more serious note, TMNT was what inspired me to stand up for myself and others (I was very short and slim when younger, and therefore an easy target for bullies for much of my childhood), to never give up when things are tough, and always be true to myself. Important life lessons from a cartoon- you gotta love it when something you love can also teach you something of value! Too bad cartoons nowadays can't do that....

[Garfield]

Loved it to the max.

There really isn't anything that I'm more nostalgic for than Ninja Turtles. I still have some TMNT things from my child hood around the house. I loved and Still love the OT toy line. Loved the cartoon, comics, movies. Turtles galore.:tcool:

[blindturtle02]

Sounds cool. Around which year was that? (so I can know which season was around back thenn, anf se if there were many Technodrome break-in episodes)

I always liked episodes with Technodrome out of power-Bebop and Rocksteady must break into power stations.

That would have been around 90/91. So let's see. The show would have been on CBS over here in the states anyway. Season 4 would have been airing in 90/91. But we also played in 92 before I moved to Arkansas and season 5 was definitely in reruns during spring of 92. I remember it snowing a bit one weekend in early Feb and there were large patches of it on the playground so it helped with the arctic bit.

[Original TMNT Cartoon Fan]

That would have been around 90/91. So let's see. The show would have been on CBS over here in the states anyway. Season 4 would have been airing in 90/91. But we also played in 92 before I moved to Arkansas and season 5 was definitely in reruns during spring of 92. I remember it snowing a bit one weekend in early Feb and there were large patches of it on the playground so it helped with the arctic bit.


Season 4 aired in late 1990. Easter episodes aired during Easter 1991.

Season 5 aired in late 1991.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Teenage_Mutant_Ninja_Turtles_(1987_TV_seri es)_episodes

[Refractive Reflections]

During 1987-1989 when it was in syndication during the afternoons (and maybe occasionally Saturdays), I hardly got a chance to watch them since both of my parents worked and I never got a chance to see Weekday cartoons unless miraculously they didn't have work that day. During those three years as a very small kid, it was interesting and on my radar, but I didn't take much notice of it. When 1989 arrived (beginning of Turtlemania) with waves of merchandise (video games and clothes), I was feeling a bit left out about all of the excitement of my peers because I only caught some episodes here and there. :ohwell: I understood the premise, but wasn't really immersed in the whole OT universe of things, and even lightly joked about how silly and ridiculous the whole premise was, because I mean... Pssh... who wants to be a mutant Turtle?!? :lol:

Around 1990 when CBS picked it up and it aired on Saturday mornings, I finally understood what the excitement was about. :lol: While it was interesting before that, I didn't find it fascinating because I thought it was the standard action/adventure beat 'em up cartoon about defeating or fighting some sci-fi/fantasy bad guy with the usual fighting, acquiring powers, blah blah blah... standard fare stuff.

After noticing several subsequent episodes at a time, I noticed how rich the characters were in personality (yes, even OT Leonardo :lol:), and how the humor and plots were engaging and not flat and mundane, even incorporating morals. I appreciated the fact that the show was humble enough to not take the premise of TMNT too seriously by breaking the fourth wall, and even the characters making fun of its own premise, because I mean c'mon now... Turtles... that are mutated... and live in the sewers... and ninja trained... that's a huge willing suspension of disbelief. And remember, this was a time when TMNT was in its infancy to the mainstream, and it was already so dismissively outlandish and ridiculous to most parents.

With the OT show acknowledging and establishing the premise's inherent ridiculousness, in my eyes, the only way the show could go was up, and wow did it ever go up! I have to say the show was very effective in balancing the humor and action in a way where the fighting wasn't too heavy (i.e. Batman: The Animated Series) for a child and was enjoyable viewing it, but yet still had a sense of seriousness that didn't cross over into being extremely comical as say Tiny Toons or Animaniacs.

One thing I greatly valued was that the OT showed the life of the Turtles outside of fighting, where it could help the viewer (especially kids) relate to the characters when so many other aspects of the cartoon are unrelatable (being a teenager, fighting crime, being martial arts trained with weapons, a part of a Japanese feud, the sci-fi elements, shall I go on? :lol:) Even though sometimes they were the mundane, boring scenes of everyday, ordinary life (i.e. "Polly Wanna Pizza"), they managed to always put a humorous spin on them, plus it at least gave the viewer family/friend interactions and situations that we could all relate to, which for me, elevated it beyond most action cartoons that I would dismiss. I felt more of a connection to the characters because of those scenes, where not only were they great fighters, but you could also imagine them as great friends you could bond with. Thus making me even more enthusiastic to cheer them on, so to speak, and be progressively more invested in the series. (And this is one particular strong point I usually bring up with any type of action/adventure/sci-fi cartoon series [even with other Turtles' series], the premise and characters are so abstract and unrelatable to the average viewer, the story occasionally needs these ordinary or mundane scenes to make the characters more tangible and "real", otherwise it makes the characters more or less obscure figments of an imagination.)

So anyways, as for the Red Sky Seasons, I understood by then that the landscape of cartoons had changed dramatically and was willing to go along with the trend, but it just incorporated too many other aspects from other more gritty and darker cartoons, but most significantly it removed the "life outside of fighting" aspect within the series, and these four unique individuals who were bonded by family and fighting for good, became more of a "group of four" fighters and I was losing interest fast, especially by season 9 when so many unique OT elements were being removed.

...But I definitely enjoyed the OT ride all the way through though. 8):)

[RaphAndDonnie]

On some level I was aware of TMNT, I mean it was a pretty big part of pop culture! But I didn't really know or care about it. I was content with my Spongebob, Animaniacs and Teen Titans. Being born two years after the show's original run ended doesn't really help matters either.

Now of course I love it but back then I barely even knew who Shredder and Krang were. :tconfuse:

[Davetello]

Let's just say that knowing that this is a fictional franchise and that Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo and Raphael don't actually exist is pretty depressing and something i don't like to think about too much. In my mind they're in the sewers under Manhattan right at this moment.

[Powder]

Can't tell ya how many sewers I yelled into as a kid.

...& as a teen, and adult. :trazz:

[Shark_Blade]

Let's just say that knowing that this is a fictional franchise and that Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo and Raphael don't actually exist is pretty depressing and something i don't like to think about too much. In my mind they're in the sewers under Manhattan right at this moment.

You could say that about all other fictional franchises: Harry Potter, Star Wars, LOTR, etc..

But the fans keep on believing and that's what's fascinating about the human mind. They believe in those worlds, that it is all true and possible.

Heck I met a stranger in the train and we talked about Sherlock Holmes all the way. He believes that Sherlock was a real person! (I don't blame him, many people does too). Since I didn't want to sound rude to him (me being somewhat a bit well versed with Holmes books and movies). I didn't object to what he believes in, didn't want to spoil it and say he's fictional, maybe later when I get to know him a little bit more. And so we talked on and on about it, so he kinda a pleasant acquaintance now. :)

[Davetello]

You could say that about all other fictional franchises: Harry Potter, Star Wars, LOTR, etc..

But the fans keep on believing and that's what's fascinating about the human mind. They believe in those worlds, that it is all true and possible.

Heck I met a stranger in the train and we talked about Sherlock Holmes all the way. He believes that Sherlock was a real person! (I don't blame him, many people does too). Since I didn't want to sound rude to him (me being somewhat a bit well versed with Holmes books and movies). I didn't object to what he believes in, didn't want to spoil it and say he's fictional, maybe later when I get to know him a little bit more. And so we talked on and on about it, so he kinda a pleasant acquaintance now. :)

Yep, that was my point - that if someone cares about something that is fictional, they don't like to dwell on that fact. They want to suspend their disbelief for as long as possible. Look at wrestling fans, for example.

I find it quite endearing that he's so enamoured with Sherlock Holmes that he's actually convinced himself the guy was real and actually existed. There's nothing wrong with that - it's a harmless way to live your life really. I'm glad you've sort of befriended him, he sounds interesting :)

[Prowler]

I kinda viewed them as older brothers I never had or as the "cool" kids in school. Naturally I thought they were badass and they were my heroes. Then, as I watched more of the show I realized that it was pretty much a comedy and that they made pretty absurd decisions such as letting the villains get away all the time even if they had a clear chance to finish them off. Although, I still had some hope that they'd kill Shredder in the final episode or something :lol:

[BubblyShell22]

Can't tell ya how many sewers I yelled into as a kid.

...& as a teen, and adult. :trazz:

Ha, my brother and I used to do that, too. Sometimes, my BF and I will jokingly yell at a sewer grate when we're out on a walk.

[Michelangelo]

I don't think I thought much past them being awesome. The whirlwind ride that was the cartoon, toys, trading cards, video games, comics, movies and more just swept me away in it's awesomeness and then I grew up. The ride was over and over time I forgot all about them. Then recently I thought back to what was important to me when I was younger and TMNTs just hit me. I started looking into them and quickly fell in love all over again. A romance I had forgotten about had come back and matured into a fully realised love of all things TMNT. So a bunch of weapon wielding mutants were hiding in the shadows of my mind waiting for the right time to come back and take over my life. Things were much simpler when I was child, my parents would just say no to things but now I can do whatever I like. Sometimes I wish my parents would say no to me now so I'd stop buying so much TMNT stuff. I don't think I can get my brother around to reenact TMNT fights scenes in the backyard like we used to. That usually ended with him getting hurt and me getting in trouble. I always remember my first TMNT toy. It was Michelangelo. I had seen the toys down at the shop only minutes before and my Dad went back and got one for me. I had to go to cub scouts that night but I remember staring at my new friend in awe the whole time keeping him in the packaging. I even took him cub scouts with me and left him in the car for me see when I finished and went home. That night I had a new friend to sleep next to me and fill my head full of all kinds of TMNT fun. I really hope he's waiting for me in a box in the shed at my parents place. I miss my Mikey :(

[Original TMNT Cartoon Fan]

You could say that about all other fictional franchises: Harry Potter, Star Wars, LOTR, etc..

But the fans keep on believing and that's what's fascinating about the human mind. They believe in those worlds, that it is all true and possible.

Heck I met a stranger in the train and we talked about Sherlock Holmes all the way. He believes that Sherlock was a real person! (I don't blame him, many people does too). Since I didn't want to sound rude to him (me being somewhat a bit well versed with Holmes books and movies). I didn't object to what he believes in, didn't want to spoil it and say he's fictional, maybe later when I get to know him a little bit more. And so we talked on and on about it, so he kinda a pleasant acquaintance now. :)

I thought Sherlock Holmes was real after watching "Elementary, My Dear Turtle". I'd never heard of him before. What else would someone who'd never heard of him believe when Leonardo asks if he is Sherlock Holmes.

[miru]

I thought Shredder was a robot, that fly from Turtles in Tome was not Baxter, and the series started as a Nintendo game.