Your Favorite Thing About TMNT

[Spitfire]

This isn't one of those topics where you say your favorite turtle or series, this is about what lures you to TMNT.

What is it that draws you to the turtles, makes you love them?

For me it's instinct, ever since I could remember the turtles pacified me and still do to this very day. If I'm ever down or depressed I can watch turtles and it puts a smile on my face. When I go to department stores I look in the toy aisle just to see the turtles on the shelves. Seeing the turtles in general puts a smile on my face, and that's why I caked my bedroom's walls with turtles. It gives my room a good feel. I can walk in, look around, and smile.

How about you guys?

[Scandia]

It's just a cool concept. I like the differing Turtles' personalities and hobbies and interests. And the OT always cracked me up as well.

[The Shelf]

This is probably the hardest question relating to TMNT to answer, at least for me. It's way harder than picking a favorite turtle or favorite universe.

But if I had to sum up my answer in only one answer rather than a long list of them, I would have to say... everything! I know, it sounds like a cop-out, but seriously, TMNT has pretty much everything I could ever want in a story. It's got a diverse cast of characters both in personality and origin, and it has stories that cover nearly every genre that I am interested in including action, adventure, sci-fi, fantasy, and even a little horror and romance. It has stories that are canon and stories that are "just for fun." It has stories that are "normal" where the characters spend time doing normal things, and then it has really bizarre stories such as those involving Kirby's crystal or the Shredder worm clones. TMNT really has something for everyone. I could go on, but I think it's the sheer uniqueness and diversity of the stories that have been told about TMNT that most lures me to them. Plus, I love how I can relate to every single one of the turtles.

In cases where other characters/stories might tie with the turtles in the above qualities, I fall back on these things to break the tie:

-- The turtles are ninjas, and ninjas are awesome.
-- The turtles are green, and green's my favorite color.
-- The turtles are turtles... and turtles are one of my favorite animals (although that may be a paradox because the reason I like turtles is very likely due to the TMNT).

[Wanda]

I've always felt similiarity to Turtles because they appear different than people, and that is the reason people dislike them.

My other parent isn't from Finland, and when I was a kid the other kids were confused about my heritage. Sometimes they made me feel like I was a weird stranger to them, and yes, I had to even deal with racism towards me.

[DonatelloDomeHead31]

I like pizza and whenever I see the ninja turtles eat pizza, that what draws me to them. Also the way they humor the viewers with their puns and jokes, especially Raphael.

[blue_angel99]

My three main reasons:


1) I love the ninja action and adventures cause I can never do that..:-?

2) I luv seeing the family interaction between the turtles, Splinter, April and Casey. They overlook their differences and love each other no matter what.:)

3) The stories are funny...:lol:

[AquaParade]

Funny you ask this Spitfire, because it's a question I was really drilling into my brain the other day. I think what lures me to them are really just the great characters, and the fact that I've always kinda felt in a weird way that if you split me into four pieces, I would end up as the four turtles...personality wise. But I'm sure that goes for a lot of people. Also, there's probably a pinch of plain nostalgia thrown in that keeps me hooked.

[Masked Ninja]

Nowadays I really like the family aspect, as well as the way these four vastly different personalities interact. And let's not forget the kickawesome ninja action, especially when animated well. And... drawing Turtles is always like a break from the other art and work I have to do, because they're so fun to put on paper.

I'm not sure why I first got into 'em... I was a toddler and can't always remember that far back. I probably thought they were funny and cool. I've always loved animals too, so I'm sure that helped. And it was always fun to run and jump around shouting "Turtle Power!" :P

[CyberCubed]

I think it was just the fact that the Turtles have personalities anyone can relate to, and besides all the action/fighting that we all love, the TMNT still act like teens who just want to have fun and pursue their own interests.

Combine that with likeable supporting characters like Splinter, April and Casey...as well as awesome villains like Shredder, and you pretty much struck gold.

Its no surprise Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman became millionaires because of this. They just nailed the concept.

[Mr._Mutant_Man]

I have no idea why I liked them as a kid, as far as why I became a huge fan after seeing the cartoon. I guess kids just like stuff that is way out there.

Now why did I gravitate toward turtle fandom again, after years of kind of thinking of it as something from my childhood? Probably because of becoming a comic book fan, and realizing that the turtles are probably what sparked my interest in the superhero genre in the first place.

So I guess my favorite aspect is...the superhero aspect? Also that it's just such a strange tale.

[Zog the Equalizer]

For me I guess its the way I can identify with Don in almost every single aspect of his personality. I'm also a very family oriented person. Plus the are Teenage Mutant NINJA Turtles, Ninjas are f**king awesome!

[Janus Prospero]

I love how there is a turtle for everyone. Of course a lot of us act like all the different turtles given our current situations and mood.

Additionally, I feel like they're very relatable. Even though they're green mutants, I kinda think that makes them even more so. They're not just relatable in their different personalities, but also in their conflict of being outsiders (something nearly everyone has faced at some point or another.)

But also because they are ninja, and that is totally badass.

[shuriken]

I liked them ever since I can remember. It was partly due to them that I know English(I grew up speaking Spanish, but watched a lot of Cartoons, but I really enjoyed the Turtles). But I just like them, a lot, I like thefamily aspect, the story, the characters. They're also fun to draw too:D.

[Colliwog]

When I was about 5 or 6, I had my first pet turtles. My sister and I had found them as hatchlings and our parents let us keep them. I was in love with turtles from then on. 20 years later, I still have one of them. And not long after that, I discovered the TMNT and thought they were just the coolest ever!!
As I grew up, I gradually lost interest and eventually forgot them completely.

Around the start of this year, I was browsing DA and saw the best piece of Turtles fan art I'd ever seen, and fell in love with the Turtles all over again. :tlove:

[TheUltimateShredhead]

I love the concept of four ninjas being teenage mutant turtles fighting against the evil force of a ninja master and a alien warlord, and there two dumb clumpsy mutants! Call me nerdy if you want, but i prefer cartoonish funny kids show over action bad boy (typical wats popular) movies:P. Well... but i wish there was more fighting and action in the OT series:ohwell:.

[TheUltimateShredhead]

I've always felt similiarity to Turtles because they appear different than people, and that is the reason people dislike them.

My other parent isn't from Finland, and when I was a kid the other kids were confused about my heritage. Sometimes they made me feel like I was a weird stranger to them, and yes, I had to even deal with racism towards me.

Was your other parent of non-caucasian ethnicity:ohwell:?

[syd]

"instinct"...*snort*God,he killed me.i'm a realist,and i'm not gonna to say that kinda of fantacies.i love TMNT because i love their stones.and what's more...i think i had recorded right in my thread.

[Buslady]

i love turtles and the fact i can identify with them, i know what it feels like to be outcast and seen as some reject. *hugs her raphie*

[Jester]

Not sure...nestalgia?

But in all seriousness it's an interesting consept with a good mix of action, humor and drama. as BL's siggy shows, the TMNT are a family and I love that.

That and I love Rob Paulsen. He's like my freakin' idol. I'd love to do what he does.

[a_big_apple]

What an interesting question! It's really hard for me to remember a time when I wasn't a Turtles fan, so I'm not sure exactly what got me hooked. I've always preferred animation to live action in my tv watching, and I think the humor and the action of the OT probably caught my attention. I've been a fan ever since because of their personalities, and the family aspect. I'm an only child, and I spent a lot of time playing by myself and wishing I had sibs...the Turtles kind of were siblings for me, and I've always felt able to relate to them much more than I can relate to any other characters. They're so distinct and lovable, and their family is so close and insular. That's the way I want to be with my friends, like a family. I also sort of grew up on the Archies, and they got more and more serious as I got older, which was just the right pace to keep me hooked and to relate to the various struggles of being a kid and young adult. They've become old friends, and I think that's something that a lot of fans experience.

And, like everyone else has said, the kick-butt ninja action is always a bonus! Though I'm pretty sure that my affinity for ninjas, action, and martial arts all stems from my love of TMNT. :)

Thanks for this question, Spitfire, it's really great to see everyone writing about their connection to TMNT--makes me feel like I'm way less of a freak than people sometimes think I am! I definitely share that "pacifying" reaction.... No matter what kind of mood I'm in or what's gone wrong with my day, they always make me smile and feel at home.

[SassyGal]

I'm not sure what drew me to them in the first place when I was twelve, I think it just happened to be on one day.

Nowadays, it's part nostalgia and partly due to the family aspect. Plus I am with Jester...Rob Paulsen is flippin' awesome :)

[JetsAndHeels]

When the original cartoon came on I began watching just out of interest. From there it grew into other things..toy collecting, the movies, the cards, video games, anything TMNT related.
In all honesty I went a few years where the TMNT were not as interesting to me. When the 2k3 cartoon started up so did my enthusiasm for them again. From then until now with the cartoon series, the cgi film, toys, and comics I have have been able to successfully rekindle that passion for the franchise.
So what do I like about the TMNT? Basically like I said it goes back to my childhood, plus seeing them all together as a family is refreshing..especially nowadays because family means more to me since I am older and understand the concept better.
Plus it is just a fun story to follow..the characters, the ninja action, the silliness...its just a great way to enjoy time when you need a distraction from the outside world and all its stresses.

[Ramboraph4life aka Matt]

I too do not know what drew me to them in the first place.

But as to why I'm drawn to them now? I have to be honest and saw it's mainly the Raphael character. I love Mikey, and I mean Don and Leo aren't bad characters. But...

Ever since the first movie (1990) I was just always hooked to that type of character Raphael was....maybe it was a mixture of my kids instinct (turtles + martial arts = cool) and the slight beginning of my teenage likes (one man against the world heroes/anti-heroes like Rambo, all the 80's action flicks I grew up with)...and both of them were put together. (If that makes any sense lol).

I just thought they were always interesting in the fact that they're heroes and yet the ultimate outsiders. No super powers, and the don't get the money and high-tech mansion of say the X-Men and such. I mean they live in the damn sewers. I guess that's another reason...they're the underdogs in the quote "superhero" canon. They can't really find love in as much as you read comics or watch stuff like Spidey, X-Men (the whole Jean Grey/Cyclops/Wolverine love triangle thing), even Fantastic 4 (Ben Grimm got that blind woman for a girlfriend) love comes kinda easily for those guys. But not the turtles.

And I get why Raph would be pissed. I know this isn't a "what's your fave turtle and why" thread or whatever. But that is my favorite part of the canon, his character. Sometimes I picture/try to write stories as if he was Rambo...a warrior born to fight and never finding peace...that type of stuff. Plus his physical traits make him an even more outcast than other heroes. Kind of like the ultimate underdog, so to speak. Maybe that's just me. Besides, what teenage wouldn't be pissed if they could never get laid lol.

[triplexxx]

Ever since I was introduced to TV when I was a baby and came across TMNT, I suppose it was simply instinct. It touched me like nothing else on TV ever did. Like many kids I guess, I got into the super hero genre at a pretty early age, but things like Batman and Superman just never succeeded in peaking my interest. The action in the first cartoon was always fun to watch and never bored me. The turtles were always the perfect combination of cool, cute, kick-ass, and funny. They got me hooked on pizza. The old toon had a start and a finish, making it a ten-season epic which is fun to follow. After the old toon's airing period and just before getting introduced to the new toon, I got into the live-action flicks, and again found the stories fun and entertaining...slightly different from what I rememeber in the old toon, but still appealing, had good humor, and made for a nice three-volume epic. The new toon came along, and like with the old toon, the turtles remained the perfect combination of cool, cute, kick-ass, and funny...in the old toon, I always thought about the turtles for how similar they were, when I got into the new toon, then I started pondering on their differences and figured out in which way I relate to each of them, but still loved them most for their similarities. The new toon also makes for a fun-to-follow epic, six seasons running. The new movie, unlike the previous mentioned universes, I got a good deal of info on it before actually seeing it...nevertheless, the movie remained unpredictable and managed to tell a fun story and entertain me well.
Every one of these universes have entertaining adventures/stories which contain enjoyable amounts of sci-fi, comedy, fantasy, thrill, and always a happy ending.
Finally, since the main characters are very much human (aside from the obvious and the kind of things they reap from their spirituality every now and then) without superpowers and whatnot, they are lovable, understandable, and by all means relatable.

[Wanda]

Was your other parent of non-caucasian ethnicity:ohwell:?

Yep. My dad is from Tanzania. 8)

[twigs232]

You won't even believe what made me first like TMNT. The fact is my mother gave me Christmas gifts in Ninja Turtles gift boxes and I thought they were cute and I knew that I wanted to check them out! They were my favorite cartoon to watch back in the 80's.

[HeavyMetalCarebear]

Shredder and Donatello. I love villains and smart characters.

[Ninjafromanotherseries]

So why I like TMNT.

When I was little I just liked any action cartoon and the best one was Biker mice from Mars, I still watch it, 90´s episodes because Finnish dubs for them are so funny. They talk about dirty things in Finland.

But back to the TMNT. When 2k3 started here I almost right away loved it. TMNT just has it all what I like: Ninjas, robots, magic,adventures in space but also in fantasy places and all kind of different dimensions, very vast and interesting cast of characters, good storylines, fighting and other things that don´t come into my mind now.

Marvel-superheroes has all these things too but they are too drama and characters dying means nothing, everybody gets revived ( happened in TMNT too though) but TMNT are better in many ways but one major thing is that they aren´t exactly heroes. While superheroes never kill even their greatest foes TMNT are ready to kill their foes.

[METALHEAD]

i cant recall what came first, the toy or the toon. how i got into it i have no idea..... i'll tell you this, TMNT was everywhere EVERYWHERE! you cant reist the TMNT craze man. :o they ruled the toy ailes. maaaaan. Ninja turtles were just the big hit maaaan. i still remmeber getting that ninja turrle....i think it was don.....or leo....

[VaughnMichael]

I enjoyed how creative they used to be, how even till this day they can keep coming up for new stories for the characters and yet they never get old.
The endless amount of crazy characters from mirgae, archie, the old shows, the toy lines, and the new show.
The chemistry the characters have together has never been matched by any other group for me.
This is why I like the turtles so much.

[Time Mistress]

To put it as simply as possible, the family bond and the martial arts.

[Warhorse]

My perception on what I like about the Turtles and what got me into them is similar to raphroehler2003 reasons. I liked Raph, mainly because I like red. But, before the Turtles came on, my other big favorite thing when I was a kid was (dont hate me or blast me please) Rainbow Brite. I really wanted that horse, and that was the cartoon that got me into horses. But that was also the cartoon that kind of used various characters and colors to paint their personalities. Well, Rainbow Brite went away, and the Turtles popped up on the tv, and the color orienting to personalities caught my eye.

So my favorite things, their personalities, and how their bandana colors seem to amplify those personalities right on target. I know it's a stupid reason, but it's what comes to mind.:)

[Ra]

Okay, I think I'll have to dive into the past a little bit for this...

My first faint memory of TMNT was from "The Next Mutation". When I was watching it, I just watched it for the fights. For Raphael, mainly. Heck, I made myself a bandanna that looked just like his. I would NEVER watch it without it on. Fresh off my Power Rangers phase of life, I loved the show for it's similarity to Power Rangers...but no giant robot fighting scenes. Didn't matter. They had a motorcycle. That made up for that.

When I saw the 2k3 season again in 2003, I was brought into it for a completely different reason. Not just for the fights, but for the relationships and family bonds between the brothers and their father. Never had I seen a family so close before, even though this family was fictional. My family, despite it's size, does not show this amount of compassion. I guess I was yearning for something that I didn't have. It's what brought me in...to the fandom. To this website. Also, the fact that I was going through a very difficult time in my young life at the time helped a lot. They were seen as freaks...I was seen as a freak. I could relate a lot.

What keeps me firmly in the fandom is the theme of family, and fighting for each other. I stayed for the 2k3 season as well, for levels of animation, character growth and intelligent storytelling. Something that cartoons such as "My Gym Partner's A Monkey" fail to provide. But...yeah, in short, the family theme.

[MoreCowbell5263]

I first got into it by watching VHS's of the OT that Burger King used to give out with their version of Happy Meals, the kids' meals or whatever they were called. (I think they're called Mighty Kids Meals now, but I'm not sure.) My brothers were into the show and I got into it through them. I guess at that young an age (like 3 or 4), it was probably just the bright colors and action that these weird looking ninjas brought to the TV screen. I saw the movies (Secret of the Ooze was the first movie I ever saw in a theater, for I wasn't born when the first one came out), and again, I was young, and the bright colors and funny-looking characters got to me. As I got older, for some reason, I didn't really want to let go. I think it was the idea that these characters that I loved when I was so young had deeper personalities and more complex issues in the movies than in the OT.

I later got into the newer animated series and I just always loved the idea that they all have relatable personalities and family-related issues that most people can understand. They're an easy-to-relate-to group of characters and the idea of them being turtles who mutated and trained as ninjas just makes people go "I gotta see that!" and then become fascinated with the deeper meanings and whatnot behind the Turtles.

P.S. I just got a vintage-looking Ninja Turtles (Retro) shirt I ordered from allposters.com a few days ago, along with a vintage Batman shirt and Venom (from Spider-Man) shirt.

[Kendamu]

In many ways, TMNT represent true counterculture to me. They live outside of society while coming up with clever ways to interact with it on occasion. Their practices and values are far outside the norm. Their looks are completely outside the norm. They've got some really odd friends. However, like most untrue countercultures (which merely get picked up by fashion designers and turned into consumer culture) they actually do things that are for the good of society and mankind in general. Plus, like many people who look into becoming part of a counterculture, they're unable to be part of mainstream culture.

Sure, it's not a perfect fit, but counterculture isn't really supposed to fit any perfect molds.

If you wanna be really basic about it, though, I got into the OT because it was the most exciting thing I saw in all 4 years of my life at the time. That, and the toys were cool and came on some unusual packaging that hit me in a way that made them seem special in an "underground" sort of way. Ironically enough, those were the things that made TMNT mainstream for several years.

Good thing I discovered the old comics when I was 12.