Kids who grew up with TMNT in the 2000's as opposed to the 80's/90's

[CyberCubed]

As we know, TMNT had a second generation of fans in the 2000's because of the 4kids cartoon, movie, and new comics, toys and videogames.

Most of us here are from the first generation, who remember Turtlemania from the late 80's and early 90's. How many new hardcore TMNT fans do you think the 2000 era picked up?

And do you feel bad for these kids that they weren't around to experience TMNT when it was truly popular, even if they likely watched the old cartoon on DVD anyway?

In a way it reminds me of the Pokemon franchise. Some kids getting into Pokemon now will never know what it was like back in 1998 when Pokemon was a huge phenomenon and it was truly popular, and thus they missed out because they were too young.

What do you think?

[rav4ge]

I was still a kid for 2003. It wasn't the show that really made me love the whole franchise, it was the old comics, toys, and video games from the 80s/90s, ironically. The 2k3 show was a big (and welcome) surprise.

Obviously, TMNT was never as big when I was a kid. I was the only kid who really loved them. Everyone was into Pokemon, and then Yu-Gi-Oh, and then Beyblades.

[sdp]

Its a hard topic to reply to, especially since people are going to give very biased opinions like on the "comparing fads" topic I made a few months ago. Choppy's post might be the only real insight from a fan who was a kid then we may get. I don't think 2k3 made many new hardcore fans, or we'd see more of them here, I'm sure there were a few hardcore fans but most of the kids who liked 2k3 likely saw it as "another show" that they liked.

I'm trying to be unbiased but to me I was born in the perfect year, I got to experience the fad of 3 franchises I absolutely love as a kid(TMNT/Power Rangers/Pokemon) I definitely like older franchises and newer ones but they aren't ones that I would enjoy a fad, maybe thats because I was a kid then and if I had been a kid in the 2000's I couldn't have beleived people missed out on Yu Gi Oh. Same with 80s kids who can argue 90s kids like me never grew up with the Transformers/He-Man fads but I never really cared for those franchises, I saw Beast Wars and liked it as a kid but I never cared for Transformers. Now I do believe 90s kids had the best childhood and its even backed up by some non-90s kids. Now that I posted this I am sure I angered 80s kids which this board has a lot of and this will be a thread of how the 80s were better ;)

So yeah, re-stating what I just stated, Most likely outside of a few new hardcore fans, most kids who enjoyed 2k3 liked it as a show but they were happy with the fads of their childhood be it YuGiOh or Beyblade or Pokemon.

[ToTheNines]

I was born in 91 and was a big Turtles fan before 2003, but I was 11 when the show premeired so I suppose I qualify.

I feel like the new show didn't pick up that many hardcore fans...maybe a few. Most of the kids I grew up with didn't really give a sh*t about that kind of stuff. Back when the show came out, all my friends were obsessed with music, skateboarding and Jack-ass, and most other kids were just into First Person Shooters and 50 cent.

I couldn't even talk TMNT with the nerds, the were suckling the teet that was Yu-gi-oh and other lame anime shows.

[Avatar Yuffie]

I felt my younger cousins missed a lot of good cartoons (Batman, G1 Transformers, The Tick, X-Men, re-runs of Loony Toons).

But the new generation cartoons are very good, and I watched it with them (Spectacular Spiderman, Justice League, Teen Titans, Ben 10, Avatar). The new TMNT didn't grab them I'm afraid, they are more attracted to Naruto (it helps that the fighting game in the PS3 is AWESOME). :p


In a way it reminds me of the Pokemon franchise. Some kids getting into Pokemon now will never know what it was like back in 1998 when Pokemon was a huge phenomenon and it was truly popular, and thus they missed out because they were too young.

This would be like FFVII. FFVII is huge, took the world by storm, but newer players would look at the game now wondering how on earth that came to be... with the dated graphics, and some of the lines not done well, not to mention the huge twist that's common knowledge now.

It's really the case of "you need to be there".

So yeah, I'm glad I was born to enjoy TMNT as a kid, and live long enough to see the rest.

How many new hardcore TMNT fans do you think the 2000 era picked up?

I'm sure they exist. At least that's what I think as a lurker in deviant art.

[GK Punk]

This would be like FFVII. FFVII is huge, took the world by storm, but newer players would look at the game now wondering how on earth that came to be... with the dated graphics, and some of the lines not done well, not to mention the huge twist that's common knowledge now.

Most overrated game of all time.

[Avatar Yuffie]

Well... yeah... XD. But you have to admit it was so popular back then that the other RPGs were overlooked (Xenogears... ;_; ). I like VII and Crisis Core though. The rest of the Compilation... not so much...

Anyways, let's not hi-jack the thread.

[GK Punk]

Eh it's all good as long as it gets it's self back on track. I was actually trying to work what I wanted to say in response to the main thread out in my head when I originally posted anyway LOL.

(Edited in to this post)

I wouldn't feel bad for them for missing out on the original "Turtlemania" they aren't even aware they missed it, in a way. A lot of them would still be too young to really have the nostalgia factor kick in quite yet for the TMNT. (Unless they were say 10-13 or so.) They really got their own version of what we got, and I'm sure they enjoyed it just as much as we did.

[Walkabout]

Well Im loath to be one of those "your turtles arent real turtles" people-the 2k3 series puts the original to shame IMO...I was born 82 so Im definitely an OT kid,never knew of the comics until much later though.

Any turtles is good turtles I say,its all good!:tsmile:

[PizzaPower]

TMNT 2003 came out in a era where its really hard for it to actually become a CULT like it did in the 80's and really 90's. Pokemon the same way kids today are WAY more into reality TV and nonsense like that, as far as NICK's TMNT coming out i feel like its going to be bigger then the 2003 series was just because it is coming on NICK.

[Fugitoid Jones]

^^ Yeah, I have a feeling that a Nick owned TMNT product will be a bit more successful than a 4Kids owned property, so perhaps Nick may be able to shove TMNT down more kids throats than 4Kids did. Hopefully Nick can bring in more fans in this third era of TMNT fandom than the ones made during the second era.

[Bmaga123]

I was born in 81 so I have loved the turtles since the beginning. IMO they dont make cartoons like they used to in the 80's and 90's. My best memory's from the Ninja Turtles are from the 80's cartoon, and original 3 movies especially part 1 and 2.

[Jester]

I've said it before and I'll say it again, the TMNT I like depends on my mood. I love the goofy fun (and the voice acting. ;)) of the original toon, but for more story/character driven, action oriented stories, it's 2k3.

[GK Punk]

I've said it before and I'll say it again, the TMNT I like depends on my mood. I love the goofy fun (and the voice acting. ;)) of the original toon, but for more story/character driven, action oriented stories, it's 2k3.

I'm kind of the same way. I also do that with Masters of the Universe.

[Jester]

Here's hoping the Nick TMNT just tells good, fun Turtle stories. That's all i care about.

[Eiko]

Ah i remember the Turtlemania days. I feel a bit sorry for the kids of today who missed out on all the good fun.

[ssjup81]

Ah i remember the Turtlemania days. I feel a bit sorry for the kids of today who missed out on all the good fun.You know, I kinda do too since it seemed to be bigger back then. Seems the 2k3 series snuck under the radar. I don't even recall its being promoted much. I do remember it coming on Fox, though, in my area.

That aside, the "Turtlemania" stuff was fun. I didn't have the toys (my cousins did, so I played with theirs =P) and the comics, but I did love the show and the games and the movies. To be honest, I didn't know of any kid who didn't like some medium of the Turtles back then.

[Powder]

Ah i remember the Turtlemania days. I feel a bit sorry for the kids of today who missed out on all the good fun.

Yeah definitely, I say the same of Pokemon, too. I'm glad I got experience them both, and still enjoy them just as much as I did then.
It's also great that they're both getting revamped all the time. Keeps this geek happy.

[BAXTER STOCKMAN 19]

I was 15 years old when TMNT 2003 series started. But i was fan of TMNT since my 7 when it was then that i started watching TMNT(80 series). But i liked TMNT 2003 series more than the 80 series. And yes in a few years when i will get married and have kids i will introduce tmnt to them i :trazz::trazz:

[cartoonistaaron]

I was born in 1979. Perfect age for the onset of Turtlemania. It was truly a phenomenon. The movies, the stage show, the cartoon, the toys, the lunchboxes, the fishing kits, the Ooze pies, the fruit snacks, the Tshirts, the bedding...

I had He-Man, Inspector Gadget, Ninja Turtles, Batman, Voltron, action figures were still cheap (under five bucks!!), playground equipment was still dangerous, and Ghostbusters - heck, I could go to Universal Studios and see the live show, and see Ecto-1 blasting the Ghostbusters theme song... There were rows and rows of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle toys at KayBee, Toys R Us, Kmart...

Man those were good times! The best!

The new show, I think, was just a little too "bland" compared to other cartoons. The original 'toon was just so weird and wacky compared to the other pedestrian He-Man / GI Joe type stuff that was out there.

[Newton Gimmick]

Its a hard topic to reply to, especially since people are going to give very biased opinions like on the "comparing fads" topic I made a few months ago. Choppy's post might be the only real insight from a fan who was a kid then we may get. I don't think 2k3 made many new hardcore fans, or we'd see more of them here, I'm sure there were a few hardcore fans but most of the kids who liked 2k3 likely saw it as "another show" that they liked.


While Turtlemania was nowhere as big the second time around... Remember that most of those 2nd Generation Turtle fans aren't old enough yet. There comes a certain age, when, you start looking back fondly on the things you loved as a kid. For most the 2K3 fans, they aren't at that age yet.

My cousin was a huge 2K3 fan... but he's only 15 now. Not old enough to care about a show that just went away a few years ago and too old to admitting he likes cartoons. When he's 20 or 25, he'll likely become part of Turtles fandoms.

[chad]

I grew with the TMNT in the 2000's when I watched the 2003 Cartoon. Then I watched The 80's cartoon.

[Utromshredderhater]

The kids who grew up in the 2000's missed out on a LOT

[Samhain]

The kids who grew up in the 2000's missed out on a LOT

Wow. Good post. Reps for you.

[Utromshredderhater]

Wow. Good post. Reps for you.
Do you really mean that or are you being sarcastic?

[Original TMNT Cartoon Fan]

What do you think?

Most Internet TMNT fan fiction seems to be basd on the 2003 TMNT cartoon (except for stories written between cirka 1997-2003, who seem to be based on the Next Mutation series).

[Koi]

Grew up in the 2000's, don't care at all that I missed the turtlemania era at all. I don't see how it is something to care enough about that you would feel sorry for those who were not born at the right time to experience just some random faze.

[PizzaPower]

he or she above me as a point. Ninja Turtles is famous, and yes still somewhat of a faze with the retro aspect, but orangey found love with TMNT which we all did, and most people that grew up during the "faze" MOST of them have familys and dont care for TMNT except for just there kids now and dont push it on them.

[CyberCubed]

Grew up in the 2000's, don't care at all that I missed the turtlemania era at all. I don't see how it is something to care enough about that you would feel sorry for those who were not born at the right time to experience just some random faze.

Growing up in the craze of any show is a big deal.

Same reason people loved when Pokemon, Power Rangers or The Simpsons were at the height of their popularity.

When something is a huge fad and its everywhere, it feels like a joy to be a part of it, especially when you're a little kid.

[TuЯco]

i was young when pokemon was big. was ninja turtles that big in the ninties?

[FearlessLeader]

i was young when pokemon was big. was ninja turtles that big in the ninties?

From what I observed of the Pokemon craze, I would hazard to say in it's day Turtles was even bigger then Pokemon was.

Maybe everything just seems larger then life from my childhood, but Pokemon only got one or two films that actually went to the theater I think and it never had a concert tour.

[ToTheNines]

Maybe everything just seems larger then life from my childhood, but Pokemon only got one or two films that actually went to the theater I think and it never had a concert tour.

True... but it was a multi-platform videogame phenomenon, plus a super successful card game, animated series, and toy line.

TMNT mostly had the show and toys.

[GK Punk]

I'd argue Pokemon was as big if not bigger in it's hayday. Watching my nephew and niece grow up with Pokemon made me realize that.

[sdp]

I got to experience both fads as a kid and Pokemon was easily much bigger than TMNT ever was. Thats not to say the TMNT craze wasn't big because it was, but Pokemon was able to appeal to a much wider audience and had a more compel people of all ages into it not to mention Pokemon was definitely a multimedia hit with videogames/cards/cartoon, sure TMNT also had those but they were supplements to the show and not hits on their own like they were with Pokemon, this is also why it was much larger. This is a TMNT forum so you are going to get biased opinions that TMNT were bigger but this is not the case, oh and Pokemon did get a live tour btw.

I actually made a thread about comparing the ads against each other here (http://forums.thetechnodrome.com/showthread.php?t=32292) but it devolved into NO WAI TMNT WAS MUCH BIGGER. which is false but people here were kids when the original turtles craze and not when pokemon was around so they see things different. The Power Rangers craze that followed after TMNT is one that TMNT may have been bigger than PRs but both were fairly close to each other.

[Powder]

From what I observed of the Pokemon craze, I would hazard to say in it's day Turtles was even bigger then Pokemon was.

Maybe everything just seems larger then life from my childhood, but Pokemon only got one or two films that actually went to the theater I think and it never had a concert tour.

Pokemon was bigger, I'd say... I think they had 3 if not 4 films that made it into theatres.

Plus, "Pokemon Live!". BING. Tour.

[FearlessLeader]

While I like Pokemon I was in college when it came out so while I think my whole dorm played the games and quiet a few of us watched the show I really didn't have much of a clue about how popular it actually was. So I learned something new today thank you! :tgrin:

Just to add without getting this too off topic to this day the Pokemon Christmas CD is still one of my guilty pleasures to play during the Holidays to drive my family crazy.

[Redeemer]

I was born in 91 and was a big Turtles fan before 2003, but I was 11 when the show premeired so I suppose I qualify.

Im in the same boat I grew up on TMNT when I was really young, I watched a lot of the 80/90s OT with my older brother, I dont remember most of the episodes, bc Ive had 3 concussions. lol But I saw the whole 2k3 series, They both have a special place in the TMNT Franchise, I do feel bad for those who didnt come to know the OT rather than not knowing 2k3 simply bc of all the Hype it was almost a life style compared to a underground fandom like the 2k3 series created.

[TuЯco]

now that i think about it... pokemon has a float in the thanksgiving parade, pokemon has made tons of cartoon episodes and movies, are probably more well known internationally, made more played video games but pokemon was probably more popular than ninja turtles at both of their respective times
(but what do i know?) lol

[Koi]

Growing up in the craze of any show is a big deal.

Same reason people loved when Pokemon, Power Rangers or The Simpsons were at the height of their popularity.

When something is a huge fad and its everywhere, it feels like a joy to be a part of it, especially when you're a little kid.

I have to disagree, to me it is a very little deal to no deal at all. Just my opinion though. I don't see how some show, or game that becomes a craze among many is a big deal at all.

[deadpoolRKO]

what year is considered the "peak" of the turtle craze?

i was born in 1990 , so i kind of missed out on the show but i loved the movies my whole life. I started watching the show later on i think it was still on TV but i made have had VHS's i'm not sure.

but I remember the toys were still everywhere when i was growin up , Power Rangers started in 1993 i remember that and pokemon being everywhere i looked. but i always liked the TMNT toys and movies better. Pokemon was my game , TMNT were my movies and MMPR was my show. lol.

[Adam Riches]

what year is considered the "peak" of the turtle craze?

i was born in 1990 , so i kind of missed out on the show but i loved the movies my whole life. I started watching the show later on i think it was still on TV but i made have had VHS's i'm not sure.

I'd say 1990-1991 was the peak of TMNT-mania.

New episodes continued to air until late 1996, it also continued to air in re-runs for several years after on the USA network. So it's quite possible you could have still seen the show as a kid.

[deadpoolRKO]

I'd say 1990-1991 was the peak of TMNT-mania.

New episodes continued to air until late 1996, it also continued to air in re-runs for several years after on the USA network. So it's quite possible you could have still seen the show as a kid.

yeah i didn't think i had that many VHS's but i knew i'd watched it on TV before.


sweet i was born in the year of the turtle. lol :D

[Icegaze]

I was practically raised with the 80s TMNT show. But today I prefer and always will prefer the 2k3 series. I learnt about the Mirage comic books only after 2006-07. So I don't know what to say, OP. I was part of the generation of kids that loved the 80s series but IMO, today, those episodes are all cringe worthy (including the first 5 of season 1 although they were significantly better than the rest).

So here with me you have an 80s kid telling you that the 2k3 show was waaaaaay better than the 80s show.

[Herald7]

And do you feel bad for these kids that they weren't around to experience TMNT when it was truly popular, even if they likely watched the old cartoon on DVD anyway?

I do feel bad for them; I don't think kids today realize just how popular TMNT was back in the day. And we don't teach kids to respect history, we only teach them to care about their own little world.

[Original TMNT Cartoon Fan]

I'm kind of the same way. I also do that with Masters of the Universe.

Did Masters of the Universe also begun with violent comics targeted towards an older audience, just likte TMNT?

[Candy Kappa]

Did Masters of the Universe also begun with violent comics targeted towards an older audience, just likte TMNT?

There was a mini comic before the Cartoon.


And I guess the 200X He-man show didn't catch on like the first cartoon

[sdp]

Power Rangers came after TMNT, but there was no real "fad" or craze after that until Pokemon right? Saint Seiya and DBZ were huge in Mexico as was the N64 during those years in between but I can't recall anything really being a craze or fad level in the US. I guess Saint Seiya and DBZ would count in Mexico but since it wasn't on a worldwide level like the other three (well both were pretty popular in Europe as well just not in the US [well DBZ got big but that was late], the craze didn't get to its full potential..

There was also no real fad in the mid 2000's right? I mean Teen Titans was big but not fad level, and KidsWB's top rated shows were still Pokemon and Yugioh who at the time were no longer fads. I guess Ben 10? but that came out a bit later than the mid 2000's, I know High School musical and hannah Montana were pretty much fads in the late 2000's but those were mostly aimed at girls right?

While Turtlemania was nowhere as big the second time around... Remember that most of those 2nd Generation Turtle fans aren't old enough yet.
The thing is there was no "turtlemania" the second time around, I'm sure theres plenty of kids who grew up with 2k3 but turtlemania did not happen for the 2k3 show at all.

I have to disagree, to me it is a very little deal to no deal at all. Just my opinion though. I don't see how some show, or game that becomes a craze among many is a big deal at all.

I know its your opinion but its wrong ;) Sure anyone can still like a franchise and enjoy the hell out of it, however having been a part of the TMNT/PRs/Pokemon fads its just something special. And not only that because of the fact that it is a craze the franchise that you love is literally everywhere, every isles in the store and not just the toy isles would be full of the franchise you love, you go to the mall or any place and you'll see the franchise there and find people that love the franchise as well. Because its a craze theres also a ton of content coming out of said franchise. I mean its literally an overload of awesome stuff from the franchise that you love which I guess also explains why the fads die just as quickly.

I mean my Nephew is a huge fan of Jurassic Park and he can enjoy the movie all he wants but he'll never experience what I did as a kid of seeing all the toys/videogames and the magic. And JP was never as big as TMNT was (though it was arguably still pretty ****ing huge).

[PizzaPower]

There was a mini comic before the Cartoon.


And I guess the 200X He-man show didn't catch on like the first cartoon
im not going to lie, kids dont like he-man.

[magicalgirlj]

I rember watching this show when it premerd, I think we were in a hotel at the time. My neighboor Max has a 2003 Shredder figure

[Fugitoid Jones]

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, all fads pale in comparison to STREET SHARKSAMANIA!!!

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/57/Streetsharks.jpg



All this debating about which fad was bigger or not is fun and all, but if you think about it, it's really pointless. I think sometimes it depends on where someone grows up or lives, and how big that particular fad is where they live, for example, sdp probably lives somewhere where Pokemon was more popular than TMNT, but I'm pretty sure here in VT that TMNT was more popular than Pokemon and maybe PR.
Also, I don't think any of us have definitive, concrete evidence as to which was bigger by way of graphs and sales figures and whatever. The TMNT movies made way more than any of the Pokemon and PR movies did in the US, but maybe in other countries the Pokemon or PR movies made more. Maybe in different markets PR toys sold more than TMNT toys ever did.

All I'm trying to say is, we can say which fad seemed more popular by our own experiences, but I don't think any of us can state which fad was bigger and more popular as a fact.

[CyberCubed]

Pokemon is the second best selling videogame of all time after Mario. The show has nearly 700 episodes and has been airing for nearly 15 years

Comparing TMNT to Pokemon in terms of sales or popularity is a joke.

[Powder]

Pokemon is the second best selling videogame of all time after Mario. The show has nearly 700 episodes and has been airing for nearly 15 years

Comparing TMNT to Pokemon in terms of sales or popularity is a joke.

Thank you.

The rest of y'all JUS MAAAAD.

[Jester]

Not sure how people can say Turtles was "Bigger than Pokemon!" I may never have been a fan of Pokemon myself, but that was, and still is a beast!

[Cowabunga Carl]

TMNT has had the staying power for 25 years and still has a strong fan base. I think with the new show, comics, and toys coming out that we will only see it grow. Nick has big plans and I'm hoping they do our boys in green justice.

But back on topic. I was blessed to be born in the 80s and experience turtle mania when it hit. It was a wonderful thing. The 2k3 show and the 2k7 movie failed to capture that magic I feel because the market was saturated with ninja programs and kids were more into anime.

[The Stryker]

The 2k3 show and the 2k7 movie failed to capture that magic I feel because the market was saturated with ninja programs and kids were more into anime.

Also because both of those things weren't very good.

My niece likes TMNT just fine....well the first two movies and nothing else but still. I'm not the kind of person to say 'this era > that era' because that's just dumb.

[adz]

It's really hard to compare the fans who have grown up with the turtles in the 80/90's to the fans of today because each individual fan will have their own memoris of the turtles that makes them great. As Stryker said Its silly to say "this era > that era" it is irrelevant because there is no reason why the fans of ANY "era" can't be introduced to the awesomeness that us "older" fans grew up had AND STILL HAVE to this day. The turtles span all eras.
I know that the turtles will still be around in some way when I have my own kids and they will have every oportunity to enjoy what I grew up with coz well they have a tonne of it all over the house hahaha!!!

[Cowabunga Carl]

Also because both of those things weren't very good.


See that's why being a fan is great though. There is enough different things out there that each of us can like something different from the franchise but still be a part of the bigger fan base. To me the 2k3 show is the better of the two that we have gotten. I respect though that you did not like it.

[Jester]

I used to say I like the Fred Wolf series for the humor and the 4Kids series for the action, and depending on the type of Turtles I wanted was the one I'd watch...but rewatching the 2 series back to back I could watch more of the FW series in one sitting than the 4Kids stuff...it was just more fun.

[ChetTurtle]

I was born in '97 grew up with the 2k3 cartoon. I've since enjoyed the the old (and new) movies, and some of the old comics, and the new tales of the tmnt on my ipod. I have also see many of the old cartoon episodes, and can see that they were pretty decent. I probably missed tmnt at it's height of popularity, but I don't think that has impacted on my enjoyment of the franchise a lot.

By the way, pretty no one in my generation even knows who/what He-man is. I've heard of it, might have seen it once.

[Bjarni]

I started watching the original TMNT show when I was three years old. I grew up in the middle of the early 90's Turtlemania. I collected the Archie comics which I thought were the only TMNT comic. Only later would I find out that not only was there a whole other universe of comics but also that the Swedish comics were heavily censored and edited and re-written in their own way.

I would always rewatch some of my old TMNT tapes, but it wasn't until I reached my early teens, when I found issue 8 of volume 4 in my local comic shop that I decided to get back into TMNT and buying issues online.

I remember seeing the 2001 Warner Bros CGi 4 minute Pilot and I thought that it wasn't exactly as good as the original show, it still looked pretty decent. I was still pretty bummed that Next Mutation was canceled.

When the 2003 show premiered, I didn't like it. I laughed at the intro. Thought it was narm. Didn't appreciate the changes. I didn't like the 4Kids influence on the show. It wasn't until in the end when Shredder killed Dragon Face that I realized that this could actually be a pretty interesting show.
I still thought that 4Kids were trying to hard to appeal to kids during the start of season 1. Fallen Angel was an episode in particular that I just thought was stupid when I first watched it. But by the end of season 1 and throughout season 2 I was hooked. It was probably my all time favorite show at the time.

It was fun growing up with both. And Turtles Forever is one of my all time favorite cartoon movies.

[k_lala]

Two different times man, OT was definitely the more successful show but 2K3 was far the superior show in every way in my opinion. I grew up watch OT yes, every kid back then watch TMNT and like what someone else said 2K3 snuck under the rador, it was successful but it wasn't the as big as OT was. But there are factors here.

Back then... you have to understand, there weren't as many cartoons as there were back then compared to now. I mean think about it, EVERY Kid back then watched Transformers, GI JOE, Voltron, He-Man, Smurfs, TMNT, etc etc. There weren't as many shows back then compared to now....

Now we have 4Kids, Cartoon Network, Disney, Nick, and many more cartoon channels....i can't even name how many cartoons shows we have now, I can't keep up.

So yeah everyone remembers the OT show but for me the 2K3 series is what made me love TMNT with a passion!

[k_lala]

Most overrated game of all time.

7 was amazing! It's where I started playing FF games. Which one is your favorite? I've played 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13.

You know 9 had the best rating reviews but one of the lowest sales compared to 7 & 8. Reminds me of OT and 2k3.

[Bjarni]

Two different times man
The shows had their differences but they were also really similar at times. Not to mention that OT got serious when they wanted to and 2K3 had their over-the-top silliness at times.


Back then... you have to understand, there weren't as many cartoons as there were back then compared to now.
Wat?
That's just not true. The 80's had a big animation boom. There were probably more animated shows being produced in the 80's then at any other time period in American history. Granted, most of the shows were just a way for marketers to sell toys, but there were a bundle of them! The problem was the quality so a lot of shows tanked in their first season. Other really great shows tanked only after one season as well because no one was watching them because the quantities of shows was that much. It's easy to remember shows like GI Joe and Voltron, but that doesn't mean that Silver Hawks and Wheeled Warriors didn't exist.

The quality and writing of today's cartoons is a lot better though. Maybe because they are also being produced to an older audience?

[k_lala]

Wat?
That's just not true. The 80's had a big animation boom. There were probably more animated shows being produced in the 80's then at any other time period in American history. Granted, most of the shows were just a way for marketers to sell toys, but there were a bundle of them! The problem was the quality so a lot of shows tanked in their first season. Other really great shows tanked only after one season as well because no one was watching them because the quantities of shows was that much. It's easy to remember shows like GI Joe and Voltron, but that doesn't mean that Silver Hawks and Wheeled Warriors didn't exist.

The quality and writing of today's cartoons is a lot better though. Maybe because they are also being produced to an older audience?

I'm not denying the 80's cartoon boom. I'm just saying, a lot of the the kids back then all watched the same cartoons back then as to now, every kid watches so many different things. One will watch Spongebob...others will watch Marvel's Avengers show or DC's Young Justice....others TMNT 2K3....others will watch Adventure time...Plus don't forget Japanese Anime. There's just so much diversity now and days compared to back then. To me in my opinion it seemed like everyone I know grew up watching all those famous shows like Transformers, GI JOE, Scooby Doo, etc.

And to compare to show there are more cartoon shows now compared to then look at the list.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_animated_television_series

I don't have time to count physically but it seems like theres a lot more now than back then.

[The Stryker]

Actually no. It's just that those cartoons you mentioned are the shows people remember from that time and stood out somewhat from the pack. For every Batman or Animaniacs there are atleast 5 Life with Louies.

Also every Final Fantasy after 6 sucked.

[shuriken]

^^ Am I the only one who liked Life with Louie? :(...

[Jester]

^^ Am I the only one who liked Life with Louie? :(...

No.
You're not

[shuriken]

Alright thanks. Were those tags really necessary though :lol:

[Jester]

I was only gonna say "NO" but that's not 10 characters....:D

[k_lala]

Actually no. It's just that those cartoons you mentioned are the shows people remember from that time and stood out somewhat from the pack. For every Batman or Animaniacs there are atleast 5 Life with Louies.

Also every Final Fantasy after 6 sucked.

So how exactly is what my statement above wrong? Yeah those shows stood out, almost everyone watched it, that's exactly my point. There are far more cartoon shows today then back then...I believe that's a fact. Go look at the list. I believe there's a much variety of cartoon shows today than back then. I'm not neccesarily saying they are better but there's more options for kids. So i don't really understand why people are disagreeing with that notion?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_animated_television_series#1980s

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_animated_television_series_from_2000s

Also FF 7 and 9 were my favorites. Haven't played 6 yet but i heard a lot of great things about it.

[rufus]

I liked life with louie. so thats 3.

[ssjup81]

So how exactly is what my statement above wrong? Yeah those shows stood out, almost everyone watched it. There are far more cartoon shows today then back then...I believe that's a fact. Go look at the list. I believe there's a much variety of cartoon shows today than back then. I'm not neccesarily saying they are better but there's more options for kids. So i don't really understand why people are disagreeing with that notion?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_animated_television_series#1980s

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_animated_television_series_from_2000s

Also FF 7 and 9 were my favorites. Haven't played 6 yet but i heard a lot of great things about it.I don't know about you, but I don't recall watching most of the shows mentioned on cable television stations (80s stuff). I remember seeing it on stations like my local Fox affiliate so I'm sure most of the shows that a lot of people remember, remember those that didn't necessarily air on cable stations since not every household had cable. For me, I used to watch TMNT on Fox on weekday afternoons in about 1990/1991 and of course CBS on Saturday mornings and of course neither of these are cable stations.

That aside, I sorta agree with you. Seems that there are more outlets that show cartoons compared to the 80s. We have Cartoon Network and stuff like that now. Cartoons also come on seven days a week. Back in the 80s, yeah, some cartoons came on everyday (Disney Afternoon block comes to mind), but still seems it can't compare to the amount of cartoons that are shown now. Well, feels like more are shown now since there are a lot more stations showing them, and stations that once showed them regularly (or weekly), like ABC, CBS, NBC, USA, TNT, and TBS don't anymore because of the Disney Channel, Cartoon Network, Boomerang, Nickelodeon, etc.