OT Question: Why didn't the Turtles shorten their names?

[ryukenden]

In the original toon, the Turtles and their allies always called each other by their full name. In every other incarnation they always said Leo, Raph, Mikey and Donny, they even did that in Next Mutation. It would have been easier if they did call each other by their nicknames and let Splinter just refer to them by their full name. I wonder why they were always called by their full name.

[sdp]

I kinda like them being called by their full name, its ok for them between them to do it occasionally but not all the time like in 2k3.

[Jester]

In the original toon, the Turtles and their allies always called each other by their full name. In every other incarnation they always said Leo, Raph, Mikey and Donny, they even did that in Next Mutation. It would have been easier if they did call each other by their nicknames and let Splinter just refer to them by their full name. I wonder why they were always called by their full name.
Everything was more formal in the FW series for some reason. Seldom did Splinter call them his "sons" but often he called the "students" or "wards." They were more a close group of friends than a family.

[CyberCubed]

Splinter called them his sons in a few episodes.

[Jester]

Splinter called them his sons in a few episodes.
Let's see....
I can remember off hand:
Enter the Shredder - "Head upward, my sons. Find a way around all this."
Green with Jealousy - "Work quickly, my son...Your brother Turtles.'

Heck he calls April and Carter his children about as much as the Turtles.

[Venom]

I think now since Splinter was Yoshi in the OT that he didn't truly see the Turtles as sons, but rather these four creatures that he got as pets became people that needed to be guided and cared for. Since Yoshi was a ninja master, he reared them as such.

[sdp]

L
Heck he calls April and Carter his children about as much as the Turtles.

are you trying to tell us that Splinters son in the Nick series will be Carter and/or April!

[Jester]

are you trying to tell us that Splinters son in the Nick series will be Carter and/or April!
Yes...teen April is Yoshi's daughter....:P
Don't listen to me. I'm crazy!

[Candy Kappa]

I think it was for simplifying things, and not get children confused.

[Jester]

I think it was for simplifying things, and not get children confused.
Then Playmates and the movies screwed that up...cause they abbreviated the names. Heck, I think when I played with my friends we shortened the names...

[CyberCubed]

I do wonder if its because the writers wanted their names to be easily recognizable to children, and have their names be the same in every episode.

The movies were just one-shot movies, but the show went on for 190+ episodes.

[Jester]

I do wonder if its because the writers wanted their names to be easily recognizable to children, and have their names be the same in every episode.

The movies were just one-shot movies, but the show went on for 190+ episodes.
And the 4kids series went on for 156...so what?

[Candy Kappa]

when I have been talking to children about TMNT, it wasn't uncommon that they reacted in questions when I used the shorten names. So I thought about it in that sense, it wouldn't confuse a younger audience with multiple names

[ssjup81]

Kids know about "nicknames", so I don't see why it would confuse them. In all honesty, though, I can't remember if I started calling them, Leo, Donny (Don), Raph, and Mikey before I saw the first movie or after it. As far back as I can remember, seems I always referred to them by their nicks, especially when playing the arcade games.

[oldmanwinters]

Maybe as a former human, Yoshi/Splinter would have felt awkward thinking of humanoid reptiles as his "children." It might raise questions and be a socially taboo dinner topic.:P

[Donnie]

I always thought that was an interesting part of Splinter's character in all incarnations: how he referred to the Turtles. I prefer the warmer, father approach, although I understand the need for a straight up caring sensei, too.

[CyberCubed]

And the 4kids series went on for 156...so what?

The first cartoon was before the Turtles were known. They didn't even know if the cartoon was even going to be a success. The first season could have been the end of it, or even the second season.

Giving the Turtles all recognizable names without shortening it helped them become well known to both kids and licenses at the time.

[Jester]

The first cartoon was before the Turtles were known. They didn't even know if the cartoon was even going to be a success. The first season could have been the end of it, or even the second season.

Giving the Turtles all recognizable names without shortening it helped them become well known to both kids and licenses at the time.
And yet in 1990, just 6 years after they were created and 3 years after the series debuted (or between the 3rd and 4th season) Playmates started using the shortened names with Leo: The Sewer Samurai, Don: The Undercover Turtle, Raph: The Space Cadet, and Mike: The Sewer Surfer.

[oldmanwinters]

And yet in 1990, just 6 years after they were created and 3 years after the series debuted (or between the 3rd and 4th season) Playmates started using the shortened names with Leo: The Sewer Samurai, Don: The Undercover Turtle, Raph: The Space Cadet, and Mike: The Sewer Surfer.

I guess the shortened names might have gotten popular after the first live-action movie really emphasized them.

[Jester]

I guess the shortened names might have gotten popular after the first live-action movie really emphasized them.
True, the 1st movie also saw a theatrical release in 90, and that very well could have been it. Have we thought to as Francis Ross?...:D

[triplexxx]

It wasn't until the OT that turtle fandom came into full swing, so like others have said, I suppose full-name calling helped familiarize potential fans. I personally approved of it and prefer it over their shortened names; it's how I would address them. As for how often Splinter addressed them as sons in any incarnation, I don't see that it affected much how closely knit they were.

[Jester]

It's too formal for me. If they're family, I can totally see them using the "nick names." But, to each his(or her) own. :D

[Herald7]

I don't mind the "full names" thing; it's cool to have characters with unusual names once and awhile. The "nick names" are fine for me too, but in some of the other incarnations the "nick names" are used so much that they basically become they're real names, which to me is not really the point of a "nick name," heh.

[FearlessLeader]

I don't mind the "full names" thing; it's cool to have characters with unusual names once and awhile. The "nick names" are fine for me too, but in some of the other incarnations the "nick names" are used so much that they basically become they're real names, which to me is not really the point of a "nick name," heh.

I don't know about that. I know five separate guys named Michael and not a single one of them goes by the his full name on a daily basis. Most of them even use "Mike" as their name on Facebook.

I have always liked the shortened names because it makes them seem more realistic to me. They are brothers goofing around, they are going to call one another by their nick names. It makes me think of a line Mike has from Tales #64:

"I hate when he does that too! Uses my name in full like he's Splinter or some @#$%! What a jerk! Go eat more sewer bugs, jerk!"

That was of course Mike, talking about Leo, lecturing him and calling him by his full name while doing so and hating it. The nick names just seem more natural to me *shrugs*

Once again as most have stated though this is only my opinion :tgrin:

[Vernon]

heh heh nick names

[Icebot]

I remember in Usagi Yojimbo, Donnatello called Michaelangelo Mikey. After Usagi destroyed that circle of foot soldiers, Donnatello said: "Uh, forget it Mikey, our friend just took care of them.". And in Son of Return of the Fly, Splinter called them my sons when he told them that foot print was of a gigantic fly.

[Jester]

I remember in Usagi Yojimbo, Donnatello called Michaelangelo Mikey. After Usagi destroyed that circle of foot soldiers, Donnatello said: "Uh, forget it Mikey, our friend just took care of them.". And in Son of Return of the Fly, Splinter called them my sons when he told them that foot print was of a gigantic fly.
Yep...that's one of the few times. Shocked me to no end!

Raph calls Don "Don-o" but it's part of a pop culture reference in Hot-rodding Teenagers.

[Sword Slicin' Leo]

I kinda like them being called by their full name, its ok for them between them to do it occasionally but not all the time like in 2k3.

Totally agree

[Jester]

Wanna hear something that shocked me?
I was reading the Random House books based on episodes by David Weiss (man what an epic boo-boo) and they had the Turtles use the "nick names" in them.
Heck, one book I just got from my pally Gobo has Splinter calling them by them. It's meant for preschoolers...so...what can ya do. Heck, it could be someone other than Splinter. He's just the only character on the page.

[ryukenden]

Looking back now, I think using the full names were quite a mouthful. Dire situations would have definitely called for the use of nicknames. Here are some examples that would have been short and simple.

Long: "Leonardo! Cut it open!"
Short: "Leo! Cut that panel!"

Long: "Great work, Michelangelo! Now come up here next to me!"
Short: "Good job, Mikey! Now get behind me!"

Long: "Raphael! Deflate the air bag!"
Short: "Pop it, Raph!"

Long: "Donatello! Can you reprogram the disk?"
Short: "Donny! Think you can reprogram the disk?"

[CyberCubed]

In one of Mike's episodes, I think it was either, "What's Michaelangelo good for?" or the first Bugman episode, Splitner tells Mike:

"You and your brother Turtles must work together" or something like that.

It seems like sometimes they threw in lines about them being brothers or Splinter calling them his sons but other times they didn't.

[Herald7]

I don't know about that. I know five separate guys named Michael and not a single one of them goes by the his full name on a daily basis. Most of them even use "Mike" as their name on Facebook.

I guess I have memories of High School where ALL the boys had to shorten their names, somehow thinking they were all being original, hehe. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with nick names, just saying it can feel a little too deliberate sometimes, like an affect, especially when it's all the time as opposed to once and awhile.

[Icebot]

I just watched What's Michaelangelo Good For. At the end of the episode, I just found out that Donnatello called Michaelangelo Mike when he talked like a game show host saying the evil scientist won a trip to the slammer.

[ssjup81]

In Usagi Yojimbo's debut ep, Donny called Micheangelo, Mikey for it.