Pizza obsession?

[neatoman]

So I don't really get the appeal of the pizza obsession introduced in the cartoon. I mean I get the basic idea of the turtles having a favorite dish they're shown eating from time to time, the IDW comics handle this decently.

But then the first cartoon decided that they should obsess over pizza, eat pizza in nearly every episode, talk about pizza in nearly every episode, make pizza jokes in nearly every episode and have multiple episodes use pizza as a plot device.

I don't get it, making it a near constant presence turns it from charming to annoying. Do you see the appeal in pizza obsession?

[Tazi]

So I don't really get the appeal of the pizza obsession introduced in the cartoon

It's the pizza lobbyists. THE ALUMINADE!

LEL! :lol:

[Cipher]

I think, strategically, it was a great move on part of Playmates/Fred Wolf as far as marketing. You had a common food that automatically evoked associations with the mega-franchise the Turtles became during that time period, which was great for cross-promotions, and it just became one of its wacky cornerstones from which plots, merchandise, whatever, could be culled.

As to how or why TPTB arrived at pizza specifically, I have no idea and would love to hear a proper origin for that decision.

It totally worked for the '87 show. I'm glad other versions have since moved away from it though.

[Prowler]

Even if they wanted to make the turtles pizza obsessed in the 4Kids and the Nick series, the media would destroy them due to the problems with child obesity in the USA these days. They'd probably get the cookie monster treatment and make them addicted to tofu or something like that.

[Redeemer]

It's the pizza lobbyists. THE ALUMINADE!

LEL! :lol:

Right??? :lol:

I actually think the pizza obsession it funny and enjoyable, but yes the OT did go over-board with it from season to season.

But its apart of turtle culture now and it can never go away.

[Ryanator008]

It makes for good Pizza Hut promotions.

[tmntpower1988]

As much as I like pizza I did find it annoying when Mikey would bring up pizza nearly every time he spoke.

[Prowler]

It makes for good Pizza Hut promotions.
And helped sell a lot of TMNT 2: The Arcade game copies as well.

[Darthchubby]

So I don't really get the appeal of the pizza obsession introduced in the cartoon. I mean I get the basic idea of the turtles having a favorite dish they're shown eating from time to time, the IDW comics handle this decently.

But then the first cartoon decided that they should obsess over pizza, eat pizza in nearly every episode, talk about pizza in nearly every episode, make pizza jokes in nearly every episode and have multiple episodes use pizza as a plot device.

I don't get it, making it a near constant presence turns it from charming to annoying. Do you see the appeal in pizza obsession?

I just chalk it up to pizza being a dish they really enjoyed but didnt get as often as theyd like due to living in the sewer. I dont know. Like the bacon craze of late.

[IndigoErth]

Agree it was a bit overboard, but it was just a fun, goofy series, particularly after a while, and guess it made for a signature quirk. Not a bad thing that that series got them hooked on pizza though. Pizza is delicious. ;) And really relateable.

Hope the movie keeps it down to a healthy amount, esp if a lot of its inspiration is the original series... else we could end up with some pudgy Turtles if they're trying to aim for 'realistic.' :lol:

[Leo656]

F*** all that noise. That mess and "Cowabunga" need to stay in the past. It's way past tired.

[ssjup81]

I like how the Nick series handle the pizza thing. They eat other foods aside from pizza. Of course, Mikey's the only one obsessed with. The other three seem pretty normal with, although I question Raph for this incarnation.F*** all that noise. That mess and "Cowabunga" need to stay in the past. It's way past tired.
I find "Cowabunga" more dated than tired.

[Leo656]

Yeah, you're right, that too.

[ssjup81]

I recall an early OT ep where Mikey was trying to come up with another catchphrase, but Donatello cut him off.:lol:

[fridaynightdestination]

The fact that they love pizza is one of the reasons I like the turtles so much.

[Bry]

I don't mind it, but I don't really like it, either. I think it's become a really lazy shorthand for the whole property, instead of putting the focus on properly building the characters up and portraying them as fully-realized, three-dimensional personalities. You can do both, but it's too easy for some folks to lean on the "COWABUNGA, PIZZA TIME" stuff almost entirely.

Hell, this year's movie totally slashed away at the Turtles' origin and backstory, but was damn sure to include like three scenes that were all about pizza. When a minor detail like someone's favourite food gets more attention than actually making them rounded, fully-developed characters, you've got yourself a problem.

But y'know. It's effective marketing, I guess. But I think it's also a part of why the characters aren't taken as "seriously" as Spider-Man or Batman. It'd be nice if they'd play up the "cycle of vengeance" theme, or the concept of the Turtles as heroic outcasts, as much as Spidey's "with great power comes great responsibility" or the interesting "fear and symbols as weapons against injustice" kind of thing that Batman often uses. Lead with the strong stuff, not the silly marketing ploy.

[Shark_Blade]

This is what the world know the turtles for - PIZZA! :tlove: Gotta thank the OT toon for this, it boost the turtle mania to overdrive. :tcool:

Blessed are we to enjoy pizza till this day and remembering the turtles everytime. :tpizza:

[Green Machine]

I love pizza, they love pizza. It works for me.

[Prowler]

F*** all that noise. That mess and "Cowabunga" need to stay in the past. It's way past tired.
Cowabunga is their trademark catchphrase, though. And I'd rather have them say it than "Booyakasha". That one is fairly dated as well. Ali G hasn't been relevant in a decade or so.

I recall an early OT ep where Mikey was trying to come up with another catchphrase, but Donatello cut him off.:lol:
That's because he was about to use Fred Flinstone's "Yaba-Daba-Doo". Donatello covered Michelangelo's mouth with his hand and told him "It's just not you." as far as I remember.

[Icebot]

It made me love pizza so I like it.

[MsMarvelDuckie]

The way I see it, is this- the turtles are cold-blooded, but are as active as warm-bloods, which means that they have to be burning a LOT of energy, especially in winter if they want to maintain enough body heat to avoid going into hibernation (and likely starving, since their metabolism apparently isn't equipped to handle that kind of extended shut-down). Pizza is high in calories and carbs, which would be a very good way for them to keep up their activity/energy levels. So why the heck NOT eat a LOT of it?! Makes sense to me....

Pizza- it's not just an obsession- it's a necessity!! (And they're teens, so they would appreciate eating something that is "normal" for teenagers to be eating....)

[Dirty Blond]

I love pizza, they love pizza. It works for me.


https://i.imgur.com//MinNYjA.gif

[Prowler]

It made me love pizza so I like it.
Didn't make me love it, but as a kid I never had an interest in trying a pizza until I became a TMNT fan. I found pizza to be quite gross looking.

Not saying I'd never have tried a pizza if it weren't for the Turtles, but it would probably have taken many years for me to finally try one.

[PizzaPower1985]

I dont think TMNT would be TMNT without pizza! It is a minor detail in the franchise but an important one none the less.

The obsession is best when it is played down as just their favorite food that they eat 3 or 4 times a week like say in the IDW books or the 2003 series. The 87 toon took it too far and made it more important than actual characterization.

[MsMarvelDuckie]

Gross looking? Where have you been eating them from? I spent over three years working in a pizza delivery place, and I gotta say, when it's done RIGHT, it's a really pretty dish! It's all in how you shape the crust and how you put on the toppings. Also, too much grease ruins it. The cheese also has to cover the sauce evenly, or you end up with blank spots that just look sloppy. Pepperoni must ALWAYS go on top, BTW. That's the secret, along with a proper crust-lock. And NO crust bubbles!!

[ssjup81]

I used to love getting pizza as a kid. It was always a special occasion.

That aside, there should be an "I never thought about it" option.

[IndigoErth]

Took me quite a while to get around to eating the whole thing. As a kid I'd only eat the topping off. :roll:

I wanted cheese, peperoni, and very minimal sauce... Someone else could have the bread part. Now? I want so much sauce it's dripping off of it. Luckily my fave pizza place is willing to drench it if it's not the weekend or running low. ;)

[slyme843]

i ****ing love pizza more than the turtles could ever think about!!!!!!!!!!! :P

[Prowler]

Gross looking? Where have you been eating them from? I spent over three years working in a pizza delivery place, and I gotta say, when it's done RIGHT, it's a really pretty dish! It's all in how you shape the crust and how you put on the toppings. Also, too much grease ruins it. The cheese also has to cover the sauce evenly, or you end up with blank spots that just look sloppy. Pepperoni must ALWAYS go on top, BTW. That's the secret, along with a proper crust-lock. And NO crust bubbles!!
Well, as a kid, I was VERY picky about food. And anything that looked remotely weird would either gross me out or just look unappealing to me. To answer your question, my brother usually ordered pizza from Pizza Hut. A few years later he bought those frozen ones from the supermarket.

Once I tried pizza for the first time I loved it.

[Hannurdock]

It's all good, until they get blocked up from the excessive cheese. Like that Weird Al Yankovich parody.

[IndigoErth]

It's all good, until they get blocked up from the excessive cheese. Like that Weird Al Yankovich parody.
:lol: Uh, yeah... gotta get lots of fiber in those toppings! Broccoli pizza, yay! Night ruined. lol

[MsMarvelDuckie]

Don't be silly. They'd have plenty of cheese on it to cover the taste of the broccoli, or they would probably make it a veggie-lovers, just so it would have other things they liked. Onion, olives, red bell peppers, pineapple, mushrooms, spinach.... Come to think of it, using spinach instead of broccoli makes sense. Maybe some asparagus? Mikey likes to experiment with different toppings, so maybe some lentils or chopped cabbage.... I still say the best one he ever came up with was peanut butter and jelly. It's like a giant PB&J sandwich! Make mine crunchy, please! And I suddenly had a weird idea for a tuna casserole pizza for a fan-fic....

[DVD]

I'm a big fan of pizza. Well, it's easy to order at least once a week. Press P on the phone, Papa John dudes answer, and know what I want before I say a word :lol:
I've never got tired of the whole pizza thing, whether it be the OT, or the entries in this new series.

[Hakase]

Not going lie, but after having a Turtles marathon, I usually have a craving for pizza.:trazz:

[DVD]

Gotta admit, me too. In fast, just pressed 'P' on the phone !! :)

[Coola Yagami]

Yep the OT got me curious for pizza and I loved it. I honestly don't remember pizza before then. Nowadays I get some at least once or twice a week.

[IndigoErth]

Heck, this thread alone now has me wanting some and it's not even 10am. *sigh* Pizza's one of the few things I do get to craving sometimes. Often more-so than chocolate at times chocolate is 'expected' to be craved.

[nuno]

Pizza's my favorite food. I guess I owe it to the Trutles so that's cool in my book.

Man... I could really go for some Pizza right now.

[Necrotique]

It made me get into pizza, haha. I just love a good pepperoni after seeing them enjoying it so much.