How old are the turtles ?

[Lamia]

Do you think they will weather the turtles and have a birthday?

In the last episode Mickey says he 15 years. But with references to several episodes S1 and S2 must have more.

Here are my references:

From the episode 1-9 S1: months
From the episode 9-10 S1: weeks
Episode 26 of S1 to S2 episode 4: less than a month
In episode 8 S2: last year
S2 episode 4: April is a new school year (September so?)
From the episode 6-21 S2: silent sphere -> months
S2 Episode 25/26: it snows (ie December or January)
S3 Episode 1: 3 months
it gives past nine months? + September in the winter (for snow) + 3 months of the S2 to S3

it's been over a year so logically turtles should have more than sixteen years even April should have had one more year

Do you think they will do as the simpsons? we would be disappointed not to see the old

Do you have other references to time?

[BubblyShell22]

I don't know, but I'm not worried about it. If they stay fifteen, that's fine with me, and if they age, that's cool too.

[victory_angel]

With all that's happening it might be easy to forget that their Mutation day is coming up or has passed. After all that was not just their birthday that was they became a family with Splinter. And Splinter is no longer with them.

[jenna]

If they aged the turtles by a year each season then they would no longer be teenagers after 5 seasons. I would imagine that they will stay 15ish for the duration of the series.

[Coola Yagami]

It's a cartoon. They're 15. I mean if years have passed why isn't April any taller/more developed and why isn't Casey's voice cracking or why isn't he getting facial hair?

[Shark_Blade]

Didn't Casey say "...this is worse from the Kraang invasion last year!"

Either Mikey is bad at math (and he's now 16) or he's almost 16.

[Electric]

id say their almost 16.

casey said "invasion last year" but he couldve meant a numerical year, not a full one. like season 1's invasion was in 2012, then season 2's took place in 2013, earlier in the year, so not a full year had past yet.

[CyberCubed]

I think the writers aren't going to age the characters. They would have to show April and Casey as "adults" if they did.

[neatoman]

We have a floating timeline here, time progresses but not in a normal or comprehensive way. This is why Mikey did not age in Dimension X while Leatherhead did.

... I hate floating timelines...

[BubblyShell22]

Yes, very true with the floating timeline. Not upset about it though as this is the way cartoons are.

[BabyTurtles]

If Ash can stay 10 forever then the turtles can stay 15 for the rest of the series.

cartoon logic! :D

[ToTheNines]

If they aged the turtles by a year each season then they would no longer be teenagers after 5 seasons. I would imagine that they will stay 15ish for the duration of the series.

One season =/= one year. Plenty of shows have a more meticulous timeline, and this show simply isn't one of them. No big deal.

But yeah, several months passed during season one, which was specified to have started in Summer (see the Chris Bradford billboard in New Friend, Old Enemy), and have April in school later on.

So seeing as the season two finale took place in winter, the guys would have had to have an off screen "mutation day" during season 2. So they have to be 16 right now.

Although now that I think about it, I still tell people I'm 22 all the time without thinking about it, even though my birthday was in May. So you can just chalk it up to him flaking out if you want.

[IndigoErth]

Doubt they will age them other than in terms of experience and skill. Would be awesome if they did though, and esp in this particular series it would make sense if it happened. And if not then when this one runs it's course I'd love to see a second version of it with older Turtles pick up where this one left off. ;)

[Warhorse]

It's a shame though. I prefer the Turtles at around 17. They're more mature and not so foolish.

[pannoni1]

Interesting that in The Next Mutation, the Turtles were 18, older than any non-comic universe presented, and makes sense given it can be continued from the movie verse. Mikey is traditionally the youngest of the Turtles. Since we're 56 episodes in and its currently summer again, it can be deduced that we're approximately two years into the timeline just like the real show, it's possible that April could have just graduated high school offscreen as well given that she started the show as a junior in high school (and thus being either 17 or 18). Mikey could have been 14 when the show started (15 would have sounded more "mature"), and thus now fast approaching his 16th birthday, with the other Turtles all 16 now with Leo approaching his 17th birthday. But as in comics/animation, such aging is just pure speculation.

[Lamia]

It's a shame though. I prefer the Turtles at around 17. They're more mature and not so foolish.

I agree with you. I like turtles as they are but they lack maturity it will be interesting to see them acquire the maturity with age.
So they go on their sixteen, one is likely to see them grow old and do not see that April schoolgirl only :)

With the floating time references are useless we will not know more

[TigerClaw]

They can't stay 15 forever, I hope the show explores the idea of seeing Adult Mutant Turtles by having them go to the future.

[IndigoErth]

it's possible that April could have just graduated high school offscreen
Good reason to age them up a bit. She either graduated already or is going to end up failing the current school year if her school is still teaching right now.

[Luckyday]

Good reason to age them up a bit. She either graduated already or is going to end up failing the current school year if her school is still teaching right now.

Wouldn't school be temporally closed due to an alien invasion?

[raph27]

If Ash can stay 10 forever then the turtles can stay 15 for the rest of the series.

cartoon logic! :D
Bart Simpson has been 10 for 25 years. :P
I'd like to see April graduate. Anyone else?

[AT-Man]

If they don't age, I'm gonna lower my score for the series. Maybe they started as 13-14 year olds in the first season, or was it said anywhere they were 15 back then?

[Luckyday]

If they don't age, I'm gonna lower my score for the series. Maybe they started as 13-14 year olds in the first season, or was it said anywhere they were 15 back then?
They said that they were fifteen in the first episode.

Bart Simpson has been 10 for 25 years. :P
I'd like to see April graduate. Anyone else?

Since turtle in real life are forever perpetually teenagers, they can just age April and Casey.

[IndigoErth]

Wouldn't school be temporally closed due to an alien invasion?
Well I did say if her school is still teaching. :P

Although their news site is still covering the news so hard to guess how much of NYC is still functional. :ohwell: (Why aren't they on that site all the time to try to see what's going on??)

I'd like to see April graduate. Anyone else?
Yes, and I'd like to see the Turtles secretly there. :D Come on, Nick, it's a quick moment to pay homage to the old time disguises. lol (The trench coat getup was always cute, even if nowadays it would just make them look more suspicious. lol)

[BabyTurtles]

If they don't age, I'm gonna lower my score for the series. Maybe they started as 13-14 year olds in the first season, or was it said anywhere they were 15 back then?

They were always 15.

I don't see the big deal though cartoons usually don't age their characters anyways.

[Warhorse]

Bart Simpson has been 10 for 25 years. :P
I'd like to see April graduate. Anyone else?

I'm curious who she'd pick to go with her to the prom. Would it be Casey, or could she be like Mary Jane at the end of Spider-Man 2, who ditched her fiance to be with Peter?

They were always 15.

I don't see the big deal though cartoons usually don't age their characters anyways.

Well, it's a big glaring plot hole if we end up seeing two or three winters, and the Turtles are still 15. They don't have to actually age physically, but logically, they are going to have to age in the end to not make the story look stupid. Best bet, when someone asks them their age, they could just give a ball park figure of "I'm just a teenager". It's not specific, but it's the truth.

[MsMarvelDuckie]

I don't see why they can't age a year or two. The turtles were 18 at the end of the FF season of 2K3, so why not?

[ssjup81]

They were always 15.

I don't see the big deal though cartoons usually don't age their characters anyways.The problem is that they're acknowledging time has and is passing. It's strange that the writers didn't catch this when having Mikey saying he's 15.

[coxfire]

The problem is that they're acknowledging time has and is passing. It's strange that the writers didn't catch this when having Mikey saying he's 15.

Exactly. Had the characters not acknowledged themselves that time was passing, I wouldn't bother. But Casey's comment (although probably made more as a meta joke than anything else) plus April's about the time passed at the farm throws the concept of floating time away.

Regarding the "last year" comment however, it could be that "last year" was only 3-4 months ago, like, it is February and last year was October/November, that's fanwankable.

Thing is, I think that maturing the guys isn't a bad thing, I'd love to see them evolve and grow up, without changing the fundamental bases of their personnalities. Just because it is a kids show doesn't mean it can't be a smart and thought out one.

[Luckyday]

Exactly. Had the characters not acknowledged themselves that time was passing, I wouldn't bother. But Casey's comment (although probably made more as a meta joke than anything else) plus April's about the time passed at the farm throws the concept of floating time away.

Regarding the "last year" comment however, it could be that "last year" was only 3-4 months ago, like, it is February and last year was October/November, that's fanwankable.

Thing is, I think that maturing the guys isn't a bad thing, I'd love to see them evolve and grow up, without changing the fundamental bases of their personnalities. Just because it is a kids show doesn't mean it can't be a smart and thought out one.

I don't think Ciro would agree you. If he were here, you would tell you that you're being too serious.

[coxfire]

I don't think Ciro would agree you. If he were here, you would tell you that you're being too serious.

Ha, true. But maybe I am ;)

[TigerClaw]

in the 2014 TMNT Movie, The Turtles are 15 years old, But I bet they will age up in the sequels, With the sequel coming out in 2016, They will be 17 years old and still Teenagers.

I hope the Nick series address this, But I doubt it since all the past TMNT Shows never address that they got older, Given how many seasons we had of the original series, the 2003 and the now in Season 3 of the Nick TMNT series. The question about there age was never brought up, Until Mikey said he was 15 years old in the latest episode.

[victory_angel]

The whole mutation day sub-plot was one that could be brought up every other season or so. We started the series so lets say from their birthday to the season finally of season 1 was six months long, season two they mentioned the Kraang invasion happened the previous year. Season two starts up a couple months after the invasion, so the events of season two take place within a couple of months, then the turtles leave the city and and spend over 4 or so months in the country. So they are either due to have another Mutation Day in the next couple of episodes. Or they have been too stressed with all thats happened to acknowledge or remember that they have just aged a year.

[MsMarvelDuckie]

The whole mutation day sub-plot was one that could be brought up every other season or so. We started the series so lets say from their birthday to the season finally of season 1 was six months long, season two they mentioned the Kraang invasion happened the previous year. Season two starts up a couple months after the invasion, so the events of season two take place within a couple of months, then the turtles leave the city and and spend over 4 or so months in the country. So they are either due to have another Mutation Day in the next couple of episodes. Or they have been too stressed with all thats happened to acknowledge or remember that they have just aged a year.


^ This. That sounds about right.

[Shiro Kame]

They're probably 17 by now.

At the start of the series, in the premiere, it was stated that they were 17. By season 3, at least 2 years have past since then, as Casey stated that the technodrome invasion happened a year ago, meaning that a year has passed inbetween the season 1 and 2 finales.

[MsMarvelDuckie]

No, they were 15 in the premiere ep. It was their 15th "mutation day". And Casey just said "last year", which could have only been two or three months before. (If it was still early in the year, which is likely, it would only be a few months, but the invasion would still be "last year".) And we don't know how much time passed between the two invasions. It was apparently only a few days between the Dimension X ep and the second invasion.

[victory_angel]

No, they were 15 in the premiere ep. It was their 15th "mutation day". And Casey just said "last year", which could have only been two or three months before. (If it was still early in the year, which is likely, it would only be a few months, but the invasion would still be "last year".) And we don't know how much time passed between the two invasions. It was apparently only a few days between the Dimension X ep and the second invasion.

That and Kurtzman also said he had been looking into all the scientists going missing last year.

[Lamia]

Yes. :)

In the episode 8S2 journalist said he began his investigation last year when the scientist has disappeared (monkey brain s1)

[MsMarvelDuckie]

Good catch on Kurtzman. I'd forgotten about him- so AT MOST, it's been a little over a year.

[Luckyday]

So maybe Mutation Day just hasn't happen yet.

[Warhorse]

So maybe Mutation Day just hasn't happen yet.

Or it's something the Turtles don't want to discuss, since it will be their first mutation day without Splinter, which I am sure will occurr while they are on the farm.

[IndigoErth]

Although, even if they wouldn't bother themselves, it would be sweet at least if April and Casey knew when abouts that was and threw a little party for them as a surprise. :)


I think only one or two of them ever got birthday episodes in the original series, would be nice to see more of that kind of stuff.

[AT-Man]

Surely we could argue that Mikey just can't count... but on the other hand turtles do live long, so in that case I'm perfectly fine with them staying teenagers even if anyone else gets older. Also, mutagen magic.

[Warhorse]

Surely we could argue that Mikey just can't count... but on the other hand turtles do live long, so in that case I'm perfectly fine with them staying teenagers even if anyone else gets older. Also, mutagen magic.

This is totally acceptable. Say, while another 10 years have passed, the Turtles are still technically in their teenage years. They could be teenagers until they are 30 before they hit that next plateau.