Were the Turtles hidden from society or publicly known?

[neatoman]

So about the Fred Wolf cartoon, were the Turtles trying to hide from society or did they just not care? They still lived in the sewers and made use of disguises, sure, but they they didn't seem to mind fighting in broad daylight (they even discarded their disguises in a restuarant once) and everyday people still seemed to know about them.

To confuse matters even further, remember at the start of season 1? The Turtles beg April not to report on them as they needed to remain secret, yet the season ends with April reporting on them anyway. What happened? Did she just decide to be a bitch?

Another thing on this subject that confuses me, there's an episode where Mikey pretends to be a toy, a rich man does not recognise him and takes him to his son, who does recognise Mikey. That so weird, it made it seem inconsistant within the episode itself wheter or people knew who the Turtles were.

So what was it? Urban legend or common knowledge?

[Leo656]

It really is rather inconsistent. I got to a point where I looked at it as, "Well, people know about them, but they prefer not to acknowledge their existence because they're 'Freaks', and in turn, the Turtles could possibly not have to hide out down in a sewer any longer, but they prefer to, because they like their privacy and they know that people wouldn't really accept them anyway."

So, kind of a "We know you exist, but we prefer not to deal with you" sort of scenario. There's the possibility that they could be like Batman, where everyone knows "of" him and some people have even seen him, but most who haven't seen for themselves tend to discount it as just a myth or urban legend.

Either way, the show itself was kind of all over the place with it, until the end, where pretty much everyone had to have known about them due to the events of the last few seasons.

[Wildcat]

I've always just took like Batman or Spider-Man. They're known to help the public but that's as far as it goes. No personal meeting or official coming-out.

They're underground guardians (no pun intended).

[OrangeNinja1987]

They were on the news several times, though, and yet people still didn't know who they are sometimes. And then the next episode everyone would scream, "It's the turtles!"
It's really inconsistent.

[IndigoErth]

Agree, urban legend is a good way to put it. And for those who were clueless, well I suppose some people live under a rock.

The rich people not knowing... I guess it's not too out of the question that they might be so focused on business, politics, and their rich circle that they largely ignore things outside of that. Only thing I can figure to try to make sense of it. lol I dunno... 80s cartoons to sell toys. Not sure consistency was a top priority.


Inconsistent as it is, if they were real I'd hope society would have been a little like that really, should they have ended up outed sooner or later. Many who wouldn't run across them can just brush it off as a legend. For the rest... they're not causing harm so just leave them alone; don't go being some mean or irrational person who decides to ruin a good thing. That's like being the person who finds Nessie and decides to kill it... just no, why did you ruin everything. (Not to compare them with a lake monster, albeit a cool one.)

[Huzzah]

There was a person in a Ninja Turtles costume in the "Raphael Meets His Match", meaning they were well known enough to merit mass market costumes.

[CyberCubed]

The city definitely knew they existed. As said they were on the news several times and many pedestrians recognized them.

They wore their disguises because they were still outcasts and people didn't like them

[MsMarvelDuckie]

April didn't report on THEM specifically until later, somewhere in season two, I think. Her original report mentioned "unknown heroes" or something like that (have to watch it again) but their identities weren't "known" until the second or third season. After that, the only people who didn't know OF them would have been people who didn't watch Channel Six, I guess. I mean, it's not like they were the only news station in the city- just one of the main ones. It was pretty much a hit-or-miss as to whether people knew them, and they still wore the disguises to go out in public incognito- sort of like most celebrities, I guess. It's like if Kim Kardashian wanted to go grocery shopping without getting mobbed by the paparazzi, she'd wear something to hide who she is. Same thing with them. So while they "needed" the disguises to keep from being discovered early on, later it was just a convenient way to avoid attention when they were just out doing "stuff". That's my take, anyway.

[Original TMNT Cartoon Fan]

Season 1-3: known, but more hide in the shadows
Season 4-8: still in shadows, more heroes (after saving Earth during season 3 end)
Season 9-10: more hide again, because of Dregg's anti-turtle campaings

Future (Once upon a Time Machine): Fully entering society (as in most TMNT versions future, see Archie's Future Shark trilogy, 2003 version's Fast Forward)

[Mew]

What about Timothy in TMNT 2012?
Before Mutagen Man.

[neatoman]

What about Timothy in TMNT 2012?
Before Mutagen Man.

Timothy noticed them by accident, at night on a rooftop. Now if he noticed them fighting a giant monster in the street during the day, that would be different as that would draw so much attention there's no way he would be the only one to notice.

[Prowler]

It got ridiculous between seasons 4 and 6. They were even allowed to get jobs like normal people in that episode where Rat King and Leatherhead team up against them.

[MsMarvelDuckie]

And there was one episode (season two, I think) where Mikey got a pizza delivery job to pay for fuzzy dice fkr the starmobile the Neutrinos left them. It was the one where Shredder had opened the pizza place as a way to find them.

[ABrown]

I think the public was aware of their existence. They weren't necessarily accepted by everyone, but people knew about them.

Another thing on this subject that confuses me, there's an episode where Mikey pretends to be a toy, a rich man does not recognise him and takes him to his son, who does recognise Mikey. That so weird, it made it seem inconsistant within the episode itself wheter or people knew who the Turtles were.

He was pretending to be a lifesize toy-Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle. Nothing really that complicated about it.

[neatoman]

He was pretending to be a lifesize toy-Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle. Nothing really that complicated about it.

Then why didn't the man recognise it as a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle? It's pretty clear he was not at all familiar with what it was supposed to be.

[Prowler]

And there was one episode (season two, I think) where Mikey got a pizza delivery job to pay for fuzzy dice fkr the starmobile the Neutrinos left them. It was the one where Shredder had opened the pizza place as a way to find them.
That wasn't season two, but season three. And Mike wore a disguise and Shredder didn't know it was him, so it doesn't really count.

[cryan]

It got ridiculous between seasons 4 and 6. They were even allowed to get jobs like normal people in that episode where Rat King and Leatherhead team up against them.

I thought that was the funniest part of the episode. Especially when Raph becomes a singing messager.

[Nameless]

i like to think they were known and just wanted to be left alone most times, and therefore wore the disguises

[Sage Ninja]

the turtles were the city's best well known secret. :tcool: They still wore disguises though, and that is the way I liked it. I did not mind that they tore off their disguises in front of people to fight baddies, but I never really liked when they would just waltz around on the street in broad day light.

I liked how in the European episodes the turtles acknowledged that they were not in the city and that they could not walk around in public the same way they could back home, they tried to be more diligent about that.

[Coola Yagami]

yeah, after saving the city rather publicly at the end of season 3 they became more 'household names' and could kinda/sorta walk around a little easier. They're still wear disguises in case other people would freak out.

[MsMarvelDuckie]

That wasn't season two, but season three. And Mike wore a disguise and Shredder didn't know it was him, so it doesn't really count.


Ah, I couldn't remember which season it was. I knew it was around 2 or 3, though. And duh, I feel dumb for forgetting his rubber mask now. I just remembered how he kept thinking the voice of his new "boss" seemed familiar, as did his eyes.

[ryukenden]

Storylines are as inconsistent as the animation errors. New Yorkers were accepting of the Turtles in one episode and the next they're feared. In the final episode of the Eye of Sarnath arc, they were attacked by two construction workers.

[Andrew NDB]

So about the Fred Wolf cartoon, were the Turtles trying to hide from society or did they just not care? They still lived in the sewers and made use of disguises, sure, but they they didn't seem to mind fighting in broad daylight (they even discarded their disguises in a restuarant once) and everyday people still seemed to know about them.

To confuse matters even further, remember at the start of season 1? The Turtles beg April not to report on them as they needed to remain secret, yet the season ends with April reporting on them anyway. What happened? Did she just decide to be a bitch?

Another thing on this subject that confuses me, there's an episode where Mikey pretends to be a toy, a rich man does not recognise him and takes him to his son, who does recognise Mikey. That so weird, it made it seem inconsistant within the episode itself wheter or people knew who the Turtles were.

So what was it? Urban legend or common knowledge?

You're putting way more thought into something the Fred Wolf showrunners never did.

[neatoman]

You're putting way more thought into something the Fred Wolf showrunners never did.

Of course I am! But they should also have put more thought into it.

[CyberCubed]

The city was well aware of the Turtles existence. The turtles wore disguises because they didn't want to be harrassed.

[Prowler]

Storylines are as inconsistent as the animation errors. New Yorkers were accepting of the Turtles in one episode and the next they're feared. In the final episode of the Eye of Sarnath arc, they were attacked by two construction workers.
The Turtles were looked at suspiciously in the first 3 seasons. Then, at the end of the 3rd season, everyone knows they've saved NYC from Shredder and Krang and they become more accepted and are able to walk freely with no disguises between seasons 4 and 7. In season 8 they became outcasts again, though. And in season 9 Dregg further damaged their reputation.

[pferreira]

The Turtles were looked at suspiciously in the first 3 seasons. Then, at the end of the 3rd season, everyone knows they've saved NYC from Shredder and Krang and they become more accepted and are able to walk freely with no disguises between seasons 4 and 7. In season 8 they became outcasts again, though. And in season 9 Dregg further damaged their reputation.
Yeah exactly what Prowler said although I want to add that it's a lot like Batman where everyone in Gotham knows of him but he still remains in the shadows and in disguise.

[Lisardo]

To confuse matters even further, remember at the start of season 1? The Turtles beg April not to report on them as they needed to remain secret, yet the season ends with April reporting on them anyway. What happened? Did she just decide to be a bitch?



Keep in mind that April always kept her reports on them mysterious, for the reason of protecting them. She reported on them at the end of S1 because she was trying to tell the public that they're the good guys, whoever they may be. The turtles were just fine with that!