View Full Version : nicknamed splinter for "obvious reasons"?
in the series premier episode "turtles tracks", while splinter tells the origin story for april, he says "my 4 young wards nicknamed me splinter, for obvious reasons". what exactly does he mean by this? what are the obvious reasons?
in that scene it just shows him chopping some wood boards with his hands and teeth. does that suggest that he gets splinters when he does that and thats why hes named splinter? its not like it shows him doing that a whole lot throughout the series, so it seems a bit strange they would nickname him splinter just cause of that one scene. are there anymore "obvious reasons" why he was nicknamed splinter?
Aaronardo
08-09-2015, 01:19 PM
To be honest, I never got this, either. Though, I wasn't exactly alive for the 80s, so maybe it's just another one of the show's pop culture references that I didn't get.
TurtleTitan97
08-09-2015, 01:27 PM
It was due to his proficiency at breaking wooden boards, as shown in the flash back of that scene where he explains his origin.
Leo656
08-09-2015, 01:30 PM
Since April can't "see" his flashback, it would not be in any way "obvious" to her. Nor to anyone else who wasn't being explicitly shown the flashback.
jenna
08-09-2015, 01:39 PM
Since April can't "see" his flashback, it would not be in any way "obvious" to her. Nor to anyone else who wasn't being explicitly shown the flashback.
:lol: :lol: :lol:
Leo656
08-09-2015, 01:42 PM
It's true though! Even as a kid, in my head April's just sitting there, waiting to be told what the "obvious" reasons are for Splinter's nickname, because he didn't explain it at all.
"These kids are named after artists. I'm Splinter."
"Okay, why?"
"It's obvious."
"............."
It doesn't help that his nickname has been explained in various media in several different ways, including "because of his walking stick", and that they're all kind of stupid reasons. Only the "real" explanation - It's a riff on "Stick" from Daredevil - makes any sense, but nothing really does in context of the story. Sadly, much of TMNT suffers from the fact that Kev and Pete had nothing planned past issue 1, and all those silly inside jokes they built it on were somehow then expected to hold up an entire universe.
neatoman
08-09-2015, 02:12 PM
They probably just called him that because Playmates demanded it.:lol:
Nah but seriously, sometimes an adaptation can come up with forced ways to keep important things like they were in the source material when they strayed a little too far from it. Go read some superhero comics and then watch some of their cartoon and movie adaptations, pay attention to the things they kept and how they kept it, you'd be surprised at how forced some similarites can be.
oldmanwinters
08-09-2015, 02:14 PM
Since April can't "see" his flashback, it would not be in any way "obvious" to her. Nor to anyone else who wasn't being explicitly shown the flashback.
For as many times as the show would break the 4th wall, it wouldn't surprise me if she had some vague idea of what was going on.
:tlol:
jenna
08-09-2015, 02:26 PM
It's true though! Even as a kid, in my head April's just sitting there, waiting to be told what the "obvious" reasons are for Splinter's nickname, because he didn't explain it at all.
"These kids are named after artists. I'm Splinter."
"Okay, why?"
"It's obvious."
"............."
It doesn't help that his nickname has been explained in various media in several different ways, including "because of his walking stick", and that they're all kind of stupid reasons. Only the "real" explanation - It's a riff on "Stick" from Daredevil - makes any sense, but nothing really does in context of the story. Sadly, much of TMNT suffers from the fact that Kev and Pete had nothing planned past issue 1, and all those silly inside jokes they built it on were somehow then expected to hold up an entire universe.
Absolutely. Which is why it's tonally and thematically inconsistent and its appeal is so varied and at times divisive. The marvellous thing though is that despite creating what could be deemed a p!ss-take rip-off with no clear long-term direction, which could have easily disappeared into instant anonymity, they created something really special that has appealed to such a wide and passionate audience.
ProactiveMan
08-10-2015, 02:55 AM
I have never thought about this before. You're right, it's not obvious at all. In the internal logic of the OT, why did he need a new name anyway. I guess, "for obvious reasons" translates to "for the sake of convenience"
Probably because he was actually a wooden board covered in fur.
IndigoErth
08-10-2015, 01:07 PM
Since April can't "see" his flashback, it would not be in any way "obvious" to her. Nor to anyone else who wasn't being explicitly shown the flashback.
It's true though! Even as a kid, in my head April's just sitting there, waiting to be told what the "obvious" reasons are for Splinter's nickname, because he didn't explain it at all.
"These kids are named after artists. I'm Splinter."
"Okay, why?"
"It's obvious."
"............."
Yeaaah, very good point. :lol:
Next time I see a thread on any forum asking about user screen names and what it means, I'm just going to use that, "for obvious reasons." :tlol:
ProactiveMan
08-10-2015, 07:07 PM
Yeaaah, very good point. :lol:
Next time I see a thread on any forum asking about user screen names and what it means, I'm just going to use that, "for obvious reasons." :tlol:
Hahaha. I'm going to use it to explain everything I do. "I didn't fill out my time-sheet, for obvious reasons."
IndigoErth
08-10-2015, 07:49 PM
:lol: :tlol: Oh that could have SO many applications, why isn't it a meme already? :D Reminds me a little of that old "I accidentally..." meme.
"I accidentally the Turtles for obvious reasons." rofl
Ninjinister
08-10-2015, 09:44 PM
They probably just called him that because Playmates demanded it.:lol:
That... doesn't make any sense. Even as a joke.
Yabuturtle
08-11-2015, 11:18 AM
After Season 7, the sky turned red. For obvious reasons.
:3
After Season 7, the sky turned red. For obvious reasons.
:3
I laughed at that.
MsMarvelDuckie
08-11-2015, 12:28 PM
I always just assumed the "obvious reasons" were that rats can chew through almost anything. Yes, including wood. But unless he explained that, you're right- it really AIN'T obvious.
i like the idea of using "for obvious reasons" as the universal answer to everything :lol:
Candy Kappa
08-11-2015, 02:27 PM
The flashback is a product off 'show don't tell', so personally I saw it as Splinter telling April the visuals we as the audience saw.
IndigoErth
08-11-2015, 02:41 PM
Maybe he was acting it out or drawing her pictures.
For obvious reasons.
oldmanwinters
08-11-2015, 06:29 PM
The flashback is a product off 'show don't tell', so personally I saw it as Splinter telling April the visuals we as the audience saw.
Probably the best in-universe explanation possible. You win the Marvel No-Prize.
Commenter 42
08-11-2015, 08:03 PM
I think it just didn't make sense, for obvious reasons.
Splinter is Splinter, for obvious reasons.
Commenter 42
08-11-2015, 08:16 PM
Splinter is obvious for all the reasons.
Splinter is a fish, for obvious reasons.
Commenter 42
08-11-2015, 08:22 PM
http://cdn.grindtv.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/rat.jpeg.png
IndigoErth
08-11-2015, 08:29 PM
o.O What the heck is that. And obviously what are it's reasons?
Commenter 42
08-11-2015, 08:30 PM
A ratfish, for mewmeow reasons.
Leo656
08-11-2015, 09:00 PM
After Season 7, the sky turned red. For obvious reasons.
Was obvious to me, especially in hindsight. "Crisis on Infinite Earths" taught us that whenever a universe is collapsing in on itself, or otherwise being wiped out, the skies turn red as the walls between parallel dimensions break down, exposing "The Bleed", the arterial pathways connecting all worlds in the Multiverse to each other.
The skies were turning red because the Fred Wolf universe was "dying". VERY obvious in hindsight. :tgrin:
Yabuturtle
08-12-2015, 06:58 AM
Would someone please make a meme out of this! Make a picture and it'll be quite a forum weapon. xD
I feel this is appropriate.
http://static.comicvine.com/uploads/scale_super/11111/111112928/4291676-3902114-1309460529508.jpg
BubblyShell22
08-12-2015, 11:25 AM
I figured he used the "For obvious reasons" bit because he figured April would have figured it out on her own. But, we as the audience, know it was because he could break those damn boards. It still makes me laugh to think of April going home and saying to herself, "Now, what are the obvious reasons Splinter could be named Splinter? Oh, I'll look it up. I'm off to the library." Because the Internet didn't exist for obvious reasons.
Yabuturtle
08-12-2015, 12:16 PM
I figured he used the "For obvious reasons" bit because he figured April would have figured it out on her own. But, we as the audience, know it was because he could break those damn boards. It still makes me laugh to think of April going home and saying to herself, "Now, what are the obvious reasons Splinter could be named Splinter? Oh, I'll look it up. I'm off to the library." Because the Internet didn't exist for obvious reasons.
Well really any of the turtles could break boards. I don't know if he happened to get a lot of splinters because he broke more boards or what. He wasn't covered with splinters or anything so I don't know why it'd be obvious. The internet was around at that time, wasn't it? Or some kind because in the 3rd episode she uses her computer to look up Baxter Stockman.
BubblyShell22
08-12-2015, 04:42 PM
I don't remember the Internet back then. The Internet became more widely known in the 90's. But I think they named him Splinter because he splintered the boards. That's what it seems like to me.
ProactiveMan
08-13-2015, 01:38 AM
Well really any of the turtles could break boards. I don't know if he happened to get a lot of splinters because he broke more boards or what. He wasn't covered with splinters or anything so I don't know why it'd be obvious. The internet was around at that time, wasn't it? Or some kind because in the 3rd episode she uses her computer to look up Baxter Stockman.
No one was using the internet to talk about Ninja Turtles in 1987... for obvious reasons.
IndigoErth
08-13-2015, 03:03 AM
They DID seem to have the internet, the way April would just get on the computer to look up information now and then. :teek: Yeah... I think most people back then could only look up info on their own hard drive. :trazz: Maybe an advanced office could have an intranet system, but not so sure about the internet. Heck, we probably didn't even understand or question how April was even looking that up. lol
'Course, the Turtles sort of also had the equivalent of bulky early cell phones, but it had video like today's phones. And in an episode I watched the other day they pretty much had what would count as a big flat screen tv Donnie hooked up. They were way ahead of us for obvious reasons.
pferreira
08-13-2015, 07:34 AM
I don't know maybe April went away thinking he's called Splinter because he's chipped or something. :lol:
ssjup81
08-13-2015, 06:35 PM
I haven't eaten since yesterday. My name is Wendy for obvious reasons. :-P
I never thought about that before. Seems it was more for our benefit than April's.
MsMarvelDuckie
08-13-2015, 07:09 PM
He was breaking fourth wall for the audience's benefit- for obvious reasons....
The world's first webserver was brought "on line" in 1990. There was no internet before then, for obvious reasons. It would take several years after that before there were any real amount of content to speak of.
BubblyShell22
08-14-2015, 03:41 PM
Then maybe April did it through a search engine of some sort that they made up or something like that. Even though the Internet wasn't mainstream, it's kind of cool to think they had something similar to it before it was even invented.
ssjup81
08-14-2015, 06:07 PM
Then maybe April did it through a search engine of some sort that they made up or something like that. Even though the Internet wasn't mainstream, it's kind of cool to think they had something similar to it before it was even invented.She worked for a newsroom. She had to have access to certain things so it makes sense she could get into maybe a police database or whatever newsrooms used to receive information for their reports back then. It was probably Intranet anyway.
In the Red Sky arc when she became a freelance reporter, for obvious reasons, she was definitely using the Internet.
Gunstar_Red
08-24-2015, 12:04 AM
That's a good question and one that never had a real answer to. I think in the 2014 movie, they tried to say April or the scientists called him "Splinter" because of the research that created or was done on him... but I'm not sure. When it comes to previous media versions where Yoshi was human before mutating, there's no explanation for the name change and that's just strange. Not too strange when he was a pet rat before transformation, because some people name their pets odd names anyways. "Splinter" is a cute name for a small creature and doesn't really need an explanation.
I also vote for making "for obvious reasons" as a meme. :P
Yabuturtle
08-24-2015, 08:06 AM
That's a good question and one that never had a real answer to. I think in the 2014 movie, they tried to say April or the scientists called him "Splinter" because of the research that created or was done on him... but I'm not sure. When it comes to previous media versions where Yoshi was human before mutating, there's no explanation for the name change and that's just strange. Not too strange when he was a pet rat before transformation, because some people name their pets odd names anyways. "Splinter" is a cute name for a small creature and doesn't really need an explanation.
I also vote for making "for obvious reasons" as a meme. :P
I too, vote for making "for obvious reasons" as a meme
For obvious reasons.
I'm sorry I had to say it. :3
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