Mandela Effect when watching the 1987 cartoon

[MisterTurtle2019]

You guys ever had false memories of things in the 1987 series? Did you remember things differently as a kid? Was there a lost episode you thought existed?

I once thought "Night of the Rogues" was a 2-parter. I could have sworn when Chrome Dome and the other villains tied the turtles up, a 'To Be Continued' message popped up. I was wrong. It's amazing they crammed it all in a 22 minute episode. :ohwell:

[CyberCubed]

Always had weird memories of a mutated car creature, but that was never in the original cartoon. Instead it's from the UK TMNT Adventures comics based on the cartoon. I don't even know how I saw those as they didn't come out in the U.S>

[Original TMNT Cartoon Fan]

I once thought "Night of the Rogues" was a 2-parter. I could have sworn when Chrome Dome and the other villains tied the turtles up, a 'To Be Continued' message popped up. I was wrong. It's amazing they crammed it all in a 22 minute episode. :ohwell:

Maybe because Chromedome is also in Planet of the Turtleoids, which also aired as a double episode.

[IMJ]

I get weirded out on my DVD set when I expect an episode should start with the redux intro (from the Saturday morning airtime period) starts with the OG intro.

[ABrown]

"Mandela effect"???

[Original TMNT Cartoon Fan]

"Mandela effect"???

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_memory

https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/entertainment/g28438966/mandela-effect-examples/?slide=1

[FredWolfLeonardo]

Even though I discovered the Original Cartoon very late (2013), I still have a notable Mandela Effect with it.

In the first episodes of the series I watched (Splinter Vanishes), there was a scene of Raphael in a party hat singing to a bunch of children.

A year or two later, I had all but forgotten about the episode (this was before I watched the whole series), and thought it was just a memory.

I could've sworn Raphael was singing to those kids in a party hat in one of the costume party themed episodes (April's Fool, Raphael meets his Match), but that scene was nowhere to be found in so many season 3/4 episodes for so many years that I just brushed it aside as my imagination until I finally watched 'Splinter Vanishes' again.

[Wesley]

One of my memories of “Shredder Triumphant” for years after watching it for the first time when I was 7 or 8 was Shredder jumping out of the Technodrome just before it went through a portal back to Dimension X. I wondered why he would do that until I saw the episode again a few years later in 1998 and realized I had remembered things differently.

[Andrew NDB]

That it was any good.

[Prowler]

That it was any good.
Tbh that happens to tons of former TMNT fans. I think a ton of self-proclaimed TMNT fans barely remember the show and think it was full of action and ninja fights like the video games.

[MisterTurtle2019]

Even though I discovered the Original Cartoon very late (2013), I still have a notable Mandela Effect with it.

In the first episodes of the series I watched (Splinter Vanishes), there was a scene of Raphael in a party hat singing to a bunch of children.

A year or two later, I had all but forgotten about the episode (this was before I watched the whole series), and thought it was just a memory.

I could've sworn Raphael was singing to those kids in a party hat in one of the costume party themed episodes (April's Fool, Raphael meets his Match), but that scene was nowhere to be found in so many season 3/4 episodes for so many years that I just brushed it aside as my imagination until I finally watched 'Splinter Vanishes' again.

Maybe you had gotten the idea from these party figures.
I think there was a time I thought Bebop had buck teeth in the old show because of his 1989 vintage figure.

[Sumac]

Tbh that happens to tons of former TMNT fans. I think a ton of self-proclaimed TMNT fans barely remember the show and think it was full of action and ninja fights like the video games.
I've rewatched it in 2010-2011. Still liked it.
But liked 2k3 series more.

Also, my "mandela" effect was about first season, which I've watched previously as "Epic begins".

[IMJ]

That it was any good.

LOL!
I had memories of the O.G. G1 Transformers cartoon. I remember it being so dramatic - especially the Rodimus years. Years later I tried to watch them and couldn't make it through... I don't think any of the episodes I tried to watch.

FW TMNT is a little different though because it embraces it's ridiculous nature. I think the ridiculousness of the whole thing makes the show a little more timeless - helps carry it as opposed to something like O.G. G.I. Joe or Transformers. I can't watch too many F.W. TMNT in sitting nowadays, but one or two and then occasionally for background noise. The Real Ghostbusters is much the same way for me.

[Sumac]

LOL!
I had memories of the O.G. G1 Transformers cartoon. I remember it being so dramatic - especially the Rodimus years. Years later I tried to watch them and couldn't make it through... I don't think any of the episodes I tried to watch.

FW TMNT is a little different though because it embraces it's ridiculous nature. I think the ridiculousness of the whole thing makes the show a little more timeless - helps carry it as opposed to something like O.G. G.I. Joe or Transformers. I can't watch too many F.W. TMNT in sitting nowadays, but one or two and then occasionally for background noise. The Real Ghostbusters is much the same way for me.
Same here.
I've tried to watch OG Transformers decade ago, after watching Beast Wars, but couldn't make it past first few episodes. It was so...cheesy, but not in a self-aware way.

[FredWolfLeonardo]

Maybe you had gotten the idea from these party figures.
I think there was a time I thought Bebop had buck teeth in the old show because of his 1989 vintage figure.

It wasn't any of those since I've never cared about any tmnt toys at all.

[Galactus]

It was my first proper re-watch in the 2000s that I noticed that Splinter didn't refer to the turtles as his sons or that the turtles didn't refer to each other as brothers or call each other by their nicknames like Raph or Leo etc. I think in my mind I conflated the movies and Adventure comics with the show.

People around my age that I've spoken to about the old show if they remember it beyond a vague 'oh I loved that show, my favourite was Ralph and I liked that thing with the eyeball' usually remember tonally being either completely like the first five episodes or completely like the third season. I also encounter a lot of people who think they leaped from rooftops since they did it in intro sequence.

[PApagreg]

It was my first proper re-watch in the 2000s that I noticed that Splinter didn't refer to the turtles as his sons or that the turtles didn't refer to each other as brothers or call each other by their nicknames like Raph or Leo etc. I think in my mind I conflated the movies and Adventure comics with the show..
I guess the Fred Wolf turtles preferred to keep it professional

[CyberCubed]

For some reason I remembered Mike using his nunchucks again in Season 7. Guess I mixed that up with the European vacation eps which were grouped with that season

[FredWolfLeonardo]

For some reason I remembered Mike using his nunchucks again in Season 7. Guess I mixed that up with the European vacation eps which were grouped with that season

It could also be because violence was making a comeback in season 7 again, after most of it was phased out during season 3.

[Original TMNT Cartoon Fan]

For some reason I remembered Mike using his nunchucks again in Season 7. Guess I mixed that up with the European vacation eps which were grouped with that season

Michelangelo never used his nunchuks during Vacation in Europe. You just see them in his belt, while he fights with his grappling hook.

[pferreira]

I don't think I ever had any although there was confusion at the time. I wondered how everybody knew Baxter was a fly in Bye, Bye, Fly but that ended up being down to the BBC showing the episodes out of order by not showing Return of the Fly first. To this day I still get events of Return of the Technodrome and The Big Break In mixed up, especially the shrinking part.

That it was any good.https://i.giphy.com/media/LpkBAUDg53FI8xLmg1/giphy.webp

It wasn't any of those since I've never cared about any tmnt toys at all.I mean I had the main four but I was never crazy for a toy collection. In my opinion TMNT never relied exclusively on toys to impress me which is why I never got into Transformers.

[Lazy_BerZerker]

I thought when the turtles met Usagi Yojimbo this samurai Rabbit refused to fight with the foot clan robots, afraid he would harm living creatures, so he got beaten up a little, but only until when the turtles showed him they were robots (by destroying one), he then easily destroyed all of them.

[FredWolfLeonardo]

I thought when the turtles met Usagi Yojimbo this samurai Rabbit refused to fight with the foot clan robots, afraid he would harm living creatures, so he got beaten up a little, but only until when the turtles showed him they were robots (by destroying one), he then easily destroyed all of them.

Perhaps you got that mixed up with the Leonardo is missing episode?

It also involved creatures (humanoid dinosaurs in this case) who opposed violence but started happily destroying foot soldiers when they found out that they were robots.

[Coola Yagami]

That it was more action packed and had more fighting that it really did. Like when I was watching the live action 90's movies, I was thinking more like 'whoa, they're kicking ass just like the cartoon' instead of 'wow, they actually fight in the movie!'

Looking back, even with holding the weapons back in the sequel, I'm glad they still allowed the turtles to do flips and kicks and whatnot and not resort to busting fire hydrants and throwing manhole covers and whatever.

You don't think about these things as kids, but sewer covers are heavy as **** and in the cartoon even April could move one. Then the video games not only have characters throw them at you as if they were weightless, you could literally smack em with your weapon and send them flying back. Silly times.

[pferreira]

Then the video games not only have characters throw them at you as if they were weightless, you could literally smack em with your weapon and send them flying back. Silly times.I hate to nitpick but the video games were based on the FW cartoon series. Sorry, I'll go now... :oops:

[Wesley]

I remembered season 2 being better than it actually was. Tried rewatching seasons 1+2 again on dvd a few years ago and couldn’t get through 2. I guess nostalgia was clouding my judgment the first time I rewatched it. “The Mean Machines” is still one of my favourite episodes, though.

[neatoman]

I remembered season 2 being better than it actually was. Tried rewatching seasons 1+2 again on dvd a few years ago and couldn’t get through 2. I guess nostalgia was clouding my judgment the first time I rewatched it. “The Mean Machines” is still one of my favourite episodes, though.

Any particular reasons it's worse than you remember? Is it the drop in animation quality?

[FredWolfLeonardo]

I remembered season 2 being better than it actually was. Tried rewatching seasons 1+2 again on dvd a few years ago and couldn’t get through 2. I guess nostalgia was clouding my judgment the first time I rewatched it. “The Mean Machines” is still one of my favourite episodes, though.

I personally prefer seasons 1 and 3 overall.

Seasons 1 is much more action packed and tight, while season 3 has some of the most funny and memorable episodes of the series.

Season 2 is one of the "big 3" great seasons of the original cartoon in my opinion before it went downhill in season 4, but its the weakest of the first three because it was more transitional and middle of the road.

[Leo656]

Season 1, I can pretty much watch anytime, but most of the rest of the series, I have to be in the mood for.

[Wesley]

Any particular reasons it's worse than you remember? Is it the drop in animation quality?

It’s not the drop in animation quality. I still love Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog and that cartoon had atrocious animation at times. Just found some of the writing too kiddish. Or maybe I wasn’t in the right mood for it.

I personally prefer seasons 1 and 3 overall.

Seasons 1 is much more action packed and tight, while season 3 has some of the most funny and memorable episodes of the series.

Season 2 is one of the "big 3" great seasons of the original cartoon in my opinion before it went downhill in season 4, but its the weakest of the first three because it was more transitional and middle of the road.

Agree about seasons 1 and 3.

[pferreira]

Season 2 is one of the "big 3" great seasons of the original cartoon in my opinion before it went downhill in season 4, but its the weakest of the first three because it was more transitional and middle of the road.Season 2 in my opinion was awesome. It was one of the shorter seasons and had some good story arcs. The main problem with Season 3 is that at 47 episodes there was more space to mess up and as a result that did indeed happen. This is also where the series became much more comedic in tone which is a shame. Having said that Season 3 still had a number of great episodes. Season 4 had its moments but yeah it was underwhelming in places like Season 5 and 6.

[Leo656]

I get fuzzy, was Season 2 the one with the Eye Of Sarnath stuff or whatever? That was pretty good.

I vividly remember really digging that kind of storytelling and quickly being disappointed that the show stopped being like that before very long.

[Voltron]

I keep remembering this episode when Shredder's nephew moved in and declared himself prince of Dimension X. Shredder couldn't stand it. It was hilarious.

Can't find it for the life of me.

[Ninjinister]

I swear to everything that Baxter's computer companion was called "Z" but I re-watched the episodes years later and I never heard it stated. The official website's synopsis called him Z, though, so I guess it was some sort of official name? But how did I remember it before reading it if it never happened?

Always had weird memories of a mutated car creature, but that was never in the original cartoon. Instead it's from the UK TMNT Adventures comics based on the cartoon. I don't even know how I saw those as they didn't come out in the U.S>

Are you thinking of Motorhead? Because that comic was released in the U.S.

[FredWolfLeonardo]

I keep remembering this episode when Shredder's nephew moved in and declared himself prince of Dimension X. Shredder couldn't stand it. It was hilarious.

Can't find it for the life of me.

Could it possibly be the episode with Vernon's nephew?

The kid seriously almost destroyed planet earth from what I remember.

Your memory also sounds similar to the episode Shredder's mom, in which Shredder couldn't stand his mom one bit.

[Wesley]

I get fuzzy, was Season 2 the one with the Eye Of Sarnath stuff or whatever? That was pretty good.

I vividly remember really digging that kind of storytelling and quickly being disappointed that the show stopped being like that before very long.

I agree about the Eye of Sarnath.

[oldmanwinters]

I keep remembering this episode when Shredder's nephew moved in and declared himself prince of Dimension X. Shredder couldn't stand it. It was hilarious.

Can't find it for the life of me.

Could it possibly be the episode with Vernon's nephew?

The kid seriously almost destroyed planet earth from what I remember.

Your memory also sounds similar to the episode Shredder's mom, in which Shredder couldn't stand his mom one bit.

Definitely sounds like a memory conflation of "Shredder's Mom" with "Too Hot to Handle," with perhaps a little bit of "My Brother, the Bad Guy."

[Galactus]

Season 2 felt like a big move to a more generic Saturday Morning kids action cartoon. The Eye of Sarnath 'arc' was an excuse blow through every plot that every other 80s toon did. The shrinking episode, killer plants, machines revolt and of course the imaginary things come to life episode.

It's not bad or anything but I've always had the suspicion that they had originally planned the whole thing to be four episodes. Baxter off screen accidentally throws one of the eyes out, the appalling animation of Mean Machines at times is appalling that I can't help but think that was a rush job tacked on to make it a five episode arc.

The second half to me has some great episodes. Enter The Fly, Splinter No More, Return of the Technodrome. I'd even include Invasion of the Punk Even the others are actually pretty good but not great. I also like that it kept the smidgen of seriousness from the first season and there's a certain sense of foreboding with the Shredder upping the ante until the Technodrome returns.

Season 3 is all over the place. The show overall could be said to be five or more different shows in one, well season 3 basically three shows in one season.

[LeotheLateBloomer]

I actually watched Return of the Shredder, New York's Shiniest, Splinter No More, and Invasion of the Punk Frogs this morning just due to being in the mood for the show, which is often. But as Galactus said, you really start to see the shift to a Saturday morning cartoon. You really have to be in a 80s/90s mood to watch this cartoon, otherwise it really shows it's age.

I don't know if this counts as false memory of this series, after this and the Next Mutation have been off the air and before the 2003 series came, the only times I got my turtles fix during those times were the movies. Due to this, I had completely forgotten that Raphael in this show was more of a wiseguy who loved joking and breaking the fourth-wall. You could say the movies and Archie comics have completely changed or wiped out my perception of Raphael. I forgot how funny Raphael was in the show, even though some of his jokes fall flat as an adult. I can't recall the other turtles ever taking a shot at him besides Don twice in Raphael Knocks 'em Dead and the one episode in the beginning where he dressed as a pirate.

The only thing I can think of at the moment is Krang being in charge of Shredder. As a kid, I always thought they were either both in charge or Shredder was the head honcho since he's considered the main villain.

[Coola Yagami]

Always struck me how the Toxic Crusaders followed the same formula. Both Shredder and Killemoff were the 'main villain' but it's revealed they either rely on or answer to someone else. Both have 5 part intro seasons and the final ends in a way that now the main villain will be reduced to following orders from the other character.

Now they get a full series and the main villain is now stuck in the bitch role, taking orders and being bitched out every time they fail.

Finding out the turtles were based on a comic made it weird in retrospect. Can you imagine them making a cartoon where Doctor Doom answers to someone else and then gets bitched at for failing all the time?

[pferreira]

I get fuzzy, was Season 2 the one with the Eye Of Sarnath stuff or whatever? That was pretty good.Yeah that's the one. It had a good arc after that up to the season finale. In my opinion it was a strong season.

I keep remembering this episode when Shredder's nephew moved in and declared himself prince of Dimension X. Shredder couldn't stand it. It was hilarious.

Can't find it for the life of me.Was that by any chance that other lost episode where Shredder fell in love? :lol:

[MikeandRaph87]

While the Techndrome was under the city then in Dimension X, then near the Earth's core, then back in Dimension X followed by the Arctic then the Arctic Ocean before being sent into Dimension X a third time however without its occupants I definitively think of it at the Earth's core. It seemed like that was where it was the longest and best remembered. I also prefer it there.

[Wesley]

I keep remembering this episode when Shredder's nephew moved in and declared himself prince of Dimension X. Shredder couldn't stand it. It was hilarious.

Can't find it for the life of me.

Maybe it was the ep Mr. Ogg Goes to Town?

[Voltron]

No. It was weird. Shredder's son was a giant nerd and couldn't dance. And Shredder had a butler.

[MikeandRaph87]

No. It was weird. Shredder's son was a giant nerd and couldn't dance. And Shredder had a butler.

Was it a dream that you had? Its possible that you remember the plot based on a dream.

[Btown]

I keep remembering this episode when Shredder's nephew moved in and declared himself prince of Dimension X. Shredder couldn't stand it. It was hilarious.

Can't find it for the life of me.

No. It was weird. Shredder's son was a giant nerd and couldn't dance. And Shredder had a butler.

:lol::lol::lol:

i vaguely remember an episode where shredder got frustrated by rocksteady and bebop that he picked them up and tossed them out.

[MikeandRaph87]

:lol::lol::lol:

i vaguely remember an episode where shredder got frustrated by rocksteady and bebop that he picked them up and tossed them out.

Night of The Rogues where he locked them up frustrated with their failures?

[pferreira]

It seemed like that was where it was the longest and best remembered.Season 3: 47 episodes. That's your answer.