The Evolution of Turtle Toons

[PizzaPower1985]

This article is educational and was a fun read. Thought I'd share!

https://dotandline.net/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-television-history/

[mikey0]

What is an an ?undeniably ?80s aesthetic?:-?

The FW TMNT cartoon was like most syndicated and cable network cartoons of the 1980s, 1990s, and very early 2000s- a fun cartoon that doubles as a 30 minute toy commercial. The references are dated, but the wisecracks are still hysterical.

[Leo656]

I'd guess "80s aesthetic" means a lot of the following:

- Stilted animation
- Numerous voice and animation errors
- Constant re-playing of the theme song during the show itself, especially during action scenes
- Jokes and puns crammed in whenever and wherever possible
- A team dynamic where each member has one overwhelming personality trait that gets reinforced to the point of them being a completely one-dimensional character
- Opening Sequence which is better-produced and more memorable than any other thing that ever happened during the actual show itself
- Extra Credit/Bonus Points: Leader Has a Sword(s) (this one is optional, but common)

Keep in mind, these aren't shots or insults. They're things that were incredibly common in every single popular 80s cartoon, from He-Man to Thundercats to G.I. Joe to Transformers to Real Ghostbusters and on and on and on. But they're also things that cartoon producers in the 1990s went a lot farther to avoid and "clean up", so to speak. You really only saw those specific things in abundance during the 80s, when it was assumed that the audience wouldn't notice or care. Batman: TAS and X-Men were the first action cartoons that went out of their way NOT to do any of that stuff, and most shows afterwards also showed marked improvement. The cartoons of the 90s, none of that stuff above really applied to as much. Maybe one or two of those issues but not ALL of those issues at once, like Every 80s Cartoon had.

So when people say "that 1980s aesthetic" when it comes to cartoon shows, they probably mean All That Up There. And like me, they're not being mean about it, but rather just pointing it out. That was just how it was back then. But it undeniably got better. One could debate whether 80s cartoons were "better" or not than their 90s counterparts but 90s cartoons were undeniably better-produced. "80s aesthetic" more or less means "Ambitious, But Very Flawed". That's what I think, anyway.

[mikey0]

The syndicated Fred Wolf series is an 80s and 90s cartoon. Did the author mean to say that the whole series (including the CBS SATAM episodes) had an undeniable 80s aesthetic or only the episodes from the late 80s?

[Original TMNT Cartoon Fan]

Numerous voice and animation errors

Is that common in 1980's cartoons?

[neatoman]

Is that common in 1980's cartoons?

Yes, it sadly is...
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[Original TMNT Cartoon Fan]

Yes, it sadly is...

I'm talking of 1980's cartoons in general, not just the TMNT (I'm aware of the TMNT mistakes).

[mikey0]

So, the 1990 episodes did not have these kinds of errors in them?

[PizzaPower1985]

So, the 1990 episodes did not have these kinds of errors in them?

This show? Probably... but as the series bore on and animation changed because of BTAS and X-men, these kinds of errors became less and less.

There's a certain sort of animation fan that actually finds these errors charming. Don't ask me why, but it's true. Alvin and the Chipmunks I believe HAS MORE of these types of errors THAN ANY OTHER SHOW. Then there were 80s cartoon one offs that weren't series like the Bunnicula cartoon and the Count Chocula cartoon movie (yes, based on the cereal). Things like that had almost no errors which was insane for 1986 or 87 whenver those things came out.

[Leo656]

The syndicated Fred Wolf series is an 80s and 90s cartoon. Did the author mean to say that the whole series (including the CBS SATAM episodes) had an undeniable 80s aesthetic or only the episodes from the late 80s?

The syndicated Fred Wolf series is an 80s and 90s cartoon. Did the author mean to say that the whole series (including the CBS SATAM episodes) had an undeniable 80s aesthetic or only the episodes from the late 80s?

To clarify: The bulk of the entire show could be described as having "That 80s Aesthetic" because even though most of the series came out in the 90s, it debuted in the 80s and maintained almost the exact same style all throughout until Red Sky. The Saturday Morning eps were definitely a little bit cleaner than the syndicated ones as far as errors go, but most of the rest of the "trapping" that would label it "An 80s Show" remain the same.

TMNT wasn't as much "A 90s Show", despite the bulk of it being released in the 90s, as it was "An 80s Show That Survived Well Into the 90s". A subtle but important distinction but one I feel is valid.

I'm talking of 1980's cartoons in general, not just the TMNT (I'm aware of the TMNT mistakes).

Off the top of my head, Real Ghostbusters was occasionally pretty bad with the "voice coming out of the wrong character" thing. I'm not sure if it happened as often as in TMNT but I remember it happening a bit and always getting a chuckle out of it.

[mikey0]

The CBS SATAM show was a 90s show, but the syndicated FW miniseries and cartoon for the most part were from the 80s.

[PizzaPower1985]

The CBS SATAM show was a 90s show, but the syndicated FW miniseries and cartoon for the most part were from the 80s.

Man, I think you are a cool dude... truly, I like you a lot... But when it comes to years, eras and time-frames you are a stickler for accurate definitions. I don't wanna get into the "when exactly was Turtlemania?" thing again, but you're Pedantic and picky as all Hell. Not a knock, friend... just observing.

I think Leo's right tho, since TMNT's "80's aesthetic" kind of stayed with the show the 87 toon stayed an 80's show, well into the 90s.

[mikey0]

There appears to be an extreme over-romanticism of the 1980s nowadays. Cartoons of the early 80s were not similar to that of the mid to late 1980s, so what is an ?80s aesthetic? ? It is still unclear to me, but I guess everyone looks at the original TMNT cartoons differently.