Old show Baxter/April.

[Jarrah White]

Okay, I can understand why they had Splinter start off as Hamato Yoshi rather than Yoshi's pet rat, but why exactly did they have Baxter Stockman a white, blond geek? I understand he was African/American in the original comics and April was his former assistant as she is in the new series. On that note, if she was a scientist in the original comics, where did the Channel 6 reporter thing come from?

[Splinter]

Because they were some issues with presenting a black character as a villian/lackey. And not wanting to step on any toes, they changed him to white weasely Baxter. As for his later change to a fly, that was just likely to to an homage to the old 'The Fly' movie from the 50's. :)

As for the change of April's character, it was to allow her to be a bigger part of the series. Look at her part in the new series. She's hardly in it other then a really minor secondary character. By giving her a more action-centric job, where she could hear about and witness things, it allowed them to use her as a main character.

[Barkworm]

Because they were some issues with presenting a black character as a villian/lackey.
But they hadn't any issues with having a black punk who mutates into a warthog??? I'll never really get that...

[MW8979]

Because they were some issues with presenting a black character as a villian/lackey. And not wanting to step on any toes, they changed him to white weasely Baxter. As for his later change to a fly, that was just likely to to an homage to the old 'The Fly' movie from the 50's. :)

As for the change of April's character, it was to allow her to be a bigger part of the series. Look at her part in the new series. She's hardly in it other then a really minor secondary character. By giving her a more action-centric job, where she could hear about and witness things, it allowed them to use her as a main character.

Her constant nosing around gets annoying after so many episodes. I think her reporter job was fine, she just needed to be seen less.

[Misfit]

Much as I like her old toon April was WAY too obsessed with her job. Every other line of her's seemed to be "what a story". Seriously, woman, get a hobby.

[Meira-Bates]

Her constant nosing around gets annoying after so many episodes. I think her reporter job was fine, she just needed to be seen less.

Agreed X.x

Much as I like her old toon April was WAY too obsessed with her job. Every other line of her's seemed to be "what a story". Seriously, woman, get a hobby.

LOL! Also agreed, except on the liking her part...I've never liked April, but the new toon is making me see her in a diffrent light and I'm earning some respect for her........though I still don't like the idea of her with one of the turtles...GUH!

[raphael90]

But they hadn't any issues with having a black punk who mutates into a warthog??? I'll never really get that...

Good point there...that's the first thing that popped into my mind when I read that fact about Baxter. Personally I like Baxter in the cartoon anyhow, I almost don't like him as a fly, I prefer his human side more for some reason.

[Misfit]

I don't rate Fly Baxter either. I like the geeky nutball human Baxter much more.

[MW8979]

It was quite funny when Shredder got kicked out of the Technodrome and had to scavange for food and lodging, as well as come up with ways to kill the TMNT AND have Baxter tag along the whole time. For the duration of those episodes, Baxter was pretty much his b****.

[ZariusTwo]

Original Baxter was great, the early episodes with Shredder had some funny moments, Eye of Sarnoth saga was one of his greatest momernts, a Taj Mahol, LOL

Baxter Fly was classic

April's reporter job I had no problem with, not even when she did'nt ONCE ask for a promotion, or demanded more pay, or went on strike, or...

[raphael90]

*Swings his fist down on unintentionally on Baxter's cone and the ice cream sprays all over Shredders' face*

SHREDDER: Ugh....nice Baxter, nice.

:lol:

[J Legault]

I never did get to know much of Baxter in the old show. i always seen April as a reporter but when I was a kid I know there was the cartoon series and that was before I learn that the series was originally from the comic and before I know what the true Shredder and April were like.

I'm more familar with the new Stockman which his charater is describe as sassy/talk back mild mind scientist.

well that's what I have to say.

[Kali]

But they hadn't any issues with having a black punk who mutates into a warthog??? I'll never really get that...
No problem with that, because for a majority of the show, Bebop was a warthog. But, I think the real problem was that the only black characters were bad guys.

[Deathknight]

Splinter didn't start out as Hamato Yoshi's pet rat because they couldn't have death on the show because TV was much more strict back then so they had him become Splinter which to me makes more sense anyway. I don't see how mimicing Hamato Yoshi's moves would teach him anything, he was just a normal rat. How would he know how to use it after he mutated or remember everything so well?

[Bowser_Koopa]

i feel the same way, but there are more people who thinks that splinter as a pet rat makes more sense, i think i have also read saying that he was already muitating, but i don't know

[Splinter]

I don't see how mimicing Hamato Yoshi's moves would teach him anything, he was just a normal rat. How would he know how to use it after he mutated or remember everything so well?
This has been gone over a million times, but Splinter was not a normal rat. Even though rats are highly intelligent anyway. Eastman and Laird have said that Splinter was always a mutant, even before he came into contact with the ooze. It's also in the TMNT RPG game. Which explains his long life before mutation, as most rats only live 3 years at best. :)

[Alpha-1]

umm....how is he a mutant without ooze?
i mean....alien ooze i'm fine with, but "he was already a mutant" just doesn't sit well with me.
:roll:

[Splinter]

umm....how is he a mutant without ooze?
i mean....alien ooze i'm fine with, but "he was already a mutant" just doesn't sit well with me.
:roll:
Hey, ask Eastman and Laird. But they've said he was already a mutant before he ever came into contact with ooze. Just look at Marvel comics for examples of this. There are people who are born mutants (The X-Men, etc) and people who later become mutates (Spider-Man, etc).

[Tetsu Deinonychus]

In real life mutation happens all the time, naturally, and without the aid of "ooze", of course. The theory of evolution relies on this fact.

And, real mutation is much more subtle, like the way Splinter was before the ooze, is not TOO much of a stretch. Especially considering the real life account of a snake (suppossedly less intelligent than a rat), who to get revenge for the death of his mate, played mind-games with the human that killed the snake's mate until said human was driven to insanity!

Vampirism and Lycanthropsy are examples of genetic mutations in humans.

Of course animals taking a partially human form is still a mutation that to our knowledge has never occured. Hence, Eastman and Laird dreaming up the ooze as an explaination for that (and an homage to Daredevil)

[Jarrah White]

Because they were some issues with presenting a black character as a villian/lackey. And not wanting to step on any toes, they changed him to white weasely Baxter. As for his later change to a fly, that was just likely to to an homage to the old 'The Fly' movie from the 50's. :)

As for the change of April's character, it was to allow her to be a bigger part of the series. Look at her part in the new series. She's hardly in it other then a really minor secondary character. By giving her a more action-centric job, where she could hear about and witness things, it allowed them to use her as a main character.

Ah, wouldn't having April work for Baxter undercover as the Turtles' mole on the the inside have the same effect?

[Coola Yagami]

Nah, it wouldn't work because Baxter isn't the main villian of the show. She'd still have little screen time.

[Jarrah White]

But Stockman has ties to The Shredder, the lead villian.