The TMNT and Christmas
 

Howdy all, Jester here.
Since the holiday/Christmas season is upon us I thought about our 4 favorite genetically unique teripans and wondered how or even if they'd celebrate Christmas. I know the guys are American, but they are also taught by a rat who happens to have a strong working in Japanese culture and probably religion. It's not to far of a stretch to say that the Hamato Clan is Buddhist, who wouldn't celebrate Christmas. I know the New Toon has them celebrating, and heck maybe the comics...so this may be a moot point...but heck that's why there's the "how do they celebrate" premiss, too....What do you get the man-rat that has everything? :P

Er... they do celebrate Christmas in Japan aswell

in the classic cartoon setting I don't don't think the turtles actually practice a religion and just follow traditions that Hamata Yoshi follows, which appear to be rather spiraitualist in the Buddhist catergory judging by how Splinter seems to act.

Also I believe that Master Splinter never established a form of religion for the green machine, and left them instead follw media refrences, and probably have a form of Christmas but I doubt that they are talking about Baby Jesus and the three wise men. I think if they do celebrate Chistmas they just celebrate the comercialised version of it...not the relgious aspect of it.

I can see that....makes sence. I just wondered....and GK...I know that too, is it just the comertial...because the majority of the population is Buddhist..

That's more than likely the case

As I have friends in Japan, as well as Japanese friends living in the states, I'm well aware of that ;)
Your post made it seem like you said they don't celebrate it at all. So that's what I was responding too.

So it is the gift giving, tree having Christmas, huh? Ok...thanks. Just curious...now that that's outta the way: How do 5 people (er...animals...er...mutants) who live in a sewer and can't go topside celebrate the season, and say get gifts and a tree....there is Casey and April...:p

I'm not sure if all Japanese that celebrate actually use Trees or not. That's a good question. I have seen pictures, as well as things in movies/tv shows that show them celebrating a christmas very similar to ours (atleas tthe commercial aspects) so I'd assume for the most part they do it pretty much how we do.

I alsoways wondered if the boys did in fact practice some sort odf religion but I really don't much evidance of it in the classic toon.

In the final episde of season two Splinter goes on a pilgrimage where he meditates and fasts, that could indicate some kind of religius adhearance. Perhaps Buddhist or some sort of Shinto aspect.

Actually people in Japan seem to have a mix of Shinto and Buddist belifs that sort of blur into each other.

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As far as I can tell, the turtles celebrate Xmas in quite a few different continuities. There was the whole Xmas comic featuring Mikey's discovery of Klunk and Raph finding out how Scrooge felt when he got visited by 3 ghosts. There was a Xmas ep of the new cartoon (Which, sadly, I missed last year. :tcry: ) that mirrored the comic. I recall seeing the turtles on tv, live from MGM studios (The disney park once had the Turtles as an attraction) one Xmas morn' singing "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree". And, if I'm not mistaken there was a certain video featuring the Turtles (Not a cartoon, but a live action one) in a musical adventure about finding the perfect gift for Splinter (Yeah... despite my love of the Turtles and my love of Xmas specials, I don't think that's an incarnation of the turtles I want to see.).

Mirage Vol.1, Leo micro-series #1 and issue 10 take place on Christmas eve, and the Turtles are excited about their "First real Christmas".

"Christmas With The Turtles".

http://img236.imageshack.us/img236/8374/15wa.jpg

Simply horrible.

I think you're hooked on those "horrible" pictures. :P

Anyway, they probably do, in a way, just because the world "above" is doing it, and that's the only way they can get out.

Also, wouldn't they be slower in snow? :lol:

In some families Christmas is something other than a religious holiday. It is a celebration of family, being together ,celebrating surviving another year of crap, giving presents to show each other appreciation and love...ok I think I'm going to get sick from all of this mush...:dead:


So I think the TMNT would celebrate for these reasons.

I actually saw Don do a sign of the cross when splinter told the guys they could still eat pizza on TMNT 2 , just a comment:P

:tlol: Did he really? Heh heh... I might have to rewatch it just to look for that.

Personally, the Turtles celebrating Christmas isn't as ailly a concept as Fred Flintstone celebrating Christmas a million years before Jesus's birth. Seriously, what is up with that?

It's personally a marketing thing, I feel.... you know, giving different Christmas specials of different shows. Anyway, at least they didn't save Santa Claus from the Shredder and took the easy route out.

Actually, I read the x-entertainment article about the TMNT special (the live action one, that is), and I just laughed my head off at how pointless and bad it was. I even drew/wrote a parody of it last year, with Mikey and Raph commenting on how horrible it was. I didn't even need to see it. Not that I'd ever want to.

Though I am morbidly cureous of the Star Wars one, I'd never see TMNT ever. No way!

Save yourself.

if i knew how to use this damn computer i would put up the pic of splinter dressed as santa from the christmas aliens episode.... I STINK!!!!!

My best friend is Buddhist by association (her parents are Buddhist), and she's all into Christmas for the secular reasons. She loves it... and she loves Christmas carols too. It's possible the turtles are Christian... just possible... but they seem to celebrate in the same way as my friend and very many "non-practicing" Christians.

Oh and Donny is Catholic. Didn't you know? :lol: That's why he likes purple. It's a Catholic color. (That, and green.) Yeah. See, it makes perfect sense.

hope one turtle got another a chainsaw to chop Venus up with :lol:

:lol:Good one

But then again, the Three Stooges, Larry Moe and Shemp in this case, were all Jewish... yet they dressed up as Santa Claus to sneak into a some sort of Temple to look for some valuable object.....

http://cgi.ebay.com/Ninja-Turtles-We...QQcmdZViewItem

there ya go kiddies....*gag me*

Augh scary... they look like they want to suck out my brains...

"Bodacious classics" ...heh.

I own that <_< *Hides*

Spitfire after you saw the hole thing did you get any sight problems?... just asking LOL:P

There's somethin' y'all don't see every day. Is this We Wish You A Turtle Christmas worse than TMNT 3? I just wanna live with out watchin' this Christmas special cuz it looks terrible. How bad is it? I see why no one has bid on that auction. I wouldn't bid on it if my life depended on it. Ironic how the box says "for ages three and up" when a three-year-old would probably be offened by this.

Spitfire, how long ago have you seen this? Do you remember it a whole lot?

I still have that on VHS, it's horrible, way worse then TMNT 3, and again TMNT 3 isn't even that bad, TMNT Christmas it's just god awful, horrible suits, voice acting, animatronics, singing, it's vomit inducing.

Some of the items on eBay are only good as conversation pieces. I miss the days when they let you sell pretty much anything. There were lots of souls for sale. I'm not kidding. (Not that I would ever purchase a soul.) (Well, maybe if it was a really pure soul. PM me. :evilgrin: )

For a little information on just how bad the 1994 Christmas video is, check out the X-Entertainment.com review like Drtooth suggested.