What can I expect?
 

ok, since there is so many 80's toon fans on here I've decided to give the series a try and see what every one is raving about, and broaden my turtle horizens.

But before I spend money on this I would just like to know from those on here who have seen both the 80's cartoon and the current cartoon of what exactly I can expect from the older version of the turtles? Specifically what is diffrent about the 80's toon from the current one? I hear it is not as heavy as the current one, but what about the story lines and characters? Are the characters anything like they are in the 4Kids cartoon or will I be seeing something tottally alien from the current series?

If some of you can give me some of your opinions I would really appreciate it. :)

It's a typical 80's cartoon. Lighthearted, simple and generally easy to watch. The series is not exactly a masterpiece but it's what got me into the franchise. If you open yourself up to it, there's a good chance you'll enjoy it a lot.

It's much less epic than the 2003 series. There are very few multi-part eps. Baxter is a honky... until his transformation. Mutagen is responsible for everything. Utroms don't exist, but , resembling an Utrom, the disembodied brain of a Dimension X warlord named Krang is a main villain. Shredder is human. Splinter is the mutated Hamato Yoshi.

Just lower your expectations all the way to ground level, and you'll be fine. ^_^

Wow your telling someone to lower then expectations to nothing to enjoy the old toon? It's not that bad. Some episodes are utterly horrendous but a series that runs almost 300 episodes tends to have a few bad ones.

I'd suggest getting volume 1 for sure. You'll enjoy that. The series was still a comedy show but it was a lot more serious in the first season and it has some Red Sky episodes on it from when the series started to get serious again. Red SKy had some jokes but it was mostly an action cartoon and every season was pretty much a season long story arc with every episode connected. I'm still waiting for when those hit DVD.

Anyways after that get the second season DVD, it'll prepare you for the change. The series still had story arcs but the animation was different and it started to get more light hearted. Then volume 3 will dive you right into how the show stays until season 7 pretty much.

Season 7 the shows starts to become more how Red Sky was and season 8 was when the animation style completely switched and the format change was complete.

Right now up to Season 6 is on DVD. Maybe it's a series best enjoyed by someone who liked it as a kid I'm not sure but the DVDs are only 10 bucks a pop so I don't think you'll end up wasting to much money in the end if you end up not liking it.

Did you ever watch the show as a kid? If so you'll probably like it.

The first time I watched the first season, I was blown away. Season two is good, with one or two bad episodes. Season three is generally great, but has some god awful ones. Season 4 was worse than 3 but still decent, then 5 was mediocre with some stand outs.

Overall it's a light hearted cartoon that will make you smile and laugh, and never have to think too much.

Whoops! That really did come across less jovial than intended. :embarass: Is stating the obvious the same as sarcasm? Because what I was getting at was to say, "if you expect nothing of the show, you'll get AT LEAST that much from any randomly selected episode". :P

I agree with everyone that Season 1 was great. It's the only one I never had mixed feelings about. But, compared to 2K3, it's still a step down. :ohwell: That's all I'm trying to prepare JB for.

how old are you? 11? How is it possible for someone to never have seen the original toon. That just makes me feel real old:lol:

I disagree with the current replies mostly.


The old toon is not a dumbed down version of the 2k3 like the posts make it seem to be. Its just an entirely different take on the franchise. Instead of action/comedy like the new show its more of a comedy/action show. And unlike the new show the comedy will actually make you laugh out loud on more than a few occasions. Unlike most people here I am not really nostalgic of the show since I rarely got to see it as a kid. So while I've been getting the DVDs 95% of the time I haven't watched the episodes so they hold no nostalgia value clouding my vision. And I think it holds up great, its not better than the 2k3 show and the 2k3 show is not better either since they are so different its like apple and oranges.

You'll definitely enjoy season 1 so get that. Season two is also quite enjoyable with only a few episodes that might bore you. Season 3 is where it starts getting tricky its a huge season so there are plenty of "filler" episodes, if you don't "get" the humor/style of the show you won't like most of the season though there are still plenty of gems that you would enjoy like the season finale. Seasons after that are kind of similar to S3. Seasons 7 and later from what I've seen are great and you should enjoy them even if you didn't like the in between seasons. So yeah definitely check it out and tell us what you think.

I'm seventeen and sorry I just wasn't very interested in the turtles back then. Did you watch every cartoon that came on during the 80's and 90's?

Basically what I'm getting so far from you guys is for me to foget the current cartoon even exists and go in there with no expectations if I'm going to enjoy it. :|

Did the series format fluctuate alot in the show? You are saying the show was diffrent in the beginning, then changed in season two than changed again in season four and then changed again in season seven then changed completely after that? :-?

Exactly. But if you REALLY want to enjoy season 1, I suggest saving it for last. It'll be that much better. Trust me.

If you are really curious about the older show, just rent some episodes from Blockbuster or Netflix. Personally, the older toon was alot more fun than the new one, and I mean that in a good way.

And there were some things in it that I rather liked. I always like April as a reporter more than her comic roots as a scientist. The original theme song was kick ass, and I liked Raph's original voice over more in the old toon than the new one.

Personally, I think you'll enjoy it.:)

Expect lots of cheesy humor and corny jokes.

It's not as intense or serious, but it's lighthearted, it'll make you smile (even if you're smiling because of how corny it is!) and it's a fun series to watch.

It has some great ideas and great moments though, so don't think it's all cornball humor. The first 5 episodes are by far the best (IMO) and probably the most serious too. The second season had it's moments though. It started getting really silly in the third.

Just try to have fun with the series, don't expect the character development, the epic plots or the story arches from the 2k3 series, just try to have fun with it.

You could always check out a few episodes of the old show on youtube to get a general feeling for the show.

Well here's my opinion...

Season one is pure gold. Great show they had going there. A ton of wasted potential(although I still appreciate the whole show in general)

I also enjoy season two...but other then nostalgia, I haven't been able to get into much after season two. I havent picked up any of the dvd's in a while, and people are saying good things about six, so I might see how those held up. I'll definitely see whatsup with Red Sky if they release it. I remember catching like three or four episodes of it as a kid, and never knowing when it was on, but knowing is as the ever mysterious and darker tmnt show(compared to just the ot of course) It was a fun little mystery for a while finding out what was up with that.

No, I wouldn't say that. As most people in the thread are saying, the original cartoon is simply a different, less serious take on the same characters. As long as you expect to see more of a focus on humor than action, approach the series with an open mind, and don't take the Turtles gravely seriously like some people do, you'll definitely enjoy the series.

In my opinion, the only major change was between seasons 7 and 8 when the animation, music, cast, and character designs were overhauled. Other than that, I don't think the changes between seasons are as drastic as some people are making them out to be. In seasons 1 and 7, the tone was somewhat more serious and the enemies were more threatening, but it didn't feel like an entirely different show or anything.

What are the character dynamics like in the 80's show? Like how did the turtles act toward each other; what was the relationship like with the turtles? Is it very diffrent to how they act with each other in the current toon? Are their any relationships or interaction with the turtles? What where they like as individuals, was there any kind of depth to their characters? One thing that I really enjoy about the current cartoon is that they are very complex individuals and their relationship and how they feel toward each turtle is explored. Like "who gets along with who", "who is most likley to be in this ones company" and such. You can really relate to them and feel for them. Is there any of that complexity with the turtles in this series, despite the emphasis on humour?

Also is there any parallels of the events that happen in the 80's cartoon and the current one? I noticed in another thread about season six an episode called "Adventures in turtle Sitting" which is the same title of an episode in the season four of the current toon. Is it a remaking ofv this episode or are the story lines comepletely sepret from each other in both cartoons?

No, the original Adventures in Turtle-Sitting has nothing to do with the 2k3 episode of the same name. The original is about Raph, Don and Leo turning into toddlers because Mikey accidentally zapped them with one of Don's machines. The episode Back to the Egg had a similar plot, except it was Leo and Mikey that got de-aged.

As other have said the OT is much more light-hearted than the 2k3 series. Everything is nice and kid-friendly, dark parts are very rare, the Red Sky seasons become a little darker. Most episodes end with the status quo that Shredder is beaten but manages to escape back to the Technodrome. As for the interaction, there really is not much depth to it, except maybe that Raph makes fun of Mikey a lot. Raph, btw, is also very different, rarely angry and more of a sarcastic smartass than a hothead.

Nah, I don't think it fluctuated that much. Season 1 was serious, but the seasons got progressively sillier and cornier as the series went on. Then around season 7 things started to take a darker tone, but there was still an obvious sense of silliness to it ("Mobster from Dimension X" comes to mind).

The two shows are similar in a lot of ways except the 80's ones are a little more careful with the violence and tone. I would say the old show was directed at ages 6-12, and the new more for ages 13-18. I grew up watching the original and when the new series started I tuned into that right away. At first I was disappointed because it was so serious compared to the old series. Now that I have been able to watch the old show on DVD, I gave the new one another chance and enjoy watching that too, but for different reasons. My advice is to not try to compare the old to the new but watch them as if you're watching two different TV shows. Then you should enjoy the old series as well as the new.

The show is far superior to the modern series, and I'm not basing that on memory either. It's up there with Futurama at times.

April is a career-aholic, only caring about her news stories at times, though she does care for the Turtles. Her friend Irma salivates over men, Turtles, anyone, so long as she gets a date (her best friend for the most part is Don). Raph and Mickey usually break the fourth wall more than Leo and Don do etc. Shredder and Krang are written like a gay couple though.

Hell no. It's a comedy/adventure series

The best way to learn the difference is just to watch.

The best comparison I can come up with is the Adam West Batman stuff to The Batman, if that helps.

I don't think the old toon's as bad as the old live action batman series.
I'd compare that to the next mutation series if anything because of all the sound effects.

I'd say the old toon is like an 80's super hero cartoon show.

OT is way better than AW Batman, and the NT is better than The Batman, it was just a loose comparison. You got what I meant by it right?

I did. Sometimes the urge to nit-pick is just too irresistible to leave well enough alone. ^_^ Comes with the territory of being detail- oriented people.

The classic cartoon is alot like Futurama and the Simpsons in the way it's executed as a show. It's quirky, it's clever and sparkles with acerbity wit. You watch because it is something to be enjoyed that doesn't tax you as a viewer because the situations and characters are all houmourous and wacky. The episodes all contain a fun conflict for the turtles to deal with whistle smart-ass quips and snappy dialogue is exchanged while quirky character interaction ensues before being resolved in climatic fashion and the conflict is solved. It'll just be a guilty pleasure to watch to the point where you don't expect anything from the characters except to be entertaining, but like the Simpsons and Futurama there will be moments of depth and emotion from the characters or situations that will take you by suprise and endear you to them and make the show more profound because it will be unexpected. :) The show is great in sublety is this respect. It's one of the series strong points.

Unlike some of the posters on here that have said other wise there is actually some good character dynamics in the old show. Not nearly as complex or intense as the new show tends to be but it is there. You kinda just have to look between the lines. The turtles have all experienced idenity crisises before felt self doubt and had to tackle personal problems on their own, and unique to this series most of them have had at least experienced crushes on girls and had to realize that it wouldn't work out. Donatello is the smart one and as a result it's hinted at they he seems emotionally supressed and under appreciated by the turtles at time. He also seems to be the most negative and cynical toward humans in general than the other turtles. Leonardo is the leader but frequently has bouts of insecurity about whether he is capable enough to lead and seems to be slightly alienated by his peers at because of the role he has to play of keeping every one in line. There was actually an episode dedicated to this problem of Leonardo's. Michaelangelo has had indenity crisises as well as shown desire be a normal teenager once or twice and has questioned on whether or not he has worth to the team, and he also seems to be picked on occassion as well by the other turtles. Raphael is very diffrent from the new toon and isn't angry or violent but he does still have a petulant cranky side to him, and he has had a idenity crisis where he tried carving a nich for him self by learning disguise techniques. Most of these only pop in a single episode and are resolved by the end of it and often times it handled in a silly manner but it still occurs in this series. I hope this helps and I hope you enjoy the series and give it a chance:)

thankyou every one who has commented I appreciate you guys giving me your input. Based on what has been said here I think I have a fair idea of what to expect from the series when I get ahold of it. I'm not sure what to make of the comments made by a few members that the series is like Futurama mostly because I'm not sure how I'll take a turtles show being as comical as that, but I'll try to be open minded about it.

You are probably the first person to have said this about the 80's cartoon. Every one else seemw to describe the 80's cartoon as "good" by a step down compared to the current toon. :o And I hope when you say that "it's up there with Futurama at times" that you mean in humour and not that it's all gimmicky and futuristic and stuff, like Fast Forward from the current series is; since I wasn't too fond of Fast Forward. It's not right? **worried** :(


I know and I'm working on that, I've been searching for the first season dvds in stores but I can't seem to find any ninja turtles dvds from the 80's except for the most recent season six one. I've been tempted to get it but since it's so far into the series I've been holding off on it since I would really like to see the first few season that laid out the ground work for the show first before I see any of the later seasons. I know alot of you have said that this is a very episodic in nature by I still would like to see the first season first before I see anything else. I just can't seem to find it any where :( but if I can't find it soon I think I'm just going to get the sixth season dvd before that comes out of print as well.

edit: yay me, 100 posts!!

ok, I have finally seen the first season of the 80's cartoon and half of season six. And all I can say is...wow :o

this version really isn't anything like the current cartoon at all. I know that every one on here told me that it was really diffrent from the current show but I guess I was still taken by suprise about the diffrences when I actually saw it. However now that I have seen some of the 80's toon that started it all, my impression is...not bad...not bad at all.

I was really given very mixed messages on what the 80's cartoon was like, on it being really good but with some bad episodes in it that after season one it gets more and more stand alone. So that I was unsure of what I was gonna get. But I have to say that over-all I was pleasantly suprised. With alot of comparisons that this was just a comedy I really thought I was going to be seeing some very random, loony tunes-esch, antics with no relation to each other happening. Or sequences where anvils dropped out of the sky and flattened people. But I was glad to see that, even from waht I saw in season six when the episodes where stand alone that each episode had a plot and some kind of trouble or conflict for the turtles to handle; even though it was very lighter than a conflict in a new cartoon episode (but I was expecting that) and that there seemed to be an on going plot between Shredder and the turtles and that carried over from episode to episode. I was relived to see that. I guess that is what happens when you lower your expectations all the way to ground level :P.

Seeing season one was good. OMG it is soo eighties, I was laughing at some of the dated lingo being used. I was disapointed that it was only five episode though. this version really didn't waste time in extra detail, it just dumped you into plot with no getting to know the the turtles (besides their introduction) and kind of just get to know them on the fly. I really thought that the in at least one of the episodes the season was going to take a breath and give a little insight about each other the turtles but it didn't. I guess with only five episodes it more aimed at plot building than character building. I did like the new spin on Splinter's origin and his past with Shredder. That was actually a nice touch and I liked they made the conflict between more personal, that was good. I did like the fighting in this some of it with tne angling I kinda felt like I was wath an old anime.The whole technodrome thing was neat. This version of the turtles seems more sci-fi than the current cartoon is.

The extra characters like Krang, and the Bebop and Rocksteady where ok, I think I need some getting used to them, Baxter was a bug out. The animation took some getting used to because it was sooo retro! The one thing that really bugged me was the mistakes the cartoon had and sometimes the turtles looked really weird like muppets some times.

Over-all I have to say that from I've seen it's not as bad as some people have made it out to be, though I think it's a bit to shallow for me to get passiante about it like the current series. It was a a diffrent spin but I actually kinda enjoyed what I saw. I am intersted in checking this out more, so I'll let every one know what I think when I see the rest of season six.

It's hard to think that someone is a TMNT fan and is actually new to the original toon. Seems like everyone gets exposed to the old cartoon first, unless they were around when the Mirage comics were first released.

Anyway, the old cartoon is a lot of fun. It doesn't take itself quite as seriously, but I like how they recycled a bunch of b-movie plots and old comic book plots.

Heck, I'm a long time TMNT fan, and really haven't picked up a comic book yet, it's original roots. I'm just not into comic books. Now if they were to release the original stories from the comic books point of view into a novel *hint *hint* hint* then I would be flying to my nearest book store to grab it.

Those 3 get way funnier in the following seasons, Bebop and Rocksteady are often used for "stupid humor" with occasional lol bits. But Krang really cracks me up in season 3 and onward, he's probably my favorite character.

Other than that, I'm glad you like it.

you know what sort of bothered me though when i was watching the show (in particular season six) the turtles seem to be public knowledge and they don't hide from people. Some much so that random people seem to know intimate details about them like they live in the sewers and their names and their nusances. They don't seem to mind being around people and being seen or even hiding. :ohwell:

Is there none of the urgency to stay hidden and away from people in the 80's toon?

They hide from people in seasons 1 through 3. I don't want to spoil anything for you, but they're recognized as the saviors of the city in the season 3 finale, so they still wear costumes every now and then in seasons 4 and onwards, but they don't really care it anyone sees them.

Yeah, that's part of what Laird himself didn't like about the OT.

I love the OT, but mainly from the nestalgic point of view. I grew up with it and it is what drew me to the TMNT. As an adult I like the witty humor and as an aspiring voice actor, there's no beter show to listen to the cast riff with each other.

There are some things that bug me. The Turtles call each other by their full names and not short hand like Mikey and Raph. They also are friends and not brothers. But those are minor quibbles.

Glad you like the OT. And yeah, it may take some getting used to.

honestly i havent given the new tmnt show much of a chance. i saw the first few episodes when they were aired, it was ok i guess, but didnt really grab my attention too much since im more used to the wide variety of diverse characters/mutants that the original toon had. mainly i dont like the theme song for it and the fact that shredder is a robot. but from what i hear the new toon tries to resemble the original comics somewhat, so if that's what you're looking for i would recommend you watch the original TMNT movie that came out in 1990. it is pure gold IMHO and it takes a much more serious comic-book approach to the turtles. also there is no bebop, rocksteady, or krang, just the evil Shredder and his foot clan like in the comics.

That's pretty odd. When I was starting to get back into TMNT a few years ago I found a VHS copy of the first movie at wal-mart and it literally blew my mind (even tho I saw it as a kid), I had only read the first issue of the comics at this point so it was like the TMNT Bible as far as I was concerned. Then when the new show came out I thought it was similar to the movie in tone and was actually better.

You really dont pay attention to the modern series do you?

I actually didn't mind the turtles calling each other by their full names. in a way I actually like it better that they say their full names for some reason. I never liked "Don" as a nick name because I think he it sound like a girls name like "Dawn". I'm supised no one has ever asked Don in the current toon why he has a girls name. :lol: And what do you mean they are brothers in the 80's toon? They certainly acted like brothers from what I could see. :ohwell:

They never refered to them selves as brothers, where as in Archie, Mirage, the movies and the NT they are clearly brothers and actually state the fact. I think Splinter only called them his "sons" like twice.

in the 80's toon is there any climatic season finales beyond season one or does every season just end with a villan of the day, maintain the status quo, episode like in season six? Don't get me wrong I liked season six but I was a little disapointed with the last episode on the dvd when the season kind of just...ended. :|

Speaking of things that disapointed me i have to say that I don't really like how Leo is in the 80's toon. I was already prepared for Raph to be diffrent from how he is in the current toon so his diffrent personalty didn't slap in the face so much. But geez, Leonardo's character did. I don't hate him but he seems so emotional and reactionary. I really didn't like how he acted in the last episode of the season six with the snakes, it just didn't seem like how Leo should act, especially when he ran away and kept trying to avoid the situation.

Also I don't care for the character Irma. I'm sure she is amusing once you see more of her but I found her annoying. I hope her character is better in other seasons.

What I did like was Splinter and how he seems to be very sneaky with how he gets the turtles to be more focused and just generally how he acts as a charcter. I also don't mind April and her diffrent career. She seems very spunky and determined and even though she doesn't fight seem to be completely helpless. Raphael...he is very diffrent but at least he seems to be as cranky and easily cynical as Raph is in the current toon. I'm not used to seeing him so mild mannered but I did find him funny. Actually most of my laughs came from him.

I was actually pretty impressed with Don and Mikey, Don has such presence he sort of reminds me of Don from the movie. I liked it when he beat up every one in sparring. Mikey I ended up genuanly liking in spite of my self, and I went in there biased against him determined to not like him.

Oh and I have to ask something, is there any episodes in the series that go into detail about Yoshi a.k.a Splinter and Shredder's past and why Shredder hates his former teacher so much? I'm actually really liking that Splinter and yoshi are the same and the bitterness between him and Shredder. Shredder has such spite for Splinter which makes everything he does seem so much more personal. In the 4kids cartoon Shredder just seems to be evil because...he's evil. This has a nice touch with Shredder having a past with Splinter and being his former student.