Playing Favorites: Favorite Turtles Then and Now
 

This is a thread started in response to Donnie's (I think it was you...:P) post on the Facebook page about "shifting allegiance" from on Turtle to another. He asked if anyone had ever done the unthinkable: switched which of the Green Team was their favorite. I will eventually answer there...work isn't a fan of the Facebook...but I thought it was a strong enough idea for a thread on the Real Drome (so good in fact, there's bound to already be one).

So what say you? Ever swapped Turtley Allegiances? As for me, I'll let you know in the Fall if my favorite Turtle swaps due to something or another.... :D

Since I was in diapers I had my turtles ranked #1-#4 and never changed. I always liked Michleangelo the best with a Raph as a close second. #3 is Leo adn #4 Don. When I say Don is my least favorite I still like him. Can't hate let alone dislike any of them. My favortism of Mike came from Townsend Coleman's version in the original animated series and the movies gave it a boost while the immortal Rob Paulsen made me love the sarcastic hothead of Raph and the movies prominent role of Raph gave that a boost. While I love the '87 cartoon the most I have to say I enjoyed Leo and Don in the '03 cartoon more than their '87 cartoon counterparts. Well, that rant was just my personal experiences and perferences. I don't have to ask if you ever did at least for your favorite turtle.:twink:

Michelangelo used to be my favorite turtle but now I would have say that Donatello is when he used to be my least favorite out of the 4 turtles.

Donatello.

As a kid my list was Raph (thanks to Rob Paulsen's characterization), then Mikey (because he was the 2nd most fun), then Don and Leo last. That list underwent the first change with the 4Kids series, with Raph staying in 1st, followed by Don (Sam Riegel does an awesome job), then Leo, and Mikey is last. Nothing against Wayne Grayson, but Mikey was written very VERY goofy in that series. Too goofy. I'm sure the favorite list will shuffle later this year, when Nick debuted their Turtles.

I still like OT and Archie Comics Raphael best of all. In the live-action films, I prefer Donatello. In the 2k3 series, Leonardo got all the best episodes, but I felt like the production team was trying to cram his awesome down our throats, so I don't really have a favorite in that series. I really liked Raphael from the 1st season, but it seemed like he began to be written more-and-more as incompetent in battle (throwing his sais away every other episode). In the Mirage Comics, I generally think Raphael has the best stories (at least when Eastman or Berger was involved with them).

I think the franchise works best when each turtle is given his chance to shine and the team succeeds through mutual cooperation and compromise.

Words fail me...

Is nothing constant in this world? :tlol:

I know, right. So when can we expect a name change to Mikeie? Or would that be Mikey. :D

Edited, what folly was I thinking?

I was thinking about what Donnie here should do. Maybe something like mine which is a double tribute to Townsend's Mike and Rob' Raph. Mike,Mikey(from the former ring of green), and Michelangelo are all taken. What about Mikey&Donnie? or orangeturtle or even Townsend Grayson. Just a few suggestions.

I admit my least favorite of all of the TMNT versions I like(all but NM and Image) was the 2003 cartoon which made him well kinda dumb, spouted too much pop culture and liked to irrate his brothers to the point even Splinter hit him upside the head.

Always Leonardo, right from the beginning.

Always been Leonardo and always will be.

Over the years, Raph has come to be an equal or nearly equal favorite to Leo for me. But that's it. Even as a wee lad I wasn't into Mike and I never will be.

Sorry, my favorite hasn't changed over the years and probably never will. It's been Leonardo all the way.

Yeah, you guys, you're alright. :tcool:

Leo all the way for me, don't think that's ever going to change.

Fun fact: The only reason Raphael was my favorite Turtle was because I liked his personality in the original cartoon.

While I still liked Movie Raph and Archie Raph, his personality in the Mirage/4kids series wasn't as appealing to me.

But since OT Raph was the one I saw first, that's how I always think of him.

to acknowledge your question mr. donnie... NO it is not taboo... and it doesn't make you a "casual" to change your favorite... most of us arent the same as we were when we first got into TMNT so the reason you had a favorite then might not really apply now...

I was preaching folly!

It has shifted for me. For me, the first order as a preschooler was:

1. Michelangelo
2. Leonardo
3. Raphael
4. Donatello

Being young, Mike was always easy to relate to, and had innocence just like myself at the time. Raph's jokes I couldn't quite grasp so far, and Donatello was just too advanced for me at the time.

Around the time my interest faded in TMNT in the mid-90s, the order was:

1. Leonardo
2. Donatello
3. Raphael
4. Michelangelo

With Mike's role being reduced and approaching my preteens, it was wise to first appreciate a good leader/role model, and Donatello was interesting to watch as I gained more education.

Today, it is:

1. Donatello
2. Raphael
3. Michelangelo
4. Leonardo

Donatello can help me keep my brains focused (plus having an original turtle voice reprising as another turtle) helps. Raphael can be both funny and serious, keeping it from getting boring. Michelangelo's even improved a bit so I can see what can be enjoyable to do when I'm bored or have a bad day. Leonardo, not as much since I will probably never be a true leader in real life, though I still like them all! Now, if we added April and Splinter, both of those would have increased them in ranking each time around, given I was too young to appreciate a woman earlier on, plus Splinter's wisdom sounds more appealing with age.

When I was first getting into the TMNT during the time of the OT it was Mikey all the way. He was my undisputed favorite turtle. A Mikey wooden Christmas tree ornament has been on my tree every year since I got it as a kid.
However these days I lean more towards Raph. I'm not sure why. Of course I'll always love all four of them.

From Kindergarten to the start of the 2k3 cartoon I was Team Leo. Then I switched to Team Raph, I think it was because I realized I'm more like him, personality wise.

I'll always have a soft spot for Leo though.

You know Donnie you have a point about who we can relate to but I am a good meld of two turtles and its not Michaelangelo and Raphael. Its Michaelangelo and Leonardo that I have a blended personality of. Two sides of the same coin. Raphael is my close second because of two incarnations Rob Paulsen and Raphael as seen in the four movies opposed to Leonardo who I am more like than Raphael.

When I was a kid I had the standard Michelangelo crush, lol. But now I've drunk the Donatello kool-aid, mainly for the 1st film and the OT, which is funny because they're such different interpretations. But in both cases I guess I just like that they're somewhat separate from the other turtles with unique skills that are rarely appreciated.

Donnie all the way!

Leo has always done it for me! Since I was younger Leo was first then raph followed by Donnie and mike. Not much has changed although raph can sometimes have more of my attention at times, but Leo has always matched my personality most IMO and with the exception of a few character annoyances here and there, I always favor him in most encarnations.

When I was younger Donnie was my fave but as I got older Raph became my fave more and more. Don still comes in close 2nd in my eyes tho. Helps that Rob Paulsen voices em both now tho.... :D

Leo was always my favorite growing up. in the comics he was the leader, had IMO the coolest weapons, and was most confident. i still love Leo, but i will say that over the years Donnie has gained equal stature. as i grew older i discovered that Donnie and I share a lot of similarities in personalities and i became more attached to his character.

Raphael was my favorite when I was a kid, because of his wit and weapons (I thought sais were the coolest when I was 9 LOL). These days I lean towards Donatello because he seems to be the most creative member of the team, as well as the most hardworking.

This is pretty much exactly the same way I feel. Raph always has been my favorite and always will be in both toons, the movies, and comics. When I was little and the OT and movies were on, Mikey was definitely my 2nd favorite, then Don and Leo. Don't get me wrong, I still really liked Don and Leo, maybe Leo less in the movies, but still loved all 4. And then 2k3 came out and my order was rearranged. I don't have a problem with Mikey at all in the 2k3 series, he was a little goofier than the rest of the show's town, but I was fine with it the reason the Don and Leo moved up was due to some really great characterization and defining moments in the series, the most that we've seen on screen imo.

Through childhood I've been juggling between Leonardo and Donatello as my favorite turtle.

And Leo is my favorite now

My favorite Turtle in the OT is Don. By Archie comics, Raph. It helped the guy has a canon girlfriend and gave insight to how that relationship worked...

I don't really have a particular favorite Turtle in the 2K3 (I feel Leo was taking too much of the spotlight, Don's too much of a nice guy and Raph kinda faded in the background the longer the show went on). Ironically I ended up liking the "newcomers". Karai (before she went all Ms. Incompetent Evulz), Hun, Bishop and Stockman.