The Fred Wolf Appreciation Thread
 

Liking Fred Wolf is not a curse. it's not something to be ashamed of. It's not something to pariah over.

If it where not for FW, many of us would never have discovered and learned to enjoy the original comic. even if it did take a while to get used to the more violent, adult nature of it as kids.

I just find it odd that on a forum where the logo and name is about the actual cartoon, there is so much distaste for, what one can argue, a franchise that basically helped re launch the entire property into cultural icon ism.

Before that last sentence makes die hards see red(pun intended?), :). notice I said RE launch.

what did the Fred Wolf Series mean to you, either discovering it first round, or as an adult a tad late?

I loved the show when I was a kid. I loved singing along with the theme song, the goofiness of the show, Krang and Shredder bickering and Bebop and Rocksteady bumbling, all of it. I was Mikey for Halloween several years in a row. Good times.

I really like FW for what it is. It has it's own unique charm and reminds me of better times.

I still watch an episode or two every once in a while and get a few chuckles from the humor and there are some episodes that I really enjoy. It might not be my ideal version of TMNT, but I still appreciate it.

I only wish the market for TMNT merchandise and peoples views on TMNT didn't stay only on FW. There are other versions of TMNT out there. Why not let them get their time to shine?



Hopefully this thread stays positive and doesn't turn into another case of "lets bash FW!" Some 'Dromers have different tastes in regards to TMNT. Why not let them discuss it in peace?

hence thread purpose :).

I loved the cartoon as a kid too. Thought it was one of the best shows ever at that time. Fun to watch but slightly serious at times. The intro was badass to me. Liked all the main characters.

I still like the show as an adult, though it's not as good as I remembered it. It's not one of the best shows ever after all, but half of the episodes are still fun to watch. It's alright in small doses. A guilty pleasure that has its ups and downs (similar to Pokémon). Some episodes are actually more enjoyable to me as an adult, though, as a lot of the humour such as Raphael's sarcastic remarks and the batter between Shredder and Krang went over my head as a kid.

I think the Fred Wolf toon was a good introduction to the Turtles anyway, as I probably wouldn't have become a fan of tmnt or been interested in watching the 4Kids series without watching it first.

The topic of this thread seems... Oddly defensive...

This version was the first version of turtles I saw and it's definitely what got me interested in it (though the movies helped reinforce that). Truthfully, it still my favorite version in large part due to the characterization of Michelangelo who has always been my favorite.

Despite being the laid back and fun turtle, he was still a competent fighter and able of saving his brothers as much as they saved him, something I feel like later versions seem to forget. He came across as just a fun guy, someone I could easily see myself just shooting the breeze with.

I also must admit that despite it being a major point in all other versions, I kinda like that Leo and Raph lack that intense rivalry here. They still pick on one another but it isn't as...well...intense I guess as in other versions. I suppose I just like Raphael more as a smartass than a badass Wolverine type (though don't get me wrong, I do enjoy those versions too)

I've also just always been a fan of "anything goes" type of story telling so long as it follows the rules of the established universe and FW certainly does that. I'm always entertained by it.

That being said, I do thoroughly enjoy other versions as well (4kids being a close second) and I'll generally try anything at least once. For me, the selling point has always been the characters. If I really care/like the characters then everything else becomes less important

I would like to share this previous thoughts from another post. It's hard to believe that this show is celebrating 30th anniversary. The original series has meant so much to me over the years. It was one of the first cartoons I ever watched. Whenever I feel really down, some of the episodes make me feel better. The recent crossover with 2012 series, especially meant a lot to me because I was going through a dark time in my life when it first aired. I'm also very much looking forward to the next one that will happening soon. I also wrote fan-mail to Cam Clarke about three years ago and he replied back in such a gentleman like way. It was thrilling to meet Rob Paulsen back in December 2016 at an Expo. I hope to meet Townsend Coleman, Barry Gordon and some other actors from the series someday. It would be also nice if Cam came to a convention in my area.

I marathon through the show every 2-3 years. I probably watched it in full about 10-15 times.

Overall I still enjoy about 75% of the shows total episodes. The show is supposed to be a fun parody of action shows with bizarre sci-fi plots and nonsensical things happening which is why it still holds up. If it was actually written as a serious show it would not stand out. There are bad episodes of course but that's 25% of the duller eps.

The Big Cufflink Caper was funny as heck.

Show was awesome when I was 6, 7. I remember getting mad when the same old episodes would play when I was anxious for new ones.

When did it lose it's magic for you?

I don't know that it ever "lost" me. I remember trying to catch new episodes and not having any luck... I think my friends were telling me the new ones aired early on the weekends, which I would never be up for. Eventually I think I just gave up and got tired of seeing the same 5 or 6 episodes over and over again.

Rewatching then many years later, it just wasn't watchable anymore.

Huh, that might partially explain why you're not as attached to the show as other people here.

When were you 6-7? When season 2 was airing? Seems odd that a show with 65 episodes by the end the third season and 106 by the end of the fourth would show the same few episodes over and over.

So, I ended up watching it late. And honestly, the best parts for me was the dialogue, especially when it was subtle insults at someone else's expense. "I'm taking out the trash" in regards to Vernon is a favorite.

And the way a few situations go horribly wrong.

Like in Turtles Everywhere, wherein the last female of a sea turtle species was coming to the beach to lay her eggs, and promptly gets captured in front of everyone watching. Probably the worst thing that could happen aside from the turtle just...flopping over and dying.



I would like a revival in Krang watching soap operas...I found that to be fun. And a return to his scientific background as well, but I guess Ma'riell might be taking up that mantle from him.

I'll always love the original toon. Especially the first season. It's fun, it's colorful, and worked alongside Mirage comics and the 1990 film to forever capture my imagination.

Although, it will always be an interesting point of contention when debating the butterfly effect it had on the franchise in general. Both an engine and an anchor for the TMNT as a whole.

The FW show was where I first became a TMNT fan so it's definitely something I will always treasure and I still enjoy watching it to this day. I also enjoyed how Nickelodeon included them in a crossover and am looking forward to the next one as well.

Probably season 2. I seem to remember getting the second edition bubblegum cards, and those were of the 2nd season. I don't remember much beyond that so I don't think I hung on too much afterward.

Seems to explain why you're not nostalgic for the show compared to others here who grew up with it, you would have almost nothing to be nostalgic about. My excuse is just that I was like 15 when I first tried to watch it, way past the age range to have the flaws fly over my head.

I love that we still one more arc in the Nick toon with the original cast yet to air.

30 years ago the Voice Actors brought the characters to life on the tv screen, and in 2017 they all finish with a blast :)

I wouldn't say that. I have lots of fond memories of playing with all of the TMNT toys, pitting them against the Real Ghostbusters toys. Lots of epic battles in locations such as my bedroom floor to the bathtub. Or playing "Ninja Turtles" on the playground... basically everybody gets to pick a Turtle and one person gets to be the Shredder, and basically chase each other around the blacktop doing FAKE martial arts. Throwing pine cones too, I think.

When I sat down to rewatch the FW show with all the DVDs I expected it to be a warm rush of nostalgia. It was, I guess, for a few episodes. But man oh man, once that wore off a few episodes in, no amount of vodka could keep my attention.

They are still doing more FW "homage" episodes? Yeesh.

What do you think was the best part about the show itself? and what was your favourite season and character?

Well atleast they will possibly have Issue 1 turtles if that makes it better for you.

Especially since they're all pretty old now and may never get another chance after this. Within the next 10 years at least one of them is sadly going to pass away.

Bite your tongue Cubed! Sheesh even YOU should know better than to INVITE misfortune....

For me the show was one of the few high points of my days growing up. I was introduced to TMNT by the movie (fell in love with it) though I sort of knew about the cartoon before that. But once I started watching the series I was fully hooked for life. I remember wanting to be more like how I saw them being- strong, brave, "heroic".... (I was picked on quite a bit growing up.) They were my role models in some ways. Even though I was already in middle school by the time I got into the show. Around 11 or 12 I think.

That seems to be more nostalgia for the toys and playtime with friends rather than the show itself, which is fine, they were pretty nifty toys and there's nothing wrong to have fun playing with friends. It's just that I wouldn't really equate admiration of a show with what one did because of it.


Don't worry about it, DVDs will come out in three weeks and the episodes will float around on the internet for at least two months before they actually air. Anyone who cares will have already torrented them, the official airing will probably come and go with low ratings. Then there's three episodes left and the show is over.

Well, I did do these, too:
http://forums.thetechnodrome.com/showthread.php?t=21010

That's kinda cute.

Too late! Let's see here:
Cam Clarke, 59
Barry Gordon, 68
Rob Paulsen, 61
Townsend Coleman, 63
Pat Fraley, 68

The male life expectancy in the US as of 2017 is 76.73.
In 10 years Gordon and Fraley will be above that line, Clarke (the youngest of them) will be 7 away from it.

Life expectancy aside, I was talking about jinxing them by mentioning the possibility. If anything happens to one or more in the next few years, I'm blaming Cubed. Bad juju....

Just curious, why do you say things like this like you're trying to downplay them? Episodes will air on TV, come out on DVD, and will be rewatched or re-sold by Nick for years to come.

The way your posts sound as if these episodes, or the Nick cartoon in general, will be locked away in some vault somewhere after it ends and nobody will ever be able to watch it again. I mean I know this isn't what you mean, but I'm curious why you keep saying things like, "it'll all be over soon" like that's supposed to mean something?

Of course it'll be available, I'm not denying that, I would be a fool if I was.

It's just that we know we'll get another show within a year of it's conclusion and they'll probably promote that show far more, then in 3-5 years the same thing will probably happen again. So even if it'll be on Netflix or something, it's probably just going to receive less attention with time in lieu of newer TMNT shows piling up. Nothing wrong with that of course, I just expect it to be buried under new product rather than remain a fan favourite.

If anything the Nick cartoon will likely be the most exposed one, and the 2018 show might be overshadowed...especially if it also turns out bad. The Nick cartoon got a lot of attention because:

1. It was the first Nick TMNT cartoon after the buy-out

2. It was an all CG cartoon

3. It got a tremendous amount of exposure due to airing on Nick, far more than the 2k3 series did.

4. It was the first cartoon that mixed original cartoon elements with Mirage and 4kids. Granted IDW does the same thing, but being a comic makes it less exposed.


The 2018 show on the other hand has big shoes to fill and a lot of strikes against it. People are hesitant to get into another TMNT reboot right after the previous one ended, and from signs of it being kid-oriented or the Turtles having powers makes it sound questionable from the start.

I imagine even a decade from now Nick's TMNT cartoon will still be brought up regularly and the kids who grew up with it will all be 20 year olds with nostalgia for it.

Maybe but you don't have very strong arguments there.

It may be the first show since the buyout but it's literally the fourth one over all. Being in CGI means jack all, especially since the visuals have already aged poorly. I wouldn't exactly say it got "tremendous" exposure seeing how the ratings sank into mediocrity as early as season 2, no to mention how the next one is probably going to get the same or more. And mixing elements doesn't mean anything either, since the target audience probably don't know where they came from and excecution matters more than how much you can squeeze in.

That and kids in general are probably not going to care that the new show isn't the old show because it'll mostly be new kids, if it's actually good then older fans aren't really going to complain either. Your only really valid argument here is that, yes, in ca 2025 the show will probably have 20-somethings reminisce about watching it as kids.

Don't get me wrong, the show has it's charm but I don't think it'll end up on a pedestal, I think that would be grossly overestimating it.

one would think. sigh.

i like to look at it as they may be older, but so long as they keep getting older they are fine.

and as for the second quote.....agreed. once i got used to the show, it became a daily high point to distract me from a less than happy school life. even better once i learned how to convert the show to audio, and i could listen to it on the go

This thread's premise seems a bit pointless considering this sub-forum is primarily dedicated to FW TMNT... hell these forums originally were founded with the intent of making fans of the FW series come together. So a thread titled "The Fred Wolf Appreciation Thread" is a bit redundant. :lol:

when you have lots of fred wolf bashers in a place named after fred wolf, sometimes you have to remind folks why this site is here :). it is possible to like all aspects of tmnt :).

It's more "TMNT in General" at this point.

Anyway, well I did lose a certain amount of respect for this show after learning about that sleazy lawsuit where FW tried to sue Eastman and Laird for control of the franchise, and David Wise's BS interview where he paints himself as the "true" creator of TMNT

And, also because most of it didn't age well.

But, I have to admit that when I put in my DVD and watch an episode, it's suddenly 90s Saturday morning again, even if it's Wednesday night. And, I have to love it for that. Also, I like the goofy Dick Tracy gangster characters. And, some of the humor holds up, mainly the 4th wall jokes, most of "Corporate Raiders from Dimension X", and that episode where Don keeps lecturing Raph about destroying property until Raph get's fed up and (channeling Mirage Raph) tells Don to shut up and breaks down a door.

Also, I like the Neutrinos, including the Mike/Kala pairing, and I like them as Greaser/Beatniks instead of soldiers (because I like Greasers and Beatniks), so FW is the only game in town there.

Just don't pretend it's one-sided.

Originally, bashing the series wasn't allowed

http://www.thetechnodrome.com/frules.shtml

still there, but outdated

:)

like many of u 87 was what got me into tmnt
I always tell people tho if they want to watch what the comics intended watch the 2003 and 2012 series if u want to watch the naked gun version of that go with the original 87 series (im not bashing here i loved the naked gun movies lol)

Nothing beats the action-comedy combined with slapstick humour in the original series. The turtles' sewer hideout, Channel 6 and the Technodrome all have their great dialouges between the main characters, (and background music).

But if you want exciting stories, it's the 2003-2009 version. The turtles will defeat the bad guys at the end, but the antagonists are tougher. It's Mirage-based but still friendly for children- and family.

The 2012 series is a way of creating something new, using elements from all earlier TMNT versions.

The Fred Wolf series is one of my favourite cartoons of all time next to The Real Ghostbusters. I'll always stand by that. It fuelled my imagination growing up and was a great source of ideas. I just think it's a sad we need an appreciation thread for a show that's constantly bashed on a website that was built on the show! :-? I mean if you say you like the FW series and find it as worthy as other iterations you immediately get called a mental patient with limited Internet access or some other BS. I mean WTF?! :o

Imagine being a BBC viewer back in the early 90s. :cry:

I've had problems with David in the past online due to his political views (he's limited Facebook post access as a result) and constant rudeness towards me. While he may embellish stuff about his involvement in the show he's not totally wrong. Before every Mirage fan here goes nuts on me like before I'll quote what you said in another post from another thread to explain why:

So yeah that answers that. :)

Not really. I don't really see FW series fans come together, I see the series bashed every week I come here. A thread like this is necessary. It's ironic as you say considering it's built on the FW series.

I wonder why neatoman...I wonder why... :roll: :D

I watched TMNT when I was 7 or 8 and noticed most of the animation flaws as well as the formulaic plots. Who cares when the show is this much fun? 8)

You might want to add Peter Renaday, he's 82. :o