Business cycle
 

We all know about the business cycle and how it affects the world economy, like the roaring 1920's and the 1930's Great Depression. How about making like a TMNT cycle with comments, showing the years the TMNT's popularity increased, peaked, declined and were almost dead before re-start.

==Time==
===1984-1987===
*Start and increasing popularity :| Mirage start 1984, Tales of TMNT in 1987.

===1987-1994===
*Peak :): first cartoon start in 1987, Archie start 1988, movies 1990-1993, video games, toys and the entire franchise: The entire Earth eats pizza and shouts: -Cowabunga dudes!.

===1994-1998===
*Declining popularity :-?: Archie finish 1996, 2nd Mirage volume finish 1996, first cartoon finish 1996, Next Mutation starts 1997 but is cancelled in 1998.

===1998-2001===
Very bad years :cry:: No longer on TV, Image cancelled 1999.

===2001-===
Re-birth :): Mirage re-starting in December 2001, new cartoon start in February 2003, Dreamwave comics 2003, 1987 cartoon DVD release start 2004, 2007 film, new toys and video games.

I'd put the first decline around late 1993, with the 3rd movie killing the steam of the film franchise. By that time, TMNT was no longer seen as the cool thing in middle school, unfortunately. I'm afraid I started trying to hide my Turtle stuff from my peers around that age in a vain attempt to keep up with the pre-adolescent cultural pressure.

Power Rangers
 

Was it Power Rangers that was popular instead?

Not really. That was the era when all the kids my age didn't wanna be stereotyped as cartoon-afficionados in general.

Dang, kids are so stupid in middle school!

You
 

At least you can say you weren't, since you still seemed to like the TMNT stuff (even if you tried to hide it).

Power Rangers definitely contributed to the fall of TMNT's popularity. Once Power Rangers really took off, TMNT fell almost completely off the charts.

Power Rangers really hurt the TMNT in the elementary school and early middle school market. And then along came Pokemon which captivated even some high schoolers (the games, not the anime, BTW)

By the time Pokemon came out TMNT was already cancelled though.

Pokemon is what took away Power Rangers popularity.

Power Rangers were already dying out by the time Pokemon hit the scene. The other thing about Pokemon is that it appealed (and still appeals) to all ages, whereas Power Rangers only targeted elementary schoolers.

1980's
 

But what was it TMNT once put down in the late 1980's? I often imagine it was other 1980's stuff like GI Joe, He-Man, Star Wars (I Star Wars debuted in 1977 but the franchise was later too) and Transformers?

TMNT had that great animation that all 80's cartoons did. I mean look at how MOST not all but MOST of the cartoons look today.

But Saban was on the offensive, and localized Digimon. Now, I'm not going into the Digimon Vs Pokemon debate (I hate them both), but they definately felt it should be localized to get some of that money. (You can take something pre-existing and turn it into a "ripoff" by airing it when something else that borrows its themes is popular).

Not to say it didn't steal any of PR's thunder, though. But then again, I'm not big on PR (I'm an Ultraman guy), but I kept hearing it was still doing well toy sale wise.

But yeah... by then TMNT was long gone. But think of the irony. the same people that first dubbed Pokemon are the same people behind the new rise of TMNT...

4kids have there hand a lot of things.

1994: Power Rangers and Media Violence
 

In October 1994, a 5 year old girl was kicked to death by some boys aged 5-6 in Tiller near Trondheim, Norway: Power Rangers got cancelled in Sweden. To know more, see http://www.iht.com/articles/1994/10/27/etopics_8.php. Now several action shows aimed at a younger audience were blamed, and a moral panic hit the Nordic region. Result:
*Believe it or not, but Darkwing Duck got cancelled from the Swedish Disney time show (I laughed at this stupidity when I heard about that) :lol:
*Power Rangers got cancelled (This is was the Power Rangers are most known for in Sweden)
When a 15 year old boy was killed in Bjuv, Sweden in November 1994 even the role-playing games (not the video games) were blamed. So Sweden spent the rest of 1994 and the first half of 1995 with a political debate blaming these fiction.
*At school in December 1994, when the December holiday arrived, the parents got some "letters" from the school or whoever to don't buy "media violence" to kids as Christmas presents.

But TMNT? TMNT hadn't air on a television channel aimed to Sweden since the first half of 1993, but if it still had been on air then, it would probably be a main target for some politicians.

ya but it didn't. You cant really blame power rangers and whatnot for kids killing.

Well, Darkwing is a lot more violent than people would think. they even show guns and bullets. it's played off as cartoony humor, but I doubt anyone could get away with that today...

Unless they canceled it because he didn't wear pants...

Toyline
 

But did the Power Rangers have a successful toyline?

I know the first line of toys was pretty hot. Everybody wanted a MegaZord set. The MMPR were everywhere for the first couple of years it was out.

2008
 

Now it's 2008 and the Power Rangers are still on air and the TMNT are back on air since 2003. What's more popular today among the kids do you think, Power Rangers and TMNT?

Neither is near as popular as it was during its peak, but TMNT is doing much better than Power Rangers, with its constant revamping and early morning timeslot.

People also seem to be much more nostalgic about Turtles than Power Rangers. I see Turtles shirts semi-regularly on campus, but I've never seen anyone in Power Rangers apparel.