What aspect of the franchise appeals to you most?
 

So it was mentioned in a thread and I'm sick to death of some people having to tear down certain parts of the franchise because they are cancerous and take from the original intent of the comics, I thought I'd create a thread to see what exactly makes us fans.
So here you go, as a Turtle person, what got you here, what keeps you here, and why do you still love the Green Team?

I generally love the cartoons, the comics, and the movies. Both the original cartoon, 2k3 series, every different comic series (Mirage, Image, Archie), and all 4 movies.

After those, my second passions are the toys and videogames. Obviously I don't care about these as much as the cartoons and comics, but they're still nice and I enjoy owning figures and playing whatever new games come out.

Doesn't mean much to ask this now since you're only preaching to the choir -- 99.9% of the TMNT fans who were lighting a candle for TMNT to be taken seriously in the mass media gave up and went home a looong time ago. Can't say that I blame them.

I don't see why parts of the franchise that have worked have to be thrown under the proverbial bus for the Turtles to "be taken seriously in the mass media."

Not under the bus, but certainly off center stage... for a while. The general public needs a collective bit of mouthmash if it's to receive an honestly different and Mirage-centric take on the TMNT.

I started with the Old Toon and toys, so I still got a soft spot for them. I understand some of the "Ultra faithful to the source material" camp's pleas (I usually side with them when thay're making movie adaptations, cause we've seen hollywood turn some great franchises into crap by straying from the source material.)Changes will come and the multi colored bandanas are most likely to be among them. (This is the least offensive of changes.) Would I like to see a movie with Rocksteady, Bebop, Krang, White fly Baxter, but with a more darker world with a more serious style? Shell yeah! I'd be lying if I said no.
Would I like to see a super faithful to the Mirage comics TMNT? I'm so there!
But one thing is certain, I love the TMNT. I want the movie to be as cool or even more awesome than TDK, Ironman and Spider-man 2 combined. I just think that multi Colored bandanas is not going to make the movie suck. Now hunting off screen monsters inside a computer in Feudal Japan with a robot from the future while avoiding a mutated Rhino, Warthog, a dog and a snapping Turtle that are trying to revive Kevin Nash... I mean Shredder with corrupted mp3 files of Rob van Winkle is not a TMNT movie that I'd like to see.

But here is the dilemma. Rocksteady, Bebop, Krang, The Technodrome are hokey kids stuff that no one would take seriously, right? But what about the Fugitoid/Triceratons D'Hoonib thing, The Superhero battle from #15, The Whole Donatello issue, etc.? Aren't those hokey as well? They're not exactly kiddie, but they still are kinda out there...

That's why you don't start off and set the bar with that stuff. It can come later in some form.

Other, Archie is one of my favorite incarnations and the Image series was always a personal favorite of mine as well.

Can i say other as well and say OT toys? i think there should be a distinction between the two (OT and OT Toys). The original toys allowed me to take the characters i love from the show, add new characters, and create new adventures for them :-)

Hell, we all did that.

okay. so then can that not be my favorite?

Uh. Yeah. Why couldn't it be? Everyone has their faves.

Oh ok, I guess I just read that funny. Seemed like you were saying it wasnt valid because everyone did it. Sry.

1987 cartoon
 

The Original 90's TV Series? It begun in 1987, so I think it should be named the "Original 80's TV Series", the "Original 1980's and 1990's TV Series" or simply the "1987 cartoon".

Yes the year i was born. The love for tmnt must of been fate.

Semantics. The majority of the series took place in the 90's.

The OT was my first experience with the turtles and it was love at first sight. Loved the turtles, loved their adventures. I didn't even know it was a comic book until years later. When I got a bit older I discovered the comics and now I love em. It's hard to pick just one but I would have to say the OT because it grabbed me and pulled me in once upon a time.

The OT, The OT Toys and the first 2 movies. I currently am getting into the comics now, but I did buy the original #46 back in 92 and was very confused.

Well, my first exposure was the early cartoons. As someone else also pointed out, I was born in 1987 and feel that the love for the Turtles may have been a slight of destiny. After I got fully into the cartoons, I discovered the first movie. The first movie changed my love for the Turtles; the movies were the point when it was on for life. (I intentionally skipped over an old, learn-to-read TMNT book/cassette that I used to have after I got into the cartoons; I doubt anyone here ever had that.) From there it's ancient history. I knew about the comics, but as a kid I wasn't into comic books in general, so I didn't get into the comics. Only now and I trying to get into the comics. I can't say one particular aspect appeals to me most, to be honest. The whole culture is amazing to me. I love franchise, but I also love the lifestyle and I love the other fans. To me, when I run into someone else on the street who's a real TMNT fan, it's a great moment. We can debate which aspect of the franchise is most appealing to us without harm, but I think perhaps we all overlook the fact that we love the culture and that's probably our most powerful tie to the franchise.

Welcome aboard Wrighcr20!