I now realize why the OT Turtles are so goofy.
 

Just to start off, I'm thinking this over from an in-universe point-of-view. We all know why the writing styles of such-and-such incarnation are the way they are.

Anywho, when watching Turtles Forever the other day, I finally realized when Hun went off on OT Raph for breaking the 4th wall why the OT Turtles are so goofy compared to the other Turtles.

Y'see, as we've all likely noticed, the OT Turtles realize that they're fictional! They also realize that they're in a world created to entertain American children! Therefore, nothing of extreme consequence can ever happen to anyone because it wouldn't fly in a kids' show.

On the other hand, the 2k3 Turtles and the "Source Turtles" ("Turtle Prime" just makes me imagine Leonardo mutating into a semi truck) don't realize that they're fictional and have to take things more seriously in relation to the way the world around them works. Especially so for the "Source Turtles."

The funny thing is that I didn't put 2 and 2 together until I saw them all interacting with each other.

Naw, I just think Shredder hit them with a prototype version of the Giggle Ray before the movie started...

The OT turtles aren't really that goofy, its just that during the fight scenes there wasn't much physical contact allowed because of how strict the censors were back in the late 80's and early 90's.

The plots of the show were goofy though, which is why I liked them. They were like bizarre sci-fi plots where something screwy happened in every episode.

Ah, you read my theory in the Talkback thread*. :) (Either that, or my theory wasn't as original as I'd initially thought...)

*Page 9, post 336

Well they got scared and cried in the Mirage Universe, so they must have thought they were gonna die.

Any ways, I think they were just being so goofy because they could. They realized that these "new" turtles are serious, so they didn't have to be. It's like when I help the mechanics at work, I just make wise cracks and screw off because they do almost all the work, but if I'm working with the radio techs I have to focus because they're lazy and goofy.

But that's just my personal explaination, what it really boils down to is the writers of the new show didn't realize that the plots of the OT were the ridiculous part, not really the characters.

naw, you're where I got it from. LOL

At least the OT toons were having fun while NT Mikey freaked out when they were gliding from the blimp... so yeah :lol:

The very first thing I said was that I was talking from an in-universe point-of-view and that what you just mentioned was basically understood walking into this.

well when I was 7 dosent seem goofy, and now that I am 20 I found it kindda cute and funny and yes goofy,soo I guess ur right:D

Cartoons
 

Cartoons for children were much sillier back in the 1980's.

Really, watchin old toons makes me thing that nowadays the cartoons are too kiddie. Ren and Stimpy comes to mind for me.

Sorry if I'm kind of late to the party. I thought almost the same thing while watching the movie. I think the OT Turtles just knew everything was going to be fine, they were optimistic and I kind of liked that. And at the end I can understand why they were scared in the final battle, they never faced that kind of threat.

I also liked how everyone was involved in defeating the Shredder, no team of Turtles could have done it by themselves.

Just my two cents.

OT characters being goofy + coping mechanism. But, I like this theory that they are self-aware of their being children's entertainment. :D