April O'Neil's character design

[Mr._Mutant_Man]

Has it ever been explained anywhere what the artists were thinking when they came up with the design for the original April O'Neil?

I know it was the 80's, but the yellow jumpsuit still seems kind of strange. Were jumpsuits really that popular in the 80's? They just as easily could have designed an April that wore one of those tops that looked like football shoulder pads. Or had her with the sweater with one shoulder (maybe not when she was reporting, but in her casual scenes).

If I was on the TMNT creative team, and they said, "design a reporter character", I have to admit, I'd probably make her look like Lois Lane: blouse, skirt, high heels. Maybe since it was the 80's, they would be wacky colors, and her hair would be really big.

I'm not saying that April's character design was bad. Obviously it's memorable considering the cosplays you see at conventions. I just find it bizarre that out of all the possibilities and choices, that's what they ended up with.

I know she wore a jumpsuit in the Mirage comics, but that was one issue, and she was a lab assistant, not a reporter.

[CyberCubed]

Her design was based entirely off of Mirage #2. Even her hairstyle is the same.

[Mr._Mutant_Man]

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

Her design was based entirely off of Mirage #2. Even her hairstyle is the same.

Like I said though, that's one issue. Once she's no longer a lab assistant, the jumpsuit makes less sense.

Wow, I don't know much about Doctor Who, so that took me by surprise. If I didn't know where those middle screen captures came from, I would think it was some live action Turtles thing.

[oldmanwinters]

Originally Posted by Mr._Mutant_Man

Like I said though, that's one issue. Once she's no longer a lab assistant, the jumpsuit makes less sense.

Wow, I don't know much about Doctor Who, so that took me by surprise. If I didn't know where those middle screen captures came from, I would think it was some live action Turtles thing.

I'm not a Dr. Who fan either (guess I'm not nerdy enough for British Sci-Fi comedy?), but I stumbled upon the character design while looking up info on the show out of curiosity a few months back. I figured some other TMNT fans might find it interesting, but I decided to keep it to myself.

Here's a clip from the episode where Mel first appeared, sporting her April O'Neil outfit.
Terror of the Vervoids:


I don't know if Wise ever watched any Lupin the 3rd back in the 70s, but considering the fact that he almost certainly watched Dr. Who during 1986-1987 and wrote the pilot episodes sometime in '87... the connection just seems to be too uncanny to be coincidental.

[Foot Soldier Clang]

I just assumed they chose that outfit for April because it was easy to color and animate.

[juxtapose519]

Originally Posted by Foot Soldier Clang

I just assumed they chose that outfit for April because it was easy to color and animate.

Would not surprise me.

[pannoni1]

Her yellow jumpsuit seemed to derive from the late '70s anime "Lupin the 3rd", based on the character Fujiko. I have no idea where the red hair for the OT came from, even though O'Neil is a Scottish/Irish surname where red hair is most common.

[oldmanwinters]

Obviously, the jumpsuit idea came from the second issue of the Mirage comics, but the yellow jumpsuit and white boots were probably a product of either Playmates or Fred Wolf Films input.

I'm really surprised nobody has drawn attention to the similarities between Old Toon April and Mel Bush from the 1986-1987 seasons of Doctor Who.











I know David Wise has been a huge Doctor Who fan over the years, so it wouldn't surprise me if he somehow influenced the design process for the pilot episodes. I guess somebody could probably ask him on his Facebook page or something.