Individual bandana colors superfluous to identify Nick Turtles?

[Refractive Reflections]

One noticeable difference with the 2012 Turtles, compared to the other cartoon Turtles (OT and 2K3), is that the 2012 Turtles seem to all have stereotypical physical appearances that match their personalities.

For example, with Leonardo all of his physical features are basically average, and has dark, deep blue eyes.
For Donatello, he's skinny, tall, and has an egg-shaped head.
For Raphael, he's has a more built physique and has green eyes.
For Michelangelo, his youth is shown in his underdeveloped physique compared to his brothers, has innocent light blue eyes, and freckles.

These 2012 Turtles all have physical and facial features which are easily recognizable, unlike the OT Turtles and 2K3 Turtles where they all had the same height, physique, and facial appearance which made their multicolored bandanas more pertinent to easily identify which Turtle was which.

Since these 2012 Turtles are so noticeably different in appearance, does it make the colored bandanas even...necessary now? Yes, I know the multicolored assigned bandanas have now become a tradition, but these obvious physical differences kind of defeats the original purpose of the multicolored bandanas...right? If they didn't wear bandanas at all, or even returned to the original red, I could still identify them easily.

I'm not complaining, or saying that I want them removed/changed, but are these bandanas now... superfluous? What do you think? (Just something to think about.)

[Candy Kappa]

I think so, but there are probably some that still wouldn't see the differences between the turtles without the different colored bandanna or weapons.

"I like the blue one."

[Bossa Nova]

I think younger viewers still identify the turtles quite a bit by their colors, especially in the midst of a fight scene when the turtles are moving and jumping about. Not only that, but their names (even shortened nicknames) can still be a bit difficult for younger children to remember, making it more troublesome to know who is who. True, the turtles all have different weapons, but remembering blue, red, purple and orange is something kids pretty much learn how to do from a young age, and FAR easier than knowing to use katana/sword, sai, bo staff, and nunchucks to identify them.

I know that personally, even as an adult, when I'm watching a film or starting a new series, I STILL have a difficult time remembering the actors and actress' names despite the fact that I'm watching humans who all obviously look different from each other. I remember who is who by their appearance first and what role they play, and when discussing shows with my friends, they'll know right off the bat who the crazy awesome goth scientist is in NCIS even before I mention the name Abby. All in all, I think it's just a shorthand that I think is always going to work really well for kids and new fans of the turtles. Yes, as viewers who know and love the TMNT we can appreciate the unique builds and looks the turtles all now have, but for the average kid who watches turtles once or twice a week, remembering 'I like the orange one' is simply a lot easier.

[ToTheNines]

They're superfluous in every version. Hell, the Fred Wolf show had the wrong color on them any ways a lot of the time.

[TheBlueTurtle1]

It just makes it more fun and less boring. Always liked the all red myself, but way like colour more.

[Shreddhead]

This question is pretty superfluous.

[CyberCubed]

The Turtles are easily to recognize by kids by their colors, then their names, then their weapons.

[LH]

I always liked the colors. Despite the Nick Turtles all having unique physical appearances, the colors do make it easier to identify them in things like busy fight scenes.

[BabyTurtles]

Originally Posted by Leatherhead (2012)

I always liked the colors. Despite the Nick Turtles all having unique physical appearances, the colors do make it easier to identify them in things like busy fight scenes.

yea this XD

plus the colors go with their attitudes~

[Tazi]

One funny thing about Mikey in the Nick series is that, with the bandana color and the freckles, they basically made him to a ginger.

[Slade]

Seeing as if you took the bandanas off, my 3 year old wouldn't know who was who or if they all wore red he would think they are all Raphael, the bandanas should stay.

[Refractive Reflections]

For the children, it makes more sense for the multicolored bandanas to stay despite the differences in physical appearance for easy identification. While for us teens and adults, it wouldn't be too bothersome in terms of identification.
...Then again, we (teens and adults) are not the targeted audience for the Nick cartoon!

I guess hypothetically, even if these physical differences were implemented in the OT Turtles, it appears that the assigned iconic multicolored bandanas (or other form of color-coded identification) would have been inevitable in the TMNT franchise.

[Slade]

Originally Posted by JLS

...Then again, we (teens and adults) are not the targeted audience for the Nick cartoon!

Was going to say something along these lines just couldn't get it worded right.

[Andrew NDB]

Originally Posted by ToTheNines

They're superfluous in every version.

This. Very much this.

[MikeandRaph87]

No reason to change the traditional four colors that have always been. Its just in those black and white comics that never sported the definitive look. I'm surprised those were never adapted to add the colors if not for the brief volume two started it with no explination needed. Peter even does not have a problem with it. I doubt we will ever have to worry about it being all red again. The mask color is just apart of each turtle. Michelangelo is orange not red or any other color.If its changed its simply not Michelangelo. It would be as if something is missing. The same for the other three turtles. Best thing Playmates Toys did!

[CyberCubed]

Originally Posted by MikeandRaph87

No reason to change the traditional four colors that have always been. Its just in those black and white comics that never sported the definitive look. I'm surprised those were never adapted to add the colors if not for the brief volume two started it with no explination needed. Peter even does not have a problem with it. I doubt we will ever have to worry about it being all red again. The mask color is just apart of each turtle. Michelangelo is orange not red or any other color.If its changed its simply not Michelangelo. It would be as if something is missing. The same for the other three turtles. Best thing Playmates Toys did!

As Peter Laird said, it would be rather pointless for the Mirage turtles to wear color bandanas when the majority of the series is in BLACK and WHITE. And switching it just for the short-lived Volume 2 would be pointless.

This is a large reason why even the all-red doesn't matter in Mirage, aside from the covers and the few colored issues, its all black and white anyway.

[Jephael]

I've said it in another thread already, frankly I don't care which color scheme they go with for the bandanas. They can be all red or multi-colored, it doesn't matter to me. Hell they can be soaked in cat urine for all I care, so long as it makes them look noticable.

[BabyTurtles]

I honestly don't think I'd like their designs as much if they had all red

plus as someone said Mikey's freckles and his orange mask makes him look like a ginger and I love gingers XD

[chrisdude]

The masks are fine. Yeah, their physical appearance is difference, but not by a whole lot. And remember that they don't wear clothes.

And how was it superfluous in OT or 2k3? They looked exactly the same in OT, and 2k3 had slight skin tone differences. You'd rather the animators be obligated to show weapons in every shot?

And the Mirage comics had times where it just plain wasn't possible to tell who was who. You just had to accept that it must not be important in that panel. Tell me if I'm wrong, but I've never seen the turtles described as identical quadruplets. That's just they way they're drawn.

[ToTheNines]

Originally Posted by chrisdude

And how was it superfluous in OT or 2k3? They looked exactly the same in OT, and 2k3 had slight skin tone differences. You'd rather the animators be obligated to show weapons in every shot?

The skin tone differences certainly weren't "slight". Also, they each had different designs for their skull and eye shapes. And let's not forget different voice actors.