Mikey's ADHD/ADD

[MsMarvelDuckie]

Originally Posted by Leo656

Remember that time in the Mirage comics where he laced Leo's tea? Hilarious. I totally always wanted to see "Fearless Leader" trippin' balls. Fo' sho.

When stuff like that is canon, I'unno how anyone can doubt that Mikey is fried.

Sadly, no, I don't. Never read the Mirage comics, beyond a few issues from the "Classics" collections. (#1, #3, and #4, so- not many issues....) That sounds pretty epic for a prank, though! Sheesh, and the worst I've ever had him doing was switching the sugar and salt for Donnie's coffee, LOL!!! Or oiling the handles on Leo's swords. I'm still looking for the ultimate prank for Raph for a story I'm doing- any suggestions??

[ssjup81]

Originally Posted by Orochi

I found a few on Deviantart, says he has major ADD so it was on the site for sure. I'm wondering if that actually was the case now or if they've retconned him to just be kinda weird. He honestly just strikes me as some Ralph Wiggum-esque savant rather than suffering from ADHD.

When I first started watching this show last summer, I made a post about what I liked/disliked so far. In it, I mentioned how ADD Mikey seemed to be and didn't care for it. I then found posts saying that, in canon, he was supposed to have undiagnosed ADD or ADHD. In season 1, he really did come across as kind of ADD. Seems it cooled down after a while, though, where in season 1, he'd get distracted by something like gum on the ground, but later on, he seemed to be able to concentrate a bit better to focus but would occasionally have his moments.

For the recent episode seems to really give off the strange "Ralph Wiggum-esque" thing, now that you mention it. Interesting comparison. Even in the Take NY Back stuff, and his messing with Donnie's retromutagen seemed off. I wonder if he was just going stir crazy or something being cooped up while the Kraang were screwing things up.

[Leo656]

Originally Posted by MsMarvelDuckie

Sadly, no, I don't. Never read the Mirage comics, beyond a few issues from the "Classics" collections. (#1, #3, and #4, so- not many issues....) That sounds pretty epic for a prank, though! Sheesh, and the worst I've ever had him doing was switching the sugar and salt for Donnie's coffee, LOL!!! Or oiling the handles on Leo's swords. I'm still looking for the ultimate prank for Raph for a story I'm doing- any suggestions??

It wasn't a prank, Leo was going on a vision quest or something. Either way, it was pretty explicit that Splinter was giving him drugged tea. Like, "Are you offering me drugs, Master?" "...I am offering you a path," or something to that effect. It was in an issue of "Tales".

But yeah, Splinter is a dirty hippie who pushes drugs on his "kids". Pass it on.

[pennydreadful]

They've got it in canon that 2k12 Donnie has OCD as well, don't they? I'm positive I remember reading that somewhere.

Whether it's actually a decent portrayal of someone with OCD is up for debate... he just comes across as a regular nerdy science dork in this one (IMO). I may well have missed something, but I can't recall him ever being obsessive about germs, keeping things lined up/symmetrical, counting/checking things repetitively or even hoarding, all of which are signs of OCD.

[MsMarvelDuckie]

I dunno, I think it's like ADHD, where there are different types/degrees of it. My hubby is slightly OCD in that he counts his steps when he walks somewhere and hast to have pictures just perfectly straight AND symmetrically aligned, I get it with some things like having to keep all my movies, games, comics, and even books organized JUST so (by genre, author, series, book/movie order, and such), or by keeping EVERY note, map, or character sheet, monster stat, etc that I've EVER used for my D&D games, in case I need them later.

[BabyTurtles]

I honestly think Mikey is dumb and made that way for laughs.....sadly.

being hyper and unfocused is one thing but straight up stupid is another.

I thought Ciro did a "stupid pass" for Mikey?.....He needs start triple checking...or just tell the writers to stop writing Mikey like an idiot.

Beast Boy is a good example of a jokester that isn't as smart as the rest of the team but has alot of heart.

[Leo656]

"But he's the FUNNY one...! How will you know he's the Funny One if he doesn't do or say something OUTRAGEOUS in every scene he's in?!"

They'll tell you they "have to" do his character that way, because it's a kids show. And kids are awful at appreciating anything nuanced or subtle. Thus, the box of giant crayons with only 6 colors they give you on your first day of school. "No, no, you're not ready for purple. We'll give you purple when we think you're emotionally ready to handle purple." And in turn, Mikey's a spastic nitwit constantly so you can tell he's supposed to be "funny". Because that's all kids understand.

[Ninturtle]

In one interview I remember Greg Cipes said " Mikey is evolving". Perhaps they made him stupid because they want to maje him mature at some point in the series.

[Vicky82]

How can people say he's dumb and stupid.

Yes he makes mistakes but it doesn't make him dumb and everyone makes mistakes.
Yes he's has goofy moments but that doesn't make him dumb.
Yes he get's over excited (Which is part of his ADHD) but that doesn't make him dumb.
Yes he does lack intelligence and some knowledge but thats part of his ADHD and he is improving.

Name one stupid dumb mistake he did in:

Within The Woods
Buried Secrets
Vision Quest
Return to New York
Serpent Hunt
The Pig and the Rhino
Battle For New York

(Please don't include pressing the button by accident and eating disgusting food because they are running gags.)

Mikey has improved a lot since season 1.

He listen's to the other turtles plans.
He has good idea's and his brother's listen to him now.
He has lead the team in Into Dimension X and Battle for New York Part 2.
He can sense things that don't seem right, like in Buried Secrets. (Yes they didn't listen to him that time but I expect next time they will).

He brothers are taking him more seriously now, it just takes time.

He had a lot of devlopment in Battle for New York and had some awesome moments.

Spoiler:

Telling Leo to trust Slash and give him a chance.
Had some adorable moments with Leatherhead
He lead the team in Part 2
He had great ideas that worked
He Stopped the Space Worm Thing
He stopped Kraang Sub Prime (temporary)
He flew a Stealth Ship
He flew the Technodrome and changed it to hold retro mutagen.

Mikey is devoping, improving and getting more mature but it's happening at a slower pace. He can't just change overnight and become normal just because he was amazing in one episode, you have to give him time and patients. If he does make a silly mistake, he will learn from it and improve next time.

[Orochi]

That's just it, he's a savant. He's meant to have very low intelligence yet be an absolute master at just doing things by accident and having them work in his favour. He is fairly dumb, most characters even in universe noticing it. He's just good at doing things without thinking too hard about them. Mikey is stupid, Mikey is dumb, but it doesn't mean he's not awesome and skilled where it counts. He's personally my second favourite turtle, but I completely understand he's easily the stupidest of the four, at least in terms of intelligence and knowledge.

[BubblyShell22]

Sorry, but I don't count eating disgusting food when you should know better as having ADHD/ADD. I think there are times where Mikey is just dumb and does stupid things because the writers think it's funny to make him that way. Yes, he has had good moments and done good things, and that's great, but you can't ignore the dumb stuff either.

[Vicky82]

Mikey is not dumb, the writers arn't making him dumb. They are making him a role model for children who struggle with ADHD/ADD.

The cartoon is showing them how Mikey struggles with it and how he overcomes it.

It also shows how Splinter and his brothers deals with Mikey's problems and how it can be struggle sometimes and how they can overcome it.

So Kids will recognise that they have the same problems as Mikey and it will show them how they can cope, by giveing them a confidence boost when they see Mikey having good idea's, leading his team ect

Most children with ADHD/ADD will have emotional and social problems because they are probably bullied in school I expect they are called dumb, stupid or idiot by other children.

So if your calling Mikey dumb, then you are calling every children with ADHD/ADD in the world dumb.

Ask me this, How many childrens cartoons are there that deals with ADHD/ADD and I don't count The Simpsons or any other adult cartoons.

[Amaranthus]

Most kids with ADHD are annoying spastics though.
People keep praising disorders like that, but they're still disorders.
It's like polishing a turd.

Originally Posted by Vicky82

Mikey is not dumb, the writers arn't making him dumb. They are making him a role model for children who struggle with ADHD/ADD.

The cartoon is showing them how Mikey struggles with it and how he overcomes it.

It also shows how Splinter and his brothers deals with Mikey's problems and how it can be struggle sometimes and they can overcome it.

So Kids will recognise that they have the same problems as Mikey and it will show them how they can cope, by giveing them a confidence boost when they see Mikey having good idea's, leading his team ect

Most children with ADHD/ADD will have emotional and social problems because they are probably bullied in school I expect they are called dumb, stupid or idiot by other children.

So if your calling Mikey dumb, then you are calling every children with ADHD/ADD dumb.

^ This coming from a person who uses "your" instead of "you're."

[Vicky82]

Originally Posted by Amaranthus

^ This coming from a person who uses "your" instead of "you're."

Well i'm sorry but I am Dyslexic so I do have spelling and grammer problems. I do proof read but I still get things wrong.

I struggled when I was in school and I had extra help but it helped. I was bullied because of it and I have a confidence issue and even though I have improved quiet a bit, I still struggle with it now.

[Amaranthus]

Originally Posted by Vicky82

Well i'm sorry but I am Dyslexic so I do have spelling and grammer problems. I do proof read but I still get things wrong.

I'd post "Mikey is annoying and he doesn't have ADHD, just like you're dumb and have no dyslexia." But I won't (because you probably do have it) and instead I'll post what I thought about posting so we can all sit down and laugh at how you're wrong.

[CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy]

Sheesh, you guys.

Anyway, to steer it back to discussing Mikey, I'd say poor or mis-characterization is typical of most visual TMNT media, whether it's film or TV. The Fred Wolf cartoon radically changed Raph's character (ignoring his anger issues); the 2003 and 2012 cartoons both made Mikey exceptionally annoying (and stupid); the 2014 movie turned Donnie into an uber-nerd...

For my money, the best characterizations are almost always in the comics.

[BabyTurtles]

Originally Posted by CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy

Sheesh, you guys.

Anyway, to steer it back to discussing Mikey, I'd say poor or mis-characterization is typical of most visual TMNT media, whether it's film or TV. The Fred Wolf cartoon radically changed Raph's character (ignoring his anger issues); the 2003 and 2012 cartoons both made Mikey exceptionally annoying (and stupid); the 2014 movie turned Donnie into an uber-nerd...

For my money, the best characterizations are almost always in the comics.

I like the way IDW treats Mikey.

[SophieDem]

Originally Posted by Vicky82

Well i'm sorry but I am Dyslexic so I do have spelling and grammer problems. I do proof read but I still get things wrong.

I struggled when I was in school and I had extra help but it helped. I was bullied because of it and lost my confidence. I still struggle with it now.

I can understand your reasons, Vicky.

I read your reasoning and considered your point of view. However, I don't know if children with ADHD are aware of their problem. When they watch the cartoon I don't think they think about Mikey's improvement since season 1 but they only see that a goofy turtle eats gross food. Yeah, it's supposed to be funny but on the other hand, it is disgusting and shows a bad example for children. But hey, it is just my opinion. When I was kid I tended to follow some bad stuff what my brother shown me. We even had a kid in kindergarten who had ADHD and was acting really strange and odd. My mates laughed at him and sadly, I took part in it, too. I didn't understand he had some kind of problem just only when my mother explained to me that he has some "difficulties." Later, I understood what it meant to be bullied and I had difficulties as well. So, in exchange I was put in his shoes just in another way.

I love Mikey's goofy personality but making him do disgusting or painfully dumb things is not a good point.

[BubblyShell22]

I also see where you're coming from, Vicky, but a lot of kids may not understand that Mikey is just like them. They may just say he's funny and leave it at that. And I'm not saying people with ADD or ADHD are idiots. I'm just saying Mikey is because he's done some things that are moronic. I think he's more mentally retarded with some of the stuff he's done like putting mutagen on himself. That's not something a kid with ADD would do. One of my sister's stepsons is ADD, and he's actually a very smart kid and knows right from wrong. Seems to me that at fifteen, Mikey should know better about certain things, but he doesn't, thus making him an idiot.

[Vicky82]

Originally Posted by Busadara

I can understand your reasons, Vicky.

I read your reasoning and considered your point of view. However, I don't know if children with ADHD are aware of their problem. When they watch the cartoon I don't think they think about Mikey's improvement since season 1 but they only see that a goofy turtle eats gross food. Yeah, it's supposed to be funny but on the other hand, it is disgusting and shows a bad example for children. But hey, it is just my opinion. When I was kid I tended to follow some bad stuff what my brother shown me. We even had a kid in kindergarten who had ADHD and was acting really strange and odd. My mates laughed at him and sadly, I took part in it, too. I didn't understand he had some kind of problem just only when my mother explained to me that he has some "difficulties." Later, I understood what it meant to be bullied and I had difficulties as well. So, in exchange I was put in his shoes just in another way.

I love Mikey's goofy personality but making him do disgusting or painfully dumb things is not a good point.

It really depends how old the children are and can understand there problem and obviously there parents will talk to them about it.

Most children will be watching it with there parents and they will know that Mikey has ADHD and tell there children he is also struggling with the same problem and tell them how he overcomes it with confidence. Also there parents will tell there children whats right and whats wrong.

Mikey did learn from his mistake from Mikey get's Shellache and it was due to his lack of confidence, he hasn't done anything like that since then.