Why are TMNT cute?

[Masked Ninja]

*SNORT*


You kill me, dude. I love it.

[Sariele]

Originally Posted by Sage Ninja

I don't think its so much that they are "cute" in appearance, but rather that some of their mannerisms and nusances are cute.

The classic toon the turtles are drawn cutely and because of that they where cute.

In the new toon because of the fact that the turtles are drawn in a much more threatening way, hightens their softer, cuter, mannerisms. It creates an irrasistable contrast.

Leonardo is generally calm and serious and generally so grounded, that I think his reactions when he is flustered or taken aback are quite adorable . And he is quite cute when he makes his " note to self" refrences.

Donatello is just a cutie pie in general. He has a cute voice and charming personality. And when he goes into lust mode when he sees a pretty new technolagical toy, its just all around cuteness .

Raphael is just such hot head and so gruff that I find any time that he shows his soft side or gets even romotely sappy a kawie fest

Michaelangelo...if you can get past his overly hyper personality and in your face persona, he is cute. His innocent love of super heroes and wanting to help others is endearing. And when ever he is all scared or freaked out is kinda cute, I even find his girly screams a bit adorable on occasion.

I totally agree with everything you said here. Took the words right out of my brain!

I'm a big sucker for occasional displays of vulnerability, so any time that one of them shows this side of their personality, I just think it's the most adorable thing in the whole world. lol

[Sewer Bull]

Originally Posted by Benvenuto

I'm too sexy for my shell
Too sexy for my shell
I just ring your bell

I'm too sexy for my mask
Too sexy for my mask
You shouldn't even ask.

Mrrrrrrraaaaw!

[Sage Ninja]

Originally Posted by Sariele

I totally agree with everything you said here. Took the words right out of my brain!

I'm a big sucker for occasional displays of vulnerability, so any time that one of them shows this side of their personality, I just think it's the most adorable thing in the whole world. lol

I happen to agree with all that. I love seeing normally strong and manily warrior like characters shows signs of vulnerabilty (as long as they don't demasculate them). To me it makes them more human. So yeah, I really enjoyed in the episode Tales of Leo when Raphael, the most gruff turtle, get all emotional and actually cry a little when Leonardo gets badly hurt.

My favorite cute Leoanrdo moments :

Leonardo: when as a kid he gets all scared on the ladder and Splinter picks him up so he can ride piggy back on him while they go up the ladder.

While as a kid he calmly tries to give Raphael some battle advise while he wrestles with a white croc.

When during a fight with out his weapons, forgets that he is fighting with plungers and kisses them, then makes an adorable grossed face.

His most famous note to self moment "Note to self...arms are over-rated".

[愛]

lolz OMFG THE TURLTES ARE SO KAWAII DESU YO!!!!111 ^_^;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;

[Raphael_Fan]

Originally Posted by Sage Ninja

I don't think its so much that they are "cute" in appearance, but rather that some of their mannerisms and nusances are cute.

The classic toon the turtles are drawn cutely and because of that they where cute.

In the new toon because of the fact that the turtles are drawn in a much more threatening way, hightens their softer, cuter, mannerisms. It creates an irrasistable contrast.

Leonardo is generally calm and serious and generally so grounded, that I think his reactions when he is flustered or taken aback are quite adorable . And he is quite cute when he makes his " note to self" refrences.

Donatello is just a cutie pie in general. He has a cute voice and charming personality. And when he goes into lust mode when he sees a pretty new technolagical toy, its just all around cuteness .

Raphael is just such hot head and so gruff that I find any time that he shows his soft side or gets even romotely sappy a kawie fest

Michaelangelo...if you can get past his overly hyper personality and in your face persona, he is cute. His innocent love of super heroes and wanting to help others is endearing. And when ever he is all scared or freaked out is kinda cute, I even find his girly screams a bit adorable on occasion.

Good explansions I agree with you donatello is just cute;it's his personality are very charming and I love his voice,


Raphael is cute in a tough style,but he do get in to soft sides like when Leo was very hurt in that alone fight with the foot on the roof top,when they were in Caseys grandmothers house,Raph was getting emotional like that.I was like Awwww when he had tears in his eyes,Raph are so cute when he gets in to that side,But his tough style are also pretty hot,with those sarcastic jokes on the bad guys,or are just on Michaelangelo teasing with mikey.

[Sage Ninja]

Originally Posted by Raphael_Fan

Good explansions I agree with you donatello is just cute;it's his personality are very charming and I love his voice,


Raphael is cute in a tough style,but he do get in to soft sides like when Leo was very hurt in that alone fight with the foot on the roof top,when they were in Caseys grandmothers house, Raph was getting emotional like that.I was like Awwww when he had tears in his eyes,Raph are so cute when he gets in to that side,But his tough style are also pretty hot,with those sarcastic jokes on the bad guys,or are just on Michaelangelo teasing with mikey.

I agree. New toon Donatello is naturally cute with out even trying. And i think that is why he is so damn cute. Because it isn't forced. Out of all the new toon TMNT he is the cutest one because of his personality and genuian dipostion.

They are all like that to an extent. Their reactions in certain situations makes them cute. Like Leonardo's silliness or Raphael's soft side. The only one that I don't find naturally cute sometimes is Mikey. Only because I feel he tries to hard at being cute. He comes across to me as some one who got praised for being cute when he was little and now that he is older hasn't realized that its not cute any more.

Which is why his behavior often comes across as annoying or childish. Thats why I rarely find him cute unless he has a genuinly is reacting to something, like when he is scared or he is plying super hero.

[Masked Ninja]

I think I agree with you on Mikey. I find his personality the cutest when he's not trying to be funny or cute - I think the best Mikey moments in the show (sticking to the new one here) besides the times when he gets serious and kicks butt (those are cool, but not cute moments) is when he gets all protective over Klunk.

(spoiler'd for those who haven't seen season 4)

Spoiler:

Like in Bad Day and Scion of the Shredder. In the first Klunk "dies" and you just feel terrible because Mikey essentially gave up his life to try and save his cat (and only lived because he had brothers watching his back). In Scion of the Shredder, he was the last to leave the Lair because he had to make sure Klunk got out safe.

And it could be because I have my own soft spot for cats, but I find interactions between Mikey and Klunk to be very cute indeed.

[gobo]

Here's a general 'what if': What if they weren't cute? What if they all looked like different variations of Tokka? Would they get an audience at all? That was the determining factor.

[Masked Ninja]

That's an interesting question. I think it'd boil down to personalities, as it does anyway for me. If they were unlikable as characters, then I'd probably never have been interested. Perhaps they'd be less visually appealing and we'd lose some of the "Leo, etc. is hawt" fangirls...

I suppose the thing is, look at about 80+% of shows on Nickelodeon today. Those are some of the ugliest character designs I've ever seen, and a lot of the humor rides on being absolutely disgusting. Yet they still get viewers.

[Warhorse]

Huh! Now this is a "cute" thread.

It's the personalities trapped in what would be a demonic body that is probably what is cute about them. Just my two cents.

[Raphael_Fan]

Originally Posted by Sage Ninja

I agree. New toon Donatello is naturally cute with out even trying. And i think that is why he is so damn cute. Because it isn't forced. Out of all the new toon TMNT he is the cutest one because of his personality and genuian dipostion.

They are all like that to an extent. Their reactions in certain situations makes them cute. Like Leonardo's silliness or Raphael's soft side. The only one that I don't find naturally cute sometimes is Mikey. Only because I feel he tries to hard at being cute. He comes across to me as some one who got praised for being cute when he was little and now that he is older hasn't realized that its not cute any more.

Which is why his behavior often comes across as annoying or childish. Thats why I rarely find him cute unless he has a genuinly is reacting to something, like when he is scared or he is plying super hero.

Yeah you are totally right.I don't know how Donatello become cute here He just became Cute,I like the way he is smart can a bit of everything he comes near when they are on aventure,that way he are kinda like me

what do you mean Leos silliness??I have never seen Leo goofing around that is Mikey era to be funny,When do you see Leo being silly?? he are always in fokus and a always preperd on evil,he don't have time for that.I think Mikey are kinda cute then I mean he is cute when he don't know really what he is talking about or just playing with the potato chips bags when they get back from Caseys house episode ''Return to New York'' when he takes the bags of potato chips,Daddy have missed you yes he did I thought that was so so hilarious and he spit out old milk he accidently drank and when he spit out the milk on casey

[Sage Ninja]

Originally Posted by Raphael_Fan

what do you mean Leo's silliness??I have never seen Leo goofing around that is Mikey era to be funny,When do you see Leo being silly?? he are always in fokus and a always preperd on evil,he don't have time for that.:

It doesn't happen to often but Leonardo does occasinally act silly or perhaps more relaxed every once in a while. I notice this particually when he hangs out with Mikey. Like in the episode Nobody's Fool You see a more playful side to Leonardo, where he is playing around on the roof tops with Mikey, and then they both do this sort or cute synchnised fighting technigue together at the end to defeat Touch and Go, which was a bit on the silly side.

Or when he kissed two toilet plungers during a fight and then freaked out over it.

There are other instances as well, but I don;t think its fair to lump Leo into the stereotype of being ever focused and ever ready to kick ass. There is more to him than that, and its softer side to him, which is cute.

I think I agree with you on Mikey. I find his personality the cutest when he's not trying to be funny or cute - I think the best Mikey moments in the show (sticking to the new one here) besides the times when he gets serious and kicks butt (those are cool, but not cute moments) is when he gets all protective over Klunk.

You are right. I forgot about that. Mikey is tottally cute when he is playing with that cat of his. And what a cute name he has for him too! I wish they would have more Klunk Mikey interaction. ANd I was very supriced at the lengths Mikey went to to keep his cat alive in Bad Day

[Buslady]

Ever so true, those "new" type of cartoons are gross!
Why is it when we get high quality in animation, TMNT, good story lines and all that, now they gotta dumb it down to this FF crap? To make it as stupid as those Nick toons....

Originally Posted by Masked Ninja

That's an interesting question. I think it'd boil down to personalities, as it does anyway for me. If they were unlikable as characters, then I'd probably never have been interested. Perhaps they'd be less visually appealing and we'd lose some of the "Leo, etc. is hawt" fangirls...

I suppose the thing is, look at about 80+% of shows on Nickelodeon today. Those are some of the ugliest character designs I've ever seen, and a lot of the humor rides on being absolutely disgusting. Yet they still get viewers.

[NightwatchersOnlygirl]

In my eyes the the New Toon Raphael Is soooooooo cute and hunky amd soooooooooooooo Sexy at the same time

[Masked Ninja]

*facedesk*

Originally Posted by Warhorse

It's the personalities trapped in what would be a demonic body that is probably what is cute about them. Just my two cents.

This, I think, is part of the tragedy. In their minds and intelligence, they are practically human. Yet they could never live among us because they look like monsters. I suppose it's cute in a "bummer, dudes..." kinda way.

[ThemanthatwouldbeRaphael]

Originally Posted by triplexxx

The TMNT have been referred to as "cute" more than once in both toons. So I know it isn't just the fans that think this way about them. While I'm sure the answers are of great number and all pretty obvious, I'm just curious to know: What specific details about the TMNT do you think make them cute? And how would they react if you told them they were cute?

Hearing TMNT and cute in the same sentance is like a violent kick to the nads for me.

[Buslady]

Originally Posted by ThemanthatwouldbeRaphael

Hearing TMNT and cute in the same sentance is like a violent kick to the nads for me.

I bet it hurt.

[Sage Ninja]

Originally Posted by Masked Ninja

That's an interesting question. I think it'd boil down to personalities, as it does anyway for me. If they were unlikable as characters, then I'd probably never have been interested. Perhaps they'd be less visually appealing and we'd lose some of the "Leo, etc. is hawt" fangirls

Naturally its their personalities that make the turtles appealing, because their forms are not human, so there is no way some could actually be physically attracted to any of them. And yeah I do believe that if they looked more grotestque that they would like them, as long as they still had some human like warmth to them.

Like in the Cartoon Gargoyals Brooklin, Lexiton, and Broadway, are drawn in more "creature" esch sort of way, unlike Galioth, Demona, and Angela who have more humannoid looks to them. And yet these three are still likable and considered cute because of their personilties. But also inspite of their creature like appearance there is a human like warmth to their features and mannerisms that makes the audiance identify with them. So If the turtles looked more turtle like I think we would think they where cute so long as the animators kept the human like warmth they posses.

[Drtooth]

I never thought the TMNT were cute, myself... but now, looking back on the old series... they were kinda cute.

Maybe they're only categorized as cute because they fall into the anthropomorphic "If you put animals walking upright and acting and dressing like humans they get cute" factor. I mean, the plush they used to have were pretty cute... they look cute on a 5 year old's t-shirt...

But I don't think of them as the same kinda cute they lump Elmo, Hello Kitty, Dot Warner, Kermit's nephew Robin into.