What about the UK Hero Turtles?

[TheBlueTurtle1]

Originally Posted by Galactus

The UK comic came out every two weeks and would alternate it's format. One issue would reprint an issue of the Archie book, the next would have two original short stories made especialy for the UK book. All the covers were drawn by UK artists, even in the issues that reprinted the Archies.

The original stories were of course v. old toon style and even moreso aimed at children but I always liked 'em. They had no continuity with the Archie stories and didn't really have continuity with each other. The characters never referenced events in any previous issue and the Techondrome was never in the same place from issue to issue. Sometime's it'd be tunneling under the city like the cartoon's first season, sometimes it'd be in Dimension-X or they'd have enough power to teleport it to another location were they wanted the story to take place.

Some interesting things about the comics is while in the UK stories Mikey didn't have chuks he mostly fought with his hands but on rare occasions he used a Bo Staff like Donny. Krang hardly ever used his robotic body and instead used that tripod stroller thing from the first season. One story did have Krang build similar android bodies for Bebop & rocksteady to use against the turtles.

You would often find the same artists from the UK stories working on some other UK merchendise. Those trading cards that Oldmanwinters posted you would get free with packs of PG Tips teabags. You had to paste them into book to complete a comic story of the turtles and the Hippy Hippos. What made them hippies? I don't know, they seemed more like a Biker gang to me but I guess the writer of that story wanted the name to have alliteration.

When the turtles popularity started to fade, the comic went monthly and they dropped the UK stories. It wasn't long before it was cancelled but they did bring it back around the time of the third movie, this time they would use the original American covers but it didn't last long before it ended again.

This actually clears a lot of things up for me, and makes sense, thanks for this thread guys, its awesome.

[kusleiken]

I am a Norwegian collector and I`m new her on the forum. I collect mainly Norwegian printed items from the hero turtles series. I have a copy of the only hero turtles audio cassette released in Norway. It came with a picture book and the title on both book and cassette is "Følg etter lederen", which translates to "Follow my leader". The cassette and book is in original packaging.

I don`t know how to upload pictures so I saved the picture as an attachment. If you can`t see the picture, please help me so I can upload it properly.

[oldmanwinters]

Originally Posted by kusleiken

I am a Norwegian collector and I`m new her on the forum. I collect mainly Norwegian printed items from the hero turtles series. I have a copy of the only hero turtles audio cassette released in Norway. It came with a picture book and the title on both book and cassette is "Følg etter lederen", which translates to "Follow my leader". The cassette and book is in original packaging.

I don`t know how to upload pictures so I saved the picture as an attachment. If you can`t see the picture, please help me so I can upload it properly.

I know those illustrated storybooks were also released in the UK. I have two of them: "Enter the Rat King" & "Return of the Technodrome." The other book released that I know of was "Splinter No More." I didn't know that they might have been released originally with audio cassette tapes though.

Thanks for sharing!

[kusleiken]

Originally Posted by oldmanwinters

I know those illustrated storybooks were also released in the UK. I have two of them: "Enter the Rat King" & "Return of the Technodrome." The other book released that I know of was "Splinter No More." I didn't know that they might have been released originally with audio cassette tapes though.

Thanks for sharing!

I`ve just read about the storybooks you mentioned. All four of them were written by Maureen Spurgeon. "Follow my leader" is the only one published in Norway, and it was only published with the audio cassette. Audio cassette with story book was very popular in Scandinavia in the 80s and early 90s.

Some more (rare) norwegian releases: Panini sticker album + two boxes with stickers and atlantic TMHT II secret of the ooze movie album + box with stickers, and Maskbook 1 & 2.

[Powder]

Those masks are really cool! I've always loved the white bandana look for Splinter that random merch gave him.

[Mew]

Originally Posted by Powder

Those masks are really cool! I've always loved the white bandana look for Splinter that random merch gave him.

Yes, that's true.
I like him with a more maroon robe, though.

[HeroTurtlesFan]

Originally Posted by oldmanwinters

I know those illustrated storybooks were also released in the UK. I have two of them: "Enter the Rat King" & "Return of the Technodrome." The other book released that I know of was "Splinter No More." I didn't know that they might have been released originally with audio cassette tapes though.

Thanks for sharing!

The four TV adaptations were then followed up by red-covered books (numbered #5-8, retrospectively making the TV adaptations #1-4, though they weren't numbered) featuring original stories. I have them all up in the loft - the only titles that spring to mind are "Attack of the Time Spiders" and "Shredder's Invisible Maze" (I think...would have to check). They also came with audio cassettes, just like the first four.

An omnibus of the blue-covered books was also released.

[oldmanwinters]

Originally Posted by HeroTurtlesFan

An omnibus of the blue-covered books was also released.

Oh, cool, I've never seen a picture of that! I am at least aware of the red books though, even if I can't remember all their titles off the top of my head.

[wilddiverse]

Originally Posted by oldmanwinters

I know those illustrated storybooks were also released in the UK. I have two of them: "Enter the Rat King" & "Return of the Technodrome." The other book released that I know of was "Splinter No More." I didn't know that they might have been released originally with audio cassette tapes though.
Thanks for sharing!

Can't say if the books were paired with cassettes when first sold, but I have mp3s of the cassettes that came with "Enter the Rat King", "Follow My Leader", and "Return of the Technodrome"... so I can verify those exist. They were provided in an 'audio cassette' thread about the Random House Archie cassettes a few years back- thanks again to that person(s).

And I believe the eight titles in the book set are:
1990: "Enter the Rat King", "Follow My Leader", "Return of the Technodrome", "Splinter No More"
1991: "Attack of the Time Spiders", "Krang's Space Raid", "Shredder's Invisible Maze", "Undercover Heroes"

[profobligadoo]

Jwowowow wksosp