Are Your Children Captured by Ninja Turtles? Feb 1991

[IndigoErth]

https://archive.org/stream/ERIC_ED33...ge/n1/mode/2up

How to turn what children love into what is appropriate

This booklet will explain ways to communicate with children about such phenomena as Ninja Turtles. The same techniques may be used to help teachers or parents deal with any fad or idea that appears to consume children. Participants will learn how to move children to related but completely separate play (curriculum) activities.

...

Thirdly, turtles are causing young children to become even more consumer oriented than ever at a young age. As one four-year-old expressed: "Buy me more, more, more of the same old turtles -- they keep breaking and I want more." Finally, Ninja Turtles (even though they claim to be useful beings) demonstrate a way of being and language that teachers are trying to keep children from using. Words such as "mugged," "weapons," "kidnapped," "fight," "battle," "brawl," "snatchers," "killer," "cowabunga," "shredder," "invasion," and others are used as Ninja Turtles communicate. (It is true that words such as strength, knowledge, and peace are also used but since children naturally want "to feel feel big, proud, and important" [Hymes: 1981]; they seem to focus on the previous negative words that imply greater power.)

There are other important elements that will also be covered in the booklet. An overall summery of objectives follows. The reader will gain an understanding of the: (1) history of Ninja Turtles; (2) identification of turtles and their strengths (to help teachers communicate better with children); (3) problems connected with the turtles as the problems relate to preschool children; (4) ways to help children move beyond Ninja Turtle activities; (5) specific examples of activities to substitute for Ninja Turtle activities; and (6) specific ways to speak to children about Ninja Turtles. It is hoped that the booklet will be entertaining and challenging as teachers work to improve personal classroom environments

...

There are many verbal statements teachers may use when interacting with children that help change their way of thinking or, redirect the children's behavior. Some examples of those statements include:
1. "Ninja Turtles are pretend. See how real turtles walk using four legs. Real turtles do not wear clothes.
2. It is fun to pretend but right now the pet turtle needs feeding. Help me get grapes from the refrigerator.
3. You may paint like Michelangelo; however you are Justin.
4. Pound the clay, not Billy.
5. His name is Tommy (when the child calls another "barfoni")."
...

Just a few bits and pieces, see link for rest. (Pardon any typos, retyped by hand.)

Some of that... The poor poor older generations trying to raise and teach kids of those times, such a difficult struggle with Turtlemania. Apparently.

[Candy Kappa]

haha, amazing.

[blindturtle02]

Oh God! This reminds me of my step-grandmother. I think she had this one. She'd never seen the show but claimed they were a bunch of bad influences. "Bla bla bla. The turtles are too violent. The turtles promote gang-like behavior. yak yak yak." She tried brainwashing me for I don't know how long, but all that did was piss me off. I held it in check for a kid of seven or thereabouts, but I'd always vent to mom whenever I'd finished visiting my dad and step-mom for the summer. Dad and mom were fine with Turtles. My step-mom's side of the family never was. Turtles really made my step-grandmother nuts. Well, until she watched the show a few years later and actually found out for herself that the guys weren't even using their weapons to attack anyone most of the time. She even begrudgingly bought me a few figures. Most of my teachers were okay with Turtles. I remember them popping in numerous FHE videos to keep us quiet on Friday afternoons. I didn't know many old folks who found them harmless except my grandma on my biological mom's side. Now, she's an awesome lady. lol Booklets like this are a scream to look over these days, however. Seriously, the thought of adults sucking all the joy out of the lives of kiddos does make me want to scream, especially when they didn't do their research and read claptrap like this back in the day. Thanks for posting this, Indigo. That booklet wouldn't happen to be written by Burne Thompson, would it?

[CyberCubed]

This happens for every big kids franchise.

Remember the "Pokemon and Harry Potter is evil" stuff from those days? Power Rangers had anti stuff like this too.

[Powder]

Brings to mind TMNT Exposed, a book slamming the property & making it out to be a guide for turning children into war criminals.

[CyberCubed]

I wonder how this stuff continually comes up every generation, since the "adults" from the 80's and 90's were not the same "adults" from the 2000's.

Its baffling, you think that "our" generation who grew up in the late 80's and 90's who are now the current adults understand kids franchises and superheroes and comics, anime and videogames since we were all exposed to it when we were younger.

So who are these people? Its hard to imagine anyone who is in their 20's today who has never liked videogames, cartoons, anime, or comics books.

[Bry]

I remember a few childhood friends who weren't allowed to watch TMNT, and I think I remember one was even barred from hanging out with me for a while after they watched an episode at my parents' house. I remember some other parents who were pretty judgmental about my folks letting me watch "violent" cartoons and The Simpsons when I was young - which is funny, because I turned out a lot more gentle, respectful and well-adjusted (and got into far less trouble) than many of the kids who had really strict upbringings.

It's hilarious to think back on this kind of outrage and backlash, considering how utterly tame the '87 cartoon was compared to almost everything before and after it.

[IndigoErth]

War criminals??

And youngsters today wonder why things were the way they were back then or don't see their benefit of being young today rather than 20+ years ago. They think some people act too sensitive over some things these days? I've got news for ya, kid, it used to be worse. lol

[CyberCubed]

Originally Posted by Bry

It's hilarious to think back on this kind of outrage and backlash, considering how utterly tame the '87 cartoon was compared to almost everything before and after it.

To be fair, back in the 80's the original TMNT cartoon WAS the most action oriented and "violent" cartoon at its time. Compare it to all the other 80's cartoons.

It only looks tame now looking back on it after 90's cartoons raised the bar with B:TAS and Gargoyles.

[TheCanadiandrome]

this thing is too funny

[blindturtle02]

Yeah Bry, I was also into Simpsons back when I was a kid and I never acted out at school or anything. I wonder what kids who weren't allowed to watch Turtles etc did to amuse themselves? Cubed, funny you should mention Power Rangers because I remember a bunch of teachers up in arms about those. Never mind the fact that nearly all the teens did was charity stuff when they weren't battling monsters back in the day. Very laughable. They put out some article in those old Weekly Readers accusing shows like TMNT and Power Rangers of causing a couple kids to kill their younger sister or some nonsense. Yeah, it's baffling alright.

TMNT Exposed, huh Powder? I'd love to read that just to see how many facts they got wrong. Boy, adults used to get so very hot under the collar when my friends and I would try explaining what the turtles were really about back in the 90's, especially when they found out that they didn't have their facts straight. Forget getting most old folks to sit down and watch an episode. I guess they were afraid of being influenced or something equally zany. My step-grandmother did enjoy Gargoyles,and to this day I still have no idea why. Disney's involvement, maybe. Never mind that show had a few character deaths in it unlike TMNT 1987. Man, they would have hated TMNT 2k3. haha

[snake]

Ha! I love this stuff.

[DevilSpooky]

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

So who are these people? Its hard to imagine anyone who is in their 20's today who has never liked videogames, cartoons, anime, or comics books.

Those people are the kids of the 80's that came from broken houses, kids that had extremely over religious parents that brainwashed them into thinking that anything fun is the devil. So they grew up into the same closed minded individuals as their parents before them, and will threat their kids the same way, and so on, it's a vicious cicle that will never end.

[CaliperCat]

In sociology, we call this a moral panic.

Well, that might be a bit of an exaggeration. This was before I was born, so I don't know how wide-spread such sentiments were. Seeing that comics went through one a few decades ago, and Ninja Turtles started as comics (I believe), it's not too surprising.

[IndigoErth]

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

I wonder how this stuff continually comes up every generation, since the "adults" from the 80's and 90's were not the same "adults" from the 2000's.

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

It only looks tame now looking back on it after 90's cartoons raised the bar with B:TAS and Gargoyles.

Prob partly it right there. Raise the bar... bar is scary... raise bar further, old level no longer scary, repeat. lol



Think one of my fave lines from that booklet is that one -

3. You may paint like Michelangelo; however you are Justin.

I mean omg, thanks for the reminder, teacher! I was SO CLOSE to entirely forgetting who I was! You just saved me from a lifelong identity crisis.

Are or were we so desperate to be absolutely grounded only in reality that we just have got to make sure kids don't forget their own identity? And assume kids don't understand the concept of "pretend" when they're the ones who specialize in it?

[DarkFell]

Apparently we also needed to be reminded that real turtles don't wear clothes.

[CaliperCat]

What's really absurd is that Michelangelo the turtle wasn't know for painting. In reality, they were concerned with children mistaking themselves for melancholy Renaissance artists.

[snake]

My favorite thing is when they suggest replacing playing with ooze........by making slime.

[pennydreadful]

"Pound the clay, not Billy."

Seriously though, the people who made this booklet must be great fun to be around. I bet they really liven up a room.

"So, seen any good movies lately?"

"No! Movies are full of pretend characters that make you become even more consumer oriented! Now help me get grapes from the refrigerator."

[Refractive Reflections]

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

To be fair, back in the 80's the original TMNT cartoon WAS the most action oriented and "violent" cartoon at its time. Compare it to all the other 80's cartoons.

It only looks tame now looking back on it after 90's cartoons raised the bar with B:TAS and Gargoyles.

Today's shocking moments, are tomorrow's yawn-worthy historical events.