Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

No existing topic I can find. Starting one.

If there's anything TV related that I come close to obsessing over, it's TMNT. I put the thread here as the TMNT I'm familiar with and love is the 80s/90s cartoon, though it of course started as a comic. Now, I'm 27...I loved this as a kid...and in the last 4 years, I've acquired seasons 1-7 on DVD. If I ever feel it's worth it, I'll get the fancy box set on Amazon, though I don't care about seasons 8-10, as the show totally changed style and I never liked it. I have mini-figures of all four turtles on my desk at work (near a figure of burning Godzilla from Godzilla vs. Destoroyah), I have a 6-inch Donatello (he's my favorite...has been since I was little) figure from the fairly recent classic figures line, and I just ordered the other three on Amazon today. I even have a TMNT bedspread and as a moving gift a friend gave me a set of TMNT drinking glasses.

Now, as an adult, I watch these DVDs and fully accept it really is kind of terrible, but in the most entertaining way imaginable. I love it in every bit of its cheesy, corny glory. There are some genuinely funny jokes and lines, but overall, it's awful but so fun to watch. I will disclose I am biased by nostalgia, but my boyfriend, who never was a fan of the show, enjoys watching it with me for the same reasons.

Anyone else here a fan of anything TMNT?

I was obsessed with them as a kid, had just about every toy imaginable and watched the cartoon religiously and loved the comic books (not the original Eastman and Laird stuff, the more kid-friendly ones). I still have very fond memories of playing the old TMNT arcade game at the local movie theater and shopping mall.

Those were the days. I don't really do a lot of TMNT related stuff now, but I still like the games and think they're awesome characters. Anyone who can watch Splinter demolish Shredder in the first movie after saying "But when you die, it will be without honor" without shedding tears of awesomeness doesn't have a soul.

I was first exposed to TMNT back with the NES video game. That game was hard, but fun. Follow it up shortly afterwards with the live action movie then the classic cartoon. Both of which hold a dear spot in my heart.

Of course I've also loved the live action TV show, I still remember the cross over episode they did with Power Rangers. Then there was the 2003 cartoon which I enjoyed until they ended up in the future. I've also played several of their games and enjoyed them.

I have watched some of the newer stuff, but haven't really liked it. I just feel like the 3D TMNT show they made was awful and I couldn't get into it. I am curious to see how Micheal bay is going to treat the turtles. One thing I will note though, without their masks, they look like gorons from Legend of Zelda.

I grew up watching the TMNT cartoon when I was a kid, and I really liked it back in the day, but I would imagine that it would be tough to watch now.

I also liked the first live action movie a lot. The actress that played April O'Neil was perfect for the part, and the actor that played Casey Jones was great.

I'm not crazy about how they have tried to re-do TMNT over the years.

It is kind of tough to watch, yet still entertaining. I tend to approach it the same way I do a movie I know is bad, with a healthy side of nostalgia.

Glad there are other TMNT fans here though!

Whenever I watch something based on a series I love, whether it's a reboot or some new kind of adaptation, I always go in expecting nothing so I can enjoy it. But the new stuff made me sad even doing that.

Oh, did you know they made a TV movie which had the 2003 Turtles meet the 80's Turtles called Turtles Forever. It was actually pretty entertaining. If you haven't seen it, I recommend you check it out, even if it's just for the nostalgia factor.

Wow, TMNT... When I entered highschool, the Transformers/GI Joe era was pretty much in its twilight so I discovered my two new favorite series: TMNT and The Real Ghostbusters. I LOVED both to no end, though the latter prompted me to create the most ridiculous Halloween costume ever that I had the misfortune of bringing to school on my first high school year. At the end of my fifth high school year, I was STILL suffering the consequences. Darn you, lousy-built wooden proton pack!

Anyways, I digress. TMNT was the ish. My three friends and I decided to start a TMNT fanclub with we were about 13 years old so we did the only sensible thing any young teenage boy would do in this situation: we "visited" a construction site and "borrowed" a few 1/2 inches steel poles that were "expendable" to the project. We brought them home and each decided on the turtle we would become. The dude who was to be Donatello had it the easiest, a steel pipe is already a bo. Sorta. A dangerous one but a bo still. "Leonardo" and "Raphael" both flattened their poles with a mace and made proper karatas and sai. I was Michelangelo so, I cut the poles into 12 inches long shafts and linked them with steel chains: BOOM! Instant nunchuks. I'm 38, it's been 25 years, I still have them, they are still as stupidely dangerous as they were on day one except, now that I have several years of martial arts under my belt (see what I did there), I know how to use them.

The cartoons were corny yet awesome. "Whoa! You mean this new place that guarantees you get your pizza in 30 minutes else your pizza is cold??" The live action movie (the first one) was legendary. The other ones... not so much.

I love TMNT and will love them to the end. I have 3-4 TMNT t-shirts which I wear often, including at work.

This brings ANOTHER anecdote. I was wearing one such t-shirt about 2 years ago, summer day, I just parked nearby and am walking the rest of the distance to get to work. Some dude who was working on an outdoor TV set nearby looks at me and hails me. "Michelangello?" I look at the guy, thinking he was waiting for an employee and got me confused. "Sorry dude, wrong guy." It's Montreal, we have a huge Italian community, it could happen.

Then I look at the t-shirt I'm wearing.

"I'm a dumb [expletive], right?"

When I got through the office door, the guy was still cracking up. I was still in my pre-coffee phase, gimme a break!

Aeroprism wrote:

Anyways, I digress. TMNT was the ish. My three friends and I decided to start a TMNT fanclub with we were about 13 years old so we did the only sensible thing any young teenage boy would do in this situation: we "visited" a construction site and "borrowed" a few 1/2 inches steel poles that were "expendable" to the project. We brought them home and each decided on the turtle we would become. The dude who was to be Donatello had it the easiest, a steel pipe is already a bo. Sorta. A dangerous one but a bo still. "Leonardo" and "Raphael" both flattened their poles with a mace and made proper karatas and sai. I was Michelangelo so, I cut the poles into 12 inches long shafts and linked them with steel chains: BOOM! Instant nunchuks. I'm 38, it's been 25 years, I still have them, they are still as stupidely dangerous as they were on day one except, now that I have several years of martial arts under my belt (see what I did there), I know how to use them.

Dude, that is awesome. I remember trying to make Turtle weapons when I was a kid, but I don't think I had as much success. I always wanted a pair of sai. Raph was definitely my favorite. But it's awesome that you still have the nunchucks!

I'll take a pic and post it.

Aero, your post just put the absolute biggest smile on my face since I last saw Gojira live. It's just so chock full of awesome. I just wish I could find a turtles shirt that actually fits me...and like you, I could probably wear it to work. I've worn my Amon Amarth shirt, one of my Earthbound shirts, and my The Last of Us shirt to work before, so yeah.

According to Amazon, my other turtles figures arrived in the mail, so that'll be there when I get home.