Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987 TV series)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987 TV Series)

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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987 TV series)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (known as Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles in Europe

Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
) is an American

United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
animated television series produced by Murakami-Wolf-Swenson

Murakami-Wolf-Swenson

Murakami-Wolf-Swenson was an American based animation company , known for its television specials such as The Point! and Free to Be? You and Me, and television series such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, James Bond Jr., and Sarah, Duchess of York's Budgie the Little Helicopter....
, Inc. It premiered December 14, 1987, first as a five-part mini-series. The series features the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are a fictional team of four turtle mutants, who are trained by their sensei, Splinter , in the art of Ninjutsu....
characters created in comic book form by Kevin Eastman

Kevin Eastman

For the Boston Celtics assistant, see Kevin Eastman Kevin Brooks Eastman is an United States American comic book artist. He is best known as the creator of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles....
and Peter Laird

Peter Laird

Peter Alan Laird is an United States comic book artist. He is best known for co-creating Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in the fall of 1983 with Kevin Eastman....
, but the property was changed considerably from the darker-toned comic in order to make it more suitable for children.

The initial motivation behind the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series was that, upon being approached to create a toy line, Playmates Toys

Playmates Toys

Playmates Toys is a Costa Mesa, California toy manufacturer and a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based Playmates Holdings Ltd , which was founded in 1966....
was uneasy with the comic book characters' small cult following

Cult following

Discussion

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Quotations

Encyclopedia

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (known as Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles in Europe

Europe

United States

Murakami-Wolf-Swenson

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Kevin Eastman

Peter Laird

Playmates Toys

Cult following

A cult following is a group of fan devoted to a specific area of pop culture. These dedicated followings are usually relatively small, and often pertain to items that don't have broad mainstream appeal....
. They requested that a television deal be acquired first, and after the initial five-episode series debuted, the California toy company released their first series of Ninja Turtles action figures in the summer of 1988. The two media would correspond in marketing style and popularity for many years to come.

The show was in Saturday morning syndication from October 1, 1988 to September 23, 1989. After it became an instant hit, the show was expanded to five days a week and aired weekday afternoons in syndication in most markets, from September 25, 1989 to September 17, 1993. On September 8, 1990, the series began its secondary run on CBS

CBS

CBS Broadcasting Inc. is an American radio network and television network. The name is derived from the initials of Columbia Broadcasting System, its former legal name....
's Saturday morning lineup, beginning as a 60-minute block from 1990 to 1994 and then as a 30-minute block until the series ended on November 2, 1996.

The show helped launch the characters into mainstream popularity and became one of the most popular animated series in television history. Breakfast cereals, plush toys, and all manner of products featuring the characters appeared on the market during the late 1980s and early 1990s. A successful Archie Comics

Archie Comics

Archie Comics is an United States of America comic book publisher, known for its many series featuring the fictional teenager Archie Andrews , Betty Cooper, Veronica Lodge, Reggie Mantle and Jughead Jones characters by publisher/editor John L....
comic book

Comic book

A comic book is a magazine or book of narrative artwork and dialog and descriptive prose. The style was introduced in 1934. Despite the term, comic books do not necessarily feature humorous subject-matter; in fact, it is often serious and action-oriented....
based on the animated show instead of the original black-and-white comics was published throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s. Action figures were top-sellers around the world. In 1990, the cartoon series was being shown daily on more than 125 television stations, and the comic books sold 125,000 copies a month.

Storyline

The origin story in the 1987 TV series differs greatly from that of the original Mirage Studios

Mirage Studios

Mirage Studios is an independent United States comic book company founded in 1983 in comics by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, based in Northampton, Massachusetts and best known for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic book series....
comics, presumably to make it more appropriate for a family audience. In this version, Splinter was formerly a human being, an honorable ninja master named Hamato Yoshi

Hamato Yoshi

Hamato Yoshi is a fictional character from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fictional universe. In all continuities, he was once a great and honourable ninja whose story is always closely intertwined with that of Splinter , but he is almost always no longer around during the course of the story....
. Yoshi was banished from the Foot Clan

Foot Clan

The Foot Clan is a fictional Ninjutsu clan in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles universe, and the Turtles' main antagonists. It is usually led by Shredder ....
in Japan

Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
after being deceived by the seditious Oroku Saki, who pinned Hamato Yoshi's dogi to the wall with a knife

Knife

A knife is a handheld sharp-edged instrument consisting of a handle attached to a blade that is used for cutting. Knives were used at least Stone Age, as evidenced by the Oldowan tools....
, preventing him from kneeling before their sensei

Sensei

is a Japanese language Japanese titles used to refer to or address teachers, professors, professionals such as lawyers and Physicians, politicians, clergyman, and other figures of authority....
, which was seen as an insult. When Yoshi removed the knife, the sensei was again insulted, believing Yoshi was drawing the blade in opposition to him. Exiled from the ninja clan, Hamato Yoshi moved to New York City

New York City

The City of New York is the List of United States cities by population in the United States, while the New York metropolitan area ranks among the List of urban areas by population....
, where he was forced to live in the sewer

Sewer

Sewer may refer to:*A system for transporting sewage:**Sanitary sewer, a system of pipes used to transport human waste**Storm drain, a collection and transportation system for storm water...
s.

While living in the sewers with the rat

Rat

Rats are various medium sized, long-tailed rodents of the Family Muroidea. "True rats" are members of the genus Rattus, the most important of which to humans are the black rat, Rattus rattus, and the brown rat, Rattus norvegicus....
s as his friends, Yoshi one day found four turtles, recently bought from a pet store by an unnamed boy who accidentally dropped them in the sewer. Yoshi returned one day from his explorations around New York to find the turtles covered with a strange glowing ooze. The substance caused the turtles - most recently exposed to Yoshi - to become humanoid, while Yoshi - most recently exposed to sewer rats - became a humanoid rat, and started going by the pseudonym "Splinter". This, and the following Archie TMNT Adventures Comics, is the only origin story in the TMNT franchise where the Turtles come to Yoshi before being exposed to mutagen. Also, Yoshi and becomes a rat, whereas in most other versions, he is Yoshi's pet rat that becomes humanoid. This is also the only version in which the Turtles become fully grown immediately after exposure to the mutagen, where Splinter raises them from infancy in other versions.

Yoshi adopts the four turtles as his sons and trains them in the art of ninjitsu. He names them after his favorite Italian renaissance artists: Leonardo da Vinci

Leonardo da Vinci

Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci was an Italy polymath, being a scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, Painting, sculptor, architect, botanist, musician and writer....
, Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi (Donatello

Donatello

Donatello was a famous early Renaissance Italy artist and sculpture from Florence. He is, in part, known for his work in bas-relief, a form of shallow relief sculpture that, in Donatello's case, incorporated significant 15th-century developments in perspectival illusionism....
), Raffaello Sanzio (Raphael

Raphael

Raphael Sanzio, usually known by his first name alone was an Italy Painting and architect of the High Renaissance, celebrated for the perfection and grace of his paintings and drawings....
), and Michelangelo Buonarroti. In most versions, the Turtles tend to go by nicknames Leo, Donnie, Raph and Mikey, but in this version they are always addressed by their full name: Leonardo

Leonardo (TMNT)

Leonardo , a fictional character, is one of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles . He is distinguished by a blue bandanna and his weapons are two ninjaken , which are universally referred to as katana....
, Donatello

Donatello (TMNT)

Donatello , a fictional character, is one of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles . His bandanna is known to be purple, though in the Mirage comic books, his bandanna is red like the rest of his brothers....
, Raphael

Raphael (TMNT)

Raphael , a fictional character, is one of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles . Unlike his brothers, his bandanna remains red and he carries two sai ....
and Michelangelo

Michelangelo (TMNT)

Michelangelo is a fictional character, one of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles . His mask is typically portrayed as Orange outwith the comic series and his weapons are two nunchakus, though he has also been portrayed using other weapons, such as a grappling hook and tonfa....
. Each Ninja Turtle wears a mask over his eyes with a distinctive color, and is trained in the art of a distinct weapon.

Meanwhile, Oroku Saki has left Japan and tracked Yoshi to New York City, where he intends to destroy him once and for all. He has become associated with Krang

Krang

Krang is a fictional supervillain who appears in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles universe. He appeared in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures comic book, as well as most of the classic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ....
, a disembodied alien brain who has been banished from his home, Dimension X

Dimension X (TMNT)

Dimension X is a Parallel universe in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures....
, where he was a great warlord. Saki has taken on a new persona, donning a suit covered with razor spikes, complimented by a long cape, and a metal mask over his mouth. He has also taken on the pseudonym "The Shredder

Shredder (TMNT)

Shredder is a fictional character in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fictional universe. He is a villainous ninjutsu master also known by the name Oroku Saki....
".

It becomes clear in the first season that the mutagen that transformed the Turtles and Splinter into their new forms was dumped into the sewer by Shredder in an effort to destroy Yoshi. Shredder thought it was a deadly poison. The Turtles vow to take revenge on the Shredder for dishonoring their master, as well as turning him into a rat. The Turtles want to force him to turn Splinter back into a human again, though this quickly evolves into stopping Shredder's ongoing criminal career. The Turtles begin to take on the role of vigilante crime-fighters operating outside of the jurisdiction of law enforcement against any criminals, much like Casey Jones

Casey Jones (TMNT)

Arnold "Casey" Jones is a character from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series. Like the turtles, Casey Jones is a self-appointed vigilante. Casey wears a hockey mask and cut-off biking gloves and carries his weapons in a golf bag over his shoulder....
in the third season. For the first couple of seasons, it seems as if the Turtles are constantly preoccupied with hiding their existence. This seems to be slowly relaxed and, by the last few seasons, most citizens seem to be well aware of them.

Shredder, Krang, Bebop and Rocksteady

Bebop and Rocksteady

Bebop and Rocksteady are fictional characters in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as well as most of the classic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles video games....
(two street thugs morphed into animal form by exposure to the Shredder's mutagen) and a small army of robotic Foot Soldiers try to destroy the Turtles and take over the World. Much of their quest for world domination hinges on bringing the Technodrome

Technodrome

The Technodrome is a semi-Sphere tank-like metallic mobile subterranean fortress of Krang and Shredder , the main villains on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles , the Archie Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures comics and most TMNT video game adaptions....
(Krang's mobile fortress, and his and The Shredder's base of operation) to the surface as it was either stuck in the earth's core, Dimension X

Dimension X (TMNT)

Dimension X is a Parallel universe in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures....
, the arctic

Arctic

The Arctic is the region around the Earth's North Pole, opposite the Antarctica region around the South Pole. The Arctic includes the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Greenland , Russia, the United States , Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Finland....
or Arctic Ocean

Arctic Ocean

The Arctic Ocean, located in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Arctic North Pole region, is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceanic divisions....
.

In the last two seasons of the show, the Turtles finally banish The Shredder and Krang to Dimension X. They destroy the engines and the "trans-dimensional portal" of the Technodrome

Technodrome

Earth

Earth is the third planet from the Sun. Earth is the largest of the terrestrial planets in the Solar System in diameter, mass and density. It is also referred to as the World and Wiktionary:Terra.Note that by International Astronomical Union convention, the term "Terra" is used for naming extensive land masses, rather...
. The show, which had already lasted well past the average lifespan of most Saturday morning cartoon series, then went through dramatic changes. The animation became darker and closer to the original comic book style, the color of the sky in each episode changed from the traditional blue to a continuous and ominous dark red sky (which was commonplace with newer action-oriented children's programming at that time), and the theme song was changed.

A new villain, Lord Dregg

List of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles characters

A table of characters showing their appearances in the nine major incarnations of the TMNT franchise....
, an evil alien warlord, also appears as their new chief nemesis. Lord Dregg begins a propaganda

Propaganda

Propaganda is the dissemination of information aimed at influencing the opinions or behaviors of large numbers of people. As opposed to Objectivity providing information, propaganda in its most basic sense presents information in order to influence its audience....
campaign

Advertising campaign

An advertising campaign is a series of advertisement messages that share a single idea and theme which make up an Integrated Marketing Communications ....
against the Turtles, turning the general population against them and in favor of him and his forces. In the last episode of the series, the Turtles trap Dregg in Dimension X.

Impact

While the story diverged heavily from the original conception of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and has never been considered canon

Canon (fiction)

Canon, in terms of a fictional universe, is any material that is considered to be "genuine," or can be directly referenced as material produced by the original author or creator of a series....
with the universe of the original Mirage comics, the 1987 television series is probably the most notable and popular incarnation, and drove the franchise to the phenomenal status it would achieve in pop culture. The series was in production for nine years, and was still quite popular when it went out of production. It was responsible for introducing many of the catch phrases associated with the Turtles, such as "Cowabunga!", "Turtles fight with honor!" and "Turtle Power!", into the lexicon. The animated series was such a prominent part of the Ninja Turtles that many people consider it the definitive version.

In 2009, IGN

IGN

IGN is a multimedia news and reviews website that focuses heavily on video games. Its corporate parent is IGN Entertainment, which owns and controls separate sites such as GameSpy, GameStats, Rotten Tomatoes and AskMen....
ranked Teenage Muntant Ninja Turtles as the 55th greatest animated show of all time in their Top 100 list.

Soundtrack

This version is also renowned for its critically acclaimed soundtrack

Soundtrack

The term soundtrack refers to three related concepts: recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; and the physical area of a film that contains the synchronized recorded so...
. Through most of the series, the episodes featured a background music

Background music

Although background music was by the end of the 20th Century generally identified with Muzak or elevator music, there are several stages in the development of this concept:...
which reflected the mood of the situation (e.g. danger, action, exploration

Exploration

Exploration is the act of searching or traveling a terrain for the purpose of discovery, e.g. of unknown people, including space , for Petroleum, gas, coal, ores, caves, water , or information....
, confusion

ConFusion

ConFusion is an annual science fiction convention organized by the Stilyagi Air Corps and its parent organization, the Ann Arbor Science Fiction Association....
, mystery, winning), as well as ID music for settings such as the Technodrome

Technodrome

The Technodrome is a semi-Sphere tank-like metallic mobile subterranean fortress of Krang and Shredder , the main villains on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles , the Archie Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures comics and most TMNT video game adaptions....
, the sewers, Channel 6, etc. which contributes to the show's dynamic uniqueness. The soundtrack was composed by Dennis Challen Brown (credited as "D.C. Brown" and later as "Dennis C. Brown") and Chuck Lorre

Chuck Lorre

Chuck Lorre is a writer, director, producer and composer who has worked on many American sitcoms, including Dharma & Greg, Two and a Half Men, and The Big Bang Theory ....
. Lorre penned the famous theme song and became a successful television producer.

Characters

These are the core characters of the series and appear in nearly every episode for the first eight seasons. After season eight, only the Turtles, April, and Splinter were retained as main characters, although Shredder and Krang returned for several episodes in season ten.

Leonardo
Leonardo (TMNT)

Leonardo , a fictional character, is one of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles . He is distinguished by a blue bandanna and his weapons are two ninjaken , which are universally referred to as katana....
(voiced by Cam Clarke
Cam Clarke

Cameron A. Clarke is an United States voice actor, made famous for his many starring roles in popular video games, animation television and film....
), the blue
Blue

Blue is a colour, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 440?490 Nanometre....
-masked turtle, wields two katanas. He is the leader of the team and is the closest to Splinter.
Donatello
Donatello (TMNT)

Donatello , a fictional character, is one of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles . His bandanna is known to be purple, though in the Mirage comic books, his bandanna is red like the rest of his brothers....
, (voiced by Barry Gordon
Barry Gordon

Barry Gordon is an American film and television actor and political talk show host and producer. He was the longest-serving president of the Screen Actors Guild, from 1988 to 1995....
), the purple
Purple

Purple is a general term for the range of shades of color occurring between red and blue. It occurs by mixing the primary colors red and blue in varying proportions, with possibly a very small quantity of the third primary color ....
-masked turtle, wields a Bo
Bo (weapon)

A bo or kon, is a long staff , usually made of tapered hard wood, for example white oak, bamboo and in some cases for training purposes, rotan....
staff (often used to disarm adversaries). He is the scientist of the team and is constantly tinkering with various inventions.
Raphael
Raphael (TMNT)

Raphael , a fictional character, is one of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles . Unlike his brothers, his bandanna remains red and he carries two sai ....
(voiced by Rob Paulsen
Rob Paulsen

Robert Fredrick Paulsen, III is an United States voice acting best known as the voice behind "Raphael " from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, "Yakko Warner" from Animaniacs and "Pinky_and_the_Brain#Pinky" from Pinky and the Brain....
), the red
Red

Red is any of a number of similar colors evoked by light consisting predominantly of the longest wavelengths of light discernible by the human eye, in the wavelength range of roughly 625?740 Nanometer....
-masked turtle, wields two sai
Sai (weapon)

Sai is the Ryukyuan languages name for a traditional Okinawan weapon.The basic form of the weapon is that of a pointed, dagger-shaped truncheon, with two curved prongs projecting from the Handle ....
(which makes him a match for any swordsman). He is the joker of the team and often comes out with sarcastic remarks.
Michelangelo
Michelangelo (TMNT)

Michelangelo is a fictional character, one of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles . His mask is typically portrayed as Orange outwith the comic series and his weapons are two nunchakus, though he has also been portrayed using other weapons, such as a grappling hook and tonfa....
(voiced by Townsend Coleman
Townsend Coleman

Townsend Coleman is an American voice actor who performed in many animated series and TV advertising beginning in the early 1980s. Among his most notable roles are Michaelangelo from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles , Wayne Gretzky on ProStars, the Where's Wally? of Where's Waldo? , and the Tick of The Tick ....
), the orange
Orange (colour)

The color orange occurs between red and yellow in the visible Optical spectrum at a wavelength of about 585 ? 620 nanometre, and has a hue of 30? in HSV colour space....
-masked turtle, wields the whirling Nunchakus and later a grappling hook (and often whirling pizzas). He is the most relaxed member of the team and is the source for many of the catch phrases of the series such as "Cowabunga!"
Splinter
Splinter (TMNT)

Master Splinter, or simply Splinter is a fictional character in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles universe. Splinter is a giant anthropomorphic rat who is the Sensei and paternal figure to the Turtles....
(voiced by Peter Renaday
Peter Renaday

Peter Renaday is an United States voice actor....
), a strict and wizened sensei, is the mutant rat who trained the Turtles in ninjitsu.
April O'Neil (voiced by Renae Jacobs
Renae Jacobs

Renae Jacobs is a voice actress perhaps best known for voicing April O'Neil in the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series....
), a redheaded TV reporter, discovers the Turtles' home in the sewers and befriends the TMNT.

* Shredder

Shredder (TMNT)

Shredder is a fictional character in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fictional universe. He is a villainous ninjutsu master also known by the name Oroku Saki....
(voiced by James Avery

James L. Avery, Sr.

James L. Avery, Sr. , is an Emmy Award winning United States television actor best known for his portrayal of the patriarch and attorney Philip Banks in the television program The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, whom Will Smith's character affectionately called "Uncle Phil"....
), the arch-villain of the Turtles, is usually the main villain in other media, but in this TV series Shredder always, against his will, has to take orders from Krang

Krang

Bebop and Rocksteady
Bebop and Rocksteady

Bebop and Rocksteady are fictional characters in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as well as most of the classic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles video games....
: A mutant warthog
Warthog

The warthog or common warthog is a wild member of the Suidae that lives in Africa. The common name comes from the four large wart-like protrusions found on the head of the warthog, which serve the purpose of defense when males fight....
and a rhinoceros
Rhinoceros

Rhinoceros , often colloquially abbreviated rhino, is a name used to group five extant species of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae....
, respectively, they are Shredder's clumsy, oafish henchmen. They often provided the show's comic relief. Bebop was voiced by Barry Gordon
Barry Gordon

Barry Gordon is an American film and television actor and political talk show host and producer. He was the longest-serving president of the Screen Actors Guild, from 1988 to 1995....
, and Rocksteady was by Cam Clarke
Cam Clarke

Cameron A. Clarke is an United States voice actor, made famous for his many starring roles in popular video games, animation television and film....
.

Vehicles and gadgetry

Like many cartoon superheroes, the Turtles have a wide array of turtle-themed vehicles and gadgets.

Vehicles

Turtle Van (also known as the Party Wagon): A van
Van

A van is a kind of vehicle used for transporting goods or groups of people. It is usually a box-shaped vehicle on four wheels, about the same width and length as a large automobile, but taller and usually higher off the ground, also referred to as a light commercial vehicle or LCV....
that originally belonged to Baxter Stockman before he was arrested. Donatello rigged up the van with other equipment from Stockman's lab, including various monitoring devices and missile systems. The Turtle Van, despite having bright yellow and green colors and being very conspicuous, is the Turtles' main form of transportation. April used a van in the third issue of the original Mirage comic. The Battle Shell in the 2003 series
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2003 TV series)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is an United States list of animated television series, mainly set in New York City. It first aired on February 8, 2003 and marked the revival of the franchise by Fox Broadcasting Company, with the help of 4Kids Entertainment, as a Saturday morning cartoon in Fox's Fox Box programming block ....
is similar to the Turtle Van. It is apparently based on an early Dodge forward-control van, due to its split windshield and engine under the front seats).

Turtle Blimp: A blimp
Blimp

Blimp can refer to:* a Blimp as opposed to a rigid airship * a slang term for a person considered to be conservative due to ignorance, after the cartoon character Colonel Blimp...
created by Donatello in the season one finale is one of the Turtles' modes of transportation. The blimp had the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles logo
Logo

A logo is a graphical element that, together with its logotype form a trademark or commercial brand. Typically, a logo's design is for immediate recognition....
displayed prominently on the side. The glider can detach from the blimp to allow the Turtles better accessibility where a large blimp would be impractical. This vehicle gets destroyed in the red-sky series.

Cheap Skates: Donatello made four skateboard
Skateboard

A skateboard is a four wheeled piece of wood used for the activity of skateboarding. The modern skateboard originated in California in the late 1950's....
s in season two with propellers on the rear.

Turtle Bike: A motorcycle with a sidecar, normally ridden by Leonardo, first seen in season three.

Sewer Tubes

Sewerski

Gadgets

Turtle Comm: Turtle Communicators (frequently shortened to Turtle Comms) are small and designed to look like turtle
Turtle

Turtles are reptiles of the Order Testudines , most of whose body is shielded by a special bone or cartilage animal shell developed from their ribs....
shells, and were created by Donatello. The Turtles, Splinter
Splinter (TMNT)

Master Splinter, or simply Splinter is a fictional character in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles universe. Splinter is a giant anthropomorphic rat who is the Sensei and paternal figure to the Turtles....
, and April each have one and can instantly communicate with each other. The Turtles' and Splinter's communicators stretch open where April's is built with a flip top to resemble a makeup compact. Zach, a fan of the Turtles, gets a Turtle Comm in the episode The Fifth Turtle. Even the Punk Frogs have a Turtle Comm. Krang, Shredder, and the henchmutants each have a Comlink, a similar device for communication. A device called the Shell Cell, which bears a strong resemblance to the Turtle Comm, is used in the 2003 television series
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2003 TV series)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is an United States list of animated television series, mainly set in New York City. It first aired on February 8, 2003 and marked the revival of the franchise by Fox Broadcasting Company, with the help of 4Kids Entertainment, as a Saturday morning cartoon in Fox's Fox Box programming block ....
.

Retro catapult: Introduced in Season 3.

Portable portal generator: Also introduced in Season 3.

The plunger gun

Pizza thrower

Censorship

In the UK, TMNT was released under the name Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles (TMHT). This was due to the controversy surrounding ninjas and related weapons such as nunchuks at the time. The intro sequence was heavily edited because of this, replacing the word ninja with hero or fighting, using a digitally faded logo instead of the animated blob, and removing any scenes in which Michealangelo wields his nunchuks, replacing them with random clips from the show.

The TMHT version was aired in other European countries, including Belgium, Germany, Austria, Poland, Sweden, Norway and Finland, in local dubs (the Finnish version was in English with subtitles, while Polish was in English with a lector). In Spain, the name of the cartoon was translated to Las Tortugas Ninja (with the word ninja in the title), but the TMHT version was still used for dubbing. Other European countries (including Bulgaria, Denmark, France, Italy, and Russia) dubbed the original TMNT version.

In Ireland, the series was initially known as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the intro sequence was unedited when it debuted with the airing of the second season. After the first two episodes were broadcast, the name was changed to Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles and the intro was edited.

When shown on the BBC, phrases like "Let's kick some shell!" and "Bummer!" were removed from the episodes. The series Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation
Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation

Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation or Saban's Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation is a United States/Japanese live-action television series produced by Saban Entertainment and Toei, which ran on the Fox Kids network from 1997 in television-1998 in television....
also referred to the Hero Turtles, possibly using the term hero to separate the television series from the live action movies. The 2003 television series
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2003 TV series)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is an United States list of animated television series, mainly set in New York City. It first aired on February 8, 2003 and marked the revival of the franchise by Fox Broadcasting Company, with the help of 4Kids Entertainment, as a Saturday morning cartoon in Fox's Fox Box programming block ....
, however, remained intact when shown in the UK and Ireland. This led the UK and Ireland to have a disambiguation between the two animated series, using Hero Turtles to separate the 1987 television series from the other incarnations of the franchise.

Status of the TMNT 1987 television series

There are currently no TV reruns of the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series, at least not in North America. An episode has not been shown on U.S. television since it ended its original run on November 2, 1996. Reruns had also aired on USA Network

USA Network

USA Network is an United States cable television channel launched in 1977. The channel shows a variety of original and second-run programming, from syndicated TV series to edited Film....
's USA Cartoon Express
USA Cartoon Express

The USA Cartoon Express was a popular television programming block of animation on the USA Network from 1982 to 1996. The Express was the first structured animation block on cable television, predating Nickelodeon 's animation blocks by half a decade and Cartoon Network by more than a decade....
from September 20, 1993 to September 15, 1996. Lionsgate Home Entertainment and Fred Wolf Films own the rights to the show, and they have been responsible for the DVD releases. Mirage Studios

Mirage Studios

Mirage Studios is an independent United States comic book company founded in 1983 in comics by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, based in Northampton, Massachusetts and best known for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic book series....
does not own the rights of the 1987 television series, so Artisan and Fred Wolf are under no obligation to inform them of future releases. Many episodes were released on many VHS

VHS

The Video Home System, better known by its abbreviation VHS, is a recording and playing standard developed by JVC and launched in Europe and Asia in September 1976, and the United States in June 1977....
tapes from 1988 to 1996 by Family Home Entertainment

Family Home Entertainment

'Family Home Entertainment' was an United States home video company founded in 1981. It releases children's and family-oriented programming, most notably the popular 1980s Marvel/Sunbow television series The Transformers, G.I....
. Some reruns were shown for UK audiences on CBBC weekday mornings. In the Republic of Ireland

Republic of Ireland

Ireland is an Island country in north-western Europe. The modern Sovereignty state occupies about five-sixths of the island of Ireland, which was partitioned by the British on 3 May 1921....
, the series ended its original run on August 8, 1998, but the show is still regularly rerun on RTÉ Two

RTÉ Two

RT? Two is Republic of Ireland's second-oldest television channel, operated by Irish state broadcaster Radio Telef?s ?ireann. RT? Two is almost universally available throughout the island of Ireland on the Very high frequency and Ultra high frequency bands, and is also available via satellite television to Irish subscribers of Sky Digital ....
.Current syndication rights reside with CBS Television Distribution

CBS Television Distribution

CBS Television Distribution is a global television distribution company, a merger of CBS Corporation's three television distribution arms CBS Paramount Domestic Television, CBS Paramount International Television, and King World Productions including its home entertainment arm CBS Home Entertainment....
.

Reception

In January 2009, IGN named TMNT as the 55th best show in the Top 100 Best Animated TV Shows.

Voice cast

Character	Voice actor
Leonardo	Cam Clarke Cam Clarke Cameron A. Clarke is an United States voice actor, made famous for his many starring roles in popular video games, animation television and film....
Raphael	Rob Paulsen Rob Paulsen Robert Fredrick Paulsen, III is an United States voice acting best known as the voice behind "Raphael " from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, "Yakko Warner" from Animaniacs and "Pinky_and_the_Brain#Pinky" from Pinky and the Brain....	Michael Gough (Voice Actor) Michael Gough (voice actor) Michael Gough is an American voice actor. He was born in San Jose, California . He is sometimes credited as Michael G.... (1996)
Michelangelo	Townsend Coleman Townsend Coleman Townsend Coleman is an American voice actor who performed in many animated series and TV advertising beginning in the early 1980s. Among his most notable roles are Michaelangelo from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles , Wayne Gretzky on ProStars, the Where's Wally? of Where's Waldo? , and the Tick of The Tick ....
Donatello	Barry Gordon Barry Gordon Barry Gordon is an American film and television actor and political talk show host and producer. He was the longest-serving president of the Screen Actors Guild, from 1988 to 1995....	Greg Berg Greg Berg File:GregBergJan09.jpgGreg Berg is a voice acting. He has done voice-overs for various animated cartoon and computer and video games. He has also been used in films as a voice match for certain male Hollywood actors.... (1989)
Master Splinter	Peter Renaday Peter Renaday Peter Renaday is an United States voice actor....
April O'Neil	Renae Jacobs Renae Jacobs Renae Jacobs is a voice actress perhaps best known for voicing April O'Neil in the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series....
Krang	Pat Fraley Pat Fraley Patrick Fraley is an United States voice actor....	Townsend Coleman Townsend Coleman Townsend Coleman is an American voice actor who performed in many animated series and TV advertising beginning in the early 1980s. Among his most notable roles are Michaelangelo from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles , Wayne Gretzky on ProStars, the Where's Wally? of Where's Waldo? , and the Tick of The Tick ....
Shredder	James Avery Dorian Harewood Dorian Harewood Dorian Harewood is an United States actor known for playing Jesse Owens. He is also known for his roles in Full Metal Jacket and Roots: The Next Generations, and for his co-starring role in the American Broadcasting Company Television series Strike Force.... (1989) Jim Cummings Jim Cummings James Jonah "Jim" Cummings is a two-time Annie Award-nominated United States voice acting.Born in Youngstown, Ohio, Cummings relocated to New Orleans, where he worked on the assembly of Mardi Gras floats.... (1991,1993) Townsend Coleman Townsend Coleman Townsend Coleman is an American voice actor who performed in many animated series and TV advertising beginning in the early 1980s. Among his most notable roles are Michaelangelo from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles , Wayne Gretzky on ProStars, the Where's Wally? of Where's Waldo? , and the Tick of The Tick .... (1993) William E. Martin William E. Martin William E. Martin, also known as Bill Martin, is an United States musician, songwriter, screenwriter, comedic actor and voice actor.A friend of Monkees Michael Nesmith, Martin wrote the first song to be recorded with all four Monkees singing and playing.... (1994,1996)
Rocksteady	Cam Clarke Cam Clarke Cameron A. Clarke is an United States voice actor, made famous for his many starring roles in popular video games, animation television and film....
Bebop	Barry Gordon Barry Gordon Barry Gordon is an American film and television actor and political talk show host and producer. He was the longest-serving president of the Screen Actors Guild, from 1988 to 1995....
Baxter Stockman	Pat Fraley Pat Fraley Patrick Fraley is an United States voice actor....
Rat King	Townsend Coleman Townsend Coleman Townsend Coleman is an American voice actor who performed in many animated series and TV advertising beginning in the early 1980s. Among his most notable roles are Michaelangelo from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles , Wayne Gretzky on ProStars, the Where's Wally? of Where's Waldo? , and the Tick of The Tick ....
Leatherhead	Jim Cummings Jim Cummings James Jonah "Jim" Cummings is a two-time Annie Award-nominated United States voice acting.Born in Youngstown, Ohio, Cummings relocated to New Orleans, where he worked on the assembly of Mardi Gras floats....
Casey Jones	Pat Fraley Pat Fraley Patrick Fraley is an United States voice actor....
Irma Langinstein	Jennifer Darling Jennifer Darling Jennifer Darling is an United States actress and voice actress....
Burne Thompson	Pat Fraley Pat Fraley Patrick Fraley is an United States voice actor....	Townsend Coleman Townsend Coleman Townsend Coleman is an American voice actor who performed in many animated series and TV advertising beginning in the early 1980s. Among his most notable roles are Michaelangelo from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles , Wayne Gretzky on ProStars, the Where's Wally? of Where's Waldo? , and the Tick of The Tick .... (1989)
Zach	Rob Paulsen Rob Paulsen Robert Fredrick Paulsen, III is an United States voice acting best known as the voice behind "Raphael " from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, "Yakko Warner" from Animaniacs and "Pinky_and_the_Brain#Pinky" from Pinky and the Brain....
General Traag	Peter Renaday Peter Renaday Peter Renaday is an United States voice actor....
Barney Stockman	Pat Fraley Pat Fraley Patrick Fraley is an United States voice actor....

DVD releases

Lionsgate Home Entertainment

Lionsgate Home Entertainment is the home video and DVD distribution arm of the Canadian-based Lions Gate Entertainment. Its library of more than 8000 films owes some of its size to output deals with other studios....
has released the series on DVD

DVD

DVD, also known as "Digital Versatile Disc" or "Digital Video Disc,"is a popular optical disc data storage device media format. Its main uses are video and data storage....
in Region 1, currently up to seasons 1–6. Initially it was released in volumes, with each volume containing 9-13 episodes in production order, with the exception of the first volume, which included bonus episodes from the last season. After six volumes, it was announced that the series will now be released in season sets, starting with season 4. However, the later sets are not complete seasons. The episodes "Once Upon a Time Machine" and "Planet of the Turtleoids" (Part 1 and Part 2) continue to not be a part of any season set to date.

The Seventh Season will be released to Region 1 in four separate parts, all on May 12, 2009.

On January 1st 2009, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (original series) Volumes 1/2/3 will be released in Australia via Sony Pictures on 11th March 2009. *NEW INFO* Volumes 4/5/6 will be released on 15th April 2009 in Australia.

In Germany, however, the series is released in a different way. The episodes 170 to 193 were released in late 2007 with german dub only, but the release was no success. In 2009 a second try to release the original series is going to start in March with an all new DVD Boxset. This Set includes the episodes 1 to 25 in the editied german dub form (based on the original UK Hero Turtles Version) and also the uncut footage from the Lions Gate DVDs.

For a more thorough list of the episodes on each DVD, see the list of episodes

List of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987) episodes

The following is an episode list for the List of animated television series Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles which premiered in 1987. In total 193 episodes aired between 1987 and 1996....
.

DVD Name	Ep #	Release Date	Additional Information
Volume 1	5	April 20, 2004	Contains all 5 episodes of season 1 and 4 bonus episodes from season 10
Volume 2	13	April 26, 2005	Contains all 13 episodes of season 2
Volume 3	12	December 6, 2005	Contains episodes 1-12 from season 3
Volume 4	12	April 4, 2006	Contains episodes 13-24 from season 3
Volume 5	12	August 29, 2006	Contains episodes 25-36 from season 3
Volume 6	12	December 5, 2006	Contains episodes 37-47 from season 3 and the first episode of season 4
Season 4	40	March 13, 2007	Contains the remaining 12 syndicated episodes from Season 4, all 26 CBS episodes from Season 4 and one of the final two syndicated episodes of which aired in Season 5, but were left from Season 4. All new interviews with James Avery James L. Avery, Sr. James L. Avery, Sr. , is an Emmy Award winning United States television actor best known for his portrayal of the patriarch and attorney Philip Banks in the television program The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, whom Will Smith's character affectionately called "Uncle Phil".... (the voice of Shredder) and Pat Fraley Pat Fraley Patrick Fraley is an United States voice actor.... (the voice of Krang/Slash) Fresh from the Oven: A Recipe for a Cowabunga Cheese Pizza, Fit for a Ninja Turtle
Season 5	18	August 7, 2007	Contains 18 CBS episodes from Season 5 but does not include the episodes: The Turtle and The Hare, Once Upon a Time Machine, or Planet of the Turtleoids: Part 1 and Part 2 "The Turtles: A Ninjatastic Look Back" featuring all new-interviews with Barry Gordon Barry Gordon Barry Gordon is an American film and television actor and political talk show host and producer. He was the longest-serving president of the Screen Actors Guild, from 1988 to 1995.... (Donatello), Rob Paulsen Rob Paulsen Robert Fredrick Paulsen, III is an United States voice acting best known as the voice behind "Raphael " from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, "Yakko Warner" from Animaniacs and "Pinky_and_the_Brain#Pinky" from Pinky and the Brain.... (Raphael), Cam Clarke Cam Clarke Cameron A. Clarke is an United States voice actor, made famous for his many starring roles in popular video games, animation television and film.... (Leonardo) and Townsend Coleman Townsend Coleman Townsend Coleman is an American voice actor who performed in many animated series and TV advertising beginning in the early 1980s. Among his most notable roles are Michaelangelo from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles , Wayne Gretzky on ProStars, the Where's Wally? of Where's Waldo? , and the Tick of The Tick .... (Michelangelo). "Under The Shell" with Usagi Yojimbo (interview with Townsend Coleman) and Baxter Stockman.
Season 6	16	April 8, 2008	Contains all 16 episodes from Season 6.
Season 7, Part 1	6	May 12, 2009	Contains the first 6 episodes of the "Vacation" side season, which takes place between the first and second episodes of season 4.
Season 7, Part 2	7	May 12, 2009	Contains the last 7 episodes of the "Vacation" side season.
Season 7, Part 3	7	May 12, 2009	Contains the first 7 episodes of the 7th regular season.
Season 7, Part 4	7	May 12, 2009	Contains the last 7 epsiodes of the 7th regular season.

Magazine

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Magazine is a children's magazine published quarterly by Welsh Publishing Group, Inc during the height of TMNT popularity in the late 1980s and early 1990s. It was officially licensed by Eastman and Laird and available by subscription.

The $1.95, 32-page magazine featured articles about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are a fictional team of four turtle mutants, who are trained by their sensei, Splinter , in the art of Ninjutsu....
and a variety of other subjects, including an article on the last page of each issue spotlighting a real life turtle species. Mirage Studios

Mirage Studios

Dan Berger

Dan Berger is an United States comic book artist best known for his work on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series.Berger began his career working on the TMNT Adventures series published by Archie Comics and officially began working on TMNT in August 1989....
and Jim Lawson

Jim Lawson

Jim Lawson is an United States comic book artist best known for his work on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series. Lawson created the Rat King and also co-created the series Planet Racers with Peter Laird....
provided a majority of the covers and spot illustrations. A pullout poster was available in every issue and was painted by Mirage Studios

Mirage Studios

Michael Dooney

Michael Dooney is an United States comic book artist best known for his works on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series. Dooney also created the comic book series, Gizmo in 1986 under Mirage Studios....
.

External links

- Information about the 1987 animated series
at the Big Cartoon DataBase
Big Cartoon DataBase

The Big Cartoon DataBase is an online database of information about animated cartoons, Feature film, Animated television series and cartoon Short film....