YBFREE.comIn Pursuit of Human Interests
| YBFREE.com In Pursuit of Human Interests |
Archives | BLOG | Auctions | Shoppe | Message Board | Company Info | Search |
In the cartoon it was decided to color-code the turtles in order to make it easier for viewers to tell the gang apart. Michelangelo (orange mask) is the fun-loving dude who is kind of stupid and just likes to chill and eat pizza all day. His favorite phrase of course was Cowabunga!, a phrase another animated child stole from the Turtle. Donatello (purple mask) is a techno-whiz and is probably the second most serious Turtle of the group, especially when it comes to computers and other technological gadgets. Leonardo (blue mask) is the serious leader who is always looking to complete the mission and gain favor with his mentor, Splinter. Finally, Raphael (red mask) is the wild member, funny, sarcastic, and often times getting himself into trouble. In the cartoon, he is second to Mikey in terms of goofiness, but in the movies, live-action series and comics, he has an edge to him that puts him at odds with the others in the group.
The show was a huge hit, and stayed that way in syndication, before going to CBS in an hour-long block that aired as part of the networks' Saturday morning lineup. The show introduced so many new characters like Baxter Stockman, the evil scientist that became a fly, Krang, the alien brain that actually ordered Shredder around and Rocksteady and Bebop, the warthog and rhinoceros that always messed up Shredder's ingenious plans. Of course, we can never forget Kala and the Nutrinos, the hot-rodding teenagers who came from Krang's home world of Dimension X. And more importantly, KC Jones, the sicko vigilante who often times helped the Turtles in battles with Shredder, The Rat King and the evil mutated alligator Leatherhead (I guarantee!). There were even some frogs named Napoleon Bonafrog, Genghis Frog and Rasputin (named after the most heinous leaders and personalities of world history) who were supposed to be enemies to the Turtles and ended up becoming their friends.
The show was excellent, very funny, brilliantly written and wonderfully animated. But after many years on the year the stories started getting stale and the jokes were not as funny. Efforts to change the show around, led to Shredder, Splinter, Rocksteady and Bebop being trapped in Dimension X for good, in an episode that was actually very good. As season nine began, a new enemy was introduced and his name was Dregg. The show just didn't seem the same without Shredder and soon, with year ten over, the animated Turtles were no more.
Ten years seemed like a long time to be in animation. The show sold many toys, videos, games and comics. In fat, besides Mirage Studios creating comics, Archie Comics created a brand based on the cartoon, while Image comics resurrected the grittier, edgier comic book format made famous by Mirage. Besides games, toys and comics, there were three live-action movies made, with the first two doing the best in theatres. There was even a live-action band that performed concerts and even had a CD out. With the live-action hoopla gaining the Turtles even more attention, a decision was made that in 1997, the year after the animated show was cancelled, a new show would be created. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation was created in hopes of achieving similar success to that of the Power Rangers and similar shows. The show even featured Venus De Milo, a female turtle that tries to help the team through their battles. April O'Neal, a major focal point of every single animated show is no more and after 26 episodes on FOX, neither is the live action show.
Where are the Turtles today? Well, we have several major announcements to make. While the shows we knew and love are no longer shown on television, even cable, there may be future Turtle shows to enjoy. YBFREE.com reported in the article What was Old is New Again that the Turtles might be seeing the print pages again. In March 2001 Laird announced that he and Jim Lawson are working on an all-new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic series. The series will be reminiscent of the original series and be in black and white. Also in the works is a full length CG animated theatrical film, which will be done in collaboration with Digital Rim Entertainment's John Woo and Terence Chang. The film is said to return the Turtles to their grittier roots. There is even talk that the creators of the Turtles are pitching a CGI-animated show for television. You can check out their site for the complete press release as well as photos of the CGI-Turtles.
This is huge news for all us Turtle fans. I am certainly looking forward to the return of the Turtles. My partner told me they would be making a comeback and she was right. I guess you can't keep a good Turtle down. Cowabunga!!
Send your comments and or questions about this article to Bandwidth@ybfree.com.