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{{Short description|American animated television series}} | |||
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2017}} | |||
{{Infobox television | {{Infobox television | ||
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| image = TMNT1987Series.png | ||
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| caption = | ||
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| alt_name = Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles | ||
| |
| genre = {{Plainlist| | ||
* ] | |||
| genre = ]/]<br>]<br />]<br>]<br>]<br />] | |||
* ] | |||
| creator = | |||
* ] | |||
| based_on = '']''<br />by ]<br />] | |||
* ] | |||
| developer = ]<br />Patti Howeth | |||
* ] | |||
| writer = | |||
| director = ] <small>(season 1)</small><br />] <small>(seasons 2–7)</small><br />] <small>(seasons 8–10)</small> | |||
| creative_director = | |||
| presenter = | |||
| voices = ]<br />]<br />]<br />]<br />]<br />]<br />]<br />]<br />]<br />] | |||
| narrated = | |||
| theme_music_composer = ]<br />] | |||
| opentheme = | |||
| endtheme = | |||
| composer = | |||
| country = ] | |||
| language = | |||
| num_seasons = 10 | |||
| num_episodes = 193 | |||
| list_episodes = List of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987 TV series) episodes | |||
| executive_producer = Mark Freedman | |||
| producer = ] <small>(season 1)</small><br />]<br />] <small>(seasons 2–7)</small><br />]<br />] <small>(seasons 8–10)</small> | |||
| editor = | |||
| cinematography = | |||
| camera = | |||
| runtime = 22 minutes | |||
| company = ]<ref name="Solomon">{{Cite news|title= 'Ninja Turtles' Crawls Out, Lands on Back|work= The Los Angeles Times|date=1987-12-28|url= http://articles.latimes.com/1987-12-28/entertainment/ca-21302_1_mutant-ninja-turtles|accessdate=2010-08-22 | first=Charles | last=Solomon}}</ref><small>(1987–92)<br />IDDH<br />Fred Wolf Films Dublin<br />(1992–96)</small><br />]<br />(1988–94)</small><br />]<br />Surge Licensing | |||
| distributor = ]<br>] | |||
| network = ] (1987–1990)<br />] (1990–1996)<ref name="nytimes.com">{{cite news|title= THE MEDIA BUSINESS; Ninja Turtles Save the Day For CBS Children's Lineup|work= The New York Times|date=November 26, 1990|url= https://www.nytimes.com/1990/11/26/business/the-media-business-ninja-turtles-save-the-day-for-cbs-children-s-lineup.html|accessdate=2010-08-07 | first=Bill | last=Carter}}</ref> | |||
| picture_format = 480i ] | |||
| audio_format = Stereo | |||
| first_aired = December 28, 1987 | |||
| last_aired = November 2, 1996 | |||
| followed_by = '']'' | |||
| website = | |||
| production_website = | |||
}} | }} | ||
| creator = | |||
'''''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles''''' (initially known as '''''Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles''''' in some European countries ] at the time, and also known as '''''TMNT 1987''''') is an American ] ] produced by the studio ] and the French company ]. The pilot was shown during the week of December 28, 1987 in syndication as a five-part ] and the show began its official run on October 1, 1988. Since then the show and franchise has become a worldwide phenomenon. The series featured the ] characters created in ] form by ] and ]. The property was changed considerably from the darker-toned comic, to make it more suitable for children and the family.<ref>{{cite news|title= Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles On TV|work= IGN|date=21 March 2007|url=http://uk.tv.ign.com/articles/774/774796p1.html|accessdate=15 August 2010}}</ref> | |||
| based_on = {{Based on|] created|] and ]}} | |||
| creative_director = ] (seasons 1–3)<br>Gary Selvaggio (seasons 4–5)<br>Frank Rocco (seasons 6–7)<br>George Goodchild (seasons 8–9)<br>Kyle Menke (season 10) | |||
The initial motivation behind the ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' animated series was that, upon being approached to create a toy line, ] was uneasy with the comic-book characters' small ].<ref>{{cite news|title= Show Business: Lean, Green and on the Screen | |||
| director = ] (seasons 1-6)<br>Bill Wolf (season 3)<br>Bruno-Rene Huchez (season 7)<br>Bill Hutten (season 7)<br>Tony Love (seasons 7-10) | |||
|work= Time|date=April 2, 1990|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,969727-2,00.html#ixzz0h91fnBrj | |||
| story = ] (seasons 1–3, 6–7)<br>] (seasons 4–5, 8–9)<br>Jeffrey Scott (season 10) | |||
|accessdate=3 March 2010 | first=Janice C. | last=Simpson}}</ref> 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 ] in the summer of 1988.<ref>{{cite news|title= DYNAMIC DUO: Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird; Turning Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Into a Monster|work= The New York Times|date=December 25, 1988|url= https://www.nytimes.com/1988/12/25/business/dynamic-duo-kevin-eastman-peter-laird-turning-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-into.html?scp=1&sq=ninja%20turtles&st=cse&pagewanted=2|accessdate=7 August 2010 | first=Douglas C. | last=McGill}}</ref> The two media would correspond in marketing style and popularity for many years to come. | |||
| voices = {{Plainlist| | |||
* ] | |||
] and Patti Howeth wrote the screenplay for the first five-part miniseries.<ref name="Solomon" /> When the series continued in the second season, comic artist ] joined the show as the executive story editor. Wise went on to write over seventy episodes of the series, and was executive story editor for four later seasons as well. Wise left the series partway through the ninth season, and Jeffrey Scott took over as the story editor and chief writer for the rest of the show's run. | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ]}} | |||
| theme_music_composer = ]<br>] | |||
| opentheme = | |||
| endtheme = | |||
| composer = | |||
| country = United States | |||
| language = | |||
| num_seasons = 10 | |||
| num_episodes = 193 | |||
| list_episodes = List of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987 TV series) episodes | |||
| executive_producer = Mark Freedman<br>Sung Chul Ha (seasons 4–5) | |||
| producer = {{Plainlist| | |||
* Walt Kubiak | |||
* Fred Wolf | |||
* Osamu Yoshioka (seasons 1–3) | |||
* ] (seasons 1–2) | |||
* ] (seasons 3–7) | |||
* Bill Wolf (season 8–10) | |||
* ] (seasons 8–10)}} | |||
| editor = | |||
| animator = ], A-1 Productions, Fred Wolf Films Dublin, and others | |||
| cinematography = | |||
| camera = | |||
| runtime = 22 minutes | |||
| company = ]<ref name="Solomon">{{Cite news|title= 'Ninja Turtles' Crawls Out, Lands on Back|work= The Los Angeles Times|date=December 28, 1987|url= https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-12-28-ca-21302-story.html|access-date=October 6, 2017| first=Charles | last=Solomon|df=mdy-all}}</ref> | |||
| network = ] (1987–91)<br />] (1990–96)<ref name="nytimes.com">{{cite news|title= THE MEDIA BUSINESS; Ninja Turtles Save the Day For CBS Children's Lineup|work= The New York Times|date=November 26, 1990|url= https://www.nytimes.com/1990/11/26/business/the-media-business-ninja-turtles-save-the-day-for-cbs-children-s-lineup.html|access-date=October 6, 2017 | first=Bill | last=Carter|df=mdy-all}}</ref> | |||
| first_aired = {{Start date|1987|12|28}} | |||
| last_aired = {{End date|1996|11|2}} | |||
}} | |||
'''''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles''''' (also known as '''''Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles''''' in some regions) is an American ] produced by ], and based on the ] created by ] and ]. Set in New York City, the series follows the adventures of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and their allies as they battle the ], ], and numerous other villains and criminals. The property was changed considerably from the darker-toned comics, to make it more suitable for children and families. | |||
The pilot was shown during the week of December 28, 1987 in syndication as a five-part ], and the show began its full-time run on October 1, 1988, and ended on November 2, 1996. The show was the first television appearance of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and helped launch the characters into mainstream popularity, becoming one of the most popular animated series in television history. ]s, ]s, ], and other merchandise featuring the characters appeared on the market during the late 1980s and early 1990s and became top sellers worldwide.<ref>{{cite news|title= Shell Schlocked|publisher= ]|date= October 12, 1990|url= https://ew.com/article/1990/10/12/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-rock-show/|access-date= December 19, 2010|archive-date= June 30, 2014|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140630190958/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,318331,00.html|url-status= live}}</ref> By 1990, the series was being shown daily on more than 125 television stations. | |||
The show was in ] syndication from October 1, 1988 to September 9, 1989, and 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.<ref name="nytimes.com" /> Starting on September 8, 1990 (with a different opening sequence), the show began its secondary run on ]'s ] lineup, beginning as a 60-minute block from 1990 to 1993, initially airing a couple of Saturday exclusive episodes back to back. There would also be a brief "Turtle Tips" segment in between the two episodes which served as PSA about the environment or other issues. There were a total of 20 "Turtle Tips" segments produced and aired. Beginning in 1994, the show began airing as a 30-minute block until the series ended. The series ran until November 2, 1996, when it aired its final episode. | |||
Characters from the show have been included in crossovers with later entries of the franchise, including the 2009 film '']'' and recurring roles in ] for ]. | |||
The show helped launch the characters into mainstream popularity and became one of the most popular animated series in television history. ], ], and all manner of products featuring the characters appeared on the market during the late 1980s and early 1990s.<ref>{{cite news|title= Shell Schlocked|publisher= ]|date=October 12, 1990|url= http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,318331,00.html|accessdate=19 December 2010}}</ref> A successful ] ] based on the animated show instead of the original black-and-white comics was published throughout the early 1990s and late 2000s. 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. | |||
== |
==Series overview== | ||
{{main |
{{main|List of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987 TV series) episodes}} | ||
{{:List of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987 TV series) episodes}}{{anchor|Episodes}} | |||
===Seasons 1–7=== | ===Seasons 1–7=== | ||
The origins story in the 1987 television series deviates significantly from the original ] comics. In this version, ] was formerly human, an honorable ninja master named ] |
The origins story in the 1987 television series deviates significantly from the original ] comics. In this version, ] was formerly human, an honorable ninja master named ] who studied ] as a hobby. He was banished from the ] (a Japanese dynasty of ninjas founded by one of his distant ancestors<ref>''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' 1987 series episode "The Legend of Koji"</ref>) after one of his students, the power-hungry and seditious ] (who resented Yoshi's leadership within the clan and aspired to usurp him), set him up for an offense against a visiting master ]. Disgraced, Yoshi was forced to leave his native Japan and relocate to ], where he began living in the ] with the rats as his only friends. Saki was given command of the Foot Clan, which he corrupted and transformed into a criminal organization. | ||
Sometime later, Yoshi adopted four turtles after they were accidentally dropped into the sewers by a young boy named Chester Manley. He returned from his explorations around New York City one day to find the turtles covered with a strange glowing ooze. This substance caused the turtles, who were most recently exposed to Yoshi, to become humanoid, while Yoshi, who was most recently exposed to sewer rats, became a humanoid rat, and was given the name "Splinter" by the turtles. Yoshi raises the four turtles as his sons and trains them in the art of ninjitsu. He names them ], ], ], and ], after his favorite ] artists.<ref>''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' 1987 series episode "Turtle Tracks"</ref> | |||
Oroku Saki eventually leaves Japan and tracks Yoshi to New York City, where he intends to destroy him once and for all. It is also around this time that he begins working with ], a disembodied alien brain from ] who ruled his native realm with an iron fist until he was stripped of his body and banished to Earth. Saki takes on a new pseudonym, "]", donning a suit covered with razor spikes, and complemented by a long purple cape, a metal samurai helmet, and a metal mask over his mouth.<ref>''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' 1987 series episode "Enter the Shredder"</ref> Since leaving Japan, his ambitions have grown from usurping leadership of the Foot Clan to world domination. To this end, Krang provides the Shredder with a vast array of powerful technology from Dimension X, including the ], and funds most of his schemes throughout the series. | |||
Yoshi raises the four turtles as his sons and trains them in the art of ninjitsu. He names them after his favorite ] artists: ] (]), ] (]), ] (]), and ] (]). In most versions, the Turtles tend to go by nicknames ''Don''/''Donnie'', ''Leo'', ''Mikey'' and ''Raph'', but in this version they are always addressed by their full names. Each Turtle wears a mask over his eyes with a distinctive color (whereas in the original Mirage comics, they all had red masks): blue for Leonardo, purple for Donatello, red for Raphael, and orange for Michelangelo; and they are each trained in the art of a distinct weapon, with Leonardo wielding ], Donatello wielding a ] staff, Raphael wielding ], and Michelangelo wielding ] (which were later replaced with a grappling hook, although the nunchuks still appeared on occasion).<ref>''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' 1987 series episode "Turtle Tracks"</ref> | |||
It becomes clear early on in the series that the mutagen which transformed the Turtles and Splinter into their new forms was dumped into the sewers by Shredder in an effort to murder Yoshi, as he had mistakenly believed it to be a deadly poison rather than a transformative agent. After several years of training under Splinter, the Turtles set out to find whoever is responsible for their transformation, and upon learning that Shredder was behind it, they vow to put an end to his ongoing criminal career and restore Splinter back to his human form. Along the way, they rescue and befriend Channel 6 news reporter ], who becomes one of their strongest allies. The Turtles, who had rarely left the sewers prior to meeting April, also began to take on the role of semi-vigilante crime fighters. Despite this, they frequently have to deal with citizens misunderstanding them, largely due to the efforts of Channel 6 newsmen Burne Thompson and Vernon Fenwick, who both distrust the Turtles and frequently and wrongfully blame them for the trouble that Shredder and Krang cause. As a result, they mainly have to rely on April (either via Turtle-com, or Channel 6 news reports) to inform them of crimes in the city, and to counteract Burne and Vernon's smear and bad-tempered campaigns against them with her own news coverage of the Turtles, portraying them as a force for good. Reluctant to expose themselves to the outside world, the Turtles initially wear disguises whenever they leave the sewers, although this is slowly relaxed as the series progresses and they gain the trust of the broader populace, whom they have saved from Shredder and other villains on many occasions. | |||
Oroku Saki eventually leaves Japan and tracks Yoshi to New York City, where he intends to destroy him once and for all. It is also around this time that he begins working with ], a disembodied alien brain from ] who ruled his native realm with an iron fist until he was stripped of his body and banished to ]. Saki takes on a new pseudonym, "]", donning a suit covered with razor spikes, and complemented by a long cape, a metal samurai helmet, and a metal mask over his mouth.<ref>''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' 1987 series episode "Enter the Shredder"</ref> Since leaving Japan, his ambitions have grown from usurping leadership of the Foot Clan, to world domination. To this end, Krang provides the Shredder with a vast array of powerful technology from Dimension X, including the ], and funds most of his schemes throughout the series (in exchange for building Krang a powerful new android body, which he eventually does by the end of season 1). | |||
Shredder, Krang, Bebop & Rocksteady, ], and their legions of ] repeatedly try to destroy the Turtles and take over the world. Much of their quest for world domination hinges on repowering Krang's mobile fortress, the ], and bringing it to the Earth's surface, as it was either buried deep under New York City (Season 1), stuck in Dimension X (Seasons 2 and 4), embedded in the ] (Season 3), stranded in the ] (Season 5), or at the bottom of the ] (Seasons 6 and 7). However, their plans always fail, often landing the villains in humorous predicaments. Some episodes feature other minor villains, such as the ], ], ], General Traag and Granitor, and many others, or involve the TMNT getting themselves and the city out of a mess that they had inadvertently caused. | |||
It becomes clear early on in the series that the mutagen which transformed the Turtles and Splinter into their new forms was dumped into the sewers by Shredder in an effort to murder Yoshi, as he had mistakenly believed it to be a deadly poison rather than a transformative agent. After several years of training under Splinter, the Turtles set out to find whoever is responsible for their transformation, and upon learning that Shredder was behind it, they vow to put an end to his ongoing criminal career and restore Splinter back to his human form, despite the risk that they themselves could be de-mutated and changed back into ordinary turtles, thus losing all of their humanoid abilities. Along the way, they befriend Channel 6 news reporter ] after rescuing her from a gang of street punks (among them were ] in their pre-mutated forms) who had chased her into the sewers. The Turtles, who had rarely left the sewers prior to meeting April, also began to take on the role of semi-vigilante crime fighters, operating outside of the jurisdiction of law enforcement, much like ]. Despite this, they frequently have to deal with citizens misunderstanding them, which is due in no small part to the efforts of Burne Thompson, April's employer, and Vernon Fenwick, a Channel 6 cameraman, who distrust the Turtles and frequently blame them for the trouble that Shredder and Krang cause. As a result, they mainly have to rely on April (either via Turtle-com, or Channel 6 news reports) to inform them of crimes in the city, and to counteract Burne and Vernon's smear campaigns against them with her own news coverage of the Turtles, portraying them as a force for good, although doing so frequently lands her in trouble with her employers and various criminals throughout the city. Reluctant to expose themselves to the outside world, the Turtles usually wear disguises whenever they leave the sewers, although this is slowly relaxed as the series progresses and they gain the trust of the broader populace, whom they have saved from Shredder and other villains on many occasions. Even at Channel 6, the Turtles befriend secretary Irma from the second season onwards. | |||
====Vacation in Europe==== | |||
Shredder, Krang, Bebop & Rocksteady (two street thugs who were mutated into a humanoid ] and ] respectively, after being exposed to Shredder's mutagen and the aforementioned animals, which were stolen from the zoo), ] (an inventor who is briefly employed by Shredder until he is sent into Dimension X, where he is accidentally transformed into a mutant fly by Krang, who had intended to execute him; ever since then, he has sought revenge against both the Turtles and Shredder/Krang for his transformation and for attempting to kill him), and their legions of ] repeatedly try to destroy the Turtles and take over the world. Much of their quest for world domination hinges on repowering the ] (Krang's mobile fortress, and their base of operations) and bringing it to the Earth's surface, as it was either buried deep under New York City (season 1), stuck in Dimension X (seasons 2 and 4), embedded in the ] (season 3), stranded in the ] (season 5), or at the bottom of the ] (seasons 6 and 7). However, their plans always fail, often landing the villains in humorous predicaments. Some episodes feature other, usually minor villains as antagonists, such as the ] (a homeless man living in the sewers who has control over rats and believes that he is one himself; he considers all other species inferior and aspires to establish a rat-controlled government above ground), ] (a mutated ] ] who speaks with a ] accent), ] (a savage, humanoid mutant turtle with brute strength and low intelligence; he was Bebop's pet turtle before he was exposed to mutagen), General Traag and Granitor (two high ranking Rock Warriors who are loyal to Krang and command a vast army in Dimension X, which Krang often tries to bring to the Earth in order to conquer it), and many others. Some episodes also involve the TMNT getting themselves and the city out of a mess that one of the Turtles (usually Michelangelo or Donatello) inadvertently cause. | |||
Season 7 featured a "Vacation in Europe" side-season that took place during the fourth season where the Turtles, April, and Splinter win a vacation in Europe and end up fighting Shredder, Krang, and other villains across Europe. | |||
===Seasons 8–10=== | ===Seasons 8–10=== | ||
In the last three seasons, the show |
In the last three seasons, the show went through dramatic changes. The humor was toned down significantly, the animation became darker, the color of the sky in each episode was changed to a continuous, ominous dark-red sky (commonplace with newer action-oriented children's programming at the time), the ] was changed, the introduction sequence added in clips from ], and the show took on a darker, more action-oriented atmosphere, reminiscent to the original comics.<ref>''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' 1987 series episode "Get Shredder"</ref> The Turtles' demeanor evolved into a more serious and determined one than in prior seasons, and they devoted most of their time to tracking down villains.<ref name=aipt/> The series' main antagonists—Shredder, Krang, Bebop, and Rocksteady—who had previously been depicted as dangerous but comically inept villains, were now portrayed as a more menacing, unified threat. Additionally, Krang was revealed to have seized power in Dimension X through numerous betrayals and widespread destruction, resulting in old enemies seeking vengeance.<ref name=aipt>{{cite web|url=http://www.adventuresinpoortaste.com/2015/12/29/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-1987-season-8-review/|title=Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987) season 8 Review|publisher=Adventures in Poor Taste|language=en|author=Mark Pellegrini|date=December 29, 2015|access-date=January 9, 2016}}</ref> Many recurring characters and villains were written out of the show by this point, with more focus placed on the main cast. The eighth season was also noted for the destruction of the Channel 6 building, which led to April working freelance.<ref name=aipt/> | ||
At the end of the seventh season, the Turtles sent the Technodrome through a portal into Dimension X, but without Shredder, Krang, Bebop, and Rocksteady. As a result, the villains were stranded on Earth without any weapons or power, and were forced to work out of an old science building until they could find a way back into Dimension X to retrieve the Technodrome. The Turtles, taking advantage of the situation, pursue their arch enemies relentlessly in an effort to put an end to their schemes once and for all. Eventually, Shredder and Krang, along with Bebop and Rocksteady, build a new portal into Dimension X and reclaim the Technodrome, although the Turtles manage to track them down with the help of Gargon, a mutated resident of Dimension X who was being held prisoner by Shredder and Krang. At the end of Season 8, the TMNT finally banish Shredder, Krang, Bebop, and Rocksteady to Dimension X by destroying the Technodrome's engines and trans-dimensional portal, preventing them from returning to Earth.<ref>''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' 1987 series episode "Turtle Trek"</ref> | |||
The Turtles, likewise, underwent a few changes. Although their personalities remained mostly the same, their demeanor evolved into a more serious and determined one than in prior seasons. Michelangelo, for example, did not obsess over pizza or goof off as much as before, and Raphael made lighthearted, fourth-wall breaking jokes far less often. And in contrast to earlier episodes in which the Turtles would spend most of their time training, relaxing, or partying, and only countering a threat when it arose, they devoted most of their time and energy to tracking down Shredder, Krang, or Lord Dregg, and putting them away for good.<ref name=aipt/> | |||
From Season 9 onwards, Lord Dregg, an evil alien warlord from Dimension X, appeared as the new lead villain. He begins a ] ] against the Turtles, turning the general population against them and in favor of him and his forces. Although Dregg is outed as a villain at the end of Season 9,<ref>''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' 1987 series episode "Doomquest"</ref> the Turtles are never able to regain the trust of the broader population, due to an earlier smear campaign by Burne and Vernon that wrongfully blamed the Turtles for the destruction of the Channel 6 building. Additionally, the Turtles began to suffer from secondary mutations that temporarily transformed them into monstrous hulks with diminished intelligence, a problem that would not be completely resolved until Season 10. The TMNT also gain a new ally in the form of Carter, a brash African American male who initially sought out Master Splinter for training in ninjitsu, but is eventually exposed to mutagen and contracts an incurable mutation disease. | |||
Additionally, a number of recurring villains had been written out of the show by this point, including Baxter Stockman (who is trapped in dimensional limbo), Leatherhead (whose fate is unknown, but it is assumed that he has long since returned to the Florida swamps), Pinky McFingers (who has been in jail since season 6), Slash (who was last seen running away at the end of "Night of the Rogues" in season 7), Big Louie (fate unknown, but presumably in jail), Don Turtelli (presumably in jail), and Groundchuck/Dirtbag (jailed on the Turtleoid planet). The Rat King, however, makes one final appearance in the second episode of season 8, where he is defeated once more by the Turtles and apprehended by the police, never to be seen again. With the exception of April, the Channel 6 news crew were all gradually phased out of the show by the end of season 8, and many other secondary protagonists (such as the Neutrinos, the Punk Frogs, Mondo Gecko, Zach, Kerma, etc.) were dropped from the show completely. | |||
In the final season of the series, Dregg's sycophantic henchman Mung encounters Shredder and Krang, who are still stranded in Dimension X. They told him that they had battled the Turtles for years, but even though Shredder claimed to have destroyed them, Mung knew that he was lying. Soon afterward, Mung returns to Dregg's ship and informs him of their encounter, and Dregg decides to bring both Shredder and Krang back from Dimension X to help him fight the Turtles. However, the pair immediately rebel against Dregg and leave, continuing on where they left off before they were banished at the end of Season 8. Back on Earth, Shredder and Krang kidnap April O'Neil and do battle with the Turtles once more, although they are all soon transported back to Dregg's lair. The Turtles initially have the upper hand in the fight, but Shredder and Krang are able to subdue them after reluctantly agreeing to work with Dregg. As he prepares to drain the Turtles of their life energies, Shredder and Krang betray Lord Dregg and force him onto one of the operating tables, intending to drain both him and the Turtles of their power. Dregg, however, manages to escape and uses his microbots to capture Shredder and Krang. Although he successfully drains the Turtles and Krang of their life energies, Shredder breaks free before Dregg is able to take anything from him.<ref>''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' 1987 series episode "The Power of Three"</ref> Shredder spends the next two episodes finding a way to heal Krang and dispose of Dregg so that they may take control of his armies and conquer the Earth, but in the ensuing confrontation they are permanently transported back to Dimension X. Carter also bids farewell to the Turtles as he travels to the future to look for a cure for his mutation.<ref>''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' 1987 series episode "Turtles to the Second Power"</ref> In the final episode of the series, Michaelangelo and Donatello travel to Dimension X to retrieve Krang's mechanical body from the (now abandoned and completely destroyed) Technodrome, which is sitting on a hill standing upright (whereas at the end of Season 8, an alien plant had dragged it down into a deep pit), suggesting that Shredder and Krang initially tried to repair the Technodrome before declaring it a lost cause. Shredder, Krang, Bebop, and Rocksteady are nowhere to be seen. The Turtles eventually find Krang's suit and use it in a final confrontation with Dregg, which ends with the Turtles banishing Dregg to Dimension X. Splinter congratulates the Turtles on their victory and, now that all of their enemies have been vanquished, states that he has nothing more to teach them, calling them his equals.<ref>''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' 1987 series episode "Divide and Conquer"</ref> | |||
At the end of the seventh season, the Turtles send the Technodrome through a portal into Dimension X, but without Shredder, Krang, Bebop, and Rocksteady. As a result, the villains are now stranded on Earth without any weapons or power, and they are forced to work out of an old science building until they can find a way back into Dimension X and retrieve the Technodrome (which had landed in a black hole with General Traag and his battalion of Rock Warriors trapped inside). The Turtles, taking advantage of the situation, relentlessly pursue their arch enemies in an effort to put an end to their schemes once and for all. Eventually, Shredder and Krang, along with Bebop and Rocksteady, build a new portal into Dimension X and reclaim the Technodrome, although the Turtles manage to track them down with the help of Gargon (a mutated resident of Dimension X who was being held prisoner by Shredder and Krang). Gargon initially intended to betray the Turtles by leading them into Shredder's trap on the planet Balaraphon, but he switches sides after seeing them rescue innocent villagers from Krang's army of Rock Soldiers. At the end of season 8, the TMNT finally banish Shredder, Krang, Bebop, and Rocksteady to Dimension X by destroying the engines and the "trans-dimensional portal" of the ] (although the Turtles were able to use the portal at least twice afterwards; the reasons for this are unexplained), preventing them from returning to Earth.<ref>''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' 1987 series episode "Turtle Trek"</ref> From season 9 onwards, a new villain called Lord Dregg (voiced by ]), an evil alien warlord from Dimension X, appeared as the new chief nemesis. He begins a ] ] against the Turtles, turning the general population against them and in favor of him and his forces. Although Dregg is outed as a villain at the end of season 9,<ref>''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' 1987 series episode "Doomquest"</ref> the Turtles are never able to regain the trust of the broader population, which is mainly due to an earlier smear campaign by Burne and Vernon, who blamed the Turtles for the destruction of the Channel 6 building in season 8. Additionally, the Turtles began to suffer from mutations that would temporarily transform them into monstrous hulks with diminished intelligence, a problem that would not be completely resolved until season 10. The TMNT also gain a new ally in the form of Carter, a brash African American male who initially sought out Master Splinter for training in ninjitsu, but is eventually exposed to mutagen and contracts an incurable mutation disease. | |||
In the final season of the series, Dregg's sycophantic henchman Mung encounters Shredder and Krang, who are still stranded in Dimension X. They told him that they had battled the Turtles for years, but even though Shredder claimed to have destroyed them (probably out of embarrassment and humiliation for his failure to actually do so), Mung knew that he was lying. No mention is made of Bebop or Rocksteady, suggesting that they are either dead or have long since parted ways with Shredder and Krang. Soon afterwards, Mung returns to Dregg's ship and informs him of their encounter, and Dregg decides to bring both Shredder and Krang back from Dimension X to help him fight the Turtles. However, the pair immediately rebel against Dregg and leave, continuing on where they left off before they were banished at the end of season 8. Back on Earth, Shredder and Krang kidnap April O'Neil and do battle with the Turtles once more, although they are all soon transported back to Dregg's lair. The Turtles initially have the upper hand in the fight, but Shredder and Krang are able to subdue them after reluctantly agreeing to work with Dregg. As he prepares to drain the Turtles of their life energies, Shredder and Krang betray Lord Dregg and force him onto one of the operating tables, intending to drain both him and the Turtles of their power (which is what Dregg had intended to do to Shredder and Krang all along). Dregg, however, manages to escape and uses his microbots to capture Shredder and Krang. Although he successfully drains the Turtles and Krang of their life energies, Shredder breaks free before Dregg is able to take anything from him.<ref>''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' 1987 series episode "The Power of Three"</ref> Shredder spends the duration of the next two episodes finding a way to heal Krang (which he eventually does) and dispose of Dregg so that they may take control of his armies and conquer the Earth, but in the ensuing confrontation they are permanently transported back to Dimension X, never to be seen again. In the same episode, Carter also bids farewell to the Turtles as he travels to the future to look for a cure for his mutation.<ref>''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' 1987 series episode "Turtles to the Second Power"</ref> In the final episode of the series, Michelangelo and Donatello travel to Dimension X to retrieve Krang's mechanical body in the (now abandoned and completely destroyed) Technodrome, which is sitting on a hill standing upright (whereas at the end of season 8, an alien plant had dragged it down into a deep pit), suggesting that Shredder and Krang initially tried to repair the Technodrome before declaring it a lost cause. Shredder, Krang, Bebop, and Rocksteady are nowhere to be seen, and it is assumed that they are either dead or still somewhere in Dimension X. The Turtles eventually find Krang's suit and use it in a final confrontation with Dregg, which ends with the Turtles banishing Dregg to Dimension X (and possibly killing him as well, by sending Krang's android suit back with him as it is about to explode). Splinter congratulates the Turtles on their victory and, now that all of their enemies have been vanquished, states that he has nothing more to teach them, calling them his equals.<ref>''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' 1987 series episode "Divide and Conquer"</ref> | |||
===Subsequent works=== | ===Subsequent works=== | ||
In 2009, the Turtles, Shredder, Krang, and various other characters from the 1987 series returned for the 25th |
In 2009, the Turtles, Shredder, Krang, and various other characters from the 1987 series returned for the 25th-anniversary crossover movie '']'', in which they meet up with their counterparts from ]. Due to financial restrictions, none of the original voice actors were able to reprise their roles, and replacement actors were used. | ||
In April 2013, Ciro Nieli, the executive producer of the ], confirmed in an interview that the 1987 Turtles would cameo in a one-hour special in season 2. Cam Clarke, Townsend Coleman, Barry Gordon and Rob Paulsen (who voiced Donatello in the 2012 series) reprise their roles as Leonardo, |
In April 2013, ], the executive producer of the ], confirmed in an interview that the 1987 Turtles would cameo in a one-hour special in season 2. Cam Clarke, Townsend Coleman, Barry Gordon, and Rob Paulsen (who voiced Donatello in the 2012 series) reprise their roles as Leonardo, Michaelangelo, Donatello, and Raphael, respectively, in the closing of the episode "]".<ref>{{cite news|last=Truitt|first=Brian|title='TMNT' embraces animated Turtle power in five ways|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/2013/04/03/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-animated-series/2048617/|newspaper=USA Today|date=April 3, 2013}}</ref> The 1987 turtles also had a crossover with the 2012 turtles in the season 4 episode, "]". In addition with the lead cast members reprising their roles from the episode, ] also reprised his role as ]<ref> Comicbook.com, Retrieved March 7, 2016</ref> who is depicted as a relative of Kraang Subprime that was banished to Earth in the 1980s reality for being incompetent. The 1987 turtles also returned during ] of the 2012 series for a three-part special, "Wanted: Bebop and Rocksteady", along with the original Shredder, Foot soldiers, Krang, Technodrome, and both Bebop and Rocksteady.<ref> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171028123604/http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Teenage-Mutant-Ninja-Turtles-Wanted-Bebop-and-Rocksteady/23437 |date=October 28, 2017 }} TVshowsondvd.com, Retrieved November 13, 2017</ref> Both Gordon and Clarke reprised their roles as Bebop and Rocksteady, while the Shredder is voiced by the 2012 incarnation's voice actor ], due to James Avery's passing in 2013. | ||
==Soundtrack== | |||
Through most of the series, the episodes featured a recurring ] which reflected the mood of the situation, as well as ID music for settings such as the ], the New York City ], Channel 6, etc.. The soundtrack was composed by ] (credited as "D.C. Brown" and later as "Dennis C. Brown") and ]. Lorre recorded the theme song (and performed the spoken parts) and became a successful television producer. The performer of the song was James Mandell (aka Miles Doppler).<ref>{{cite news|title=Meet The Original Singer of the ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ Theme Song!|work= DISH Nation|date=|url=http://www.dishnation.com/meet-the-original-singer-of-the-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-theme-song/}}</ref> To date the soundtrack has never been released for retail. | |||
The Channel 6 News theme music also appeared in the '']'' video game. | |||
==Voice acting== | |||
Casting for the show took place in ]. During recording of the voice acting, all the main cast recorded together. According to ], voice-actress of the reporter ], working together "was great for camaraderie and relationships. We played off each other...there was a lot of ]."<ref name="tmntfansite">{{cite news | |||
| title = | |||
Chatting with April O’Neil – An Interview With Renae Jacobs | |||
| first = | |||
| last = | |||
| url = http://teenagemutantninjaturtles.com/blog/chatting-with-april-oneil-an-interview-with-renae-jacobs | |||
| newspaper = | |||
| publisher = TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles.com | |||
| date = April 9, 2013 | |||
| accessdate = 2013-04-11 | |||
}}</ref> | |||
Also according to Jacobs, the actors frequently undermined the efforts of the show's creators to make the show grittier and more serious, instead embracing silliness and jokes for both children and adults.<ref name="tmntfansite" /> | |||
{{Blockquote|" were kind of like the ], ], ], ] and all of those wonderful, fabulous old radio personalities and early movie personalities all rolled up into one. Those guys put the heart and soul into those turtles and came up with those personalities."|], Interview<ref>{{cite web|url=http://teenagemutantninjaturtles.com/blog/chatting-with-april-oneil-an-interview-with-renae-jacobs |title=Chatting with April O'Neil – An Interview With Renae Jacobs |publisher=Teenagemutantninjaturtles.com |date=2013-04-09 |accessdate=2014-08-11}}</ref>}} | |||
==Characters== | ==Characters== | ||
{{main|List of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles characters}} | |||
===Overview=== | |||
===Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles=== | |||
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" | |||
* ''']''' (voiced by ]) – The blue-masked turtle who wields two ]. He is the leader and commander of the Turtles and is the closest to Splinter. He is the most serious, level-headed member of the team, who values his leadership. | |||
* ''']''' (voiced by ] in most episodes, ] in six Season 3 episodes and one episode of the European side-season) – The purple-masked turtle who wields a ] staff. He is the scientist and intellectual of the team who is constantly tinkering with various inventions. Donatello's capabilities in science and technology have been key factors for the Turtles' successes in their battles with Shredder and other villains. | |||
* ''']''' (voiced by ] in Season 1-9, ] in two Season 3 episodes, ] in the European side-season, and ] in Season 10) – The red-masked turtle who wields two ]. Although Raphael is depicted as an angry impulsive hothead in most other TMNT media, he is the comedian of the team who often comes out with sarcastic and witty remarks in the 1987 series. He provides comic relief for the show, constantly breaking the fourth wall. | |||
* ''']''' (voiced by ]) – The orange-masked turtle who wields a pair of ]s, which is later changed to a ]. He is the goofy, fun-loving "party animal" of the team who often speaks in surfer slang, and is the source for many of the show's ]s, such as "Cowabunga!". More so than any other Turtle, he is obsessed with pizza and enjoys experimenting with various toppings, even when the other Turtles find it gross. He is also considered to be the least intelligent member of the team, especially by Raphael. | |||
===Allies=== | |||
* ''']''' (voiced by ] in most appearances, ] in two Season 5 episodes) – A strict and wizened sensei who used to teach Oroku Saki, until the latter set him up for an offense towards his master which he did not commit and was exiled from the Foot Clan. Since then, he has lived in the sewers of Manhattan as a homeless man with the rats and his four pet turtles as his only friends. Upon being exposed to the same mutagen that changed the turtles into their present anthropomorphic forms, Hamato Yoshi transformed into a humanoid mutant ] (as he had most recently been exposed to rats) and trained the Turtles in ninjutsu. It is later revealed that one of his distant ancestors is the founder of the Foot Clan. | |||
* ''']''' (voiced by ]) – A red-headed TV reporter from Channel 6 News (later a freelance reporter in Seasons 9 and 10) who discovers the Turtles' home in the sewers and befriends the TMNT. She is frequently kidnapped by Shredder and other villains, usually as bait to lure the Turtles out of hiding. | |||
* '''Irma Langinstein''' (voiced by ]) – Channel 6's clumsy, dating-obsessed ] who debuts in season 2. She is a friend of April who later also befriends the TMNT. Following the destruction of the Channel 6 Building in season 8, Irma is slowly phased out of the show. A similar character would be used in the ]. | |||
* ''']''' (voiced by ]) – A violent, impulsive, and overzealous street-fighting vigilante who is friends with the Ninja Turtles. He fights using sports equipment and wears a hockey mask. | |||
* '''Zach "the Fifth Turtle"''' (voiced by ]) – A 14-year-old teenager who looks up to the Turtles and is their biggest fan. | |||
* '''Caitlin''' (voiced by ]) – A female teenage friend of Zach. | |||
* '''Aunt Aggie''' (voiced by ]) – April's ] aunt who occasionally helps the Turtles defeat their enemies. She also runs a popular crime TV show. | |||
* '''The Punk Frogs''' – The mutant ] counterparts of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles who were accidentally mutated by Krang (as the portal he had used to send his last remaining batch of mutagen to Shredder was unstable at the time, causing it to land in a swamp somewhere in ], where it transformed four frogs, who had most recently been in contact with a human boy, into their present forms) and trained in martial arts in the hopes that they would be a match for the Turtles. Further emulating his rival Splinter, Shredder names the four frogs after his own personal heroes: ], ], ], and ]. Despite their innocent, docile nature, they are also extremely naive, and as such, they were easily misled by Shredder into believing that the Turtles were "evil" and that Shredder was a "good person". However, they eventually turned against Shredder and became allies of the Ninja Turtles. The frogs all speak with southern accents. | |||
** '''Attila the Frog''' (voiced by ]) – A Punk Frog that is armed with a mace who is named after Attila the Hun. | |||
** '''Genghis Frog''' (voiced by ]) – A Punk Frog that is armed with an axe who is named after Genghis Khan. | |||
** '''Napoleon Bonafrog''' (voiced by ]) – A Punk Frog that is armed with a whip who is named after Napoleon Bonaparte. | |||
** '''Rasputin the Mad Frog''' (voiced by Nicholas Omana) – A Punk Frog that is armed with a bow and arrow who is named after Grigori Rasputin. | |||
* '''The Neutrinos''' – An alien race of teenagers from Dimension X whose only goal in life is to have fun. | |||
** '''Zenter and Grizzla''' (voiced by ] and ] respectively) – The leaders of the Neutrinos. | |||
** '''Dask''' (voiced by ]) | |||
** '''Kala''' (voiced by ]) | |||
** '''Zak''' (voiced by ]) | |||
* '''Muckman and Joe Eyeball''' (voiced by ] impersonating ] and ] impersonating ] respectively) – Garson Grunge and Joe Junkee are two ] who were mutated by a substance poured out of a window by Bebop and Rocksteady. Garson mutated into a man-shaped garbage creature while Joe mutated into a small green creature with eye-stalks. They mistakenly thought that the Turtles had caused them to mutate, but when the latter were found innocent, Muckman & Joe Eyeball helped them rescue Splinter from the Technodrome. | |||
* ''']''' (voiced by ]) – A samurai ] and master swordsman from an alternate dimension's 16th century Edo Period Japan where animals are the dominant species on Earth and not the humans. Usagi Yojimbo is a comic book series created by ] starring the ronin hero rabbit Miyamoto Usagi which had several crossovers with the TMNT comics. Apparently, the TV show writers did not understand the distinction and misnamed the character after the comic book. | |||
* '''Kerma''' (voiced by ]) – A native of the distant utopian planet Shell-Ri-La (the name being a pun on ]) which is home to a peaceful, but generally defenseless species of humanoid turtles called Turtleoids. He arrives on Earth seeking the Turtles' help in protecting his home planet from various threats. Kerma's voice and personality are extremely similar to that of ]. | |||
* '''Bugman''' (voiced by ]) – Brick Bradley is a scientist who got caught up in a mutant experiment and can now mutate into a large insect when angered. As Bugman, Brick had the eyes, antennae, wings, and extra arms of a fly, and the tail of a scorpion. Michelangelo was a fan of Bugman and first encountered him in "Michelangelo Meets Bugman" where he helped him fight Electrozapper. In "Michelangelo Meets Bugman Again", Michelangelo and Bugman faced off against the Swatter. | |||
* '''Mona Lisa''' (voiced by ]) – A college girl who is a physics major that was captured by Captain Filch so that he can have her help in his experiments. While trying to destroy his nuclear reactor, Mona Lisa was turned into a mutant ]. She appeared to be romantically interested in Raphael and appears in "Raphael Meets His Match". Although she followed the Turtles back to New York at the conclusion of the same episode, she is not seen again afterwards. | |||
* '''Buffy Shellhammer''' (voiced by ]) – The bratty 15-year-old teenage director of Shellhammer Chemicals. She was kidnapped by ] in order to get a formula for rocket fuel needed to free the Technodrome. Their plans were foiled by the Turtles. | |||
* '''Rex-1''' (voiced by ]) – A robot ] built to keep crimes out of the city. | |||
* '''Carter''' (voiced by ]) – Introduced in season nine, he travels to New York City to study martial arts under Splinter, but is accidentally exposed to a mutagen which causes him to spontaneously oscillate between his human and mutant forms. He was an important ally to the TMNT in their battles against Lord Dregg. In season 10, he temporarily leaves to finish his studies after Donatello stabilized his mutation, although he returns upon learning from April that the Turtles were captured by Lord Dregg, Krang, and Shredder. While on his way to rescue the Turtles, Carter found that he could still mutate. At the end of "Turtles to the Second Power", Carter accepts Landor and Merrick's offer to travel with them to the future so he can be fully cured of his mutation. | |||
*'''Hokum Hare''' (voiced by ]) | |||
Encountered in season 4, where Krang creates a Dosilizer ray to turn everyone on Earth into "timid rabbits". The turtles need a Cyranium Crystal to return things back to normal. It's located in a fairy tale dimension, Hokum's home. | |||
===Villains=== | |||
] | |||
* ''']''' - The Foot Clan is an evil ninja organization. | |||
** ''']''' (voiced by ] in Season 1 to the first half of Season 7, ] in four Season 3 episodes, ] in one Season 5 episode and most of the European side-season, ] for the second half of Season 7, ] from Season 8-10) – The nemesis of the Turtles and Master Splinter. He is usually the main villain in other media, but in this series Shredder always, against his will, has to take orders from Krang, although their relationship evolves over time into more of an equal partnership (with Shredder even risking his life to save Krang on numerous occasions). His real name is Oroku Saki, a member of the Foot Clan in Japan and a student of Hamato Yoshi/Splinter. Saki was jealous of Yoshi's leadership within the Clan and sought to usurp him. He responds by framing Yoshi for an offense towards the sensei and has him exiled. Shortly afterwards, Saki takes control of the Foot Clan and transforms it into an army of crime under his command. Along with Krang, Rocksteady, and Bebop, he is the primary antagonist of the show until the end of season 8, when the Technodrome is destroyed and they are all banished to Dimension X. Although he and Krang return for 3 episodes in the final season, they are eventually sent back to Dimension X, and they are not seen again for the rest of the series. Their fate after being transported back to Dimension X is unexplained, although it is assumed that they would have eventually perished or found their way back to Earth. | |||
** ''']''' (voiced by ]) – Rocksteady is one of Shredder's incompetent, oafish henchmen. Originally a Caucasian male member of an unnamed street gang, Rocksteady was exposed to the mutagen after coming into contact with a ] that was stolen from the zoo, transforming him into a humanoid black rhinoceros. Like Bebop, he is extremely unintelligent (although he is shown on multiple occasions to be slightly more intelligent than Bebop) and serves as a comic relief for most of the series. | |||
** ''']''' (voiced by ] in most episodes, ] in six Season 3 episodes and one episode of the European side-season) – Bebop is an African-American male with a mohawk, sunglasses, and a nose ring who, along with Rocksteady, is one of Shredder's henchmen. Prior to meeting Shredder, he belonged to the same street gang as Rocksteady. As part of Shredder and Krang's experiment, he was transformed into a humanoid ] after being exposed to the mutagen and a common warthog that was stolen from the zoo. | |||
** ''']''' (voiced by ]) – Baxter Stockman is a blond Caucasian ] (as opposed to the dark-haired African-American he was portrayed as in the Mirage comics; it is generally assumed that his race was changed out of fear that portraying him as a black man, ordered around and frequently subjected to verbal abuse by Shredder, would be seen as politically incorrect) who tried to bill his rat-catching Mousers to the Ajax Pest Control company. They did not like his suggestion, saying it would put them out of business (since the Mouser was so effective that it would eliminate all of the rats in the city) and threw him out of the building. Embittered, he readily agrees to join forces with Shredder, who orders him to replicate his Mousers and hunt down Splinter. After the Ninja Turtles defeated the Mousers, Baxter Stockman was arrested and thrown into an asylum. Shredder later broke him out, and Baxter Stockman became Shredder's lackey, helping him to get the "Three Fragments of the Eye of Sarnath" (an alien artifact that would grant the owner virtually limitless power). Shredder later traded Baxter Stockman to Krang for the return of Bebop and Rocksteady. When Krang found no use for Baxter and decided to kill him, a ] that had been with Baxter in the disintegrator unit soon merged with him, turning him into a humanoid fly. He has occasionally plotted revenge against the Ninja Turtles and Shredder. Baxter Stockman has a twin brother named Barney who was also a mad scientist and threw fits whenever the Turtles mistook him for Baxter. | |||
*** '''Z''' (voiced by ]) - The spaceship computer found on an abandoned spaceship that allied with Baxter Stockman where it assisted him in his plots in "Bye, Bye, Fly," "Son of Return of the Fly II," and "Revenge of the Fly." | |||
** '''Foot Soldiers''' – A group of robotic ninjas that serve as Shredder's loyal soldiers. | |||
*** '''Alpha One''' (voiced by ]) – A Foot Soldier who had his intelligence increased by Krang and Shredder. | |||
* ''']''' (voiced by ] in most episodes, ] in two Season 3 episodes) – An extremely intelligent, disembodied brain from Dimension X who commands the ]. Like Shredder, he aspires to conquer the Earth, although he does not share Shredder's obsessive hatred of the Turtles and Splinter (instead viewing them as more of an annoyance/obstacle), preferring instead to focus on world conquest. He funds and helps plan most of Shredder's schemes, although they often bicker with one another over tactics. In season 7, it is revealed that Krang originally belonged to a muscular, vicious reptilian species (mainly resembling a T-Rex) with regenerative powers before he lost his body and was banished from Dimension X. | |||
* '''Rock Soldiers''' – The Rock Soldiers are an army of sentient rock humanoids from Dimension X. As mentioned in "Michelangelo's Birthday," the Rock Soldiers were created when Krang used mutagen on some rocks. The Rock Soldiers are incredibly strong, but they are not very bright. | |||
** '''General Traag''' (voiced by ]) – Traag is a Rock Soldier general that is loyal to Krang. | |||
** '''Sergeant Granitor''' (voiced by ] impersonating ]) – Granitor is a high-ranking gray Rock Soldier that is loyal to Krang and works under General Traag. | |||
* ''']''' (voiced by ]) – Rat King is a homeless man living in a dilapidated portion of the New York City sewer system, not too far from the Turtles and Splinter. In episodes featuring him, the Rat King would often enact some sort of plot to establish his own rat-controlled government and bring human rule to an end, believing that rats (which he counted himself as) were superior to all other species, whom he described as "inferior non-rodents". He appears as a recurring villain from season 3 onwards until he is finally apprehended by the police in the second episode of season 8. | |||
* ''']''' (voiced by ] in most appearances, ] in "Night of the Rogues") – Leatherhead is a large ] who had mutated into humanoid form when he swam through a Mutagen-polluted part of the swamp. He hunted the Turtles' allies the Punk Frogs, and then went to New York to hunt the Turtles themselves. Leatherhead final appearance is in "Night of the Rogues" in season 7, in which he (along with other recurring villains) is recruited by Shredder to help him fight the Turtles. His fate is not clearly known, but it is assumed that he has long since returned to the Florida swamps. | |||
* ''']''' (voiced by ]) – Slash was an ordinary ] from Earth that was mutated by Bebop and Rocksteady. He is a muscular, vicious humanoid turtle with brute strength and surprising agility, but very low intelligence (although he does temporarily acquire a genius level IQ in his second appearance). He is extremely attached to the small, plastic palm tree that stood in his bowl prior to being mutated, and calls it his "binky". | |||
* ''']''' – A robot turtle that was created by Shredder. He has numerous voices that sound like any of the turtles and has a laser gun installed in his chest. He can also fight by extending his arms and legs. Sometimes, he'd malfunction and attack Shredder and his goons other than just the turtles. | |||
* '''Pinky McFingers''' (voiced by ] in most appearances, ] in "Donatello's Duplicate") – Pinky McFingers is a high ranking mafia boss with a gang at his disposal. McFingers once sponsors Baxter Stockman's twin brother Barney Stockman to create a "gag-a-magnifier" device that increases the comedy power of jokes. They planned to hook up the funniest comedian to it and transmit the joke waves all over the city, making everyone hysterically helpless. This enabled McFingers and his two goons would go out and rob the city. He and his men kidnapped comedians until they kidnapped Raphael. They tied Raphael up in a sack and took him to their hideout where strapped down, McFingers tells him of his brilliant plan. Being the funniest comedian, Raphael is forced to start telling his jokes. However the rest of the turtles rescue him and the other comedians and turn the devise against Stockman and the McFingers gang, all of whom end up arrested. | |||
* '''Big Louie''' (voiced by ]) – Big Louie is a ] high ranking gangster with a gang at his disposal, who sometimes works with the Shredder. He's fighting a ] against another gangster group led by '''Babyface "The Beaver" Cleaver''' and '''Wally Cleaver'''. | |||
* '''Don Turtelli''' (voiced by ]) – Don Turtelli is the head of the crime syndicate. He is the grandson of Tony "The Tickler" Turtelli. Turtelli went down in infamy for his torture methods, which he inherited from his grandfather. He specializes in the interrogation of people he captures through ] the soles of his victims' feet with a feather to make them talk. | |||
* '''Dr. Polidorius''' (voiced by ]) – A ] who created the mutant humanoid fish Ray. | |||
** '''Ray''' (voiced by ]) – A humanoid ] with manta ray-like wings and an octopus tentacle for a tail. He was created by Dr. Polidorius to serve him and assist with his plans to destroy the city. Ray has many abilities of a fish like the electricity of an electric eel, the quills of a scorpionfish, and the inflation of a blowfish. | |||
* '''Electrozapper''' (voiced by ]) - An electrical enemy of Bugman. | |||
* ''']''' (voiced by ] and ] respectively) – An alien ] and an alien ] who brainwashed kids at a military school to help them invade the earth. | |||
* '''Groundchuck''' (voiced by ]) – A mutant red ] in cyborg armor that was accidentally created by Bebop and Rocksteady. | |||
* '''Dirtbag''' (voiced by ]) – A mutant mole that was accidentally created by Bebop and Rocksteady. | |||
* '''Chrome Dome''' (voiced by ]) – A huge robot built by Shredder to supervise the Foot Soldiers into building the Technodrome Mark II. The Turtles defeated him by disabling the chip on his back. In "Night of the Rogues," Chrome Dome was reactivated where he is among the villains that helped Shredder and Krang attack the Turtles. He is defeated when Casey Jones crushes him with a hydraulic press. | |||
* '''The Swatter/Jerry Spiegel''' (voiced by ]) – A comic book artist who attempted to steal the Turtles' secrets and publish them to the world only to run afoul of them and Bugman. | |||
* '''Professor Filo Sopho''' (voiced by ]) – The head of Sopho University who first attempted to speed up the Earth's rotation in "Donatello's Degree." In "Too Hot to Handle," Professor Sopho tried to move it closer to the sun creating uninhabitable conditions for humans. | |||
* '''Shreeka''' (voiced by ]) – Krang's former partner in crime who first appears in "Shreeka's Revenge" to reclaim the "power ring" that Krang stole from her. | |||
* '''Professor Cycloid''' (voiced by ]) – A crazed professor who stole Donatello's "time stopper" machine in an effort to take over the world. | |||
* '''Tempestra''' (voiced by ]) – Tempestra is a powerful weather-controlling sorceress who came from a video game that she got out of during a thunderstorm. In "Night of the Rogues," Tempestra was among the villains that helped Shredder and Krang attack the Turtles. | |||
* '''Scumbug''' (voiced by ]) – A mutant ] who was among the villains that helped Shredder and Krang attack the Turtles. He was one of the few villains from the Archie Comics series "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures" to appear in the cartoon where the comics revealed that was Scumbug mutated from an exterminator that came in contact with a cockroach in the Technodrome while doing some fumigating. | |||
* '''Antrax''' (voiced by ]) – An alien ] who works as Krang's ]. In "Night of the Rogues," Antrax is among the villains that helped Shredder and Krang attack the Turtles. | |||
* '''Drakus/Berserko''' (voiced by ]) - Krang's weapon engineer. | |||
* '''H.A.V.O.C.''' – Short for Highly Advanced Variety Of Creatures, H.A.V.O.C. is a gang of mutants. The Turtles meet H.A.V.O.C. in the process of thwarting a robbery, meeting mutants and H.A.V.O.C. members Raptor, Amok, and Overdrive, and then later, the H.A.V.O.C. leader, Titanus. The Turtles find out that while H.A.V.O.C. has offered the Turtles a safe haven from those who think they are the villains, H.A.V.O.C. is actually creating mutants instead of protecting them and actually tries to turn the entire city into mutants. The Turtles spend a few episodes of season 8 battling H.A.V.O.C. After they get rid of the boss, none of the other mutants appear again. | |||
** '''Titanus''' (voiced by ]) – A large mutant from the future who is the leader of H.A.V.O.C. In his final appearance, he ends up trapped in the time of dinosaurs and vows to have revenge against the Turtles if it is the last thing he ever does. | |||
** '''Amok''' (voiced by ]) – A mutant ]. | |||
** '''Highbeam''' (voiced by ]) – A mutant ]. | |||
** '''Magma''' (voiced by ]) – A ] mutant. He and Seizure were used by Titanus to make mutants. | |||
** '''Overdrive''' (voiced by ]) – A mutant ]. | |||
** '''Ram Mystic''' (voiced by ]) - An unnamed ram mutant with mystical powers. | |||
** '''Raptor''' (voiced by ]) – A mutant bird. | |||
** '''Seizure''' (voiced by ]) – A mutant centipede. He and Magma were used by Titanus to make mutants. | |||
** '''Synapse''' (voiced by ]) – A convict that desired revenge against the Turtles since they defeated him in "Get Shredder." In H.A.V.O.C. in the Streets, Titanus breaks him out of jail and turns him into an electric mutant. Synapse keeps the Turtles busy for a while until Donatello forces him through a ham radio, leaving him trapped on the radio airwaves. | |||
* '''Lord Dregg''' (voiced by<!-- Please do not add "the late" per MOS. Thanks.--> ]) – An alien ] who appears as the chief antagonist for the final 2 seasons of the series, following Shredder and Krang's exile to Dimension X in season 8. At the end of the final season, Lord Dregg is banished to Dimension X as well (and is presumably killed, since the Turtles had sent Krang's android suit back with him as it was about to undergo an atomic explosion). Although he starts out as a cold, calm, and calculating villain, his sanity gradually deteriorates over the course of season 10, as he becomes increasingly obsessed with destroying the Turtles once and for all. In the process, he alienates all of his remaining followers, including his second-in-command Mung, who accuses him of losing sight of their quest for world domination. | |||
* '''HiTech''' (voiced by ] in Season 9, ] in Season 10) – An ]-like alien in high tech armor who is Lord Dregg's second-in-command. When Mung proves more efficient as second-in-command, Lord Dregg blasts HiTech off in a pod to "orbit the galaxy". | |||
* '''Mung''' (voiced by ]) – A hunchbacked ]-like henchman of Lord Dregg who replaced HiTech in the final season. He is a technical and mechanical genius where he surpasses HiTech. | |||
* '''TechnoGang''' – A gang of ]-like foot soldiers that serve Lord Dregg. | |||
* '''Batmen''' – A group of ugly winged humanoid that serve as the alternate foot soldiers for Lord Dregg. | |||
===Other characters=== | |||
* '''Channel 6 News Staff''' – The workers of Channel 6 News that often have involvements with the Ninja Turtles. Following the destruction of the Channel 6 News building during Season 8, these characters slowly faded out of the show. The old Channel 6 building also made a cameo appearance in the crossover movie Turtles Forever as the 2003 Turtles take a detour in the dimension of their 1987 counterparts. | |||
** '''Burne Thompson''' (voiced by ] in most episodes, ] in three episodes of Season 3) – April's boss at Channel 6 News. Like ], he believed the Turtles were a menace and encouraged April to expose them. His hatred for the TMNT intensified following the destruction of the Channel 6 building by Shredder in season 8, an incident he blamed on the Turtles. He often favored Vernon more, which was likely due to the fact that Vernon shared Burne's distrust of the TMNT and did not hesitate to cast a negative light on them in his news coverage. In the ], a female adaption of this character named '''Bernadette Thompson''' was used, who was portrayed by ]. | |||
** '''Vernon Fenwick''' (voiced by ]) – April's cameraman and rival news reporter. In season 1, he had more of a serious and dedicated personality, although shades of the cowardice and rivalry with April that would define Vernon's character throughout the rest of the series would sometimes surface. From season 2 onwards, he was written as a selfish, egotistical, opportunistic, and cowardly cameraman and co-reporter who would often go to great lengths to steal April's thunder, although he was quick to cede all of the more "dangerous" assignments to April, not willing to put himself in harm's way. Like Burne, he strongly believed that the Turtles were a menace to society and often actively participated in Burne's anti-mutant campaigns, even though the Turtles had saved his life on many occasions. Vern appears in the ] and its ] portrayed by ]. However, this version of the character portrays him in a far more positive light as he is the secondary protagonist who has a not-so-secret crush on April, but she remains oblivious. | |||
* '''O.M.N.S.S.''' (voiced by ]) - A source of artificial intelligence from a fragment of the Eye of Zarnoth. Encountered in "The Mean Machines" by Shredder and Baxter Stockman who used it to destroy the Turtles. | |||
==International broadcasting== | |||
] | |||
In the United Kingdom, TMNT was released under the name ''Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles'' (''TMHT''). This was due to the controversy surrounding ]s and related weapons such as ] at the time.<ref name="cohen">{{cite news| first= Susan| last= Cohen| title= Teenage Mutant Ninja Television: Who's winning the battle over kids' TV?| publisher= Washington Post Magazine| date= 1991-04-07}}</ref> 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 Michelangelo wields his ], replacing them with ] ] from the show with the ] tortoiseshell weapon.<ref>{{cite news|title= TMNT: The Renaissance Reptiles Return|work= Kung Fu Magazine|date=|url=http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=703|accessdate=27 December 2009}}</ref> | |||
The TMHT version was aired in other European countries, including Ireland (except series 1, which had the original title), Belgium, Germany, Austria, Poland, Hungary, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Finland, in local dubs (the Finnish version was in English with subtitles, while Polish was in English with a ]). In Denmark, the English censored version was aired on the national broadcaster TV2. It had subtitles as well, however, only seasons 2 and 3 were aired in this fashion. Season 1 was aired as one spliced feature, instead of the original five-part miniseries. The movie was titled ''The Epic Begins'', and included heavy edits from each of the five episodes, and was also released to VHS in the USA in 1988.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.worldcat.org/title/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-the-epic-begins/oclc/18773473&referer=brief_results|title=Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Epic Begins|publisher=Worldcat|date=1988|accessdate=4 May 2015}}</ref> | |||
After the 2 seasons had aired on Danish TV, the show was cancelled; however, it later returned with local dubs of episodes from season 5, and Denmark was also one of the first countries to get to see the episodes in which the turtles travel to Europe. These were also aired with subtitles. | |||
The original series aired in early 2011 during the early morning hours on TV2 in Denmark. All 193 episodes have been re-dubbed, and this time they aired in their original US unedited form. | |||
In Spain, the name of the cartoon was translated to ''Las Tortugas Ninja'' (with the word ''ninja'' in the title), but at first the TMHT version was still used for dubbing, although the word ''ninja'' was kept in several instances of the dub, and the original TMNT version was also alternatively aired afterwards. Other European countries (including Bulgaria, France, Italy, Russia, Serbia and Turkey) dubbed the original TMNT version. Later in Serbia (1998) series is re-dubbed with Prizor sincronization for Rtv Pink as Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles. | |||
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, except for season one. In 2007–2008, episodes were aired in their original US unedited form. | |||
When shown on the BBC, phrases such as "Let's kick some shell!" and "Bummer!" were removed from the episodes (the latter may relate to a British slang term for ]). The series '']'' was also referred to as Hero Turtles, possibly using the term ''hero'' to separate the television series from the live action movies. The ], 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. In 2009, a DVD of the first two seasons was released under the Ninja Turtles branding, thus bringing this version of the franchise into line with the later versions. | |||
The first season of the show premiered in ] as a two-part (90 minutes each) prime-time miniseries on the ], in 1989, before shifting to a 4:30 pm timeslot for Season 2. Later, after ratings fell, it was moved to a morning timeslot on ]. The show was mostly uncensored, airing under its original name with occasional edits, including the editing of Season 1 into the two-part 90-minute primetime broadcasts. However some "Hero Turtles" branded merchandise was commonly{{citation needed|date=October 2015}} available in the country due to being imported cheaply from the UK. | |||
== Reruns == | |||
On April 6, 2012 reruns of the series broadcast weekly on ] in Canada until the channel was shutdown on September 1, 2015. There are no other TV reruns of the original ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' animated series currently airing in North America. Although the last episode broadcast on CBS on November 2, 1996, reruns of Seasons 8, 9 and 10 continued to air until August 30, 1997.<ref>The Daily Herald – August 30, 1997</ref> The series previously reran in North America in ] on ], who rebroadcast the entire series from 2006 to 2008. Episodes from Seasons 1-7 were reran on the ]'s '']'' from September 13, 1993 to September 15, 1996 (which was the last time to date any episode from prior to Seasons 8-10 aired on television in the United States). ] and ] own the rights to the show, and they have been responsible for the DVD releases. | |||
Neither ] nor ], the current owner of the franchise, own the rights to the 1987 television series, so Lionsgate and Fred Wolf are not under any obligation to inform them of future releases.<ref>"" ''Official TMNT website'.' Retrieved 2007-09-06.''</ref> Some reruns were shown for UK audiences on BBC weekday mornings (although they were mostly all from seasons two and three). In the ], the series ended its original run on August 9, 1998,<ref>{{cite journal|work=]|pages=9–15|date=August 1998}}</ref> but the show was regularly rerun on ] until 2008.<ref>"" ''RTÉ Guide''. Retrieved 2007-09-01.</ref> In ] the series was broadcast on ] from 1991 - 1994 and on ] from 1998 - 2002. In Denmark, the show is aired every weekday at 6.00 am on TV 2. In Australia, the rights to the show are now owned by ], and the show occasionally airs on their digital channel ] every Sunday mornings at 9am to 10am for double episodes. | |||
== Reception == | |||
IGN named TMNT as the 55th best show in the Top 100 Best Animated TV Shows.<ref name="ign100">{{cite web |title=55, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles |url=http://www.ign.com/top/animated-tv-series/55.html |publisher=IGN |accessdate=2009-01-24 |date=2009-01-23}}</ref> While the story diverged heavily from the original conception of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with the universe of the original Mirage comics, the 1987 television series is largely the most notable and popular incarnation and drove the franchise to the phenomenal status it would achieve in pop culture. Co-creator, Peter Laird, has publicly shared his distaste with the show on numerous occasions but has also acknowledged that it was extremely successful with and beloved by its audience and, while he would've preferred a different approach to the material, it might not have been as popular as what was produced.<ref>http://peterlairdstmntblog.blogspot.com/2012/03/more-musings-related-to-turtles-as.html</ref> Retroactively, the cross-over film '']'' established a common ] continuity between all Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles variations that existed at the time of the 25th anniversary of the original Mirage comicbooks, primarily focusing on this series, and those of the 2003 animated series. Therefore, while not part of the original canon of the Mirage Turtles, the series can be considered part of the wider official turtles ]. | |||
At the time, the series was criticised for its commercialism and violent content.<ref>{{cite news|title= Turtle Trouble : Children: Some parents believe Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles encourage aggression. Others say the Turtles are just harmless fun.|work= The Los Angeles Times|date=August 27, 1990|url= http://articles.latimes.com/1990-08-27/news/vw-116_1_teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles|accessdate=2010-11-09|first=Kathleen|last=Doheny}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title= Turtle Trouble : Children: Some parents believe Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles encourage aggression. Others say the Turtles are just harmless fun.|work= The Los Angeles Times|date=August 27, 1990|url= http://articles.latimes.com/1990-08-27/news/vw-116_1_teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles/2|accessdate=2010-11-09|first=Kathleen|last=Doheny}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title= Ninja Influence on Australian Youth|publisher= The New York Times|date=August 16, 1990|url= https://www.nytimes.com/1990/08/16/movies/ninja-influence-on-australian-youth.html?src=pm|accessdate=2010-12-29}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://articles.latimes.com/1991-03-28/local/me-1208_1_ninja-turtles |title=Ninja Turtles May Be Luring Kids Into the Sewer - Los Angeles Times |publisher=Articles.latimes.com |date=2007-03-23 |accessdate=2012-07-07 |first=Jonathan |last=Gaw}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=KATHLEEN DOHENY |url=http://articles.latimes.com/1990-08-27/news/vw-116_1_teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles |title=Turtle Trouble : Children: Some parents believe Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles encourage aggression. Others say the Turtles are just harmless fun. - Los Angeles Times |publisher=Articles.latimes.com |date=1990-08-27 |accessdate=2012-07-07}}</ref> | |||
== Home video releases == | |||
Originally, the series was released to ] tapes and ] between 1988 and 1996 by ] while airing back in the late 1980s-early 1990s. Meanwhile, the ], videotapes were released using the "Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles" censoring title.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://davefrear.blogspot.se/2014/06/a-quick-guide-to-uk-hero-turtles-vhs.html|title=A Quick Guide to the UK Hero Turtles VHS Tapes|publisher=Possibly Interesting|language=English|date=4 June 2014|accessdate=15 January 2017}}</ref> Starting in April 2004, ] releases began in region 1. | |||
===VHS=== | |||
{| class="wikitable" | |||
|- | |- | ||
! scope="col" width="16%" rowspan="3" | Character | |||
!VHS name | |||
! scope="col" width="16%" rowspan="3" | Voiced by | |||
!Ep No. | |||
! scope="col" colspan="10" | ] | |||
!Release Date | |||
! scope="col" width="7%" rowspan="2" | ] | |||
!Additional Information | |||
|- | |- | ||
! width="1%" | ] | |||
| Heroes in a Half Shell | |||
! width="1%" | ] | |||
| style="text-align:center;"|2 | |||
! width="1%" | ] | |||
| 1988<ref name="Classic VHS Releases">{{cite web|url=http://www.ninjaturtles.com/html/vhs_classic.htm |title=Classic TMNT VHS Tapes |publisher=Ninjaturtles |accessdate=16 July 2015 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120306102749/http://www.ninjaturtles.com/html/vhs_classic.htm |archivedate=March 6, 2012 }}</ref> | |||
! width="7%" | ] | |||
| | |||
! width="1%" | ] | |||
! width="1%" | ] | |||
! width="1%" | ] | |||
! width="1%" | ] | |||
! width="1%" | ] | |||
! width="1%" | ] | |||
|- | |- | ||
! style="background:ivory;"| {{small|'''1987'''}} | |||
| The Epic Begins | |||
! style="background:ivory;"| {{small|'''1988'''}} | |||
! style="background:ivory;"| {{small|'''1989'''}} | |||
| 1988<ref name="Classic VHS Releases"/> | |||
! style="background:ivory;"| {{small|'''1990–91'''}} | |||
| | |||
! style="background:ivory;"| {{small|'''1991'''}} | |||
! style="background:ivory;"| {{small|'''1992'''}} | |||
! style="background:ivory;"| {{small|'''1993'''}} | |||
! style="background:ivory;"| {{small|'''1994'''}} | |||
! style="background:ivory;"| {{small|'''1995'''}} | |||
! style="background:ivory;"| {{small|'''1996'''}} | |||
! style="background:ivory;"| {{small|'''1990–2017'''}} | |||
|- | |- | ||
! colspan="13" style="background:#ccf;"| ] | |||
| Hot Rodding Teenagers | |||
| style="text-align:center;"|2 | |||
| 1988<ref name="Classic VHS Releases"/> | |||
| | |||
|- | |- | ||
| scope="row" | ] | |||
| The Shredder is Splintered | |||
| ] | |||
| style="text-align:center;"|2 | |||
| colspan="11" {{CMain}} | |||
| 1988<ref name="Classic VHS Releases"/> | |||
| | |||
|- | |- | ||
| scope="row" | ] | |||
| Case of the Killer Pizzas | |||
| ]{{efn|Voiced by ] in six Season 3 episodes and one episode of the "Vacation in Europe" side-season.}} | |||
| style="text-align:center;"|2 | |||
| colspan="11" {{CMain}} | |||
| 1990<ref name="Classic VHS Releases"/> | |||
| | |||
|- | |- | ||
| scope="row" | ] | |||
| Invasion of the Punk Frogs | |||
| ]{{efn|Voiced by Thom Pinto in Season 3, ] in the "Vacation in Europe" side-season, and ] in Season 10.}} | |||
| style="text-align:center;"|1 | |||
| colspan="11" {{CMain}} | |||
| 1988<ref name="Classic VHS Releases"/> | |||
| | |||
|- | |- | ||
| scope="row" | ] | |||
| The Incredible Shrinking Turtles | |||
| ] | |||
| style="text-align:center;"|4 | |||
| colspan="11" {{CMain}} | |||
| 1988<ref name="Classic VHS Releases"/> | |||
| | |||
|- | |- | ||
! colspan="13" style="background:#ccf;"| ] | |||
| Cowabunga, Shredhead | |||
| style="text-align:center;"|2 | |||
| 1988?<ref name="Classic VHS Releases"/> | |||
| | |||
|- | |- | ||
| scope="row" | ] | |||
| Super Bebop and Mighty Rocksteady | |||
| ]{{efn|Voiced by ] in two Season 5 episodes.}} | |||
| style="text-align:center;"|2 | |||
| colspan="11" {{CMain}} | |||
| 1990<ref name="Classic VHS Releases"/> | |||
| | |||
|- | |- | ||
| scope="row" | ] | |||
| Sky Turtles | |||
| ] | |||
| style="text-align:center;"|1 | |||
| colspan="11" {{CMain}} | |||
| 1990<ref name="Classic VHS Releases"/> | |||
| ] Promotional Video | |||
|- | |- | ||
| scope="row" | ] | |||
| The Great Boldini | |||
| ] | |||
| style="text-align:center;"|1 | |||
| {{CNone}} | |||
| 1990<ref name="Classic VHS Releases"/> | |||
| colspan="6" {{CMain}} | |||
| Burger King Promotional Video | |||
| {{CGuest}} | |||
| colspan="2" {{CNone}} | |||
| {{CGuest|'']''}} | |||
|- | |- | ||
| scope="row" | ] | |||
| Invasion of the Turtle Snatchers | |||
| ] | |||
| style="text-align:center;"|1 | |||
| colspan="8" {{CNone}} | |||
| 1990<ref name="Classic VHS Releases"/> | |||
| colspan="2" {{CMain}} | |||
| Burger King Promotional Video | |||
| {{CNone}} | |||
|- | |- | ||
| scope="row" | ] | |||
| April Foolish | |||
| ] | |||
| style="text-align:center;"|1 | |||
| colspan="8" {{CNone}} | |||
| 1990<ref name="Classic VHS Releases"/> | |||
| colspan="2" {{CMain}} | |||
| Burger King Promotional Video | |||
| {{CNone}} | |||
|- | |- | ||
| scope="row" | ] | |||
| Pizza by the Shred | |||
| ] | |||
| style="text-align:center;"|2 | |||
| colspan="8" {{CNone}} | |||
| 1989<ref name="Classic VHS Releases"/> | |||
| colspan="2" {{CMain}} | |||
| | |||
| {{CNone}} | |||
|- | |- | ||
| scope="row" | ] | |||
| Turtles at the Earth's Core | |||
| ] | |||
| style="text-align:center;"|2 | |||
| colspan="2" {{CNone}} | |||
| 1990<ref name="Classic VHS Releases"/> | |||
| {{CRecurring}} | |||
| | |||
| colspan="2" {{CGuest}} | |||
| {{CNone}} | |||
| {{CGuest}} | |||
| colspan="4" {{CNone}} | |||
|- | |- | ||
| scope="row" | ] | |||
| Attack of the Big Macc | |||
| ] | |||
| style="text-align:center;"|2 | |||
| colspan="2" {{CNone}} | |||
| 1989<ref name="Classic VHS Releases"/> | |||
| {{CGuest}} | |||
| | |||
| {{CNone}} | |||
| {{CGuest}} | |||
| {{CNone}} | |||
| colspan="2" {{CGuest}} | |||
| colspan="3" {{CNone}} | |||
|- | |- | ||
| scope="row" | ] | |||
| Leonardo Lightens Up | |||
| ''Various''{{efn|Voiced by ], ], ], and Nicholas Omana.}} | |||
| style="text-align:center;"|2 | |||
| {{CNone}} | |||
| 1991<ref name="Classic VHS Releases"/> | |||
| colspan="4" {{CGuest}} | |||
| part of the "Sewer Heroes" series | |||
| {{CNone}} | |||
| {{CGuest}} | |||
| colspan="4" {{CNone}} | |||
|- | |- | ||
| scope="row" | ] | |||
| Raphael Meets His Match | |||
| ''Various''{{efn|Voiced by Thom Pinto, ], and ].}} | |||
| style="text-align:center;"|2 | |||
| colspan="4" {{CGuest}} | |||
| 1990<ref name="Classic VHS Releases"/> | |||
| colspan="2" {{CNone}} | |||
| part of the "Sewer Heroes" series | |||
| {{CGuest}} | |||
| colspan="4" {{CNone}} | |||
|- | |- | ||
| scope="row" | ] | |||
| Donatello's Degree | |||
| ] | |||
| style="text-align:center;"|2 | |||
| colspan="4" {{CNone}} | |||
| 1990<ref name="Classic VHS Releases"/> | |||
| colspan="3" {{CGuest}} | |||
| part of the "Sewer Heroes" series | |||
| colspan="4" {{CNone}} | |||
|- | |- | ||
! colspan="13" style="background:#ccf;"| ] | |||
| Michaelangelo Meets Bugman | |||
| style="text-align:center;"|2 | |||
| 1990<ref name="Classic VHS Releases"/> | |||
| part of the "Sewer Heroes" series | |||
|- | |- | ||
| scope="row" | ] | |||
| The Turtles' Awesome Easter | |||
| ]{{efn|Voiced by ] in four Season 3 episodes, ] in one Season 3 episode, ] in one Season 5 episode and most of the European side-season; Avery departed the series early in season 7, leading to ] replacing him the remainder of that season, and ] taking up the role in Season 8 and 10. ] voiced him in the crossover with the ].}} | |||
| style="text-align:center;"|2 | |||
| colspan="8" {{CMain}} | |||
| 1991<ref name="Classic VHS Releases"/> | |||
| {{CNone}} | |||
| | |||
| colspan="2" {{CGuest}} | |||
|- | |- | ||
| scope="row" | ] | |||
| Turtles VS Turtle Terminator | |||
| ]{{efn|Voiced by ] in four Season 3 episodes.}} | |||
| style="text-align:center;"|2 | |||
| colspan="8" {{CMain}} | |||
| 1989<ref name="Classic VHS Releases"/> | |||
| {{CNone}} | |||
| part of the "Sewer Heroes 2: The Bad Guys" series | |||
| colspan="2" {{CGuest}} | |||
|- | |- | ||
| scope="row" | ] | |||
| Turtles VS the Fly | |||
| ] | |||
| style="text-align:center;"|2 | |||
| colspan="8" {{CMain}} | |||
| 1988?<ref name="Classic VHS Releases"/> | |||
| colspan="2" {{CNone}} | |||
| part of the "Sewer Heroes 2: The Bad Guys" series | |||
| {{CGuest}} | |||
|- | |- | ||
| scope="row" | ] | |||
| Turtles VS Leatherhead | |||
| ]{{efn|Voiced by ] in six Season 3 episodes and one episode of the "Vacation in Europe" side-season.}} | |||
| style="text-align:center;"|2 | |||
| colspan="8" {{CMain}} | |||
| 1989<ref name="Classic VHS Releases"/> | |||
| colspan="2" {{CNone}} | |||
| part of the "Sewer Heroes 2: The Bad Guys" series | |||
| {{CGuest}} | |||
|- | |- | ||
| scope="row" | ] | |||
| Turtles VS Rhinoman | |||
| ] | |||
| style="text-align:center;"|2 | |||
| colspan="4" {{CGuest}} | |||
| 1989?<ref name="Classic VHS Releases"/> | |||
| colspan="2" {{CNone}} | |||
| part of the "Sewer Heroes 2: The Bad Guys" series | |||
| {{CGuest}} | |||
| colspan="4" {{CNone}} | |||
|- | |- | ||
| scope="row" | ] | |||
| Turtles of the Jungle | |||
| ] | |||
| style="text-align:center;"|2 | |||
| colspan="2" {{CNone}} | |||
| 1991<ref name="Classic VHS Releases"/> | |||
| colspan="5" {{CRecurring}} | |||
| part of the "Hollywood Dudes" series | |||
| {{CGuest}} | |||
| colspan="3" {{CNone}} | |||
|- | |- | ||
| scope="row" | ] | |||
| Rebel Without a Fin | |||
| ] | |||
| style="text-align:center;"|2 | |||
| colspan="8" {{CNone}} | |||
| 1991<ref name="Classic VHS Releases"/> | |||
| colspan="2" {{CMain}} | |||
| part of the "Hollywood Dudes" series | |||
| {{CNone}} | |||
|- | |- | ||
| scope="row" | ] | |||
| Four Turtles and a Baby | |||
| ] | |||
| style="text-align:center;"|2 | |||
| colspan="10" {{CNone}} | |||
| 1991<ref name="Classic VHS Releases"/> | |||
| {{CMain}} | |||
| part of the "Hollywood Dudes" series | |||
|- | |- | ||
! colspan="13" style="background:#ccf;"| ] | |||
| Planet of the Turtles | |||
| style="text-align:center;"|2 | |||
| 1993<ref name="Classic VHS Releases"/> | |||
| part of the "Hollywood Dudes" series | |||
|- | |- | ||
| scope="row" | ] | |||
| The Big Rip Off | |||
| ]{{efn|Voiced by ] in three episodes of Season 3.}} | |||
| style="text-align:center;"|2 | |||
| colspan="8" {{CRecurring}} | |||
| 1993<ref name="Classic VHS Releases"/> | |||
| colspan="3" {{CNone}} | |||
| part of the "Bodaciously Big Adventures" series | |||
|- | |- | ||
| scope="row" | ] | |||
| The Big Blow Out | |||
| ] {{efn|Originally voiced by ] in Season 1, replaced by ] for the remainder of the show. ] stood in for one Season 5 episode.}} | |||
| style="text-align:center;"|2 | |||
| colspan="8" {{CRecurring}} | |||
| 1993<ref name="Classic VHS Releases"/> | |||
| colspan="3" {{CNone}} | |||
| part of the "Bodaciously Big Adventures" series | |||
|}{{notelist}} | |||
|- | |||
| The Big Zipp Attack | |||
| style="text-align:center;"|2 | |||
| 1993<ref name="Classic VHS Releases"/> | |||
| part of the "Bodaciously Big Adventures" series | |||
|- | |||
| The Big Cuff Link Caper | |||
| style="text-align:center;"|2 | |||
| 1993<ref name="Classic VHS Releases"/> | |||
| part of the "Bodaciously Big Adventures" series | |||
|- | |||
| Convicts from Dimension X | |||
| style="text-align:center;"|2 | |||
| 1995<ref name="Classic VHS Releases"/> | |||
| part of the "Bodaciously Big Adventures" series | |||
|- | |||
| The Starchild | |||
| style="text-align:center;"|2 | |||
| 1995<ref name="Classic VHS Releases"/> | |||
| part of the "Bodaciously Big Adventures" series | |||
|- | |||
| The Legend of Koji | |||
| style="text-align:center;"|2 | |||
| 1995<ref name="Classic VHS Releases"/> | |||
| part of the "Bodaciously Big Adventures" series | |||
|- | |||
| Shredder Triumphant | |||
| style="text-align:center;"|2 | |||
| 1995<ref name="Classic VHS Releases"/> | |||
| part of the "Bodaciously Big Adventures" series | |||
|- | |||
| Funny, They Shrunk Michaelangelo | |||
| style="text-align:center;"|2 | |||
| 1990<ref name="Classic VHS Releases"/> | |||
| ] promotional video | |||
|- | |||
| Beyond the Donatello Nebula | |||
| style="text-align:center;"|2 | |||
| 1994<ref name="Classic VHS Releases"/> | |||
| part of the Out Of this World!" series | |||
|- | |||
| Unidentified Flying Leonardo | |||
| style="text-align:center;"|2 | |||
| 1994<ref name="Classic VHS Releases"/> | |||
| part of the Out Of this World!" series | |||
|- | |||
| Planet of the Turtleoids | |||
| style="text-align:center;"|2 | |||
| 1993<ref name="Classic VHS Releases"/> | |||
| part of the Out Of this World!" series | |||
|- | |||
| Return of the Turtleoid | |||
| style="text-align:center;"|2 | |||
| 1993<ref name="Classic VHS Releases"/> | |||
| part of the Out Of this World!" series | |||
|- | |||
| Return of the Turtleoid | |||
| style="text-align:center;"|1 | |||
| 1993<ref name="Classic VHS Releases"/> | |||
| released with ] | |||
|- | |||
| The Four Musketurtles | |||
| style="text-align:center;"|1 | |||
| 1990<ref name="Classic VHS Releases"/> | |||
| | |||
|- | |||
| The Four Musketurtles | |||
| style="text-align:center;"|1 | |||
| 1993<ref name="Classic VHS Releases"/> | |||
| released with TV Teddy | |||
|- | |||
| Get Shredder! | |||
| style="text-align:center;"|1 | |||
| 1996<ref name="Classic VHS Releases"/> | |||
| | |||
|- | |||
| Cry H.A.V.O.C. | |||
| style="text-align:center;"|1 | |||
| 1994<ref name="Classic VHS Releases"/> | |||
|- | |||
| Cyber Turtles | |||
| style="text-align:center;"|1 | |||
| 1996<ref name="Classic VHS Releases"/> | |||
| | |||
|} | |||
===Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles=== | |||
===Laserdisc=== | |||
* ] (voiced by ]) – The blue-masked turtle who wields two ]. He is the leader and commander of the Turtles and is the closest to Splinter. He is the most serious, level-headed member of the team, who values his leadership. | |||
{| class="wikitable" | |||
* ] (voiced by ] in most episodes, ] in six Season 3 episodes and one episode of the "Vacation in Europe" side-season) – The purple-masked turtle who wields a ] staff. He is the scientist and intellectual of the team who is constantly tinkering with various inventions. Donatello's capabilities in science and technology have been key factors for the Turtles' successes in their battles with Shredder and other villains. | |||
|- | |||
* ] (voiced by ] in Season 1–9, Thom Pinto in two Season 3 episodes, ] in the "Vacation in Europe" side-season, ] in Season 10) – The red-masked turtle who wields two ]. Although Raphael is depicted as angry, impulsive, and violent in most other ''TMNT'' media, he is the comedian of the team who often comes out with sarcastic and witty remarks in the 1987 series. He provides some of the comic relief for the show, constantly breaking the fourth wall. | |||
! Laserdisc name | |||
* ] (voiced by ]) – The orange-masked turtle who wields a pair of ]s, which is later changed to a ]. He is the goofy, fun-loving "party animal" of the team who often speaks in surfer slang, and is the source for many of the show's ]s, such as "Cowabunga!". More so than any other Turtle, he is obsessed with pizza and enjoys experimenting with various toppings, even when the other Turtles find it gross. He is also considered to be the least intelligent member of the team, especially by Raphael. Michaelangelo is the most laid back character, though he is shown to be very skilled with his nunchaku. He also provides much of the comic relief albeit without Raphael's sarcasm. | |||
!Ep No. | |||
!Release Date | |||
===Allies and friends=== | |||
!Additional Information | |||
* '''Master Splinter/Hamato Yoshi''' (voiced by ] in most appearances, ] in two Season 5 episodes) – A soft-spoken yet strict and wizened sensei who used to teach Oroku Saki, until the latter set him up for an offense towards his master which he did not commit and was exiled from the Foot Clan. Since then, he has lived in the sewers of Manhattan as a homeless man with the rats and his four pet turtles as his only friends. Upon being exposed to the same mutagen that changed the turtles into their present anthropomorphic forms with his DNA, Hamato Yoshi transformed into a humanoid mutant ] (as he had most recently been with the rats) and raised the Turtles as his sons (who nickname him "Splinter" from his habit of breaking wood), training them in ]. It is later revealed that one of his distant ancestors is the founder of the Foot Clan. | |||
|- | |||
* ''']''' (voiced by ]) – A redheaded TV reporter from Channel 6 News (later a freelance reporter in Seasons 9 and 10) who discovers the Turtles' home in the sewers and befriends the TMNT. She is frequently kidnapped by Shredder and other villains, usually as bait to lure the Turtles out of hiding. | |||
| Heroes in a Half Shell | |||
* '''{{anchor|Irma}}Irma Langenstein''' (voiced by ]) – Channel 6's clumsy, dating-obsessed secretary who debuts in Season 2. She is April's best friend who later also befriends the TMNT. Following the destruction of the Channel 6 Building in Season 8, Irma is slowly phased out of the show. A similar character would be used in the ]. | |||
| style="text-align:center;"|4 | |||
* '''{{anchor|Casey Jones}}]''' (voiced by ]) – A violent, impulsive, and overzealous street-fighting vigilante who is friends with the Ninja Turtles. He fights using sports equipment and wears a hockey mask. | |||
| ?<ref name="Classic VHS Releases"/> | |||
* '''{{anchor|Zach}}Zach "the Fifth Turtle"''' (voiced by ]) – A 14-year-old who looks up to the Turtles and is their biggest fan. | |||
| | |||
** '''{{vanchor|Walt}}''' (voiced by ]) – Zach's older brother. | |||
|- | |||
* ''']''' – The mutant ] counterparts of the TMNT who were accidentally mutated by Krang and trained in martial arts in the hopes that they would be a match for the Turtles. Further emulating his rival Splinter, Shredder names the four frogs after his own personal heroes: ], ], ], and ]. Despite their innocent, docile nature, they are also extremely naive, and as such, they were easily misled by Shredder into believing that the Turtles were "evil" and that Shredder was a "good person". However, they eventually turned against Shredder and became their allies. These frogs all speak with Southern American accents. | |||
| Cowabunga, Shredhead | |||
** '''Attila the Frog''' (voiced by ]) – A Punk Frog that is armed with a mace who is named after ]. | |||
| style="text-align:center;"|4 | |||
** '''Genghis Frog''' (voiced by ]) – A Punk Frog that is armed with an axe who is named after ]. | |||
| ?<ref name="Classic VHS Releases"/> | |||
** '''Napoleon Bonafrog''' (voiced by ]) – A Punk Frog that is armed with a whip who is named after ]. | |||
| | |||
** '''Rasputin the Mad Frog''' (voiced by Nicholas Omana) – A Punk Frog that is armed with a bow and arrow who is named after ]. | |||
|- | |||
* '''{{vanchor|The Neutrinos}}''' – An alien race of teenagers from Dimension X whose only goal in life is to have fun. | |||
| Attack of Big Macc | |||
** '''Dask''' (voiced by Thom Pinto) – The male Neutrino. He spends some time tinkering with his Starmobile. | |||
| style="text-align:center;"|4 | |||
** '''Kala''' (voiced by ]) – The female Neutrino. She seems to have the strongest friendship with Michelangelo out of all the Turtles. | |||
| 1989<ref name="Classic VHS Releases"/> | |||
** '''{{vanchor|Zak}}''' (voiced by ]) – The hipster Neutrino. | |||
| | |||
* '''{{vanchor|Kerma}}''' (voiced by ] impersonating ]) – A native of the distant utopian planet Shell-Ri-La (the name being a pun on ]), which is home to a peaceful, but generally defenseless ] humanoid turtles called the Turtleoids. He arrives on Earth to seek for the Turtles' help in protecting his homeworld from a few threats. Kerma was responsible for the origin of Groundchuck and Dirtbag where he led away a lion and a gorilla that Shredder intended to mutate and accidentally opened some cages that caused a red-furred cattle and a mole to be mutated instead. His species need reflective light from ] in order to energize themselves. | |||
|- | |||
* '''{{vanchor|Carter}}''' (voiced by ]) – Introduced in Season 9, he travels to New York City to study martial arts under Splinter, but is accidentally exposed to a mutagen which causes him to spontaneously oscillate between his human and mutant forms. He was an important ally to the TMNT in their battles against Lord Dregg. In Season 10, he temporarily leaves to finish his studies after Donatello stabilized his mutation, although he returns upon learning from April that the Turtles were captured by Lord Dregg, Krang, and Shredder. While on his way to rescue the Turtles, Carter found that he could still mutate. At the end of "Turtles to the Second Power", Carter accepts Landor and Merrik's offer to travel with them to the future so he can be fully cured of his mutation. | |||
| Leonardo Lightens Up | |||
* '''{{anchor|Landor|Merrik}}Landor and Merrik''' (voiced by ] and ]) – Two time-travelers from the future. | |||
| style="text-align:center;"|4 | |||
| 1989<ref name="Classic VHS Releases"/> | |||
===Villains=== | |||
| | |||
====Main villains==== | |||
|- | |||
] | |||
| The Epic Begins | |||
* ''']''' – An evil ninja organization. | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| season 1 highlights | |||
** ''']''' (voiced by ] in Season 1 to the first half of Season 7, ] in four Season 3 episodes, ] in one Season 3 episode, ] in one Season 5 episode and most of the European side-season, ] for the second half of Season 7, and ] in Season 8 and 10) – The nemesis of the Turtles and Master Splinter. He is usually the main villain in other media, but in this series Shredder always, against his will, has to take orders from Krang, although their relationship evolves over time into more of an equal partnership (with Shredder even risking his life to save Krang on numerous occasions). His real name is Oroku Saki, a member of the Foot Clan in Japan and a student of Hamato Yoshi/Splinter. Saki was jealous of Yoshi's leadership within the Clan and sought to usurp him. He responds by framing Yoshi for an offense towards the sensei and has him exiled. Shortly afterwards, Saki takes control of the Foot Clan and transforms it into an army of crime under his command. Along with Krang, Rocksteady, and Bebop, he is the primary antagonist of the show until the end of Season 8, when the Technodrome is destroyed and they are all banished to Dimension X. Although he and Krang return for three episodes in the final season, they are eventually sent back to Dimension X, and they are not seen again for the rest of the series. | |||
| ?<ref name="Classic VHS Releases"/> | |||
** ''']''' (voiced by ]) – One of Shredder's incompetent, oafish henchmen. Originally the Caucasian male leader of an unnamed street gang, Rocksteady was exposed to the mutagen after coming into contact with a ] that was stolen from the zoo, transforming him into a humanoid black rhinoceros. Like Bebop, he is extremely unintelligent (although he is shown on multiple occasions to be slightly more intelligent than Bebop) and serves as comic relief for most of the series. | |||
| | |||
** ''']''' (voiced by ] in most episodes, ] in six Season 3 episodes and one episode of the "Vacation in Europe" side-season) – An African-American male with a mohawk, sunglasses, and a nose ring who, along with Rocksteady, is one of Shredder's henchmen. Prior to meeting Shredder, he belonged to the same street gang as Rocksteady, serving as the latter's second-in-command. As part of Shredder and Krang's experiment, he was transformed into a humanoid ] after being exposed to the mutagen and a common warthog that was stolen from the zoo. | |||
|- | |||
** ''']''' (voiced by ]) – A blond Caucasian ] (as opposed to the dark-haired African-American he was portrayed as in the Mirage comics) who tried to bill his rat-catching Mousers to the Ajax Pest Control company. They did not like his suggestion, saying it would put them out of business, and threw him out of the building. Embittered, he readily agrees to join forces with Shredder, who orders him to replicate his Mousers and hunt down Splinter and the Turtles. After the Ninja Turtles defeated the Mousers, Baxter Stockman was arrested and thrown into an asylum. Shredder later traded Baxter Stockman to Krang for the return of Bebop and Rocksteady. When Krang found no use for Stockman and decided to kill him, a ] that had been with Baxter in the disintegrator unit soon merged with him, turning him into a humanoid fly. He has occasionally plotted revenge against the Ninja Turtles and Shredder. Baxter Stockman has a twin brother named Barney who was also a mad scientist and threw fits whenever the Turtles mistook him for Baxter. | |||
| Turtles at the Earth's Core | |||
*** '''Z''' (voiced by ]) – The sentient computer found on an abandoned spaceship that allied itself with Baxter Stockman where it assists him in his plots in "Bye, Bye, Fly," "Son of Return of the Fly II," and "Revenge of the Fly." | |||
| style="text-align:center;"|2 | |||
** '''Chrome Dome''' (voiced by ]) – A towering robot that was created by Shredder to keep an eye on the Foot Soldiers in "Planet of the Turtleoids" Pt. 1 at the time when the Technodrome was being upgraded. It was destroyed during its fight with the Turtles. In "Night of the Rogues", Chrome Dome was rebuilt by Shredder and is among the villains that Shredder recruited to attack the Turtles. | |||
| 1989<ref name="Classic VHS Releases"/> | |||
** '''Foot Soldiers''' – A group of robotic ninjas that serve as Shredder's loyal soldiers. | |||
| | |||
* ''']''' (voiced by ] in most episodes, ] in three Season 3 episodes) – An extremely intelligent, disembodied brain from Dimension X who commands the ]. Like Shredder, he aspires to conquer the Earth, although he does not share Shredder's obsessive hatred of the Turtles and Splinter (instead of viewing them as more of an annoyance/obstacle), preferring instead to focus on world conquest. He funds and helps plan most of Shredder's schemes, although they often bicker with one another over tactics. In Season 7, it is revealed that Krang originally belonged to a muscular, vicious ] species (mainly resembling a ]) with regenerative powers before he lost his body and was banished from Dimension X. | |||
|} | |||
** '''Rock Soldiers''' – The Rock Soldiers are an army of sentient rock humanoids from Dimension X. As mentioned in "Michaelangelo's Birthday," the Rock Soldiers were created when Krang used mutagen on some rocks. The Rock Soldiers are incredibly strong, but they are not very bright. | |||
*** '''General Traag''' (voiced by ]) – Traag is a Rock Soldier general that is loyal to Krang. | |||
*** '''Sergeant Granitor''' (voiced by ] impersonating ]) – Granitor is a high-ranking gray Rock Soldier that is loyal to Krang and works under General Traag. | |||
* '''{{vanchor|Lord Dregg}}''' (voiced by ]) – An alien ] who serves as the chief ] for the final two seasons of the series, following Shredder and Krang's exile to Dimension X in Season 8. At the end of the final season, Lord Dregg is banished to Dimension X as well (and presumably killed, since the Turtles had sent Krang's android suit back with him as it was about to undergo an atomic explosion). Although he starts out as a cold, calm, and calculating villain, his sanity gradually deteriorates over the course of Season 10, as he becomes increasingly obsessed with destroying the Turtles once and for all. In the process, he alienates all of his remaining followers, including his second-in-command Mung, who accuses him of losing sight of their quest for world domination. He is also the only villain other than Titanus who appears to be in more than just three episodes. | |||
** '''HiTech''' (voiced by ] in Season 9, ] in Season 10) – An ]-like alien in high-tech armor who served as Lord Dregg's second-in-command. When Mung proves more efficient as second-in-command, Dregg blasts HiTech off in a pod to "orbit the galaxy". | |||
** '''Mung''' (voiced by ]) – A hunchbacked ]-like henchman of Lord Dregg who replaced HiTech in the final season. He is a technical and mechanical genius where he even surpasses HiTech himself. Mung usually supplies Dregg with his self-replicating "microbots" to build whatever he wants in a matter of hours. | |||
** '''TechnoGang''' – A gang of ]-like foot soldiers that serve Lord Dregg. | |||
** '''Batmen''' – A group of ugly winged humanoid bats that serve as the alternate foot soldiers for Lord Dregg. | |||
====Recurring villains==== | |||
* '''The Street Gang''' – The first street gang is the one that Bebop and Rocksteady lead. There is another branch of the group that is led by Lugnut who Bebop and Rocksteady's faction are associated with. Both factions are loosely based on the ] from the comics. | |||
** '''Scrag''' – A member of Bebop and Rocksteady's faction with wild hair and wears sunglasses. He got mutated into a mutant ]. His name came from the original storyboard for "Turtle Tracks" and a coloring book. | |||
** '''Grunt''' – A member of Bebop and Rocksteady's faction who sports a yellow mohawk and wears sunglasses. He got mutated into a mutant ]. His name came from the original storyboard for "Turtle Tracks." | |||
** '''Dopey''' – A cap-wearing, but big-nosed member of Bebop and Rocksteady's faction who got mutated into a mutant ]. His name came from the original storyboard for "Turtle Tracks." | |||
** '''Dumbo''' – A short, fat, and bald-headed member of Bebop and Rocksteady's faction who got mutated into a mutant ]. His name came from the original storyboard for "Turtle Tracks." | |||
** '''Lugnut''' (voiced by ] in "The Gang's All Here," Nicholas Omana in "Once Upon a Time Machine") – The bald-headed leader of the gang that Rocksteady and Bebop's faction are a part of. | |||
** '''Jersey Red''' (voiced by ]) – A tough woman who is a member of Lugnut's faction. | |||
** '''High Five''' (voiced by ]) – A member of Lugnut's faction. | |||
* '''{{anchor|Rat King}}]''' (voiced by ]) – A homeless man living in a dilapidated portion of the New York City sewer system, not too far from the Turtles and Splinter. He usually carries around a hypnotic ] to mesmerize any rodent nearby, especially mutant rats. In these episodes featuring him, the Rat King would often enact some sort of plot to establish his own rat-controlled government and end human rule forever, thus believing that all rats (which he counted himself as) were more superior than every other species, whom he described as "inferior non-rodents". The Rat King appeared as a recurring villain from Seasons 3 to 7 onwards, until he is finally apprehended by the police in the second episode of Season 8. | |||
* ''']''' (voiced by ] in three appearances, ] in "Night of the Rogues") – A large ] from ] who has mutated into humanoid form when he swam through a mutagen-polluted part of his swamp. He hunted the Turtles' allies the Punk Frogs, and then went to New York to hunt the Turtles themselves. One time, he fights the Rat King, but join forces with him in later episodes. | |||
* ''']''' (voiced by ]) – An ordinary ] from Earth that got mutated by Bebop and Rocksteady. He is a muscular, vicious humanoid turtle with brute strength, dynamic durability, spikes on his shell, vortex breath, hardened claws, and a pair of ], but very low intelligence (although he does temporarily acquire a genius-level IQ in his second appearance). Slash is also extremely attached to a small, plastic palm tree standing inside the bowl prior before exposure of super mutagen and calls it his "binky". | |||
* '''Organised crime figures''': | |||
** '''Don Turtelli''' (voiced by ]) - A Crime boss known for using feathers to tickle his victims. | |||
** '''Pinky McFingers''' (voiced by ] in most appearances, ] in "Donatello's Duplicate") – A high-ranking ] with a gang at his disposal. McFingers once sponsors Baxter Stockman's twin brother Barney Stockman to create a "gag-a-magnifier" device that increases the comedy power of jokes. They planned to hook up the funniest comedian to it and transmit the joke waves all over the city, making everyone hysterically helpless. This enabled McFingers and his two goons would go out and rob the city. He and his men kidnapped comedians until they kidnapped Raphael. They tied Raphael up in a sack and took him to their hideout where strapped down, McFingers tells him of his brilliant plan. Being the funniest comedian, Raphael is forced to start telling his jokes. However, the rest of the turtles rescue him and the other comedians and turn the device against Stockman and the McFingers gang, all of whom end up arrested. | |||
** '''Big Louie''' (voiced by ]) – A high-ranking ] with a gang at his disposal who sometimes works with the Shredder. | |||
** '''Mad Dog McMutt''' (voiced by ]) - A bulldog-like human gangster. His secret headquarters is a giant fire hydrant, and he has a dog-shaped car and helicopter. | |||
* '''Tempestra''' (voiced by ]) – A ] from the arcade game "Tempestra's Revenge" who was brought out by a freak thunderstorm. She possesses telekinetic powers, can create different creatures to fight for her, and can control the weather. After Leonardo encountered Tempestra upon playing the arcade game, he called in the rest of the Turtles to fight her. Tempestra was defeated when Leonardo trapped her in the circuit board from the wrecked arcade game. In "Night of the Rogues", Tempestra was freed offscreen by Shredder who is among the villains used by him and Krang to destroy the Turtles where she was the one who led them. Tempestra has also appeared in three video games associated with this show. | |||
* '''Groundchuck and Dirtbag''' (voiced by ] and ]) – A mutant red-furred ] in armor and a mutant ] who were accidentally created by Shredder's mutagen due a series of events caused by Kerma. | |||
* '''H.A.V.O.C.''' – Short for Highly Advanced Variety Of Creatures, H.A.V.O.C. is a gang of mutants. The Turtles meet H.A.V.O.C. in the process of thwarting a robbery, meeting mutants and H.A.V.O.C. members Raptor, Amok, and Overdrive, and then later, the H.A.V.O.C. leader, Titanus. The Turtles find out that while H.A.V.O.C. has offered the Turtles a safe haven from those who think they are the villains, H.A.V.O.C. is actually creating mutants instead of protecting them and actually tries to turn the entire city into mutants. The Turtles spend a few episodes of season 8 battling H.A.V.O.C. After they get rid of the boss, none of the other mutants appear again. | |||
** '''Titanus''' (voiced by ]) – A large unspecified mutant from the future who is the leader of H.A.V.O.C. In his final appearance, he ends up trapped in the time of dinosaurs and vows to have revenge against the Turtles if it is the last thing he ever does. | |||
** '''Amok''' (voiced by ]) – A mutant ]. | |||
** '''Highbeam''' (voiced by ]) – A mutant ]. | |||
** '''Magma''' (voiced by ]) – A ] mutant. He and Seizure were ordered by Titanus to make mutants. | |||
** '''Overdrive''' (voiced by ]) – A mutant ]. | |||
** '''Ram Mystic''' (voiced by ]) – An unnamed ] mutant with mystical powers. | |||
** '''Raptor''' (voiced by ]) – An unspecified mutant ]. | |||
** '''Seizure''' (voiced by ]) – A mutant ]. He and Magma were ordered by Titanus to make mutants. | |||
** '''Synapse''' (voiced by ]) – A convict that desired revenge against the Turtles since they defeated him in "Get Shredder." In H.A.V.O.C. in the Streets, Titanus breaks him out of jail and turns him into an electric mutant. Synapse keeps the Turtles busy for a while until Donatello forces him through a ham radio, leaving him trapped on the radio airwaves. | |||
===Other characters=== | |||
* '''Channel 6 News Staff''' – The workers of Channel 6 News that often have involvements with the Ninja Turtles. Following the destruction of the Channel 6 News building during Season 8, these characters slowly faded out of the show. The old Channel 6 building also made a cameo appearance in the crossover movie ''Turtles Forever'' as the 2003 Turtles take a detour in the dimension of their 1987 counterparts. | |||
** '''{{vanchor|Burne Thompson}}''' (voiced by ] in most episodes, ] in three episodes of Season 3) – April's stubborn and irascible boss at Channel 6 News, and the human antagonist of the Turtles. He wrongfully believed the Turtles were a "menace" and bullied April to expose them since he usually had to pay for the damages caused by the Turtles' battles. His hatred for the TMNT intensified following the destruction of the Channel 6 building by Shredder in Season 8, an incident he falsely blamed on the Turtles. He often favored Vernon more, which was likely due to the fact that Vernon shared Burne's distrust of the TMNT and did not hesitate to cast a negative light on them in his news coverage. In the 2014 '']'' film, a genderbent adaption of this character named '''Bernadette Thompson''' was used where she was portrayed by ]. | |||
** '''{{vanchor|Vernon Fenwick}}''' (voiced by ] in Season 1, ] in Seasons 2–8 and ] in one Season 5 episode) – April's cameraman, rival news reporter, and the second human antagonist of the Turtles. In Season 1, he had more of a serious and dedicated personality, although shades of the cowardice and rivalry with April that would define Vernon's character throughout the rest of the series would sometimes surface. Despite that, he was still willing to help April get her story in the Season 1 finale, "Shredded and Splintered". From Season 2 onwards, he was written as a selfish, egotistical, opportunistic, and cowardly cameraman and co-reporter who would often go to great lengths to steal April's thunder, although he was quick to cede all of the more "dangerous" assignments to April, not willing to put himself in harm's way. Like Burne, he also wrongfully believed that the Turtles were a menace to society and often actively participated in Burne's anti-mutant campaigns, even though the Turtles had saved his life on many occasions. Vern appears in the 2014 TMNT film and its ] portrayed by ]. | |||
==Production== | |||
===Development and writing=== | |||
By 1986, the ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' comic series by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird had experienced two years of success. At that time, New York-based licensing agent Mark Freedman – who had previously handled ]'s library of characters and was establishing his own licensing company – was contacted by a connection in the toy industry and introduced to the property. Though initially in disbelief at the title, he found it growing on him and decided to approach California toy manufacturer ] to pitch a toy line based on the property. The uncertain company requested that a television deal be acquired first, and after the initial five-episode series debuted, they released their first series of ] in the summer of 1988.<ref>{{cite news |title=DYNAMIC DUO: Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird; Turning Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Into a Monster |work= The New York Times |date=December 25, 1988 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/12/25/business/dynamic-duo-kevin-eastman-peter-laird-turning-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-into.html?scp=1&sq=ninja%20turtles&st=cse&pagewanted=2 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130214020022/http://www.nytimes.com/1988/12/25/business/dynamic-duo-kevin-eastman-peter-laird-turning-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-into.html?pagewanted=4&src=pm |archive-date=February 14, 2013 |access-date=August 7, 2010 |first=Douglas C. |last=McGill}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |title=Show Business: Lean, Green and on the Screen |magazine=Time|date=April 2, 1990 |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,969727-2,00.html#ixzz0h91fnBrj |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061106111839/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0%2C9171%2C969727-2%2C00.html#ixzz0h91fnBrj |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 6, 2006 |access-date=March 3, 2010 |first=Janice C. |last=Simpson}}</ref> The two media would correspond in marketing and popularity for many years to come. | |||
] and Patti Howeth wrote the screenplay for the first 5-part miniseries.<ref name="Solomon" /> When the series continued in the second season, comic artist ] joined the show as the executive story editor, and collaborated on story concepts and additional characters with ] and ] of ], who were writing presentation scripts, background stories, and character bios for their client, Playmates Toys. Wise went on to write over seventy episodes of the series, and was executive story editor for four later seasons as well. Wise left the series partway through the ninth season, and Jeffrey Scott took over as the story editor and chief writer for the rest of the show's run. | |||
The animation work for the first three seasons of the show were handled by Japanese anime studio ].<ref>{{cite web |title=Heroes in a Half Shell, Turtle Power! Animation for the early episodes of the animated series, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987), was provided by Toei Animation! |url=https://twitter.com/ToeiAnimation/status/1222985644948905984 |website=] |publisher=] |date=January 30, 2020 |access-date=11 October 2020}}</ref> The budget for the first five episodes of the series was almost $2 million.<ref>{{cite web |first=Peter |last=Taylor |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/99177109/the-guardian/ |title=Beep in soup over Turtles |newspaper=] |page=25 |date=December 10, 1990 |access-date=April 6, 2022 |via=]}}</ref> | |||
===Voice acting=== | |||
Casting for the show took place in ]. During recording of the voice acting, all the main cast recorded together. According to ], voice-actress of the reporter ], working together "was great for camaraderie and relationships. We played off each other...there was a lot of ]".<ref name="tmntfansite">{{cite news | |||
| title = Chatting with April O'Neil – An Interview With Renae Jacobs | |||
| url = http://teenagemutantninjaturtles.com/blog/chatting-with-april-oneil-an-interview-with-renae-jacobs | |||
| publisher = TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles.com | |||
| date = April 9, 2013 | |||
| access-date = April 11, 2013 | |||
}}</ref> | |||
Also according to Jacobs, the actors frequently undermined the efforts of the show's creators to make the show grittier and more serious, instead embracing silliness and jokes for both children and adults.<ref name="tmntfansite" /> | |||
{{Blockquote|"They were kind of like the ], ], ], ] and all of those wonderful, fabulous old radio personalities and early movie personalities all rolled up into one. Those guys put the heart and soul into those turtles and came up with those personalities".|], Interview<ref name="tmntfansite" />}} | |||
==Soundtrack== | |||
Through most of the series, the episodes featured a recurring ] which reflected the mood of the situation, as well as ]s for settings such as the ], the New York City ], Channel 6, etc. The soundtrack was composed by ] (credited as "D.C. Brown" and later as "Dennis C. Brown") and ]. Lorre recorded the theme song (and performed the spoken parts) and later became a successful television producer. The performer of the song was James Mandell (aka Miles Doppler).<ref>{{cite news|title=Meet The Original Singer of the 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' Theme Song!|work= DISH Nation|url=http://www.dishnation.com/meet-the-original-singer-of-the-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-theme-song/}}</ref> | |||
==Broadcast and release== | |||
===Syndication=== | |||
The show was in ] syndication from October 1, 1988, to September 9, 1989, and 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 March 29, 1991, with reruns airing until September 17, 1993.<ref name="nytimes.com" /> Starting on September 8, 1990 (with a different opening sequence), the show began its secondary run on ]'s ] lineup, beginning as a 60-minute block from 1990 to 1993, initially airing a couple of Saturday exclusive episodes back to back. There would also be a brief "Turtle Tips" segment in between the two episodes which served as public service announcements about the environment or other issues. There were at least 20 "Turtle Tips" segments that were produced and aired. Beginning in 1994, the show began airing as a 30-minute block until the series ended. | |||
Although the last episode broadcast on CBS on November 2, 1996, reruns of Seasons 8, 9 and 10 continued to air until August 30, 1997.<ref>The Daily Herald – August 30, 1997</ref> That would be the last time the show would be reran on any television network in the United States for almost 26 years. Episodes from Seasons 1–7 were rerun on the ]'s '']'' from September 13, 1993, to September 15, 1996 (the last time any episode from prior to Seasons 8-10 would air on television in the United States for nearly 27 years). ], owners of the rights to the show, have licensed the series to ], who have been responsible for the original DVD and retail streaming releases. | |||
On July 20, 2023, at ], it was announced that to coincide with the release of '']'', ] had acquired the broadcast rights to the series from ].<ref>{{cite web |title=Nickelodeon Acquires Original 1987 Animated 'TMNT' Series |url=https://www.awn.com/news/nickelodeon-acquires-original-1987-animated-tmnt-series |website=] |access-date=December 31, 2023 |date=July 24, 2023}}</ref> With the acquisition, the series would become available on Nickelodeon's branded channels and other digital platforms<ref>{{cite web |title=Original 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Series to Hit Nickelodeon |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/original-1987-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-series-to-hit-nickelodeon |website=] |access-date=December 31, 2023 |date=July 20, 2023}}</ref> later that month, starting with ] on July 31, 2023.<ref>{{cite web |title=Original TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES Animated Series To Start Airing On Nickelodeon Channels This Month |url=https://comicbookmovie.com/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles/original-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-animated-series-to-start-airing-on-nickelodeon-channels-this-month-a204540#gs.2dtena |website=ComicBookMovie |access-date=December 31, 2023 |date=July 22, 2023}}</ref> | |||
===International releases=== | |||
*In Australia, the show's original run on the Seven Network ended in 1992. From 2013 to 2020, reruns aired on ], Currently aired on ] in August 2023, Everynight at 11pm and repeat every weekdays at 3pm. | |||
**Despite being a PAL region, the series always aired under the US “Ninja” title in Australia. The first season of the show premiered as a two-part (90 minutes each) prime-time miniseries on the ] in February 1990 before shifting to a 4:00 p.m. timeslot for Season 2. Later, after ratings fell, it was moved to a morning timeslot in January 1994 as part of ] until its end in 1996. The show was mostly uncensored, airing under its original name with occasional edits, including the editing of Season 1. | |||
*In New Zealand the series first screened on ] from 27 November 1989, the day TV3 began official transmission.<ref>'Three', | |||
Press, 27 November 1989, Page 15</ref> Season 2 and 3 were repeated several times over in 1990. Season 1 aired as ] which screened on Saturday evenings at 6:00 p.m. between September and October 1990. ] was picked up in 1991 with TV3 first screening the episodes that aired in the US on CBS followed by the syndicated episodes. From 1992 to 1996 TV3 screened the later seasons on Saturday mornings, the "Vacation in Europe" episodes were screened in 1993. | |||
*In the Republic of Ireland, the series ended its original run on August 9, 1998,<ref>{{cite journal|title=''RTÉ Guide''|journal=]|pages=9–15|date=August 1998}}</ref> but the show was regularly rerun on ] until 2008.<ref>"{{cite web |url=http://www.rteguide.ie/listings.html?date=1&channel=132 |title= RTÉ Guide: TV Listings and Highlights |access-date=2007-09-01 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927190443/http://www.rteguide.ie/listings.html?date=1&channel=132 |archive-date=September 27, 2007 |df=mdy-all }}" ''RTÉ Guide''. Retrieved September 1, 2007.</ref> In ] the series was broadcast on ] from 1991 to 1994 and on ] from 1998 to 2002. In Denmark, the show is aired every weekday at 6.00 am on TV 2. | |||
**In the Republic of Ireland, the series was initially known as ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' just like the US version and the intro sequence was unedited when it debuted on ] as part of the Irish TV strand ] with the airing of the second season in September 1990.<ref>], 8–14 September 1990 edition</ref> After the first two episodes were broadcast, the name was changed to the Hero Turtles version and the intro was edited, except for season one. Scenes with Mikey's nunchucks and the word ‘ninja’ were always edited out in the actual episodes, though. Episodes were also cut a bit midway through at the point where there would be a commercial break, perhaps because there were no ad breaks during shows on The Den. The show was very popular in Ireland and aired a lot on weekday afternoons on RTÉ in the mid 90s with season 1 being placed between 3 and 4. The European Vacation eps first aired in Ireland in December 1990.<ref>], 8–14 December 1990 edition and subsequent dates</ref> In 2007–2008, episodes were aired in their original US unedited form. | |||
*In the United Kingdom, the series was originally released under the name ''Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles'' (''TMHT''). This was due to the controversy surrounding ]s and related weapons such as ] at the time.<ref name="cohen">{{cite news| first= Susan| last= Cohen| title= Teenage Mutant Ninja Television: Who's winning the battle over kids' TV?| publisher= Washington Post Magazine| date= April 7, 1991}}</ref> 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 Michaelangelo wields his ], replacing them with clips from the show.<ref>{{cite news|title= TMNT: The Renaissance Reptiles Return|work= Kung Fu Magazine|url= http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=703|access-date= December 27, 2009|archive-date= January 6, 2010|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100106040732/http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=703|url-status= dead}}</ref> Scenes of Michaelangelo using his nunchaku were likewise edited out of the episodes themselves, which led the American show runners to drop the weapons from the series entirely in the fourth season in order to make the show more appropriate for the international airings. The weapons were replaced with a ] called the "Turtle Line" that served as Mikey's signature weapon for the rest of the show's run. The word 'ninja' was also edited out of any speech within the show, often leading to some awkward sounding dialogue. | |||
*The TMHT version was aired in other European countries, including the Republic of Ireland (except series 1, which had the original title), The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Poland, Hungary, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Finland, in local dubs (the Finnish version was in English with subtitles, while Polish was in English with a ]). In Denmark, the English censored version was aired on the national broadcaster ]. It had subtitles as well, however, only seasons 2 and 3 were aired in this fashion. Season 1 was aired as one spliced feature, instead of the original five-part miniseries. The movie was titled ''The Epic Begins'', and included heavy edits from each of the five episodes, and was also released to VHS in the US in 1988.<ref>{{cite book|title=Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Epic Begins|publisher=Worldcat|date=1988|isbn=9781614796107|oclc = 18773473}}</ref> | |||
*In Russia on the ] a dubbed version in Russian was shown on September 25, 1993.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tvp.netcollect.ru/prog_channel.php?channel=62&year=1993|title=Телепрограмма канала 2×2, 1993 год|publisher=tvp.netcollect.ru}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://tvp.netcollect.ru/tvps/tnxxltzkqtla.jpg|title=Телепрограмма за 25 сентября 1993 год (Московская программа, в телеканале 2×2)|publisher=tvp.netcollect.ru}}</ref> On June 9, 1997, the channel shut down, and the show was discontinued. After it resumed broadcasting in 2003, a re-run with an old dubbed version began on the 2×2 from April 1, 2013.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.televesti.ru/tvanons/24394-anonsy-telekanala-2x2-s-1-aprelya-po-7-marta.html|title=Анонсы телеканала 2х2 с 1 апреля по 7 марта|publisher=televesti.ru}}</ref> Since February 11, 2021, there is a new dubbed version on ].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://vk.com/animatron?w=wall-58512634_361716|title=Завтра на Телеканале 2х2 в 8:15 (утра) стартуют старые Черепашки-Ниндзя!|publisher=vk.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://vk.com/club3300411?w=wall-3300411_1416|title=2х2 полностью переозвучил черепах.|publisher=vk.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://vk.com/2x2tv?w=wall-48864_1184197|title=Возвращение Черепашек-ниндзя в эфир|publisher=vk.com}}</ref> | |||
*In Sweden, ], which aired from ], aired seasons 1-3 between 1990 and 1993, while ] aired seasons 4–6 with subtitles and the "Vacation in Europe" episodes dubbed. The series was dubbed into Swedish by Mediadubb. Sun Studio also dubbed some chosen seasons 1-3 episodes into Swedish, for home video releases in 1991, later rereleased to DVD. In Sweden, the home video releases kept the original title, "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dubbningshemsidan.se/credits/turtles/|title=Svenska röster och credits|publisher=Dubbningshemsidan|language=sv|author=Daniel Hofverberg|date=1991}}</ref> | |||
== Home video releases == | |||
===VHS=== | |||
The series has seen numerous releases on VHS in Region 1 by ], beginning in 1988 and continuing through 1996.<ref name="Classic VHS Releases">{{cite web|url=http://www.ninjaturtles.com/html/vhs_classic.htm |title=Classic TMNT VHS Tapes |publisher=Ninjaturtles |access-date=July 16, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120306102749/http://www.ninjaturtles.com/html/vhs_classic.htm |archive-date=March 6, 2012 }}</ref> Several tapes were released as part of marketing promotions with corporations such as ] and TV Teddy.<ref name="Classic VHS Releases"/> | |||
] VHS tapes were initially released using the censored ''Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles'' title.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://davefrear.blogspot.se/2014/06/a-quick-guide-to-uk-hero-turtles-vhs.html|title=A Quick Guide to the UK Hero Turtles VHS Tapes|publisher=Possibly Interesting|language=en|date=June 4, 2014|access-date=January 15, 2017}}</ref> They were all released by ]'s Tempo Video label in the early-mid 90's. | |||
===LaserDisc=== | |||
Six LaserDisc collections of selected episodes were released in North America in 1989. Releases continued through at least until 1996.<ref name="Classic VHS Releases"/> | |||
===DVD=== | ===DVD=== | ||
Starting in April 2004, ] releases began in Region 1. The series has since seen numerous releases as part of DVD compilations. | |||
==== Region 1 ==== | ==== Region 1 ==== | ||
] has released the entire series to DVD in ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Teenage-Mutant-Ninja-Turtles-Season-9/15426 |title=Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles DVD news: Release Date for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles |
] (through ] and Family Home Entertainment) has released the entire series to DVD in ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Teenage-Mutant-Ninja-Turtles-Season-9/15426 |title=Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles DVD news: Release Date for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Season 9 |publisher=TVShowsOnDVD.com |access-date=July 7, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120721081523/http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Teenage-Mutant-Ninja-Turtles-Season-9/15426 |archive-date=July 21, 2012 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> Initially it was released in volumes, with each volume containing 9–13 episodes in its original 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 would now be released in season sets, starting with Season 4. However, the episodes "Once Upon a Time Machine" was omitted in the Season 4 set and the 1991 prime-time special "Planet of the Turtleoids" was omitted from the Season 5 set, but are included in the Season 10 set as bonus episodes.<ref name="tvshowsondvd.com">{{cite web |url=http://tvshowsondvd.com/news/Teenage-Mutant-Ninja-Turtles-Season-10/16989 |title=Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles DVD news: Update about Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Season 10: The Complete Final Season |publisher=TVShowsOnDVD.com |access-date=July 7, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120628064732/http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Teenage-Mutant-Ninja-Turtles-Season-10/16989 |archive-date=June 28, 2012 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> The DVDs do not include the Turtle Tips PSAs. | ||
On November 13, 2012, Lionsgate released ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles |
On November 13, 2012, Lionsgate Family Entertainment released ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – The Complete Classic Series Collection'' on DVD in Region 1.<ref name="ClassicCollection" /> The 23-disc set features all 193 episodes of the series as well as bonus features. It also contains special collector's edition packaging.<ref name=ClassicCollection>{{cite web|url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Teenage-Mutant-Ninja-Turtles-Complete-Classic-Series-Collection/17417|title=Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – The 23-DVD 'Complete Classic Series Collection' Party Van Gift Set!|last=Lambert|first=David|date=August 24, 2012|work=]|access-date=August 27, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120827001230/http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Teenage-Mutant-Ninja-Turtles-Complete-Classic-Series-Collection/17417|archive-date=August 27, 2012|df=mdy-all}}</ref> | ||
On July 23, 2013, Lionsgate re-released all 47 episodes of |
On July 23, 2013, Lionsgate re-released all 47 episodes of Season 3 together in a 4-disc box set.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Teenage-Mutant-Ninja-Turtles-Season-3/18393 |title=Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles DVD news: Box Art for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Season 3: Complete Set |publisher=TVShowsOnDVD.com |date=January 5, 2013 |access-date=August 11, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140701074721/http://tvshowsondvd.com/news/Teenage-Mutant-Ninja-Turtles-Season-3/18393 |archive-date=July 1, 2014 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> | ||
A compilation of selected episodes, ''Cowabunga Classics'', was released on July 29, 2014.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/releases/Teenage-Mutant-Ninja-Turtles-Volume-Release/14524|title=Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Cowabunga Classics|publisher=TV Shows on DVD|language=en|date=July 29, 2014|access-date=July 12, 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150713144812/http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/releases/Teenage-Mutant-Ninja-Turtles-Volume-Release/14524|archive-date=July 13, 2015|df=mdy-all}}</ref> | |||
{| class="wikitable" | |||
|- | |||
On October 15, 2024, ] and ] released the new version of the ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – The Complete Classic Series Collection'' on DVD.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hoolihan |first=Hannah |date=2024-10-15 |title=The Complete TMNT Classic TV Series Is Out Today on DVD (and It's on Sale) |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/where-to-buy-tmnt-classic-tv-series-dvd |access-date=2024-12-06 |website=] |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last1=Bonthuys |first1=Darryn |last2=Hesse |first2=Brendan |date=2024-08-29 |title=The Original TMNT TV Series Is Getting A New Complete Collection Box Set |url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-original-tmnt-tv-series-is-getting-a-new-complete-collection-box-set/1100-6526154/ |access-date=2024-12-06 |website=] |language=en-US}}</ref> | |||
!DVD name | |||
!Ep No. | |||
!Release Date | |||
!Additional Information | |||
|- | |||
| Volume 1 | |||
| style="text-align:center;"|9 | |||
| April 20, 2004<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/releases/Teenage-Mutant-Ninja-Turtles-Volume-01-Season-1/3474|title=Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Volume 01 (Season 1)|publisher=TV Shows on DVD|language=English|date=20 April 2004|accessdate=12 July 2015}}</ref> | |||
| Contains all 5 episodes of season 1 and 4 bonus episodes from season 10 | |||
|- | |||
| Volume 2 | |||
| style="text-align:center;"|13 | |||
| April 26, 2005<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/releases/Teenage-Mutant-Ninja-Turtles-Volume-02-Season-2/4515|title=Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Volume 02 (Season 2)|publisher=TV Shows on DVD|language=English|date=26 April 2005|accessdate=12 July 2015}}</ref> | |||
| Contains all 13 episodes of season 2 | |||
|- | |||
| Volume 3 | |||
| style="text-align:center;"|12 | |||
| December 6, 2005<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/releases/Teenage-Mutant-Ninja-Turtles-Volume-Release/5289|title=Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Volume 03|publisher=TV Shows on DVD|language=English|date=6 December 2005|accessdate=12 July 2015}}</ref> | |||
| Contains episodes 1–12 from season 3 | |||
|- | |||
| Volume 4 | |||
| style="text-align:center;"|12 | |||
| April 4, 2006<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/releases/Teenage-Mutant-Ninja-Turtles-Volume-Release/5593|title=Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Volume 04|publisher=TV Shows on DVD|language=English|date=4 April 2006|accessdate=12 July 2015}}</ref> | |||
| Contains episodes 13–24 from season 3 | |||
|- | |||
| Volume 5 | |||
| style="text-align:center;"|12 | |||
| August 29, 2006<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/releases/Teenage-Mutant-Ninja-Turtles-Volume-Release/5936|title=Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Volume 05|publisher=TV Shows on DVD|language=English|date=29 August 2006|accessdate=12 July 2015}}</ref> | |||
| Contains episodes 25–36 from season 3 | |||
|- | |||
| Volume 6 | |||
| style="text-align:center;"|12 | |||
| December 5, 2006<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/releases/Teenage-Mutant-Ninja-Turtles-Volume-Release/6209|title=Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Volume 06|publisher=TV Shows on DVD|language=English|date=5 December 2006|accessdate=12 July 2015}}</ref> | |||
| Contains episodes 37–47 from season 3 and the first episode of season 4 | |||
|- | |||
| Season 3 | |||
| style="text-align:center;"|47 | |||
| July 23, 2013<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/releases/Teenage-Mutant-Ninja-Turtles-Season-3/13400|title=Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Season 3|publisher=TV Shows on DVD|language=English|date=23 July 2013|accessdate=12 July 2015}}</ref> | |||
| Contains all 47 episodes from season 3 | |||
|- | |||
| Season 4 | |||
| style="text-align:center;"|40 | |||
| March 13, 2007<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/releases/Teenage-Mutant-Ninja-Turtles-Season-4/6425|title=Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Season 4|publisher=TV Shows on DVD|language=English|date=13 March 2013|accessdate=12 July 2015}}</ref> | |||
| Contains all 13 syndicated episodes from Season 4 (including the first episode, previously featured in Volume 6), 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 ] (the voice of Shredder) and ] (the voice of Krang/Slash) | |||
* Fresh from the Oven: A Recipe for a Cowabunga Cheese Pizza, Fit for a Ninja Turtle | |||
|- | |||
| Season 5 | |||
| style="text-align:center;"|18 | |||
| August 7, 2007<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/releaseinfo.cfm?ReleaseID=6770|title=Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Season 5|publisher=TV Shows on DVD|language=English|date=8 July 2007|accessdate=12 July 2015}}</ref> | |||
| Contains all episodes from Season 5, except "Once Upon a Time Machine" and "Planet of the Turtleoids". Part 1 and 2 | |||
* "The Turtles: A Ninjatastic Look Back" featuring all new-interviews with ] (Donatello), ] (Raphael), ] (Leonardo), and ] (Michelangelo). | |||
* "Under The Shell" with Usagi Yojimbo (interview with Townsend Coleman) and Baxter Stockman. | |||
|- | |||
| Season 6 | |||
| style="text-align:center;"|16 | |||
| April 8, 2008<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/releases/Teenage-Mutant-Ninja-Turtles-Season-6/7454|title=Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Season 6|publisher=TV Shows on DVD|language=English|date=8 April 2008|accessdate=12 July 2015}}</ref> | |||
| Contains all 16 episodes from Season 6. | |||
|- | |||
| Season 7 | |||
| style="text-align:center;"|27 | |||
| May 12, 2009<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/releases/Teenage-Mutant-Ninja-Turtles-Volume-Release/8631|title=Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Season 7, Part 1: The Leonardo Slice|publisher=TV Shows on DVD|language=English|date=12 May 2009|accessdate=12 July 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/releases/Teenage-Mutant-Ninja-Turtles-Volume-Release/8632|title=Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Season 7, Part 2: The Michelangelo Slice|publisher=TV Shows on DVD|language=English|date=12 May 2009|accessdate=12 July 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/releases/Teenage-Mutant-Ninja-Turtles-Volume-Release/8633|title=Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Season 7, Part 3: The Donatello Slice|publisher=TV Shows on DVD|language=English|date=12 May 2009|accessdate=12 July 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/releases/Teenage-Mutant-Ninja-Turtles-Volume-Release/8634|title=Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Season 7, Part 4: The Raphael Slice|publisher=TV Shows on DVD|language=English|date=12 May 2009|accessdate=12 July 2015}}</ref> | |||
| Contains all 14 episodes from Season 7 and the "Vacation in Europe" mini-series. | |||
* Re-released on November 3, 2009 as a complete season set minus the figurines. | |||
|- | |||
| Season 8 | |||
| style="text-align:center;"|8 | |||
| September 1, 2009<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/releases/Teenage-Mutant-Ninja-Turtles-Season-8/9066|title=Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Season 8|publisher=TV Shows on DVD|language=English|date=1 September 2009|accessdate=12 July 2015}}</ref> | |||
| Contains all 8 episodes from Season 8. | |||
|- | |||
| Season 9 | |||
| style="text-align:center;"|8 | |||
| August 16, 2011<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/releases/Teenage-Mutant-Ninja-Turtles-Season-9/11255|title=Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Season 9|publisher=TV Shows on DVD|language=English|date=16 August 2011|accessdate=12 July 2015}}</ref> | |||
| Contains all 8 episodes from Season 9. | |||
|- | |||
| Season 10 | |||
| style="text-align:center;"|11 | |||
| August 14, 2012<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/releases/Teenage-Mutant-Ninja-Turtles-Season-10-Complete-Final-Season/12362|title=Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Season 10: The Complete Final Season|publisher=TV Shows on DVD|language=English|date=14 August 2012|accessdate=12 July 2015}}</ref> | |||
| Contains all 8 episodes from Season 10 and the episodes "Once Upon a Time Machine" and "Planet of the Turtleoids" Part 1 and 2 which were missing from the Season 5 Set.<ref name="tvshowsondvd.com" /> | |||
* Interviews with the animators. | |||
|- | |||
| Complete Series | |||
| style="text-align:center;"|193 | |||
| November 13, 2012<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/releaseinfo.cfm?ReleaseID=12632|title=Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - The Complete Classic Series Collection|publisher=TV Shows on DVD|language=English|date=13 November 2012|accessdate=12 July 2015}}</ref> | |||
| Packaged inside an exclusive, plastic molded collectible "party van" with DVDs of all 10 seasons (including all the same on-disc bonus content found in the previous individual releases).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Teenage-Mutant-Ninja-Turtles-Complete-Classic-Series-Collection/17417|title=Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - The 23-DVD 'Complete Classic Series Collection' Party Van Gift Set!|last=Lambert|first=David|date=August 24, 2012|work=]|accessdate=August 27, 2012}}</ref> | |||
|- | |||
| Cowabunga Classics | |||
| style="text-align:center;"|11 | |||
| July 29, 2014<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/releases/Teenage-Mutant-Ninja-Turtles-Volume-Release/14524|title=Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Cowabunga Classics|publisher=TV Shows on DVD|language=English|date=29 July 2014|accessdate=12 July 2015}}</ref> | |||
| Contains 10 "fan-favorite" episodes from Seasons 1-7 that were selected from a ] poll, including both parts of ""Planet of the Turtleoids".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.blu-ray.com/dvd/Teenage-Mutant-Ninja-Turtles-Cowabunga-Classics-DVD/86921/|title=Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Cowabunga Classics DVD|work=Blu-ray.com|accessdate=April 8, 2015}}</ref> | |||
* The Turtles: A Ninjatastic Look Back | |||
* Exclusive Artist Interviews | |||
* A Shellabration of Fan-Nomenon Sensation: Devoted and Die-Hard TMNT Fans Speak! | |||
|} | |||
==== Region 2 ==== | ==== Region 2 ==== | ||
The first volume of the 25th Anniversary Edition, containing all episodes from the first two seasons in a PAL format, was released for Region 2 ]s by Lionsgate Home Entertainment in the UK and Ireland on 25 May |
The first volume of the 25th Anniversary Edition, containing all episodes from the first two seasons in a PAL format as well as some bonus material from Season 10, was released for Region 2 ]s by Lionsgate Home Entertainment in the UK and the Republic of Ireland on May 25, 2009.{{citation needed|date=August 2020}} 4 DVDs containing 3 episodes each based around Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael and Michelangelo were released on May 19, 2014.{{citation needed|date=August 2020}} DVDs of the series were also released by German distributor KSM GmbH between May 2007 and February 2012.{{citation needed|date=August 2020}} | ||
==== Region 4 ==== | |||
4 DVDs containing 3 episodes each based around Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael and Michelango were released on 19 May 2014. | |||
The show was released in Australia by Lionsgate Home Entertainment between 2009 and 2016. All episodes from the 1987 series were released in sixteen volumes. The discs are in Region 4, but unusually, they are in ] picture format, instead of ].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/version/257858910|website=Trove|title=2016, English, Video edition: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Volume 1-3.|access-date=May 15, 2020}}</ref> The first six DVDs are more or less duplicated from the Region 1 discs released in America, however unlike the American release, Season 4 was broken down into several separate volumes (7 to 9). | |||
===Video on demand=== | |||
{| class="wikitable" | |||
====United States==== | |||
|- | |||
Lionsgate Home Entertainment has also released each of the seasons in digital format which are sold separately on several digital platforms such as ] and ] in Standard Definition only.<ref></ref> While "Once Upon a Time Machine" is included with Season 5,<ref></ref> "Planet of the Turtleoids" is included with Season 6.<ref></ref> | |||
!DVD Name | |||
!Ep # | |||
!DVD # | |||
!Release Date | |||
!Additional Information | |||
|- | |||
| Season 1–2 | |||
| 22 | |||
| 3 | |||
| May 25, 2009 | |||
| Contains all episodes from seasons 1 and 2, plus 4 bonus episodes from season 10. | |||
|- | |||
|Best of Leonardo | |||
| 3 | |||
| 1 | |||
| May 19, 2014 | |||
| Contains the episodes Hot-Rodding Teenagers from Dimension X, Unidenfied Leonardo, and Leonardo Cuts Loose. | |||
|} | |||
Following Nickelodeon's acquisition of the distribution rights for the series, the series had been slowly re-released under Nickelodeon's branding,<ref></ref> also in Standard Definition only which was completed in February 2024. Excluding ], the new digital releases has some slight changes over the old ones, to where "The Turtles and The Hare" is also placed alongside "Once Upon a Time Machine" in Season 5, and "Planet of the Turtloids is also restored to that aforementioned season as well in its two-part format instead of a single episode.<ref></ref> As of April 2024, iTunes released a complete series set with all 193 episodes.<ref></ref> | |||
The series has also been released by German distributor ]. | |||
The first two seasons were made available for streaming September 19, 2023 on ].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Series Seasons 1 & 2 Get Paramount+ Release Date |url=https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-original-series-streaming-paramount-plus/ |access-date=2023-08-23 |website=TV Shows |language=en}}</ref> with more being added slowly with Season 3 now available. | |||
{| class="wikitable" | |||
|- | |||
!DVD Name | |||
!Ep # | |||
!DVD # | |||
!Release Date | |||
!Additional Information | |||
|- | |||
| DVD Collection | |||
| 24 | |||
| 5 | |||
| May 17, 2007 (Disk 1 & 2)<br />July 26, 2007 (DVD Collection)<br />August 17, 2007 (Disk 3 to 5) | |||
| Contains all episodes from season 8, 9, and 10. | |||
* First released in 5 Single DVDs entitled "Disks". | |||
* Later released as a DVD Collection containing this 5 Disks. | |||
* Both, the Single Release and the Collection only includes the German Audio Track. | |||
|- | |||
| Box 1 | |||
| rowspan="2"|25 | |||
| 5 | |||
| March 12, 2009 | |||
| Contains all episodes from seasons 1 and 2, plus first 7 episodes from Season 3. | |||
* Contains the German Hero Turtles TV Version and the Uncut US Version as well. | |||
|- | |||
| Box 2 | |||
| 5 | |||
| May 3, 2010 | |||
| Contains 25 more episodes from Season 3. | |||
* Contains the German Hero Turtles TV Version and the Uncut US Version as well. | |||
* The 25 included episodes are announced to be in chronological order. | |||
|- | |||
| Box 3 | |||
| rowspan="3"|30 | |||
| 6 | |||
| July 12, 2010 | |||
| Contains the remaining 15 episodes from Season 3, the first two episodes from Season 4 and the complete "European Vacation" Side-Season. | |||
* Contains the German Hero Turtles TV Version and the Uncut US Version as well. | |||
* The 30 included episodes are announced to be in chronological order. | |||
|- | |||
| Box 4 | |||
| 6 | |||
| October 17, 2011 | |||
| Contains 30 more episodes from Season 4. | |||
* Contains the German Hero Turtles TV Version and the Uncut US Version as well. | |||
* The 30 included episodes are announced to be in chronological order. | |||
|- | |||
| Box 5 | |||
| 6 | |||
| December 5, 2011 | |||
| Contains the remaining Episodes from Season 4 as well as all episode from Season 5 and the first of Season 6. | |||
* Contains the German Hero Turtles TV Version and the Uncut US Version as well. | |||
* The 30 included episodes are announced to be in chronological order. | |||
|- | |||
| Box 6 | |||
| 29 | |||
| 6 | |||
| February 12, 2012 | |||
| Contains the remaining Episodes from Season 6 as well as all of Season 7. | |||
* Contains the German Hero Turtles TV Version and the Uncut US Version as well. | |||
* The 29 included episodes are announced to be in chronological order. | |||
|} | |||
The first season was officially released for free to watch on ], on July 30, 2023. Some episodes from Season 2 were also released, as well as a live broadcast feed of the entire series.<ref>{{Citation |title=The Complete SEASON 1 of TMNT (1987) 🐢 {{!}} 5 FULL EPISODES {{!}} Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | date=July 29, 2023 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cA5yaZ4f8jI |access-date=2023-10-22 |language=en}}</ref> | |||
==== Region 4 ==== | |||
The Series is being released in Australia by Lionsgate Home Entertainment. The first six DVD's are more or less duplicated from the Region 1 discs released in America, however unlike the American release Season 4 was broken down into several separate volumes (7 to 9). The discs are in Region 4, but they are in ] picture format, instead of ], reflecting the changes in television technology since the original airing of the series in 1990. All episodes from the 1987 series have now been released in Region 4, in Volumes 1-16. | |||
== Reception == | |||
{| class="wikitable" | |||
] named ''TMNT'' as the 55th best show in the Top 100 Best Animated TV Shows.<ref name="ign100">{{cite web |title=55, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles |url=http://www.ign.com/top/animated-tv-series/55.html |publisher=IGN |access-date=January 24, 2009 |date=January 23, 2009}}</ref> While the story diverged heavily from the original conception of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with the universe of the original Mirage comics, the 1987 television series is largely the most notable and popular incarnation and drove the franchise to the phenomenal status it would achieve in popular culture. Co-creator, Peter Laird, has publicly shared his distaste with the show on numerous occasions but has also acknowledged that it was extremely successful with and beloved by its audience and, while he would have preferred a different approach to the material, it might not have been as popular as what was produced.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://peterlairdstmntblog.blogspot.com/2012/03/more-musings-related-to-turtles-as.html|title=Peter Laird's TMNT blog: More musings related to "Turtles as members of an alien race"|last=Pl|date=March 23, 2012}}</ref> Retroactively, the cross-over film '']'' established a common ] continuity between all Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles variations. (Except the 2012 series, as this would not be released until 3 years later.) | |||
|- | |||
!DVD name | |||
!Ep No. | |||
!DVD No. | |||
!Release date | |||
!Additional information | |||
|- | |||
| Volume 1 | |||
| 9 | |||
| 1 | |||
| 2009 | |||
| Includes the complete first Season and four episodes from Season 10. | |||
|- | |||
| Volume 2 | |||
| 13 | |||
| 1 | |||
| 2009 | |||
| Includes the entire second Season. | |||
|- | |||
| Volume 3 | |||
| 12 | |||
| 1 | |||
| 2009 | |||
| Includes episodes 1–12 of Season 3. | |||
|- | |||
| Volume 4 | |||
| 12 | |||
| 1 | |||
| 2009 | |||
| Includes episodes 13–24 of Season 3. | |||
|- | |||
| Volume 5 | |||
| 12 | |||
| 1 | |||
| 2009 | |||
| Includes episodes 25–37 of Season 3. | |||
|- | |||
| Volume 6 | |||
| 12 | |||
| 1 | |||
| 2009 | |||
| Includes episodes 38–47 of Season 3 and episode 1 of Season 4. | |||
|- | |||
| Volume 7 | |||
| 13 | |||
| 1 | |||
| 2009 | |||
| Includes episodes 2–14 of Season 4. | |||
|- | |||
| Volume 8 | |||
| 13 | |||
| 1 | |||
| 2009 | |||
| Includes episodes 15–27 of Season 4. | |||
|- | |||
| Volume 9 | |||
| 13 | |||
| 1 | |||
| 2009 | |||
| Includes episodes 28–39 of Season 4 and episode 1 of Season 5. | |||
|- | |||
|Volume 10 | |||
|13 | |||
|1 | |||
|2013 | |||
|Includes episodes 2-14 of Season 5 | |||
|- | |||
|Volume 11 | |||
|13 | |||
|1 | |||
|2013 | |||
|Includes episodes 15-22 of Season 5 and episodes 1-5 of Season 6 | |||
|- | |||
|Volume 12 | |||
|11 | |||
|1 | |||
|2013 | |||
|Includes episodes 6-16 of Season 6 | |||
|- | |||
|Volume 13 | |||
|13 | |||
|1 | |||
|2016 | |||
|Includes entire Vacation in Europe sideseason | |||
|- | |||
|Volume 14 | |||
|13 | |||
|1 | |||
|2016 | |||
|Includes episodes 1-13 of Season 7 | |||
|- | |||
|Volume 15 | |||
|13 | |||
|1 | |||
|2016 | |||
|Includes episode 14 of Season 7, entire Season 8, episodes 1-4 of Season 9 | |||
|- | |||
|Volume 16 | |||
|8 | |||
|1 | |||
|2016 | |||
|Includes episodes 5-8 of Season 9, episodes 3-5 & 8 of Season 10 | |||
|} | |||
== Magazine == | |||
''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Magazine'' was 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.comiccollectorlive.com/index/CoverTitle.aspx?id=02cac175-b423-43d6-b50c-91b3d8c03eed |title=Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Mag... Magazine by Welsh Publishing Group |publisher=Comiccollectorlive.com |date= |accessdate=2014-08-11}}</ref> | |||
At the time, the series was criticized by various groups for its violent content and commercialism. The extensive line of toys and other licensed products also attracted criticism. The Australian Council for Children's Films and Television accused the show of being a 30-minute toy commercial.<ref>{{cite news|title= Turtle Trouble : Children: Some parents believe Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles encourage aggression. Others say the Turtles are just harmless fun.|work= The Los Angeles Times|date=August 27, 1990|url= https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-08-27-vw-116-story.html|access-date=May 15, 2020|first=Kathleen|last=Doheny}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title= Ninja Influence on Australian Youth|work= The New York Times|date=August 16, 1990|url= https://www.nytimes.com/1990/08/16/movies/ninja-influence-on-australian-youth.html?src=pm|access-date=December 29, 2010}}</ref> | |||
The $1.95, 32-page magazine featured articles about the ] and a variety of other subjects, including an article on the last page of each issue spotlighting a real life turtle species. ] staff artists such as ] and ] provided a majority of the covers and spot illustrations. A pullout poster was available in every issue and was painted by ] artist ]. | |||
==See also== | ==See also== | ||
*] | |||
The popularity of the series spawned countless imitators such as: | |||
*] | |||
* '']'' | |||
*] | |||
* '']'' and its spin off '']'' | |||
*] | |||
*] | |||
*] | |||
*] | |||
*] | |||
*] | |||
*] | |||
==References== | ==References== | ||
{{Reflist |
{{Reflist}} | ||
==External links== | ==External links== | ||
{{Wikiquote|Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987 TV series)}} | {{Wikiquote|Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987 TV series)}} | ||
* {{tv.com show|teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-1987|Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles}} | |||
* {{IMDb title|0131613|Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles}} | * {{IMDb title|0131613|Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles}} | ||
* {{bcdb|Other_Studios/M/Murakami-Wolf-Swenson/Teenage_Mutant_Ninja_Turtles/index.html|Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles}} | |||
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Latest revision as of 08:51, 28 December 2024
American animated television series
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | |
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Also known as | Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles |
Genre | |
Based on | Characters created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird |
Story by | Jack Mendelsohn (seasons 1–3, 6–7) David Wise (seasons 4–5, 8–9) Jeffrey Scott (season 10) |
Directed by | Fred Wolf (seasons 1-6) Bill Wolf (season 3) Bruno-Rene Huchez (season 7) Bill Hutten (season 7) Tony Love (seasons 7-10) |
Creative directors | Peter Chung (seasons 1–3) Gary Selvaggio (seasons 4–5) Frank Rocco (seasons 6–7) George Goodchild (seasons 8–9) Kyle Menke (season 10) |
Voices of | |
Theme music composer | Chuck Lorre Dennis C. Brown |
Country of origin | United States |
No. of seasons | 10 |
No. of episodes | 193 (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Executive producers | Mark Freedman Sung Chul Ha (seasons 4–5) |
Producers |
|
Animators | Toei Animation, A-1 Productions, Fred Wolf Films Dublin, and others |
Running time | 22 minutes |
Production company | Fred Wolf Films |
Original release | |
Network | Syndication (1987–91) CBS (1990–96) |
Release | December 28, 1987 (1987-12-28) – November 2, 1996 (1996-11-02) |
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (also known as Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles in some regions) is an American animated television series produced by Fred Wolf Films, and based on the comic book characters created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. Set in New York City, the series follows the adventures of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and their allies as they battle the Shredder, Krang, and numerous other villains and criminals. The property was changed considerably from the darker-toned comics, to make it more suitable for children and families.
The pilot was shown during the week of December 28, 1987 in syndication as a five-part miniseries, and the show began its full-time run on October 1, 1988, and ended on November 2, 1996. The show was the first television appearance of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and helped launch the characters into mainstream popularity, becoming one of the most popular animated series in television history. Action figures, breakfast cereals, plush toys, and other merchandise featuring the characters appeared on the market during the late 1980s and early 1990s and became top sellers worldwide. By 1990, the series was being shown daily on more than 125 television stations.
Characters from the show have been included in crossovers with later entries of the franchise, including the 2009 film Turtles Forever and recurring roles in the 2012 TV series for Nickelodeon.
Series overview
Main article: List of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987 TV series) episodesSeason | Episodes | Originally released | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
First released | Last released | Network | |||
1 | 5 | December 28, 1987 (1987-12-28) | January 1, 1988 (1988-01-01) | Syndication | |
2 | 13 | October 1, 1988 (1988-10-01) | December 24, 1988 (1988-12-24) | ||
3 | 47 | September 25, 1989 (1989-09-25) | December 15, 1989 (1989-12-15) | ||
4 | 41 | September 8, 1990 (1990-09-08) | March 29, 1991 (1991-03-29) | Syndication (15 episodes) CBS (26 episodes) | |
5 | 20 | September 14, 1991 (1991-09-14) | December 25, 1991 (1991-12-25) | CBS | |
6 | 16 | September 12, 1992 (1992-09-12) | December 26, 1992 (1992-12-26) | ||
7 | 27 | September 13, 1993 (1993-09-13) | December 18, 1993 (1993-12-18) | ||
8 | 8 | September 17, 1994 (1994-09-17) | November 5, 1994 (1994-11-05) | ||
9 | 8 | September 16, 1995 (1995-09-16) | November 4, 1995 (1995-11-04) | ||
10 | 8 | September 14, 1996 (1996-09-14) | November 2, 1996 (1996-11-02) |
Seasons 1–7
The origins story in the 1987 television series deviates significantly from the original Mirage Studios comics. In this version, Splinter was formerly human, an honorable ninja master named Hamato Yoshi who studied art history as a hobby. He was banished from the Foot Clan (a Japanese dynasty of ninjas founded by one of his distant ancestors) after one of his students, the power-hungry and seditious Oroku Saki (who resented Yoshi's leadership within the clan and aspired to usurp him), set him up for an offense against a visiting master sensei. Disgraced, Yoshi was forced to leave his native Japan and relocate to New York City, where he began living in the sewers with the rats as his only friends. Saki was given command of the Foot Clan, which he corrupted and transformed into a criminal organization.
Sometime later, Yoshi adopted four turtles after they were accidentally dropped into the sewers by a young boy named Chester Manley. He returned from his explorations around New York City one day to find the turtles covered with a strange glowing ooze. This substance caused the turtles, who were most recently exposed to Yoshi, to become humanoid, while Yoshi, who was most recently exposed to sewer rats, became a humanoid rat, and was given the name "Splinter" by the turtles. Yoshi raises the four turtles as his sons and trains them in the art of ninjitsu. He names them Donatello, Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Raphael, after his favorite Italian Renaissance artists.
Oroku Saki eventually leaves Japan and tracks Yoshi to New York City, where he intends to destroy him once and for all. It is also around this time that he begins working with Krang, a disembodied alien brain from Dimension X who ruled his native realm with an iron fist until he was stripped of his body and banished to Earth. Saki takes on a new pseudonym, "The Shredder", donning a suit covered with razor spikes, and complemented by a long purple cape, a metal samurai helmet, and a metal mask over his mouth. Since leaving Japan, his ambitions have grown from usurping leadership of the Foot Clan to world domination. To this end, Krang provides the Shredder with a vast array of powerful technology from Dimension X, including the Technodrome, and funds most of his schemes throughout the series.
It becomes clear early on in the series that the mutagen which transformed the Turtles and Splinter into their new forms was dumped into the sewers by Shredder in an effort to murder Yoshi, as he had mistakenly believed it to be a deadly poison rather than a transformative agent. After several years of training under Splinter, the Turtles set out to find whoever is responsible for their transformation, and upon learning that Shredder was behind it, they vow to put an end to his ongoing criminal career and restore Splinter back to his human form. Along the way, they rescue and befriend Channel 6 news reporter April O'Neil, who becomes one of their strongest allies. The Turtles, who had rarely left the sewers prior to meeting April, also began to take on the role of semi-vigilante crime fighters. Despite this, they frequently have to deal with citizens misunderstanding them, largely due to the efforts of Channel 6 newsmen Burne Thompson and Vernon Fenwick, who both distrust the Turtles and frequently and wrongfully blame them for the trouble that Shredder and Krang cause. As a result, they mainly have to rely on April (either via Turtle-com, or Channel 6 news reports) to inform them of crimes in the city, and to counteract Burne and Vernon's smear and bad-tempered campaigns against them with her own news coverage of the Turtles, portraying them as a force for good. Reluctant to expose themselves to the outside world, the Turtles initially wear disguises whenever they leave the sewers, although this is slowly relaxed as the series progresses and they gain the trust of the broader populace, whom they have saved from Shredder and other villains on many occasions.
Shredder, Krang, Bebop & Rocksteady, Baxter Stockman, and their legions of Foot soldiers repeatedly try to destroy the Turtles and take over the world. Much of their quest for world domination hinges on repowering Krang's mobile fortress, the Technodrome, and bringing it to the Earth's surface, as it was either buried deep under New York City (Season 1), stuck in Dimension X (Seasons 2 and 4), embedded in the Earth's core (Season 3), stranded in the Arctic (Season 5), or at the bottom of the Arctic Ocean (Seasons 6 and 7). However, their plans always fail, often landing the villains in humorous predicaments. Some episodes feature other minor villains, such as the Rat King, Leatherhead, Slash, General Traag and Granitor, and many others, or involve the TMNT getting themselves and the city out of a mess that they had inadvertently caused.
Vacation in Europe
Season 7 featured a "Vacation in Europe" side-season that took place during the fourth season where the Turtles, April, and Splinter win a vacation in Europe and end up fighting Shredder, Krang, and other villains across Europe.
Seasons 8–10
In the last three seasons, the show went through dramatic changes. The humor was toned down significantly, the animation became darker, the color of the sky in each episode was changed to a continuous, ominous dark-red sky (commonplace with newer action-oriented children's programming at the time), the theme song was changed, the introduction sequence added in clips from the first live-action film, and the show took on a darker, more action-oriented atmosphere, reminiscent to the original comics. The Turtles' demeanor evolved into a more serious and determined one than in prior seasons, and they devoted most of their time to tracking down villains. The series' main antagonists—Shredder, Krang, Bebop, and Rocksteady—who had previously been depicted as dangerous but comically inept villains, were now portrayed as a more menacing, unified threat. Additionally, Krang was revealed to have seized power in Dimension X through numerous betrayals and widespread destruction, resulting in old enemies seeking vengeance. Many recurring characters and villains were written out of the show by this point, with more focus placed on the main cast. The eighth season was also noted for the destruction of the Channel 6 building, which led to April working freelance.
At the end of the seventh season, the Turtles sent the Technodrome through a portal into Dimension X, but without Shredder, Krang, Bebop, and Rocksteady. As a result, the villains were stranded on Earth without any weapons or power, and were forced to work out of an old science building until they could find a way back into Dimension X to retrieve the Technodrome. The Turtles, taking advantage of the situation, pursue their arch enemies relentlessly in an effort to put an end to their schemes once and for all. Eventually, Shredder and Krang, along with Bebop and Rocksteady, build a new portal into Dimension X and reclaim the Technodrome, although the Turtles manage to track them down with the help of Gargon, a mutated resident of Dimension X who was being held prisoner by Shredder and Krang. At the end of Season 8, the TMNT finally banish Shredder, Krang, Bebop, and Rocksteady to Dimension X by destroying the Technodrome's engines and trans-dimensional portal, preventing them from returning to Earth.
From Season 9 onwards, Lord Dregg, an evil alien warlord from Dimension X, appeared as the new lead villain. He begins a propaganda campaign against the Turtles, turning the general population against them and in favor of him and his forces. Although Dregg is outed as a villain at the end of Season 9, the Turtles are never able to regain the trust of the broader population, due to an earlier smear campaign by Burne and Vernon that wrongfully blamed the Turtles for the destruction of the Channel 6 building. Additionally, the Turtles began to suffer from secondary mutations that temporarily transformed them into monstrous hulks with diminished intelligence, a problem that would not be completely resolved until Season 10. The TMNT also gain a new ally in the form of Carter, a brash African American male who initially sought out Master Splinter for training in ninjitsu, but is eventually exposed to mutagen and contracts an incurable mutation disease.
In the final season of the series, Dregg's sycophantic henchman Mung encounters Shredder and Krang, who are still stranded in Dimension X. They told him that they had battled the Turtles for years, but even though Shredder claimed to have destroyed them, Mung knew that he was lying. Soon afterward, Mung returns to Dregg's ship and informs him of their encounter, and Dregg decides to bring both Shredder and Krang back from Dimension X to help him fight the Turtles. However, the pair immediately rebel against Dregg and leave, continuing on where they left off before they were banished at the end of Season 8. Back on Earth, Shredder and Krang kidnap April O'Neil and do battle with the Turtles once more, although they are all soon transported back to Dregg's lair. The Turtles initially have the upper hand in the fight, but Shredder and Krang are able to subdue them after reluctantly agreeing to work with Dregg. As he prepares to drain the Turtles of their life energies, Shredder and Krang betray Lord Dregg and force him onto one of the operating tables, intending to drain both him and the Turtles of their power. Dregg, however, manages to escape and uses his microbots to capture Shredder and Krang. Although he successfully drains the Turtles and Krang of their life energies, Shredder breaks free before Dregg is able to take anything from him. Shredder spends the next two episodes finding a way to heal Krang and dispose of Dregg so that they may take control of his armies and conquer the Earth, but in the ensuing confrontation they are permanently transported back to Dimension X. Carter also bids farewell to the Turtles as he travels to the future to look for a cure for his mutation. In the final episode of the series, Michaelangelo and Donatello travel to Dimension X to retrieve Krang's mechanical body from the (now abandoned and completely destroyed) Technodrome, which is sitting on a hill standing upright (whereas at the end of Season 8, an alien plant had dragged it down into a deep pit), suggesting that Shredder and Krang initially tried to repair the Technodrome before declaring it a lost cause. Shredder, Krang, Bebop, and Rocksteady are nowhere to be seen. The Turtles eventually find Krang's suit and use it in a final confrontation with Dregg, which ends with the Turtles banishing Dregg to Dimension X. Splinter congratulates the Turtles on their victory and, now that all of their enemies have been vanquished, states that he has nothing more to teach them, calling them his equals.
Subsequent works
In 2009, the Turtles, Shredder, Krang, and various other characters from the 1987 series returned for the 25th-anniversary crossover movie Turtles Forever, in which they meet up with their counterparts from the 2003 TV series. Due to financial restrictions, none of the original voice actors were able to reprise their roles, and replacement actors were used.
In April 2013, Ciro Nieli, the executive producer of the 2012 Turtles series, confirmed in an interview that the 1987 Turtles would cameo in a one-hour special in season 2. Cam Clarke, Townsend Coleman, Barry Gordon, and Rob Paulsen (who voiced Donatello in the 2012 series) reprise their roles as Leonardo, Michaelangelo, Donatello, and Raphael, respectively, in the closing of the episode "Wormquake!". The 1987 turtles also had a crossover with the 2012 turtles in the season 4 episode, "Trans-Dimensional Turtles". In addition with the lead cast members reprising their roles from the episode, Pat Fraley also reprised his role as Krang who is depicted as a relative of Kraang Subprime that was banished to Earth in the 1980s reality for being incompetent. The 1987 turtles also returned during season five of the 2012 series for a three-part special, "Wanted: Bebop and Rocksteady", along with the original Shredder, Foot soldiers, Krang, Technodrome, and both Bebop and Rocksteady. Both Gordon and Clarke reprised their roles as Bebop and Rocksteady, while the Shredder is voiced by the 2012 incarnation's voice actor Kevin Michael Richardson, due to James Avery's passing in 2013.
Characters
Main article: List of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles charactersOverview
- Voiced by Greg Berg in six Season 3 episodes and one episode of the "Vacation in Europe" side-season.
- Voiced by Thom Pinto in Season 3, Hal Rayle in the "Vacation in Europe" side-season, and Michael Gough in Season 10.
- Voiced by Townsend Coleman in two Season 5 episodes.
- Voiced by Townsend Coleman, Jim Cummings, Pat Fraley, and Nicholas Omana.
- Voiced by Thom Pinto, Tress MacNeille, and Pat Fraley.
- Voiced by Dorian Harewood in four Season 3 episodes, Pat Fraley in one Season 3 episode, Jim Cummings in one Season 5 episode and most of the European side-season; Avery departed the series early in season 7, leading to Townsend Coleman replacing him the remainder of that season, and William E. Martin taking up the role in Season 8 and 10. Kevin Michael Richardson voiced him in the crossover with the 2012 series.
- Voiced by Townsend Coleman in four Season 3 episodes.
- Voiced by Greg Berg in six Season 3 episodes and one episode of the "Vacation in Europe" side-season.
- Voiced by Townsend Coleman in three episodes of Season 3.
- Originally voiced by Pat Fraley in Season 1, replaced by Peter Renaday for the remainder of the show. Townsend Coleman stood in for one Season 5 episode.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
- Leonardo (voiced by Cam Clarke) – The blue-masked turtle who wields two katana. He is the leader and commander of the Turtles and is the closest to Splinter. He is the most serious, level-headed member of the team, who values his leadership.
- Donatello (voiced by Barry Gordon in most episodes, Greg Berg in six Season 3 episodes and one episode of the "Vacation in Europe" side-season) – The purple-masked turtle who wields a bō staff. He is the scientist and intellectual of the team who is constantly tinkering with various inventions. Donatello's capabilities in science and technology have been key factors for the Turtles' successes in their battles with Shredder and other villains.
- Raphael (voiced by Rob Paulsen in Season 1–9, Thom Pinto in two Season 3 episodes, Hal Rayle in the "Vacation in Europe" side-season, Michael Gough in Season 10) – The red-masked turtle who wields two sai. Although Raphael is depicted as angry, impulsive, and violent in most other TMNT media, he is the comedian of the team who often comes out with sarcastic and witty remarks in the 1987 series. He provides some of the comic relief for the show, constantly breaking the fourth wall.
- Michelangelo (voiced by Townsend Coleman) – The orange-masked turtle who wields a pair of nunchakus, which is later changed to a grappling hook. He is the goofy, fun-loving "party animal" of the team who often speaks in surfer slang, and is the source for many of the show's catchphrases, such as "Cowabunga!". More so than any other Turtle, he is obsessed with pizza and enjoys experimenting with various toppings, even when the other Turtles find it gross. He is also considered to be the least intelligent member of the team, especially by Raphael. Michaelangelo is the most laid back character, though he is shown to be very skilled with his nunchaku. He also provides much of the comic relief albeit without Raphael's sarcasm.
Allies and friends
- Master Splinter/Hamato Yoshi (voiced by Peter Renaday in most appearances, Townsend Coleman in two Season 5 episodes) – A soft-spoken yet strict and wizened sensei who used to teach Oroku Saki, until the latter set him up for an offense towards his master which he did not commit and was exiled from the Foot Clan. Since then, he has lived in the sewers of Manhattan as a homeless man with the rats and his four pet turtles as his only friends. Upon being exposed to the same mutagen that changed the turtles into their present anthropomorphic forms with his DNA, Hamato Yoshi transformed into a humanoid mutant rat (as he had most recently been with the rats) and raised the Turtles as his sons (who nickname him "Splinter" from his habit of breaking wood), training them in ninjutsu. It is later revealed that one of his distant ancestors is the founder of the Foot Clan.
- April O'Neil (voiced by Renae Jacobs) – A redheaded TV reporter from Channel 6 News (later a freelance reporter in Seasons 9 and 10) who discovers the Turtles' home in the sewers and befriends the TMNT. She is frequently kidnapped by Shredder and other villains, usually as bait to lure the Turtles out of hiding.
- Irma Langenstein (voiced by Jennifer Darling) – Channel 6's clumsy, dating-obsessed secretary who debuts in Season 2. She is April's best friend who later also befriends the TMNT. Following the destruction of the Channel 6 Building in Season 8, Irma is slowly phased out of the show. A similar character would be used in the 2012 series.
- Casey Jones (voiced by Pat Fraley) – A violent, impulsive, and overzealous street-fighting vigilante who is friends with the Ninja Turtles. He fights using sports equipment and wears a hockey mask.
- Zach "the Fifth Turtle" (voiced by Rob Paulsen) – A 14-year-old who looks up to the Turtles and is their biggest fan.
- Walt (voiced by Townsend Coleman) – Zach's older brother.
- Punk Frogs – The mutant frog counterparts of the TMNT who were accidentally mutated by Krang and trained in martial arts in the hopes that they would be a match for the Turtles. Further emulating his rival Splinter, Shredder names the four frogs after his own personal heroes: Attila the Hun, Genghis Khan, Napoleon Bonaparte, and Grigori Rasputin. Despite their innocent, docile nature, they are also extremely naive, and as such, they were easily misled by Shredder into believing that the Turtles were "evil" and that Shredder was a "good person". However, they eventually turned against Shredder and became their allies. These frogs all speak with Southern American accents.
- Attila the Frog (voiced by Townsend Coleman) – A Punk Frog that is armed with a mace who is named after Attila the Hun.
- Genghis Frog (voiced by Jim Cummings) – A Punk Frog that is armed with an axe who is named after Genghis Khan.
- Napoleon Bonafrog (voiced by Pat Fraley) – A Punk Frog that is armed with a whip who is named after Napoleon Bonaparte.
- Rasputin the Mad Frog (voiced by Nicholas Omana) – A Punk Frog that is armed with a bow and arrow who is named after Grigori Rasputin.
- The Neutrinos – An alien race of teenagers from Dimension X whose only goal in life is to have fun.
- Dask (voiced by Thom Pinto) – The male Neutrino. He spends some time tinkering with his Starmobile.
- Kala (voiced by Tress MacNeille) – The female Neutrino. She seems to have the strongest friendship with Michelangelo out of all the Turtles.
- Zak (voiced by Pat Fraley) – The hipster Neutrino.
- Kerma (voiced by Jan Rabson impersonating Cliff Edwards) – A native of the distant utopian planet Shell-Ri-La (the name being a pun on Shangri-La), which is home to a peaceful, but generally defenseless alien humanoid turtles called the Turtleoids. He arrives on Earth to seek for the Turtles' help in protecting his homeworld from a few threats. Kerma was responsible for the origin of Groundchuck and Dirtbag where he led away a lion and a gorilla that Shredder intended to mutate and accidentally opened some cages that caused a red-furred cattle and a mole to be mutated instead. His species need reflective light from gold in order to energize themselves.
- Carter (voiced by Bumper Robinson) – Introduced in Season 9, he travels to New York City to study martial arts under Splinter, but is accidentally exposed to a mutagen which causes him to spontaneously oscillate between his human and mutant forms. He was an important ally to the TMNT in their battles against Lord Dregg. In Season 10, he temporarily leaves to finish his studies after Donatello stabilized his mutation, although he returns upon learning from April that the Turtles were captured by Lord Dregg, Krang, and Shredder. While on his way to rescue the Turtles, Carter found that he could still mutate. At the end of "Turtles to the Second Power", Carter accepts Landor and Merrik's offer to travel with them to the future so he can be fully cured of his mutation.
- Landor and Merrik (voiced by Kevin Schon and Roxanne Beckford) – Two time-travelers from the future.
Villains
Main villains
- The Foot Clan – An evil ninja organization.
- Oroku Saki/The Shredder (voiced by James Avery in Season 1 to the first half of Season 7, Dorian Harewood in four Season 3 episodes, Pat Fraley in one Season 3 episode, Jim Cummings in one Season 5 episode and most of the European side-season, Townsend Coleman for the second half of Season 7, and William E. Martin in Season 8 and 10) – The nemesis of the Turtles and Master Splinter. He is usually the main villain in other media, but in this series Shredder always, against his will, has to take orders from Krang, although their relationship evolves over time into more of an equal partnership (with Shredder even risking his life to save Krang on numerous occasions). His real name is Oroku Saki, a member of the Foot Clan in Japan and a student of Hamato Yoshi/Splinter. Saki was jealous of Yoshi's leadership within the Clan and sought to usurp him. He responds by framing Yoshi for an offense towards the sensei and has him exiled. Shortly afterwards, Saki takes control of the Foot Clan and transforms it into an army of crime under his command. Along with Krang, Rocksteady, and Bebop, he is the primary antagonist of the show until the end of Season 8, when the Technodrome is destroyed and they are all banished to Dimension X. Although he and Krang return for three episodes in the final season, they are eventually sent back to Dimension X, and they are not seen again for the rest of the series.
- Rocksteady (voiced by Cam Clarke) – One of Shredder's incompetent, oafish henchmen. Originally the Caucasian male leader of an unnamed street gang, Rocksteady was exposed to the mutagen after coming into contact with a black rhinoceros that was stolen from the zoo, transforming him into a humanoid black rhinoceros. Like Bebop, he is extremely unintelligent (although he is shown on multiple occasions to be slightly more intelligent than Bebop) and serves as comic relief for most of the series.
- Bebop (voiced by Barry Gordon in most episodes, Greg Berg in six Season 3 episodes and one episode of the "Vacation in Europe" side-season) – An African-American male with a mohawk, sunglasses, and a nose ring who, along with Rocksteady, is one of Shredder's henchmen. Prior to meeting Shredder, he belonged to the same street gang as Rocksteady, serving as the latter's second-in-command. As part of Shredder and Krang's experiment, he was transformed into a humanoid common warthog after being exposed to the mutagen and a common warthog that was stolen from the zoo.
- Baxter Stockman (voiced by Pat Fraley) – A blond Caucasian inventor (as opposed to the dark-haired African-American he was portrayed as in the Mirage comics) who tried to bill his rat-catching Mousers to the Ajax Pest Control company. They did not like his suggestion, saying it would put them out of business, and threw him out of the building. Embittered, he readily agrees to join forces with Shredder, who orders him to replicate his Mousers and hunt down Splinter and the Turtles. After the Ninja Turtles defeated the Mousers, Baxter Stockman was arrested and thrown into an asylum. Shredder later traded Baxter Stockman to Krang for the return of Bebop and Rocksteady. When Krang found no use for Stockman and decided to kill him, a fly that had been with Baxter in the disintegrator unit soon merged with him, turning him into a humanoid fly. He has occasionally plotted revenge against the Ninja Turtles and Shredder. Baxter Stockman has a twin brother named Barney who was also a mad scientist and threw fits whenever the Turtles mistook him for Baxter.
- Z (voiced by Townsend Coleman) – The sentient computer found on an abandoned spaceship that allied itself with Baxter Stockman where it assists him in his plots in "Bye, Bye, Fly," "Son of Return of the Fly II," and "Revenge of the Fly."
- Chrome Dome (voiced by Peter Renaday) – A towering robot that was created by Shredder to keep an eye on the Foot Soldiers in "Planet of the Turtleoids" Pt. 1 at the time when the Technodrome was being upgraded. It was destroyed during its fight with the Turtles. In "Night of the Rogues", Chrome Dome was rebuilt by Shredder and is among the villains that Shredder recruited to attack the Turtles.
- Foot Soldiers – A group of robotic ninjas that serve as Shredder's loyal soldiers.
- Krang (voiced by Pat Fraley in most episodes, Townsend Coleman in three Season 3 episodes) – An extremely intelligent, disembodied brain from Dimension X who commands the Technodrome. Like Shredder, he aspires to conquer the Earth, although he does not share Shredder's obsessive hatred of the Turtles and Splinter (instead of viewing them as more of an annoyance/obstacle), preferring instead to focus on world conquest. He funds and helps plan most of Shredder's schemes, although they often bicker with one another over tactics. In Season 7, it is revealed that Krang originally belonged to a muscular, vicious reptilian humanoid species (mainly resembling a Tyrannosaurus) with regenerative powers before he lost his body and was banished from Dimension X.
- Rock Soldiers – The Rock Soldiers are an army of sentient rock humanoids from Dimension X. As mentioned in "Michaelangelo's Birthday," the Rock Soldiers were created when Krang used mutagen on some rocks. The Rock Soldiers are incredibly strong, but they are not very bright.
- General Traag (voiced by Peter Renaday) – Traag is a Rock Soldier general that is loyal to Krang.
- Sergeant Granitor (voiced by Pat Fraley impersonating Peter Lorre) – Granitor is a high-ranking gray Rock Soldier that is loyal to Krang and works under General Traag.
- Rock Soldiers – The Rock Soldiers are an army of sentient rock humanoids from Dimension X. As mentioned in "Michaelangelo's Birthday," the Rock Soldiers were created when Krang used mutagen on some rocks. The Rock Soldiers are incredibly strong, but they are not very bright.
- Lord Dregg (voiced by Tony Jay) – An alien warlord who serves as the chief antagonist for the final two seasons of the series, following Shredder and Krang's exile to Dimension X in Season 8. At the end of the final season, Lord Dregg is banished to Dimension X as well (and presumably killed, since the Turtles had sent Krang's android suit back with him as it was about to undergo an atomic explosion). Although he starts out as a cold, calm, and calculating villain, his sanity gradually deteriorates over the course of Season 10, as he becomes increasingly obsessed with destroying the Turtles once and for all. In the process, he alienates all of his remaining followers, including his second-in-command Mung, who accuses him of losing sight of their quest for world domination. He is also the only villain other than Titanus who appears to be in more than just three episodes.
- HiTech (voiced by Rob Paulsen in Season 9, Cam Clarke in Season 10) – An arthropod-like alien in high-tech armor who served as Lord Dregg's second-in-command. When Mung proves more efficient as second-in-command, Dregg blasts HiTech off in a pod to "orbit the galaxy".
- Mung (voiced by Cam Clarke) – A hunchbacked beetle-like henchman of Lord Dregg who replaced HiTech in the final season. He is a technical and mechanical genius where he even surpasses HiTech himself. Mung usually supplies Dregg with his self-replicating "microbots" to build whatever he wants in a matter of hours.
- TechnoGang – A gang of insect-like foot soldiers that serve Lord Dregg.
- Batmen – A group of ugly winged humanoid bats that serve as the alternate foot soldiers for Lord Dregg.
Recurring villains
- The Street Gang – The first street gang is the one that Bebop and Rocksteady lead. There is another branch of the group that is led by Lugnut who Bebop and Rocksteady's faction are associated with. Both factions are loosely based on the Purple Dragons from the comics.
- Scrag – A member of Bebop and Rocksteady's faction with wild hair and wears sunglasses. He got mutated into a mutant bat. His name came from the original storyboard for "Turtle Tracks" and a coloring book.
- Grunt – A member of Bebop and Rocksteady's faction who sports a yellow mohawk and wears sunglasses. He got mutated into a mutant lizard. His name came from the original storyboard for "Turtle Tracks."
- Dopey – A cap-wearing, but big-nosed member of Bebop and Rocksteady's faction who got mutated into a mutant shrew. His name came from the original storyboard for "Turtle Tracks."
- Dumbo – A short, fat, and bald-headed member of Bebop and Rocksteady's faction who got mutated into a mutant dog. His name came from the original storyboard for "Turtle Tracks."
- Lugnut (voiced by Townsend Coleman in "The Gang's All Here," Nicholas Omana in "Once Upon a Time Machine") – The bald-headed leader of the gang that Rocksteady and Bebop's faction are a part of.
- Jersey Red (voiced by Renae Jacobs) – A tough woman who is a member of Lugnut's faction.
- High Five (voiced by Rob Paulsen) – A member of Lugnut's faction.
- The Rat King (voiced by Townsend Coleman) – A homeless man living in a dilapidated portion of the New York City sewer system, not too far from the Turtles and Splinter. He usually carries around a hypnotic flute to mesmerize any rodent nearby, especially mutant rats. In these episodes featuring him, the Rat King would often enact some sort of plot to establish his own rat-controlled government and end human rule forever, thus believing that all rats (which he counted himself as) were more superior than every other species, whom he described as "inferior non-rodents". The Rat King appeared as a recurring villain from Seasons 3 to 7 onwards, until he is finally apprehended by the police in the second episode of Season 8.
- Leatherhead (voiced by Jim Cummings in three appearances, Peter Renaday in "Night of the Rogues") – A large alligator from Florida who has mutated into humanoid form when he swam through a mutagen-polluted part of his swamp. He hunted the Turtles' allies the Punk Frogs, and then went to New York to hunt the Turtles themselves. One time, he fights the Rat King, but join forces with him in later episodes.
- Slash (voiced by Pat Fraley) – An ordinary turtle from Earth that got mutated by Bebop and Rocksteady. He is a muscular, vicious humanoid turtle with brute strength, dynamic durability, spikes on his shell, vortex breath, hardened claws, and a pair of Shaolin swords, but very low intelligence (although he does temporarily acquire a genius-level IQ in his second appearance). Slash is also extremely attached to a small, plastic palm tree standing inside the bowl prior before exposure of super mutagen and calls it his "binky".
- Organised crime figures:
- Don Turtelli (voiced by Peter Renaday) - A Crime boss known for using feathers to tickle his victims.
- Pinky McFingers (voiced by Peter Renaday in most appearances, Cam Clarke in "Donatello's Duplicate") – A high-ranking crime boss with a gang at his disposal. McFingers once sponsors Baxter Stockman's twin brother Barney Stockman to create a "gag-a-magnifier" device that increases the comedy power of jokes. They planned to hook up the funniest comedian to it and transmit the joke waves all over the city, making everyone hysterically helpless. This enabled McFingers and his two goons would go out and rob the city. He and his men kidnapped comedians until they kidnapped Raphael. They tied Raphael up in a sack and took him to their hideout where strapped down, McFingers tells him of his brilliant plan. Being the funniest comedian, Raphael is forced to start telling his jokes. However, the rest of the turtles rescue him and the other comedians and turn the device against Stockman and the McFingers gang, all of whom end up arrested.
- Big Louie (voiced by Peter Renaday) – A high-ranking gangster with a gang at his disposal who sometimes works with the Shredder.
- Mad Dog McMutt (voiced by Townsend Coleman) - A bulldog-like human gangster. His secret headquarters is a giant fire hydrant, and he has a dog-shaped car and helicopter.
- Tempestra (voiced by Gaille Heideman) – A sorceress from the arcade game "Tempestra's Revenge" who was brought out by a freak thunderstorm. She possesses telekinetic powers, can create different creatures to fight for her, and can control the weather. After Leonardo encountered Tempestra upon playing the arcade game, he called in the rest of the Turtles to fight her. Tempestra was defeated when Leonardo trapped her in the circuit board from the wrecked arcade game. In "Night of the Rogues", Tempestra was freed offscreen by Shredder who is among the villains used by him and Krang to destroy the Turtles where she was the one who led them. Tempestra has also appeared in three video games associated with this show.
- Groundchuck and Dirtbag (voiced by Robert Ridgely and Pat Fraley) – A mutant red-furred cattle in armor and a mutant mole who were accidentally created by Shredder's mutagen due a series of events caused by Kerma.
- H.A.V.O.C. – Short for Highly Advanced Variety Of Creatures, H.A.V.O.C. is a gang of mutants. The Turtles meet H.A.V.O.C. in the process of thwarting a robbery, meeting mutants and H.A.V.O.C. members Raptor, Amok, and Overdrive, and then later, the H.A.V.O.C. leader, Titanus. The Turtles find out that while H.A.V.O.C. has offered the Turtles a safe haven from those who think they are the villains, H.A.V.O.C. is actually creating mutants instead of protecting them and actually tries to turn the entire city into mutants. The Turtles spend a few episodes of season 8 battling H.A.V.O.C. After they get rid of the boss, none of the other mutants appear again.
- Titanus (voiced by Ron Feinberg) – A large unspecified mutant from the future who is the leader of H.A.V.O.C. In his final appearance, he ends up trapped in the time of dinosaurs and vows to have revenge against the Turtles if it is the last thing he ever does.
- Amok (voiced by Townsend Coleman) – A mutant goat.
- Highbeam (voiced by Rob Paulsen) – A mutant firefly.
- Magma (voiced by Barry Gordon) – A lava mutant. He and Seizure were ordered by Titanus to make mutants.
- Overdrive (voiced by Cam Clarke) – A mutant cheetah.
- Ram Mystic (voiced by Rob Paulsen) – An unnamed ram mutant with mystical powers.
- Raptor (voiced by Pat Fraley) – An unspecified mutant bird of prey.
- Seizure (voiced by Rodger Bumpass) – A mutant centipede. He and Magma were ordered by Titanus to make mutants.
- Synapse (voiced by Pat Fraley) – A convict that desired revenge against the Turtles since they defeated him in "Get Shredder." In H.A.V.O.C. in the Streets, Titanus breaks him out of jail and turns him into an electric mutant. Synapse keeps the Turtles busy for a while until Donatello forces him through a ham radio, leaving him trapped on the radio airwaves.
Other characters
- Channel 6 News Staff – The workers of Channel 6 News that often have involvements with the Ninja Turtles. Following the destruction of the Channel 6 News building during Season 8, these characters slowly faded out of the show. The old Channel 6 building also made a cameo appearance in the crossover movie Turtles Forever as the 2003 Turtles take a detour in the dimension of their 1987 counterparts.
- Burne Thompson (voiced by Pat Fraley in most episodes, Townsend Coleman in three episodes of Season 3) – April's stubborn and irascible boss at Channel 6 News, and the human antagonist of the Turtles. He wrongfully believed the Turtles were a "menace" and bullied April to expose them since he usually had to pay for the damages caused by the Turtles' battles. His hatred for the TMNT intensified following the destruction of the Channel 6 building by Shredder in Season 8, an incident he falsely blamed on the Turtles. He often favored Vernon more, which was likely due to the fact that Vernon shared Burne's distrust of the TMNT and did not hesitate to cast a negative light on them in his news coverage. In the 2014 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film, a genderbent adaption of this character named Bernadette Thompson was used where she was portrayed by Whoopi Goldberg.
- Vernon Fenwick (voiced by Pat Fraley in Season 1, Peter Renaday in Seasons 2–8 and Townsend Coleman in one Season 5 episode) – April's cameraman, rival news reporter, and the second human antagonist of the Turtles. In Season 1, he had more of a serious and dedicated personality, although shades of the cowardice and rivalry with April that would define Vernon's character throughout the rest of the series would sometimes surface. Despite that, he was still willing to help April get her story in the Season 1 finale, "Shredded and Splintered". From Season 2 onwards, he was written as a selfish, egotistical, opportunistic, and cowardly cameraman and co-reporter who would often go to great lengths to steal April's thunder, although he was quick to cede all of the more "dangerous" assignments to April, not willing to put himself in harm's way. Like Burne, he also wrongfully believed that the Turtles were a menace to society and often actively participated in Burne's anti-mutant campaigns, even though the Turtles had saved his life on many occasions. Vern appears in the 2014 TMNT film and its 2016 sequel portrayed by Will Arnett.
Production
Development and writing
By 1986, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic series by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird had experienced two years of success. At that time, New York-based licensing agent Mark Freedman – who had previously handled Hanna-Barbera's library of characters and was establishing his own licensing company – was contacted by a connection in the toy industry and introduced to the property. Though initially in disbelief at the title, he found it growing on him and decided to approach California toy manufacturer Playmates Toys to pitch a toy line based on the property. The uncertain company requested that a television deal be acquired first, and after the initial five-episode series debuted, they released their first series of Ninja Turtles action figures in the summer of 1988. The two media would correspond in marketing and popularity for many years to come.
David Wise and Patti Howeth wrote the screenplay for the first 5-part miniseries. When the series continued in the second season, comic artist Jack Mendelsohn joined the show as the executive story editor, and collaborated on story concepts and additional characters with John Schulte and John Besmehn of PANGEA, who were writing presentation scripts, background stories, and character bios for their client, Playmates Toys. Wise went on to write over seventy episodes of the series, and was executive story editor for four later seasons as well. Wise left the series partway through the ninth season, and Jeffrey Scott took over as the story editor and chief writer for the rest of the show's run.
The animation work for the first three seasons of the show were handled by Japanese anime studio Toei Animation. The budget for the first five episodes of the series was almost $2 million.
Voice acting
Casting for the show took place in Los Angeles. During recording of the voice acting, all the main cast recorded together. According to Renae Jacobs, voice-actress of the reporter April O'Neil, working together "was great for camaraderie and relationships. We played off each other...there was a lot of ad libbing".
Also according to Jacobs, the actors frequently undermined the efforts of the show's creators to make the show grittier and more serious, instead embracing silliness and jokes for both children and adults.
"They were kind of like the Marx Brothers, The Stooges, Laurel & Hardy, Burns and Allen and all of those wonderful, fabulous old radio personalities and early movie personalities all rolled up into one. Those guys put the heart and soul into those turtles and came up with those personalities".
— Renae Jacobs, Interview
Soundtrack
Through most of the series, the episodes featured a recurring background music which reflected the mood of the situation, as well as leitmotifs for settings such as the Technodrome, the New York City sewers, Channel 6, etc. The soundtrack was composed by Dennis Challen Brown (credited as "D.C. Brown" and later as "Dennis C. Brown") and Chuck Lorre. Lorre recorded the theme song (and performed the spoken parts) and later became a successful television producer. The performer of the song was James Mandell (aka Miles Doppler).
Broadcast and release
Syndication
The show was in Saturday morning syndication from October 1, 1988, to September 9, 1989, and 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 March 29, 1991, with reruns airing until September 17, 1993. Starting on September 8, 1990 (with a different opening sequence), the show began its secondary run on CBS's Saturday morning lineup, beginning as a 60-minute block from 1990 to 1993, initially airing a couple of Saturday exclusive episodes back to back. There would also be a brief "Turtle Tips" segment in between the two episodes which served as public service announcements about the environment or other issues. There were at least 20 "Turtle Tips" segments that were produced and aired. Beginning in 1994, the show began airing as a 30-minute block until the series ended.
Although the last episode broadcast on CBS on November 2, 1996, reruns of Seasons 8, 9 and 10 continued to air until August 30, 1997. That would be the last time the show would be reran on any television network in the United States for almost 26 years. Episodes from Seasons 1–7 were rerun on the USA Network's USA Cartoon Express from September 13, 1993, to September 15, 1996 (the last time any episode from prior to Seasons 8-10 would air on television in the United States for nearly 27 years). Fred Wolf Films, owners of the rights to the show, have licensed the series to Lionsgate Home Entertainment, who have been responsible for the original DVD and retail streaming releases.
On July 20, 2023, at San Diego Comic-Con, it was announced that to coincide with the release of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, Nickelodeon had acquired the broadcast rights to the series from Fred Wolf Films. With the acquisition, the series would become available on Nickelodeon's branded channels and other digital platforms later that month, starting with Nicktoons on July 31, 2023.
International releases
- In Australia, the show's original run on the Seven Network ended in 1992. From 2013 to 2020, reruns aired on 10 Peach, Currently aired on Nickelodeon in August 2023, Everynight at 11pm and repeat every weekdays at 3pm.
- Despite being a PAL region, the series always aired under the US “Ninja” title in Australia. The first season of the show premiered as a two-part (90 minutes each) prime-time miniseries on the Seven Network in February 1990 before shifting to a 4:00 p.m. timeslot for Season 2. Later, after ratings fell, it was moved to a morning timeslot in January 1994 as part of Agro's Cartoon Connection until its end in 1996. The show was mostly uncensored, airing under its original name with occasional edits, including the editing of Season 1.
- In New Zealand the series first screened on TV3 from 27 November 1989, the day TV3 began official transmission. Season 2 and 3 were repeated several times over in 1990. Season 1 aired as lost episodes which screened on Saturday evenings at 6:00 p.m. between September and October 1990. Season 4 was picked up in 1991 with TV3 first screening the episodes that aired in the US on CBS followed by the syndicated episodes. From 1992 to 1996 TV3 screened the later seasons on Saturday mornings, the "Vacation in Europe" episodes were screened in 1993.
- In the Republic of Ireland, the series ended its original run on August 9, 1998, but the show was regularly rerun on RTÉ Two until 2008. In Yugoslavia the series was broadcast on RTS from 1991 to 1994 and on RTV Pink from 1998 to 2002. In Denmark, the show is aired every weekday at 6.00 am on TV 2.
- In the Republic of Ireland, the series was initially known as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles just like the US version and the intro sequence was unedited when it debuted on RTÉ Two as part of the Irish TV strand The Den with the airing of the second season in September 1990. After the first two episodes were broadcast, the name was changed to the Hero Turtles version and the intro was edited, except for season one. Scenes with Mikey's nunchucks and the word ‘ninja’ were always edited out in the actual episodes, though. Episodes were also cut a bit midway through at the point where there would be a commercial break, perhaps because there were no ad breaks during shows on The Den. The show was very popular in Ireland and aired a lot on weekday afternoons on RTÉ in the mid 90s with season 1 being placed between 3 and 4. The European Vacation eps first aired in Ireland in December 1990. In 2007–2008, episodes were aired in their original US unedited form.
- In the United Kingdom, the series was originally released under the name Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles (TMHT). This was due to the controversy surrounding ninjas and related weapons such as nunchaku 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 Michaelangelo wields his nunchaku, replacing them with clips from the show. Scenes of Michaelangelo using his nunchaku were likewise edited out of the episodes themselves, which led the American show runners to drop the weapons from the series entirely in the fourth season in order to make the show more appropriate for the international airings. The weapons were replaced with a grappling hook called the "Turtle Line" that served as Mikey's signature weapon for the rest of the show's run. The word 'ninja' was also edited out of any speech within the show, often leading to some awkward sounding dialogue.
- The TMHT version was aired in other European countries, including the Republic of Ireland (except series 1, which had the original title), The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Poland, Hungary, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Finland, in local dubs (the Finnish version was in English with subtitles, while Polish was in English with a voice-over translation). In Denmark, the English censored version was aired on the national broadcaster TV2. It had subtitles as well, however, only seasons 2 and 3 were aired in this fashion. Season 1 was aired as one spliced feature, instead of the original five-part miniseries. The movie was titled The Epic Begins, and included heavy edits from each of the five episodes, and was also released to VHS in the US in 1988.
- In Russia on the TV channel 2×2 a dubbed version in Russian was shown on September 25, 1993. On June 9, 1997, the channel shut down, and the show was discontinued. After it resumed broadcasting in 2003, a re-run with an old dubbed version began on the 2×2 from April 1, 2013. Since February 11, 2021, there is a new dubbed version on TV channel 2x2.
- In Sweden, TV 3 Sweden, which aired from London, aired seasons 1-3 between 1990 and 1993, while TV1000 aired seasons 4–6 with subtitles and the "Vacation in Europe" episodes dubbed. The series was dubbed into Swedish by Mediadubb. Sun Studio also dubbed some chosen seasons 1-3 episodes into Swedish, for home video releases in 1991, later rereleased to DVD. In Sweden, the home video releases kept the original title, "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles".
Home video releases
VHS
The series has seen numerous releases on VHS in Region 1 by Family Home Entertainment, beginning in 1988 and continuing through 1996. Several tapes were released as part of marketing promotions with corporations such as Burger King and TV Teddy.
UK VHS tapes were initially released using the censored Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles title. They were all released by Abbey Home Media's Tempo Video label in the early-mid 90's.
LaserDisc
Six LaserDisc collections of selected episodes were released in North America in 1989. Releases continued through at least until 1996.
DVD
Starting in April 2004, DVD releases began in Region 1. The series has since seen numerous releases as part of DVD compilations.
Region 1
Lionsgate Home Entertainment (through FHE Kids Entertainment and Family Home Entertainment) has released the entire series to DVD in Region 1. Initially it was released in volumes, with each volume containing 9–13 episodes in its original 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 would now be released in season sets, starting with Season 4. However, the episodes "Once Upon a Time Machine" was omitted in the Season 4 set and the 1991 prime-time special "Planet of the Turtleoids" was omitted from the Season 5 set, but are included in the Season 10 set as bonus episodes. The DVDs do not include the Turtle Tips PSAs.
On November 13, 2012, Lionsgate Family Entertainment released Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – The Complete Classic Series Collection on DVD in Region 1. The 23-disc set features all 193 episodes of the series as well as bonus features. It also contains special collector's edition packaging.
On July 23, 2013, Lionsgate re-released all 47 episodes of Season 3 together in a 4-disc box set.
A compilation of selected episodes, Cowabunga Classics, was released on July 29, 2014.
On October 15, 2024, Nickelodeon and Paramount Home Entertainment released the new version of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – The Complete Classic Series Collection on DVD.
Region 2
The first volume of the 25th Anniversary Edition, containing all episodes from the first two seasons in a PAL format as well as some bonus material from Season 10, was released for Region 2 DVDs by Lionsgate Home Entertainment in the UK and the Republic of Ireland on May 25, 2009. 4 DVDs containing 3 episodes each based around Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael and Michelangelo were released on May 19, 2014. DVDs of the series were also released by German distributor KSM GmbH between May 2007 and February 2012.
Region 4
The show was released in Australia by Lionsgate Home Entertainment between 2009 and 2016. All episodes from the 1987 series were released in sixteen volumes. The discs are in Region 4, but unusually, they are in NTSC picture format, instead of PAL. The first six DVDs are more or less duplicated from the Region 1 discs released in America, however unlike the American release, Season 4 was broken down into several separate volumes (7 to 9).
Video on demand
United States
Lionsgate Home Entertainment has also released each of the seasons in digital format which are sold separately on several digital platforms such as Amazon and iTunes in Standard Definition only. While "Once Upon a Time Machine" is included with Season 5, "Planet of the Turtleoids" is included with Season 6.
Following Nickelodeon's acquisition of the distribution rights for the series, the series had been slowly re-released under Nickelodeon's branding, also in Standard Definition only which was completed in February 2024. Excluding Vudu, the new digital releases has some slight changes over the old ones, to where "The Turtles and The Hare" is also placed alongside "Once Upon a Time Machine" in Season 5, and "Planet of the Turtloids is also restored to that aforementioned season as well in its two-part format instead of a single episode. As of April 2024, iTunes released a complete series set with all 193 episodes.
The first two seasons were made available for streaming September 19, 2023 on Paramount+. with more being added slowly with Season 3 now available.
The first season was officially released for free to watch on YouTube, on July 30, 2023. Some episodes from Season 2 were also released, as well as a live broadcast feed of the entire series.
Reception
IGN named TMNT as the 55th best show in the Top 100 Best Animated TV Shows. While the story diverged heavily from the original conception of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with the universe of the original Mirage comics, the 1987 television series is largely the most notable and popular incarnation and drove the franchise to the phenomenal status it would achieve in popular culture. Co-creator, Peter Laird, has publicly shared his distaste with the show on numerous occasions but has also acknowledged that it was extremely successful with and beloved by its audience and, while he would have preferred a different approach to the material, it might not have been as popular as what was produced. Retroactively, the cross-over film Turtles Forever established a common multiverse continuity between all Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles variations. (Except the 2012 series, as this would not be released until 3 years later.)
At the time, the series was criticized by various groups for its violent content and commercialism. The extensive line of toys and other licensed products also attracted criticism. The Australian Council for Children's Films and Television accused the show of being a 30-minute toy commercial.
See also
- Bucky O'Hare and the Toad Wars!
- Battletoads
- Wild West C.O.W.-Boys of Moo Mesa
- SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron
- Biker Mice from Mars
- Street Sharks
- Road Rovers
- Captain Simian and the Space Monkeys
- Mighty Ducks: The Animated Series
- Extreme Dinosaurs
References
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- "Shell Schlocked". Entertainment Weekly. October 12, 1990. Archived from the original on June 30, 2014. Retrieved December 19, 2010.
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1987 series episode "The Legend of Koji"
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1987 series episode "Turtle Tracks"
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1987 series episode "Enter the Shredder"
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- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1987 series episode "Turtle Trek"
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1987 series episode "Doomquest"
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1987 series episode "The Power of Three"
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1987 series episode "Turtles to the Second Power"
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1987 series episode "Divide and Conquer"
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- RTÉ Guide, 8–14 December 1990 edition and subsequent dates
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- "TMNT: The Renaissance Reptiles Return". Kung Fu Magazine. Archived from the original on January 6, 2010. Retrieved December 27, 2009.
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Epic Begins. Worldcat. 1988. ISBN 9781614796107. OCLC 18773473.
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- "Анонсы телеканала 2х2 с 1 апреля по 7 марта". televesti.ru.
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- Daniel Hofverberg (1991). "Svenska röster och credits" (in Swedish). Dubbningshemsidan.
- ^ "Classic TMNT VHS Tapes". Ninjaturtles. Archived from the original on March 6, 2012. Retrieved July 16, 2015.
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- "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles DVD news: Update about Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Season 10: The Complete Final Season". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on June 28, 2012. Retrieved July 7, 2012.
- ^ Lambert, David (August 24, 2012). "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – The 23-DVD 'Complete Classic Series Collection' Party Van Gift Set!". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on August 27, 2012. Retrieved August 27, 2012.
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- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Season 1)
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Season 5)
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Season 6)
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987)
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Season 5)
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987), The Complete Series
- "Original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Series Seasons 1 & 2 Get Paramount+ Release Date". TV Shows. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
- The Complete SEASON 1 of TMNT (1987) 🐢 | 5 FULL EPISODES | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, July 29, 2023, retrieved October 22, 2023
- "55, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles". IGN. January 23, 2009. Retrieved January 24, 2009.
- Pl (March 23, 2012). "Peter Laird's TMNT blog: More musings related to "Turtles as members of an alien race"".
- Doheny, Kathleen (August 27, 1990). "Turtle Trouble : Children: Some parents believe Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles encourage aggression. Others say the Turtles are just harmless fun". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
- "Ninja Influence on Australian Youth". The New York Times. August 16, 1990. Retrieved December 29, 2010.
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Rise of the TMNT | |
Tales of the TMNT | |
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987 TV series)
- 1987 American television series debuts
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