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It has officially been 30 years since the first TMNT cartoon hit the small screen. Image Source: Fred Wolf Films, Viacom.
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Celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the TMNT Original Animated Series

by Justin W
written by Justin W

When Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird created the first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic book, they had no way of knowing how popular it would become. Even so, their hit comic wasn’t quite enough to propel this franchise forward. It wasn’t until the first animated series was released in 1987 that our heroes in a half shell became incredibly popular. Thanks to this original animated series, the TMNT quickly became a staple in American households.

According to Wikipedia, the first episode of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles hit the air during the week of December 28th, 1987. IMDb has a slightly different date of December 14th, but it’s entirely possible that they have it wrong. Whatever the case may be, it’s pretty clear that the original animated series first aired in December of 1987. Although some of you might be preparing for the holidays, we recommend setting aside a little time to celebrate this special anniversary as well.

 

As many of you may know, the original animated series started off as a 5-part miniseries. In 1988, the cartoon got picked up for a second season, and the rest is pretty much history. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ran for a total of ten seasons from 1987-1996. During its run, the classic TMNT series became so popular that it would go on to inspire other iterations of the turtles. One of the most significant inspirations came in the form of the turtle’s masks, which had all previously been the same color in Eastman & Laird’s comic books. After the original animated series became popular, everyone’s favorite multi-colored masks were soon found in both the TMNT movies and video games.

If you were a kid at the time, chances are that you absolutely adored this cartoon. Unfortunately, most adults who go back to watch it now find that the original animated series simply does not hold up. Even if you’re one of the fans who no longer enjoys this version of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, it’s fair to say that the classic television show was both significant and important to TMNT history. With that in mind, we hope you’ll join us in celebrating the 30th anniversary of the original animated series!

Are you planning to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of this classic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon? If so, share your thoughts and plans either in the comments below or on Facebook/Twitter.

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April O'Neil, TMNT, TMNT nickelodeon, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
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Nickelodeon’s TMNT to Feature April O’Neil as a Teenager

by Zach Gasior
written by Zach Gasior

In the weeks leading up to the release of Nickelodeon’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reboot, news has been breaking of certain changes that have been made to the formula. Thankfully, most of the changes are small and probably insignificant, but one of the things that caught my eye was the fact that April O’Neil will be a teenager. It’s not like they’ve turned the turtles into aliens or anything crazy like that (I mean really, who would do something so foolish?), but this is a rather significant change to the original story of the TMNT. To be fair, they have a legitimate excuse for doing this, as Executive Producer Ciro Nieli explains further in recent comments about the show:

“When I remember April, there was a lot of ‘I’m going to work now, don’t mess up the house.’ We’re really playing on the idea of the turtles being teenagers, so it just felt appropriate that if April is going to be a fully functioning member of the crew, she should be a peer.”

 

While Nieli brings up some interesting points about April’s function in the original series, long time fans may still be disappointed. After all, it’s not like she never had time for the turtles, and for many of us she was our first example in film or television of a somewhat strong, independent woman. Making her character a teenager doesn’t necessarily make her more weak or less independent, but it does change certain dynamics about her character that have always held true. That being said, this wouldn’t be the first time that we’ve ever seen her character change a bit. After all, in the original comics April O’Neil wasn’t a reporter, she was a computer programmer. However, she was still an adult, and she was still a pretty powerful female role model.

 

We’re not quite sure yet how this change will affect her character in the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series, but I’m still pretty hopeful that Nickelodeon’s reboot will remain mostly faithful. Certain aspects of the story may be different this time around, but we’re not talking about Michael Bay level modifications or anything. Still worried? Check out this short clip from the show to ease your concerns, and prepare for its release on September 29th. We’re almost there, TMNT fans! Let’s get pumped!

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TMNT Belt Buckle
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New Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Movie and Cartoon In the Works

by Justin Bozung
written by Justin Bozung

TMNT 2012 Nick

If you’re a Turtles fan, there’s plenty to be both excited and worried about in the near future. With a new Teenage Mutant Ninja turtles television series in the works and a purported reboot of the film series coming soon, it is clear that the fans of this beloved franchise have not been forgotten. However, for some fans these new cartoons and films are a harbinger of doom for the shelled super heroes. It all depends on how you feel about the people behind each of the projects, because there are some big names being thrown around in conjunction with the future of this franchise. For one, Michael Bay has been named as a producer for the new films, suggesting that these may in fact be much more action oriented and much less focused on story. If that’s what you’re looking for, then I’m sure Bay and his boys will have you covered. That being said, if you’re like many of the Transformers fans who have spoken out against his treatment of that franchise, this news probably isn’t making you very happy.

To be fair, Michael Bay will most likely produce or be an executive producer of the films, which is a far cry from the directing he is known for. In other words, he won’t have nearly as much control over the whole process as he has had in the past. Unfortunately, two relative newcomers have been chosen to write the script for the new reboot. Josh Applebaum and Andre Nemec both have plenty of experience writing scripts for television, but their first experience writing for the big screen will be with the latest installment to the Mission: Impossible series. Obviously, we have yet to see how this will turn out, but usually it’s never a good sign when they bring on a couple of rookies to handle the job. We can only hope that this is the right decision for the series, but depending on your opinions of the people who have signed on for this project, chances are you’re either going to be very pessimistic or slightly optimistic.

As for the other big news involving the new TMNT animated series, the cast is all but set with each of the well known turtles voiced by a different and talented actor. Jason Biggs will be playing the voice of Leonardo, Sean Astin will play Raphael, Greg Cipes will be Michelangelo and Rob Paulsen will play Donatello. The new TMNT cartoon is set for release on Nickelodeon next year and the word on the street is that this has serious potential. There’s no word yet on when the film reboots will be completed or released, as they are currently in pre-production. So there you have it, with so much going on in the TMNT world, it’s clear that their popularity has not yet waned. We all still love the Turtles, and we want as much of them as we can get. Again, depending on your outlook, some of this could be good news and some of it could be bad. However you take it, this is at least a sign that the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles won’t be fading into obscurity any time soon, and that alone is fantastic news.

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