Description
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (known as Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles in Europe due to controversy at the time) is an American animated television series produced by Murakami-Wolf-Swenson. The series featured the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles characters created in comic book form by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. The property was changed considerably from the darker-toned comic, to make it more suitable for children and the family. The initial motivation behind the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series was that, upon being approached to create a toy line, Playmates Toys was uneasy with the comic book characters’ small cult following. They requested that a television deal be acquired first, and after the initial five-episode series debuted, the California toy company released their first series of Ninja Turtles action figures in the summer of 1988. While living in the sewers with the rats as his friends, Yoshi one day found four turtles, recently bought from a pet store by an unnamed boy who accidentally dropped them in the sewer. Yoshi returned one day from his explorations around New York to find the turtles covered with a strange glowing ooze. The substance caused the turtles, most recently exposed to Yoshi, to become humanoid, while Yoshi, most recently exposed to sewer rats, became a humanoid rat, and started going by the pseudonym “Splinter”. This, and the following Archie TMNT Adventures Comics, is the only origin story in the TMNT franchise where the Turtles come to Yoshi before being exposed to mutagen. Also, Yoshi becomes a rat, whereas in most other versions, he is Yoshi’s pet rat that becomes humanoid. This is also the only version in which the Turtles become fully grown immediately after exposure to the mutagen, whereas Splinter raises them from infancy in other versions. Yoshi adopts the four turtles as his sons and trains them in the art of ninjitsu. He names them after his favorite Italian renaissance artists: Leonardo da Vinci (Leonardo), Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi (Donatello), Raffaello Sanzio (Raphael), and Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (Michaelangelo). In most versions, the Turtles tend to go by nicknames Leo, Donny, Raph, and Mikey, but in this version they are always addressed by their full names. Each Ninja Turtle wears a mask over his eyes with a distinctive color, and is trained in the art of a distinct weapon. The Turtles: Leonardo (voiced by Cam Clarke) – The blue-masked turtle, wields two long, razor-sharp katanas. He is the leader of the team and is the closest to Splinter. Michelangelo (voiced by Townsend Coleman) – The orange-masked turtle, wields the whirling nunchaku and later a grappling hook (and often whirling pizzas). He is the most relaxed member of the team and is the source for many of the catch phrases of the series such as “Cowabunga!”. Donatello (voiced by Barry Gordon and Greg Berg for some episodes of the third season and the European Vacation side-season) – The purple-masked turtle, wields a really long and tall B? staff. He is the scientist of the team and is constantly tinkering with various inventions. Raphael (voiced by Rob Paulsen until the end of season 9 and Michael Gough in season 10) – The red-masked turtle, wields two sai. In a radical departure from the angry and brooding incarnations, he is the jokester of the team and often comes out with sarcastic and witty remarks.
Near mint condition.
Related products
-
Supreme Power Poster # 1 Joe Quesada Hyperion Doctor Spectrum Squadron
$29.99 Add to cart -
Fathom Poster # 9 Aspen Shirt Michael Turner Matthews Superman
$39.99 Add to cart -
Venom Poster # 3 by Sam Kieth MTV Maxx Issue # 1 Cover
$39.99 Add to cart -
Magdelena Poster Joe Michael Linsner Dawn
$34.99 Add to cart