TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES
(Syndication, CBS, USA, December 28, 1987-Novemer 2, 1996)
Murakami Wolf Swenson, IDDH (both until 1992), Fred Wolf
Films (1992-96), Mirage Studios, Surge Licensing
MAIN CAST:
Cam Clarke – Leonardo, Rocksteady, Mung, HiTech (season 10)
Townsend Coleman – Michelangelo, Krang (season 3), Burne Thompson
(season 3), Splinter (season 5), Screwloose, Rhazar, Usagi Yojimbo, Attila the
Frog, Walt, Shredder (season 7)
Barry Gordon – Donatello, Bebop
Greg Berg – Donatello (season 3), Bebop (season 3)
Rob Paulsen – Raphael (seasons 1-9), Zenter, Wingnut, Tokka, Zach the
Fifth Turtle, HiTech (season 9)
Thom Pinto – Raphael (season 3)
Hal Rayle – Raphael (season 7)
Michael Gough – Raphael (season 10)
Peter Renaday – Splinter, General Traag, Leatherhead (season 7)
Renae Jacobs – April O’Neil
Pat Fraley – Casey Jones, Krang, Baxter Stockman, Slash, Ray, Napoleon
Bonafrog, Burne Thompson, Zak, Vernon Fenwick (season 1)
James Avery – Shredder (seasons 1-7)
Jim Cummings – Shredder (seasons 5 & 7), various
Bill Martin – Shredder (seasons 8-10)
Keith Tuttle – Rocksteady (season 3)
Tony Jay – Lord Dregg (seasons 9-10)
Bumper Robinson – Carter (seasons 9-10)
For a brief history of the Turtles, check out the post here.
Turtle power! To celebrate the Turtles' 30th anniversary and the release of the new movie, we present the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series.
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| Common TMNT promotional artwork. |
When licensing agent Mark Freedman got ahold of Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, he convinced them that their Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic could have extreme merchandising
potential outside of the comic pages. Eastman and Laird were on board, and the
concept was presented to Playmates Toys in 1987 to create an action figure line
centered around the Turtles after Dark Horse Miniatures produced a set of 15 mmlead figurines the year before. However, while the small California-based
company was looking to expand into action figures, it was hesitant to take on
such an unknown property. Comics were still at that time regarded as a niche
market and had not yet achieved mainstream recognition, especially independent
publishers.
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| The original grim 'n' gritty Ninja Turtles. |
Deciding an animated series would best sell the toys,
Jerry Sachs of the advertising agency Sachs-Finley brought in the animators of
Murakami-Wolf-Swenson led by Fred Wolf to meet and discuss concepts and ideas
with Playmates’ marketing team: Karl Aaronian, VP of sales Richard Sallis and
VP of the company Bill Carlson. Aaronian recruited several designers and writer
John C. Schulte and together they began transforming the dark and gritty Turtles comic into a lighter, more
kid-friendly animated mini-series designed to sell toys. It was during these
meetings that the various catchphrases synonymous with the show were born,
including “Heroes in a Half Shell,” “Turtle Power!” and the use of surfing
slang “Cowabunga!”
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| Fun with pizza, an essential food group. |
David Wise and Patti Howeth wrote the mini-series
that would become the first five episodes of the series. To make the show more
kid-friendly, the grim and gritty tonality of the original comics was toned
down considerably and a greater emphasis placed on jokes and sight gags. The
Turtles became fun-loving fighters and goofed around as much as they were
serious in their duties. They were also given a fondness for pizza, eating it
for almost every meal and often with unusual combinations of toppings.
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| The Turtles' new, softer looks (with a dash of modern computer coloring). |
But those were not to be the only changes. In the
comics, the Turtles were virtually indistinguishable due to the pages being in
black and white, their all wearing red masks on the covers, and the fact their
personalities didn’t have any noticeable differences. The only way to tell them
all apart was when they were holding their signature weapons. Since the show
was to be geared towards kids, the Turtles’ designs were softened to be more
friendly-looking, especially with the inclusion of the ability to see their
eyes through their masks, and given lighter personalities and defining
character traits within the group dynamic. To further differentiate them from
each other, the Turtles were all given belt buckles with their initials and
different colored masks and accessories: Leonardo (Cam Clarke), the more-serious
leader, was given blue; Donatello (Barry Gordon mostly, Greg Berg for several
episodes), the genius inventor responsible for their devices and vehicles, was
given purple; Michelangelo (Townsend Coleman), the skateboarding party dude,
was given orange; hot-headed Raphael (Rob Paulsen initially, Thom Pinto for two
episodes, Hal Rayle for the sideseason, Michael Gough for the final season) was
left with the original red from the comics. Each maintained their signature
weapons from the comics, however in season 4 Michelangelo was given a grappling hook instead of his nunchucks over the growing concerns about the weapons and
ninjas around the world. Although the action figures would follow these
changes, they would also make a few of their own. The Turtles’ sculpts were
rendered closer to the style of the comic and each were given a different shade
of green for their skin color in order to make them more toyetic and not leave
parents feeling like they were buying the same figure multiple times.
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| Master Splinter. |
Hamato Yoshi and Splinter became the same person. Yoshi
(Peter Renaday with Coleman doing several episodes in season 5), a member of
the Foot Clan, had fled Japan when fellow clansman Oroku Saki (aka Shredder,
played primarily by James Avery and Bill Martin, with stints by Dorian
Harewood, Jim Cummings and Townsend Coleman) disgraced him in front of their
master and took to living in the New York sewers amongst the rats. There, he
had found four lost pet turtles and took to caring for them. The mutagenic ooze
(or Mutagen) was loosed on the sewer by Saki, who had taken over the American branch of the
Foot as the Shredder, in an effort to kill Yoshi; instead mutating him into a
rat and the pet turtles he had found lost in the sewer into teenaged humanoids.
Yoshi, calling himself Splinter, adopted the Turtles as his own sons, named
them after his favorite Renaissance painters and trained them to fight.
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| Shredder and Krang in his robotic body. |
Further differentiating itself from the comics, the
series featured Shredder as the Turtles’ primary antagonist, whereas he was
killed early on in the comics. He utilized an army of robotic Foot Soldier
ninjas, allowing the Turtles to cut loose in fights without being labelled as
too violent for children. Created specifically for the series was Shredder’s
primary ally, Krang (Pat Fraley mostly, Coleman for several episodes). Krang
was a banished warlord from Dimension X whose design was inspired by the race
of aliens from the comics called the Ultroms, which resemble brains with faces
and tentacles. Krang controlled an army of rock soldiers lead by General Traag
(Renaday). Krang’s primary mode of transportation and defense was a
humanoid robotic suit which he controlled from the stomach area. Krang provided
Shredder with various inventions and technology the he needed, as well as his
primary base: the Technodrome—a large spherical mobile base (which spent most
of the series either underpowered or stranded somewhere).
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| Rocksteady and Bebop. |
Deciding to pit mutant against mutant, Shredder used
the mutagenic ooze to transform two dimwitted street thugs into Bebop (a
warthog, played mostly by Gordon with Berg doing several episodes and the
sideseason) and Rocksteady (a rhino played by Clarke). Exclusive to the
cartoon, Bebop and Rocksteady were designed by Eastman and Laird while
negotiating the action figure deal; however it was Wise who fleshed the
characters out when Wolf asked for more mutants to be in the series.
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| Irma, April and Rex-1 from "New York's Shiniest." |
April O’Neil (Renae Jacobs) followed the Turtles from
the comics, becoming their primary friend and confidant. However, unlike the
comics, April was depicted as a reporter for Channel 6 News to provide the
Turtles the resources they would need for research and tips on Foot attacks
around the city. April encountered the Turtles while investigating hi-tech
equipment thefts and falling victim to a street gang, whom they rescued her
from. April’s design was also altered, having her depicted with short, straight
red hair and always wearing a yellow jumpsuit with white boots. The rest of the
Channel 6 family included Burne Thompson (Fraley mostly, Coleman for an
episode), April’s gruff boss who assigned her crappy stories and believed the
Turtles were a menace April should expose (ala Spider-Man’s J. Jonah Jameson),
Vernon Fenwick (Fraley in season 1, Renaday after), an unscrupulous colleague
always trying to steal April’s scoops, and Irma Langinstein (Jennifer Darling), the klutzy
receptionist and April’s best friend.
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| April waits for the ratings and word on whether she has a show or not. |
It took three airings of the mini-series to find an
audience. But once it did, it was quickly greenlit for production to begin as
an ongoing animated series. Originally debuting in Saturday morning syndication
in 1988, it soon expanded to weekday afternoons in most markets the following
September when its success was evident. The show’s recognizable theme was
composed by Dennis C. Brown with lyrics written and spoken by future prominent
producer Chuck Lorre. Many episode titles were parodies of various pop-culture
references.
As a result of the series, the toys (remember the
toys?) by Playmates flew off the shelves. The Turtles became a marketing machine,
adorning clothing, household items, cereals, snacks, and other toys besides
action figures. Video games based on the cartoon were released for the Nintendo Entertainment System, arcades, Nintendo Gameboy, Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis and on
handhelds throughout the early 90s, primarily by Konami.
Their popularity grew to the point that in March of
1990 the Turtles received their very first live-action movie, which also
cemented the trend of each adaptation of the franchise presenting a slightly
different take of the origin story. Directed by Steve Barron on a screenplay by
Todd W. Langen and Bobby Herbeck, the movie was heavily inspired by the
animated series while incorporating the elements of the plot from the first
dozen issues of the original comics. It utilized the light-hearted tonality,
the colored masks and letter belts and April’s (Judith Hoag) occupation as a
reporter and how she first met the Turtles. However, this version restored
Splinter (Kevin Clash) to his original role as Hamato Yoshi’s pet rat. The
movie was live-action, utilizing suits and animatronics created by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop for all the mutant roles. It also re-established Casey Jones
(Elias Koteas in the film, Fraley in the cartoon) as an ally and friend to the
Turtles as he was in the comics, unlike in the series where Casey, who had
debuted in season 3 before the movie’s release, was a crazed hardcore vigilante
who never took his mask off. Casey also only appeared in five episodes
throughout the entire run.
During the fourth season, the show was simultaneously
aired in weekday syndication and as an hour-long double episode block on CBS
Saturday mornings with a slightly altered opening sequence and did away with
the episode title cards. Bridging the two episodes were “Turtle Tips,” a brief
segment that served as a Public Service Announcement about various issues. 20
sequences were produced, in addition to other PSA’s the Turtles were
featured in outside of the show. The intended first CBS episode, “The Dimension X
Story,” was shown out of sequence with the other episodes as the situation it
set up for the Technodrome was mentioned before the episode ever aired. The
season 5 episode “Planet of the Turtleoids” was originally aired as an hour-long
primetime special in August of 1991 before being broken up into two episodes on
Saturday that October.
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| Donatello admiring The Thinker. |
Season 7 was split into two parts. Thirteen episodes produced
before season 4 were never shown. These episodes, known as the “Vacation in
Europe” sideseason, follows the Turtles on an European vacation where they
battle Shredder’s schemes on an international level. Chronologically, the
episodes took place between the first and second episodes of the 4th
season, but were aired as part of USA Network’s Cartoon Express block in 1993
alongside season 7. Interestingly enough, though, it was only in America where
that happened. For the international broadcasts, the sideseason aired as part
of season 4. The most notable thing about the vacation episodes were the number
of voice substitutions in the cast. Cummings and Coleman would both portray
Shredder in all but two episodes where Avery performed, while Rayle would do
Raphael for the entire sideseason. Gordon would reassume his roles from Berg
halfway through the episodes. During the regular season on CBS, Avery would
leave the Shredder role five episodes in, with Coleman assuming it for the
remainder until the role was recast. It was also at this time that Wolf broke
off from his partners and established Fred Wolf Films, which produced the
series for the remainder of its run.
Season 8 saw some major changes come to the show. The
series was retooled to be more action-oriented and darker to bring it closer to
the original comics. Following the two sequels to the movie, 1991’s Secret of the Ooze and 1993’s Turtles in Time, the character animation
was changed to better resemble the characters’ appearances in those movies, and
the sky had taken on a predominantly red shade as opposed to the light blue
thus far. A new theme song was recorded and played over an introduction that
incorporated brief shots from the first movie. By the end of the season,
Shredder and Krang were cast off to Dimension X and removed as the regular
series villains. Season 9 introduced Lord Dregg (Tony Jay) as the new recurring
villain who attempted a smear campaign against the Turtles to turn the public
at large against them. Wise left the series before the 10th and
final season, which saw the Turtles finally victorious over their foes. The
last three seasons all ran for a reduced 8-episode season. Although the Turtles’
popularity had begun to wane, CBS’ decision to cancel the series came due to
their desire to purge their current Saturday morning line-up as well as remove
any programming that didn’t adhere to the FCC’s educational requirements for
animated programs. And, no matter how much producers cleaned up the show,
especially in relation to the source material, parent groups often made the
program a target.
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| The voice cast. |
In a rare move for voice recording, the cast recorded
episodes together in order to better play off each other and develop a real
sense of comradery. Despite Eastman and Laird’s desires that the series would
be closer to the comic’s darker roots, most of the voice actors had children
and wanted them to be able to enjoy the show. So, the tone of their performance
was often kept silly and jovial. Even though their interpretations may not have
fit the perceptions of everyone involved, it worked enough to make Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles become one
of the most popular cartoons at the time. At ten seasons over nine years, it
was the longest-running cartoon at the time (soon surpassed by The Simpsons), and is still currently
the longest-running cartoon based on an American independent comic. While the
primary cast did stay with the series for most of its run, as noted before some
of the actors were substituted in various episodes; either by other cast
members or by entirely different actors. Only Clarke, Townsend and Jacobs
voiced their primary characters throughout the series.
International broadcasts in the United Kingdom led to
the show being renamed Teenage Mutant
Hero Turtles due to then-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and the controversy
surrounding ninjas at the time. The intro was edited to remove all traces of
the word and any shot of Michelangelo using his nunchucks. These UK edits were
also featured in several other European countries such as Ireland, Belgium,
Germany and Poland, amongst others. Certain phrases also had to be cut out or
changed, due to particular words having different meanings in different
countries.
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| From Heroes in a Half Shell, leading up to April meeting the Turtles. |
During the run of the series, Archie Comics had
acquired the rights to produce comics based on it. In 1988, after adapting the
original mini-series in the three-issue series Heroes in a Half Shell, Archie launched Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures which initially adapted the
second season's episodes for four issues before delving into original stories set within the
animated universe. Primarily written by Stephen Murphy, the
book introduced new exclusive characters, eventually pushing most of the
recurring animated ones to the sidelines, and dealt with social, environmental
and animal rights issues. It also added layers of depth to established
characters beyond what the series would do. As a result, many came to view the
comics as more serious than the cartoon with deeper storytelling. The series
ran for 72 issues with several annuals, specials and mini-series spin-offs.
The original action figures ran until 1997, featuring
the vast majority of the characters from the program as well as the vehicles
and weapons. The Turtles, April and their primary villains received several
variations over the course of the line, such as sports heroes, soldiers and
even an unlikely franchise team-up with the Turtles in Star Trek uniforms (Playmates also had the license to produce Star Trek figures). Playmates also did
two series featuring designs inspired by the movies. Interestingly, it wouldn’t
be until the 1992 series of figures that Playmates would release a series of
Turtles that more closely resembled their animated counterparts. Playmates
would continue to produce figures based on the various Turtles media in the
following years. For the 25th anniversary in 2009, Playmates
re-released several of the figures was with the
Party Wagon and packaged them with DVDs containing an episode of the cartoon.
After the cancellation of the cartoon, Fox brought
the Turtles back in a live-action attempt the following year called Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation which
introduced the much-hated fifth female turtle Venus de Milo. Cancelled after
only one season, the Turtles would remain in creative limbo until Fox made a
second attempt in 2003 with a new animated series. The next time the 1987
Turtles would be seen was in the 25th Anniversary television movie Turtles Forever, produced by 4Kids
Entertainment, which teamed them up with the 2003 Turtles and the original
comic book Turtles against their various foes. Nickelodeon’s 2012 Turtles
series makes several references to the 1987 show. Not only is Rob Paulsen part
of the cast (as Donatello rather than Raphael), but they use a midi of the
1987 theme song as the ringtone for their T-phones (shell-shaped phones
invented by Donatello). For the 30th anniversary, the hour-long episode
“Wormquake” in 2014 featured a brief cameo by the 1987 Turtles voiced by their
original actors.
EPISODE GUIDE:
Season 1:
“Turtle Tracks” (12/28/87) – April discovers a rash of thefts are
committed by members of the Foot Clan and the existence of the Turtles before
she’s kidnapped by Shredder.
“Enter the Shredder” (12/29/87) – Shredder and Krang create Bebop and
Rocksteady as their henchmen while the Foot kidnaps Splinter.
“A Thing About Rats” (12/30/87) – Shredder employs Baxter Stockman’s
Mousers to track down Splinter.
“Hot Rodding Teenagers” (12/31/87) – The Turtles befriend the
Neutrinos from Dimension X and help them beat back Krang’s stone warriors and
their weather device.
“Shredder & Splintered” (1/1/88) – Shredder lures in the Turtles
by threatening to revert Splinter to human, putting them in conflict with
Krang’s new robot body.
Season 2:
“Return of the Shredder” (10/1/88) – Shredder returns from Dimension X
but is denied his resources by Krang until he proves himself worthy of them
again.
“The Incredible Shrinking Turtles” (10/8/88) – The Turtles search out
fragments of the eye of Sarnoth, but Shredder steals the one they find and uses
it to shrink them.
“The Mean Machines” (10/22/88) – While the Turtles deal with machines
trying to destroy them, Shredder uses the Sarnoth fragment to power a computer
to open a portal to Dimension X.
“It Came From Beneath the Sewers” (10/15/88) – Shredder uses the
Sarnoth fragment to create a mutant plant monster to attack the Turtles.
“Curse of the Evil Eye” (10/29/88) – Shredder completes the eye of
Sarnoth and attaches it to his helmet, but ends up losing his helmet before he
can use his new power.
“The Case of the Killer Pizzas” (11/5/88) – Stockman rigs a contest to
ensure the Turtles get pizza with deadly meatball-like eggs on them, but the
pizzas end up going to someone else.
“Invasion of the Punk Frogs in Swampland” (11/19/88) – Krang
accidentally creates four mutant frogs that Shredder befriends and sets against
the Turtles.
“Baxter Stockman the Fly” (11/12/88) – Shredder retrieves Bebop and
Rocksteady as Stockman is turned into a fly.
“Master Splinter No More” (11/26/88) – While Shredder plots to reopen
the portal to Dimension X Donatello devises a cure to make Splinter human
again.
“New York’s Shiniest” (12/3/88) – Robot cop Rex-1 joins the Turtles in
defeating Shredder and his army of robot cops.
“Teenagers from Dimension X” (12/10/88) – The Neutrinos return to
Earth to warn the Turtles of Shredder’s latest plot while Shredder tries to get
a hand on their dimension-crossing ship.
“The Catwoman from Channel Six” (12/17/88) – April is accidentally
turned into a cat-woman, forcing the Turtles to befriend Irma in order to help
her.
“Return of the Technodrome” (12/17/88) – Splinter takes a vacation
while the Turtles attempt to stop the Technodrome from returning to Earth.
Season 3:
“Beneath These Streets” (10/19/89) – Splinter is hurt during a
confrontation with Shredder.
“Turtles on Trial” (10/20/89) – A TV personality portrays the Turtles
as menaces to society, but the Turtles are more focused on defeating Krang and
his new weapon.
“Attack of the 50-Foot Irma” (10/23/89) – Irma is turned into a giant,
and her natural klutziness makes her a danger to the city.
“The Maltese Hamster” (10/24/89) – Gangsters swipe all the antiques in
town and most of the Turtles, leaving Donatello and April to stop them.
“Sky Turtles” (10/25/89) – The Turtles are hit by Shredder’s
anti-gravity device.
“The Old Switcheroo” (10/26/89) – A device accidentally activated
during battle switches Splinter and Shredder’s minds.
“Burne’s Blues” (10/27/89) – Someone is destroying all the air
conditioners and stealing Freon during a heatwave while Burne and Vernon go
hunting for the Turtles.
“Zach the Fifth Turtle” (10/30/89) – 13-year-old Zach wants to help
the Turtles, but all his attempts end up backfiring.
“Enter the Rat King” (10/31/89) – Rat King uses his powers over
rodents to take control of Splinter to destroy the Turtles.
“Turtles at the Earth’s Core” (11/1/89) – The Turtles stumble upon a
world where dinosaurs still exist and where Bebop and Rocksteady try to steal
the crystal that sustains it.
“April’s Fool a.k.a. April Foolish” (11/2/89) – April is mistaken for
a princess at a masquerade ball that Shredder crashes to steal the Lydium 90
needed to power the Technodrome.
“Attack of Big MACC” (11/3/89) – A robot warrior from the future comes
to the past and befriends the turtles, but Shredder and Krang are looking to
recruit him.
“The Ninja Sword of Nowhere” (11/6/89) – Shredder acquires a ninja
sword made of an alien metal that can cut through dimensions.
“20,000 Leagues Under the City” (11/7/89) – Shredder and Krang flood
the city to flush out the Turtles.
“Take Me to Your Leader” (11/8/89) – Leonardo doubts his leadership
and takes time off from the team while Krang and Shredder threaten to plunge
Earth into another Ice Age.
“Four Musketurtles” (11/9/89) – A head injury causes Leonardo to
believe the Turtles are Musketeers in 17th Century France.
“Turtles, Turtles, Everywhere” (11/10/89) – Shredder reprograms the
city’s new garbage collecting super computer to collect the Turtles and it
collects every turtle in the city.
“Cowabunga Shredhead” (11/13/89) – A computer malfunction leaves
Shredder believing he’s Michelangelo.
“Invasion of the Turtle Snatchers” (11/14/89) – Aliens abduct
Donatello and Rocksteady.
“Camera Bugged” (11/15/89) – April and Shredder both come into
possession of an alien camera that does more than take pictures.
“Green with Jealousy” (11/16/89) – Shredder targets a naval submarine
for its power while a love potion makes Leonardo, Michelangelo and Raphael fall
for Irma.
“Return of the Fly” (11/17/89) – Shredder wants to siphon water from
an underground reservoir as Baxter Stockman returns for revenge.
“Outlaw Hero – Casey Jones” (11/20/89) – To stop Krang and Shredder
from controlling all the city’s machines the Turtles must team-up with
sports-themed vigilante Casey Jones.
“Mutagen Monster” (11/21/89) – A train accident spills mutagen on
nearby cattle, creating an angry super bull.
“Corporate Raiders from Dimension X” (11/22/89) – Casey and the
Turtles investigate a rash of corporate thefts.
“Pizza by the Shred” (11/23/89) – Michelangelo gets a job as a pizza
delivery boy and his boss ends up being Shredder.
“Super Bebop & Mighty Rocksteady” (11/24/89) – Shredder and Krang
use hi-tech versions of Bebop and Rocksteady to keep the Turtles busy while
they install a mesmerizer at Channel 6.
“Beware the Lotus” (11/27/89) – Krang hires a deadly ninja warrior to
beat the Turtles and she’s more than a match for Leonardo.
“Blast from the Past” (11/28/89) – The Turtles try to restore
Splinter’s memory.
“Leatherhead Terror of the Swamp” (11/29/89) – Mutant alligator
Leatherhead terrorizes the Punk Frogs and teams up with Shredder to take on the
Turtles.
“Michelangelo’s Birthday” (11/30/89) – Shredder and Krang discover an
anti-mutagen while the Turtles seem to forget Michelangelo’s birthday.
“Usagi Yojimbo” (12/1/89) – A rabbit ronin warrior from another
dimension ends up stranded on Earth as Shredder plans to use a dragon egg
against the city.
“Case of the Hot Kimono” (12/4/89) – April’s aunt Agatha Marbles uses
her legendary detective skills to help the Turtles find kimonos being stolen
around the city.
“Usagi Come Home” (12/5/89) – Shredder trucks Usagi into attacking the
Turtles.
“The Making of Metalhead” (12/6/89) – The Turtles can’t take a sick
day when Shredder and Krang release their robotic turtle Metalhead to take down
the Turtles.
“Leatherhead Meets the Rat King” (12/7/89) – Leatherhead and Rat King
both have their own plans for revenge, which puts them at odds with each other.
“The Turtle Terminator” (12/8/89) – Irma is captured and replaced by a
robot, but its programming proves faulty when it tries to blast whoever says
the word “turtle.”
“The Great Boldini” (12/11/89) – The Turtles are framed for the jewel
theft perpetrated by magician Boldini.
“The Missing Map” (12/12/89) – Zach’s brother Walt steals a pouch that
has a map to the Turtles’ lair.
“The Gang’s All Here” (12/13/89) – Wanting to know what it’s like to
be human, Michelangelo eats Bebop and Rocksteady’s anti-mutagen cookies and is
changed into one.
“The Grybyx” (12/14/89) – Kala’s pet Grybyx escapes from Dimension X
and causes trouble the Turtles.
“Mister Ogg Goes to Town” (12/15/89) – An alien comedian from
Dimension Z escapes to Earth and begins wreaking havoc.
“Shredderville” (12/18/89) – The Turtles end up an alternate world
where they never existed, allowing Shredder to rule the city.
“Bye, Bye, Fly” (12/19/89) – Baxter uses an alien spacecraft as part
of his latest revenge plot.
“The Big Rip Off” (12/20/89) – The Turtles are distracted at Fort
Charles while Bebop and Rocksteady steal fuel cells from the space research
center.
“The Big Break In” (12/21/89) – The Turtles must stop the now-running
Technodrome.
“The Big Blow Out” (12/22/89) – Shredder and Krang steal all of the
city’s electricity to open a portal to Dimension X and send Earth through.
Season 4:
“The Dimension X Story” (9/8/90) – Stuck in Dimension X, Shredder uses
the teleporter to bring the Turtles to him and enact his plan to destroy them.
“Donatello’s Degree” (9/8/90) –
Irma stands in for Donatello to receive his degree from Sopho University as
Donatello discovers a plot by Prof. Sopho to destroy the Earth.
“Plan 6 From outer Space” (9/10/90) – Bebop and Rocksteady are sent to
Earth to capture the Channel 6 building for equipment for the Technodrome.
“Turtles of the Jungle” (9/11/90) – A professor’s ray gun causes
plants to go wild and turns his pet ape into a giant.
“Michelangelo Toys Around” (9/12/90) – At the Toy Fair, Michelangelo
discovers a sinister plot to take over a toy company.
“Peking Turtle” (9/13/90) – Shredder steals a device held by a Jade
Dragon that sets a reanimated Terracotta Army after the Turtles.
“Shredder’s Mom” (9/14/90) – Shredder holds the world hostage with a
heatwave while Krang frees Shredder’s mother from a retirement community.
“Son of Return of the Fly” (9/15/90) – Baxter and an A.I. return and
capture the Turtles and Shredder.
“Four Turtles and a Baby” (9/17/90) – Neutrinos Zenter and Gizzla send
their infant Tribble to the Turtles to watch when General Tragg attack the
capital.
“Turtlemaniac” (9/18/90) – Monroe Q. Flem wants all the Turtles
memorabilia he can get, including April and the ACTUAL Turtles.
“Rondo in New York” (9/19/90) – Michelangelo ends up disappointed by
his movie star idol while Shredder and Krang steal something that can bring
inanimate objects to life.
“Planet of the Turtles” (9/20/90) – The salvation for Earth lies in
another dimension where turtles dominate.
“Name That Toon” (9/21/90) – A computer from the Technodrome ends up
on Earth disguised as an electronic keyboard.
“Raphael Knocks ‘em Dead” (9/22/90) – Mobster Pinky McFingers kidnaps
Raphael from a local comedy club.
“Bebop and Rocksteady Conquer the Universe” (9/22/90) – Bebop and
Rocksteady steal a machine that can make anyone scared of anything.
“Raphael Meets his Match” (9/22/90) – Raphael wins a place at a party
that ends up crashed by pirates and he gets help from lizard-woman Mona Lisa in
stopping them.
“Menace Maestro, Please” (9/24/90) – Irma’s boyfriend Howie buys an
old opera house with the plan to turn it into a nightclub.
“Super Hero for a Day” (9/25/90) – Shredder tricks retired hero Gadget
Man into attacking the Turtles.
“Slash—the Evil Turtle from Dimension X” (9/29/90) – Bebop mutates his
pet turtle so he can do the housework, but Slash runs away and is conned into
framing the Turtles.
“Leonardo Lightens Up” (9/29/90) – Raphael and Michelangelo hit
Leonardo with a personality-altering ray.
“Were-Rats from Channel 6” (10/13/90) – Rat King discovers a lost
canister of mutagen and uses it on Irma and Vernon so they will do his bidding
and raid food warehouses.
“Funny, They Shrunk Michelangelo” (10/13/90) – Michelangelo accidentally
shrinks himself, April and Vernon while entertaining himself with Donatello’s
inventions.
“The Big Zipp Attack” (10/20/90) – An alien, Zipp, comes to Earth and
causes trouble for the Turtles.
“Donatello Makes Time” (10/20/90) – A deranged professor steals
Donatello’s time-freezing device to conquer the world.
“Farewell Lotus Blossom” (10/27/90) – Lotus is drawn to an artifact
the Turtles have that contains an angry spirit.
“Rebel Without a Fin” (10/27/90) – Dr. Polidorus wants to mutate all
humanity into aquatic beings and his creation, Ray, kidnaps April for Polidorus
to turn into his mate.
“Rhino-Man” (11/3/90) – Bebop and Rocksteady dress up as superheroes
to steal a diamond for Krang while the Turtles try to free hypnotized slaves
from J. Gordon HungerDunger.
“Michelangelo Meets Bugman” (11/3/90) – Michelangelo meets his
favorite comic book hero Bugman and helps him take on the Electrozapper.
“Poor Little Rich Turtle” (11/10/90) – Shredder and Krang want the
formula for a super fuel a young rich girl knows and the Turtles must protect
her.
“What’s Michelangelo Good For?” (11/10/90) – An evil scientist
captures the Turtles and Michelangelo has to save them.
“The Big Cufflink Caper!” (11/10/90) – Shredder is the head of a ring
of cufflink thefts.
“Leonardo Versus Tempestra” (11/17/90) – Tempestra is freed from an
arcade game and it’s up to Leonardo to stop her.
“Splinter Vanishes” (11/24/90) – Splinter disappears and leaves a note
causing the Turtles to split, allowing Leatherhead and Rat King to capture
them.
“Raphael Drives ‘Em Wild” (11/24/90) – A transmogrifier device causes
Raphael and a cabbie to swap bodies.
“Beyond the Donatello Nebula” (12/1/90) – Donatello meets Algernon, a
lizard alien, who helps the Turtles rescue April from Hiram Grelch.
“Big Bug Blunder” (12/1/90) – A mutagen experiment leads to a swarm of
giant insects invading New York.
“The Foot Soldiers Are Revolting” (12/8/90) – When a Footbot’s
intellect is increased, it leads the other Foot in a rebellion against Shredder
and Krang.
“Unidentified Flying Leonardo” (12/8/90) – Helping April investigate a
monster report, Leonardo is mistaken for an alien by the townspeople and ends
up being hunted.
Season 5:
“The Turtles and The Hare” (3/28/91) – The Tutles befriend Hokum Hare
in a fairy tale dimension while attempting to stop Shredder’s latest scheme.
“Once Upon a Time Machine” (3/29/91) – Thanks to a time-traveling
train, past and future Turtles team-up to stop Shredder’s plan for New York in
2036.
“Planet of the Turtleoids” (8/31/91) – The Turtles, Groundchuck and
Dirtbag are taken to Shellri-La by Kerma to help defend the planet from
two-headed dragon Herman the Horrible. When they’re returned home, the Turtles
have to stop the Technodrome Mark II and Chrome Dome.
“My Brother, the Bad Guy”
(9/21/91) – Lt. Kazou Saki comes from Japan to arrest his brother, Shredder,
while Donatello causes the Technodrome to end up in the Arctic.
“Michelangelo Meets Mondo Gecko” (9/21/91) – Strange dreams cause
Michelangelo to seek out Mondo Gecko, who was mutated by the same mutagen as
the Turtles.
“Enter: Mutagen Man” (9/28/91) – A delivery boy falls into Krang’s
unstable mutagen and is able to transform into anyone.
“Donatello’s Badd Time” (9/28/91) – The Turtle Van ends up stolen by a
family of hillbillies known as the Badd Family.
“Michelangelo Meets Bugman Again” (10/5/91) – Only Bugman can save the
city from a termite infestation, but he refuses to.
“Muckman Messes Up” (10/5/91) – Muckman, a mutated garbage man, is
tricked into working with Shredder upon the discovery that his slime can weaken
the Turtles.
“Napoleon Bonafrog: Colossus of the Swamps” (10/12/91) – Shredder
tests Krang’s Muta-Shooter, mutating Napoleon Bonafrog.
“Raphael Versus the Volcano” (10/12/91) – Donatello’s invention
backfires, causing Raphael to think he’s about to die and wanting to go out a
hero by single-handedly saving the world.
“Landlord of the Flies” (10/19/91) – Baxter tries to conquer New York
to prove his worth to Shredder and Krang and be made human again.
“Donatello’s Duplicate” (10/19/91) – Donatello clones himself to help
with his chores, but the clone turns and joins the Rat King.
“The Ice Creature Cometh” (11/2/91) – Bebop and Rocksteady create a
giant ice creature that Shredder uses to freeze the city.
“Leonardo Cuts Loose” (11/2/91) – Leonardo hesitantly asks Casey Jones
for help rescuing the Turtles from a muscular former nerd.
“Pirate Radio” (11/9/91) – Shredder uses a hypnotic microphone and
speaker through a radio station to send the citizens into an alternate
dimension created by Krang.
“Raphael, Turtle of a Thousand Faces” (11/9/91) – Raphael’s mastery of
disguise lands him in trouble when he’s mistaken for mobster Mad Dog McMutt.
“Leonardo, the Renaissance Turtle” (11/16/91) – Dr. Mindbender creates
a law-enforcement robot that begins to arrest people no matter how severe the
crime.
“Zach and the Alien Invaders” (11/23/91) – Zach is put into military
camp because of his false alien reports, but ends up discovering two real
aliens brainwashing the cadets there.
“Welcome Back Polarisoids” (11/30/91) – Frip returns to Earth for a
vacation only to have his camera stolen by Krang again.
“Michelangelo, the Sacred Turtle” (12/7/91) – Michelangelo is mistaken
for Amun Turt-El while visiting an Egyptian exhibit.
Season 6:
“Rock Around the Block” (9/12/92) – Krang brings General Traag to
Earth to distract the Turtles while he attempts to free the Technodrome from
its arctic prison.
“Krangenstein Lives!” (9/19/92) – While Michelangelo becomes a video
game addict, Krang’s robot body goes out of control thanks to Bebop and
Rocksteady.
“Super Irma” (9/26/92) – Irma gains magnetic powers and decides to try
and stop Krang, but they wear off causing her to need rescuing by the Turtles.
“Adventures in Turtle-Sitting” (10/3/92) – Michelangelo uses
Donatello’s Food Revivafier and accidentally turns the other Turtles into 5-year-olds.
“Sword of Yurikawa” (10/10/92) – A ninja steals his master’s former
sword in order to test the Turtles.
“Return of the Turtleoid” (10/17/92) – A destroyer hunts down Kerma
when a glitch in its sensors causes it to mistake Kerma for space-pirate Nerma.
“Shreeka’s Revenge” (10/24/92) – Galactic outlaw Shreeka wants the
ring Krang stole from her, but it’s currently in April’s possession.
“Too Hot to Handle” (10/31/92) – Prof. Sopho causes the Earth to move
closer to the sun and Vernon’s genius nephew, Foster, helps the Turtles save
the world.
“Nightmare in the Lair” (11/7/92) – Donatello’s latest invention traps
Michelangelo and Leonardo in a nightmare world.
“Phantom of the Sewers” (11/14/92) – A man with dried paint on his
face is helped by the Turtles to stop a bank robbery.
“Donatello Trashes Slash” (11/21/92) – Donatello encounters Slash who
has suddenly become very smart.
“Leonardo is Missing” (11/28/92) – The Turtles search for their
missing brother while Splinter trains.
“Snakes Alive!” (12/5/92) – A scientist accidentally turns himself
into a snake and attempt to turn the city into a swamp.
“Polly Wanna Pizza” (12/12/92) – Michelangelo buys a parrot that
actually belongs to a criminal looking to acquire a stolen gem.
“Mr. Nice Guy” (12/19/92) – Donatello’s personality alterator is
stolen by Prof. Von Shrink and used to make police too nice to stop his robots
from stealing.
“Sleuth on the Loose” (12/26/92) – Agatha Marbles helps the Turtles
stop Prof. Von Volt from creating a doomsday device.
Vacation in Europe Sideseason:
“Tower of Power” (9/13/93) – The Turtles win a free European vacation
and head to Paris, where Shredder plans to steal metal from the Eiffel Tower
for the Technodrome.
“Rust Never Sleeps” (9/14/93) – Krang plans to rust famous landmarks
and monuments unless world leaders use their power reserves to bring the
Technodrome back.
“A Real Snow Job” (9/14/93) – Krang plans to flood low villages in the
Austrian Alps by melting the Alpine glaciers.
“Venice on the Half-Shell” (9/15/93) – Shredder and Krang plan to
flood Venice to hold its treasures ransom while the Turtles and April try to
enjoy the Mardi Gras festival.
“Artless” (9/15/93) – Alien art thieves steal priceless artwork from
the museums of Florence.
“Ring of Fire” (9/16/93) – The Turtles attend the running of the bulls
in Portugal where Shredder plans to use a heat ray magnifier to burn the city
to ashes.
“The Irish Jig Is Up” (9/16/93) – The Turtles head to Dublin as
Shredder, Rocksteady and Bebop us a Rainbow TransCharmer to turn all the cute
animals into ferocious beasts.
“Shredder’s New Sword” (9/17/93) – The Turtles must help Merlin
reclaim Excalibur from Shredder before Medieval Times merges with the modern
world.
“The Lost Queen of Atlantis” (9/17/93) – April buys an amulet in
Greece that slowly turns her into the Queen of Atlantis, and whose power
Shredder wants.
“Turtles on the Orient Express” (9/20/93) – Shredder plans to use
Krang’s new device to send the Orient Express into the world’s largest oil
field.
“April Gets in Dutch” (9/20/93) – Shredder wants the Duchess Diamond
in Amsterdam for Krang’s Laser Dimension Blade, but so do two bumbling thieves.
“Northern Lights Out” (9/21/93) – April covers the Alternative Energy
Convention in Norway while the Turtles track down modern Viking Erik the Red
Eye and scientific notes he stole.
“Elementary, My Dear Turtle” (9/21/93) – An atomic clock sends the
Turtles back to 1890 where they team up with Sherlock Holmes to reclaim the
clock from Prof. Moriarty.
Season 7:
“Night of the Dark Turtle” (9/18/93) – Donatello is hit by a laser
beam and becomes the costumed superhero the Dark Turtle while dinosaur-like
aliens called Triceratons invade Earth.
“The Starchild” (9/25/93) – The Turtles have to figure out how to get
Quirx back to his planet before his pursuers destroy Earth.
“The Legend of Koji” (10/2/93) – Shredder travels back to 1583 Japan
to stop Splinter’s ancestor, preventing Splinter’s birth and the Turtles’
mutations.
“Convicts from Dimension X” (10/9/83) – Donatello accidentally brings
two convicts from Dimension X to Earth and sends Irma and Vernon to take their
places.
“White Belt, Black Heart” (10/16/93) – Splinter’s sensei visits New
York as his son leads the Black Heart Gang in terrorizing the city.
“Night of the Rogues” (10/23/93) – Shredder assembles some of the
Turtles’ foes into a team to defeat them once and for all.
“Attack of the Neutrinos” (10/30/93) – The Neutrinos help the Turtles
keep an invention out of Krang’s tentacles.
“Escape from the Planet of the Turtleoids” (11/6/93) – Kerma comes to
the Turtles to help program the city’s new defense robots while Groundchuck and
Dirtbag cause trouble.
“Revenge of the Fly” (11/13/93) – Baxter and the A.I. return and steal
Shredder’s Retro-Mutagen ray gun and creates an army of insects out of people.
“Atlantis Awakens” (11/20/93) – The Turtles help a mermaid reclaim his
throne from Shredder and Bebop.
“Dirk Savage: Mutant Hunter!” (11/27/93) – Dirk Savage is conned into
rounding up the city’s mutants in order to make them part of a mutant slug’s
army.
“Invasion of the Krangazoids” (12/4/93) – Krang clones himself six
times to defeat the Turtles, but the clones think for themselves and set about
their own plans.
“Combat Land” (12/11/93) – The Turtles are invited to try out a new
theme park, but the park’s robots’ attacks are very real.
“Shredder Triumphant” (12/18/93) – Shredder and Krang free the
Technodrome and send the Turtles to Dimension X where they’re enslaved.
Season 8:
“Get Shredder!” (9/17/94) – Krang’s former weapons engineer Drakus
kidnaps Krang, and Shredder, believing the Turtles have him, holds the Channel
6 building hostage for his return.
“Wrath of the Rat King” (9/24/94) – Shredder forms an alliance with
the Rat King, Krang attempts to retrieve the Technodrome, and the Turtles
wonder if they’re really helping people.
“State of Shock” (10/1/94) – The Turtles are blamed for the thefts of
electronic equipment from power plants actually stolen by Megavolt and his
ninjas.
“Cry H.A.V.O.C.!” (10/8/94) – A group of mutants called HAVOC surfaces
and the Turtles try to determine if they’re really as good as they seem.
“H.A.V.O.C. in the Streets!” (10/15/94) – HAVOC plans to build a sky
platform to retrieve a lost Flux Transformer from a military base and creates a
new mutant called Synapse.
“Enter: Krakus” (10/22/94) – The Turtles deal with an enforcer named
Krakus while HAVOC continues their quest for the Flux Transformer.
“Cyber-Turtles” (10/29/94) – Kang and Shredder take down a passing
starfighter in order to steal the powerful Fire Star crystalline fragment to
merge Earth with Dimension X.
“Turtle Trek” (11/5/94) – The Turtles rescue and befriend Gargon from
Dimension X who helps the Turtles track down Shredder and Krang and stop them
from accessing the dimension.
Season 9:
“The Unknown Ninja” (9/16/95) – Carter tracks down the Turtles and
requests to train under Splinter while the Turtles try to stop Lord Dregg’s
plan for world conquest.
“Dregg of the Earth” (9/23/95) – Carter causes Dregg’s Techno gang to
escape with a Proton Accelerator.
“The Wrath of Medusa” (9/30/95) – Dregg hires bounty hunter Medusa to
capture the Turtles while Carter realizes he does more harm than good in
helping the Turtles.
“The New Mutation” (10/7/95) – While the Techno Gang steals a highly explosive
fuel, the Turtles are arrested by military police at Hyper Dyne Labs.
“The Showdown” (10/14/95) – Dregg uses a Hypno Transmitter to
hypnotize the populace through their TVs while trying to replicate the mutagen
to make his army invincible.
“Split-Second” (10/21/95) – Chronos appears and throws the city into
chaos by causing all the clocks to malfunction.
“Carter, the Enforcer” (10/28/95) – Dregg promotes a shield that will
protect the Earth from invasion and also builds an android replica of Carter.
“Doomquest” (11/4/95) – April finally manages to expose Dregg’s true
intentions to the world while the Turtles realize their unstable mutations are
getting worse.
Season 10:
“The Return of Dregg” (9/14/96) – The Turtles hope to use the Vortex
Crystal fragments to stabilize their mutations while Dregg wants to use them to
create another crystal.
“The Beginning of the End” (9/21/96) – Mung steals plutonium to create
a ray to turn Leonardo into a radioactive killer.
“The Power of Three” (9/28/96) – Carter finally cures the Turtles
while Dregg teleports Shredder and Krang from Dimension X for information about
the Turtles and Earth’s weaponry.
“A Turtle in Time” (10/5/96) – Dregg holds the planet hostage and
Carter is forced to call on Landor and Merrick to bring the Turtles’ past
selves to the present to stop him.
“Turtles to the Second Power” (10/12/96) – The past Turtles only have
3 hours to return home, but that’s made difficult as Dregg’s invasion fleet
begins their attack on the planet.
“Mobster from Dimension X” (10/19/96) – The GlobFather steals the
Protein Computer for Dregg in order to hack into all of Earth’s
telecommunication systems and military computers.
“The Day the Earth Disappeared” (10/26/96) – Dregg creates a portal
large enough to swallow the planet, and Leonardo, Donatello and Splinter are
pulled in while trying to stop him.
“Divide and Conquer” (11/2/96) – The Turtles have to retrieve Krang’s
body from Dimension X to defeat Dregg and his new stolen super powers.
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