"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" (1987/I) TV series 1987-1996

User Rating:

8.2/10   

Writers:

Joe DiStefano (writer)
Kenny Hotz (one episode)

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10

Genre:

Animation | Action | Adventure | Comedy | Family | Sci-Fi

Plot:

The adventures of a quartet of humanoid warrior turtles and their friends.

Plot Keywords:

Turtle | Martial Arts | Friend | Ninja | Shredder

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Renae Jacobs	...	April O'Neil (190 episodes, 1987-1996)
Jim Cummings	...	Additional Voices / ... (181 episodes, 1987-1996)
Townsend Coleman	...	Michelangelo / ... (147 episodes, 1987-1996)
Pat Fraley	...	Krang / ... (136 episodes, 1987-1996)
Beau Weaver	...	Additional Voices (131 episodes, 1987-1996)
James Avery	...	Shredder (127 episodes, 1987-1994)

Also Known As:

Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles (UK)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Series (USA) (alternative title)

Runtime:

30 min | USA:30 min (193 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:G (some episodes) | Australia:PG (some episodes) | USA:TV-Y7

Company:

Mirage Studios

Trivia:

The show was re-named "Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles" for its UK transmission, because it was thought that the connotations of the word "ninja" were too violent.

Goofs:

Continuity: In one episode, right when Donatello is talking to an outer space companion, he gains Michaelangelo's body.

Quotes:

Rocksteady, Bebop: [Bebop and Rocksteady have kidnapped Michaelangelo] We got a Turtle! We got a Turtle!
Michaelangelo: [Tied up] Put a Sock in it!
[is promptly gagged]

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in "Muppet Babies: Sing a Song of Superheroes (#7.10)" (1990)

80s quality cartoon carried into the 90s

This was probably the cartoon that saved the animation of the 90s from being really awful. The last of the great, great 80s cartoons.

Great writing, great characters, voice talent, stories, humour. This is only reiterated by its long running air time in syndication, and its slot on CBS Saturday morning.

I remember the syndicated episodes and the CBS episodes being slightly different.

Now for my real beef: Don't be fooled by the remakes and redoings, live-action, animated or otherwise of TMNT that you see now a days. They're all INFERIOR products compared to the original 80s cartoon. If you want to see the quality that was TMNT...you must see the 1987 syndicated and CBS series.