Kowabunga! Dude
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles turn 19!
By Keith White, University of Virginia
Monday December 11, 2006
On Dec. 10, the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon show—based on the popular comic strips that appeared under the classic American Archie imprint—turned 19! I know, I know, it’s not common to throw up the confetti and expect brouhaha over a 19th anniversary. But this marks the last birthday our terrific turtle foursome will have before they enter the ranks of the 20-somethings, forever leaving behind their teenaged glory days.
Fear not Turtles! Many of your fans have already crossed this generational Rubicon, proving life does indeed move on from the pizza-eating and daydreaming era of Saturday morning cartoons. And do know that fellow Turtles-at-heart only made it through this transition with your cultural nourishment.
Over nine years and almost 200 episodes, cordial Leonardo, moody Raphael, surfer dude-ish Michangelo, and dweeby Donatello showed audiences the dangers and rewards of toxic ooze, defeated various aliens and other nefarious evil-doers, and showed us that anyone (or anything?) can win over the girl.
April, no one else will ever measure up…
In order to get a better appreciation of this momentous occasion Campus Progress asked our resident expert—Outreach and Organizing Associate Manager Ramya Raghavan—for thoughts on all that which is The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Campus Progress: What is your first memory of the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Cartoon show?
Due to an unfortunate incident with toxic ooze at a young age, I am unable to recollect my first encounter with the Turtles. I think it might have been in the sewer.
Many argue that episodes of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were merely 30-minute advertisements for action figures and branded lunch boxes. Does this show’s success just speak to our generation’s rampant consumerism, or is there something more to the Turtles?
One November day when I was six-years old, I accidentally found my Christmas present in my mother’s closet. It was a Michelangelo costume, complete with plastic nun chucks and a sweet orange headband. When my mother eventually caught me using said items before Christmas and asked where I had found them, I replied “ Michelangelo gave them to me.” You can perceive that story in two ways: The greedy tale of a child consumed by gifts and material objects, or the story of a little girl who just wanted a friend who just happened to be a party dude. I’ll leave that for you to decide.
Who was your favorite character or characters on the show?
I was always torn between my love for Michelangelo (demonstrably the coolest with his ability to spin on his shell in the theme song) and Donatello’s inherent nerdiness and skill with “machines.” Today I still struggle to reconcile these two facets of my personality and have decided that I shouldn’t have to choose whether to be cool or a nerd. Nerds are cool.
Do the Turtles embody progressive values? Or are they just closet conservatives?
I find the Turtles to be pretty progressive. I think that they taught me the valuable lesson of treating everyone with equality and fairness, even if they happen to be a six-foot tall rat wearing a robe and an ace bandage around his foot. Also, in the post Pearl Harbor community, I think that the show taught children not to fear the Japanese (unless his name happened to be Aroku Saki). Overall, I do not think the Turtles would have been pro-internment.
Are the Turtles true role models? They were by no means perfect, suffering from infighting and petty jealousy. Why did so many of our generation look up to such flawed and childish heroes?
I believe the esteemed eighties hair band Poison said it best: Every rose has it’s thorn. That said, the Turtles showed that you could be a little childish, cranky, jealous, unproductive, and still kick Krang’s ass. Consider this: Perhaps it was their flaws that gave them their superpowers.
What drew you to watching the original TV series?
My brother watched it, and it was on after Duck Tales and Tale Spin. It was the apple pie ending to the meat and potatoes that was the Disney Afternoon.
What Turtle do you think most deserved April’s affection?
I think Donnatello would have been most accepting of an inter-species relationship. Then again, he might have been gay.
Do you believe April was a positive role-model for viewers? Or did she just foster our society’s male-dominant orientation, but in a turtle fashion?
Frankly, I found April to be an annoying tease. While some might think she was a positive female figure in the media (consider her job as a reporter), I think that wearing a skintight yellow jumpsuit really took away her from her credibility as a competent newscaster. Also, April didn’t really get to do any cool stuff. She was at best an accomplice, and never really the brains of the operation. I’d take Penny from Inspector Gadget over April any day of the week.
Is Shedder really evil? Or just a misunderstood figure?
Excellent question. I actually do think that Shredder is an extremely evil figure, but not in the context that one would ordinarily think. My sympathy lies, instead, with his “evil” foot soldiers, who I believe are representative of all “foot soldiers” in society: the poor, downtrodden folks that nobody thinks about.
Do you find any significance to Krang being just a brain? Does complete rationality always equate with evil?
Abso-fuckin-lutely. Irrationality is the way to go.
Do you have any other thoughts on the Turtles?
Bebop and Rocksteady RULE!!!!!!
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Comments
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ah, the Turtles.
wait, wait: ah, the ORIGINAL Turtles. the new ones are crap.
anyway, i’m one of those 20-somethings who survived with mutant guidance, and i’m proud to say that my green friends evolved with me: i have a set of Turtles, but i took all their weapons away. now, they just have parties and talk about stuff. heroes in a halfshell, indeed!
— evan - Dec 14, 11:27 PM - #Let’s just take a moment to acknowledge that the live-action films, before the not-so-good third one, were amazing. And to be honest, I always thought Raphael was hot.
— Francie - Oct 1, 02:24 PM - #