The Radical Evolution Of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Fun Fact: In the 1987 series, Townsend Coleman said the catch phrase "Cowabunga" was not scripted. He just blurted it out in an ad-lib and the studio liked it so much it became Michealangelo's catch phrase.

The 2012 series was my first exposure to the the TMNT franchise. It was dark, comedic, yet felt right. I love this series with all my heart and it inspired me to create my own story. But I love the Rise series so much. It's beautifully animated and absolutely hilarious. I can't wait for Mutant Mayhem.

Fun fact about Rise's designs, they're all different species but mutated with Splinter's blood. The writers/character designers took each species traits and put it into the character's personalities Raphael is an Alligator Snapping Turtle. Hence why he's larger and keeps mentioning fear/victory stinks, and they used square shapes for his design Leonardo is a Red-Eared Slider, why he has the red and yellow markings on his skin, and why he's always unbalanced. He's triangle Donatello is a Soft Shell Turtle. He made a battle shell to protect himself from getting badly injured. He's a rectangle Michelangelo is a Box Shell Turtle. He's the one who hides in his shell mostly and is based off a circle to give him a fun personality

One thing I can't believe you forgot to mention is how their origins are also modeled on & loosely connected with the Daredevil story as a sort of parody. - Case in point, Daredevil is trained by "Stick," the Turtles are trained by "Splinter." - The toxic ooze that blinded Mad Murdoch and gave him his powers also broke a glass jar with 4 turtles in it and covered them in the toxic ooze. Splinter the rat decided to save them and got covered in ooze while picking up the turtles. They all would mutate in the coming days - Daredevil fights The Hand and the villains the Turtles fight are The Foot

TMNT is a franchise that manages to stay fresh with each new incarnation. Be it comics, animation, film, or even video games. And I’m very excited about Mutant Mayhem.

The 2012 ninja turtles will forever be my favorite version of the ninja turtles

I've genuinely never noticed how the Turtles are a franchise that actually gets better stylistically as time progresses. That may be why the bond is there for so many people, they really feel like a group of 4 teenagers who's personalities directly reflect their aesthetics as they both grow exponentially during that time in our lives. It feels like it's part of the character that they become more "themselves" every time we see them. Handled correctly of course

The 2003 animated series introduced me to the franchise and is the incarnation I love the most. Especially its version of Shredder

You GOTS to love them 2003 turtles. Of all the TMNT incarnations, it had some of the most interesting stories, and probably the coolest version of the Shredder.

Nothing will ever match the beauty and edginess of the 2003 series for me!

The 2003 TMNT series was the best and nothing will ever top it

No matter what changes the characters went through Im amazed how much of the integrity and heart of the characters still remain today and the franchise continues to grow, especially with the upcoming animated movie TMNT: Mutant Mayhem made by Seth Rogan which already looks bold in animation style and nostalgically heartfelt in the tone and vibe of the movie

TMNT 2012 will always have a special place in my heart ❤. It was my introduction to TMNT and I couldn't imagine my childhood without it. I also think Rise of the TMNT was pretty good. It was far from a perfect show but I enjoyed a lot of it. I loved Donnie in that interpretation

I lived in Haiti when I was 6 for 2 years because my parents were missionaries and the only tv show we had there was the entire TMNT cartoon series from 1987. I must have rewatched that show 100 times and every time it was just so good

I haven't been a regular watcher of every TMNT show that's come out, but I've been a fan ever since the early 90s, and am always excited to see what new look they get when they come back 😊

For me '87 animated series Turtles will always have a special place in my heart but I also enjoy the 90s film trilogy and 2000's series designs.

I couldnt get enough of the Turtles back in the early 90's. The action figures, the NES games, the posters... I was a TMNT fiend.

Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, and Michelangelo have always been a part of my life, and the way I see it, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles can appeal to people of all ages, male or female, no matter which era they grew up in.

my first introduction to this franchise was the 2018 cartoon. i fell in love the character dynamics, the animation, and the amount of heart the show had. i love every iteration i've seen so far and im absolutely pumped for mutant mayhem !!

I love seeing how the TMNT's designs have evolved over the years. Me personally, I definitely subscribe to the rule that characters should still be easily identifiable in silhouette and profile. I also think it's more visually interesting to have each of the Turtles' looks be unique to his personality; ie. different heights, different bodytypes, different gear, etc. 2012 is definitely my personal favorite visual and overall version of the Turtles, but every version holds a special place in my heart. Definitely looking forward to Mutant Mayhem. Taking a page from the 2012 series, I appreciate the new movie leaning more into the actual teen aspects of the Turtles, as well as contrasting each turtle design according to their respective character type.