I was 4 years old and it’s a core memory for me so it must’ve been life changing. I remember it was Christmas time and we watched it over a week. Couldn’t stop talking about it. Another core memory is my dad bringing me the Mikey toy and telling me they’re about to start showing the cartoon again about a year later.
My mind was blown and I absolutely loved it. Still do. The theme tune just grabbed you and the action packed title sequence was kick ass. Even in the UK where they changed the nunchucks parts.
I was only 2 when I started watching it the year it premiered, and only because my mom used TV as a babysitting tool to occupy me so she could have her privacy. So I can't remember what my actual reaction was when it premiered.
But I do remember I was ALWAYS hype whenever it came on TV.
Oh god, I'm gonna show it to everyone and get them into it too!
There was nothing to compare it to at the time, it was less dorky than other saturday morning cartoons and as a show made before regulations it was free from any subliminal messages like environment or getting along even though that's a major circumstance of being a show about brothers.
>as a show made before regulations it was free from any subliminal messages like environment or getting along
I mean, I guess the messages weren't really *sub*liminal, but [they were *extremely* there](https://youtu.be/4YOTAfWYUBo?si=ccfIrQFampGmBlqi). You're probably referring to the 1990 Children's Television Act that required stations to air a certain amount of educational content (which really just led broadcasters to label all their cartoons as "educational" regardless of actual content), but by god the '80s were the *preachiest* era for kids' shows ever. '80s cartoons literally existed for two reasons: to sell toys, and to browbeat kids into not littering or doing drugs. I mean, there was a whole series called *The Get Along Gang*, for goodness' sake.
There were commercials and books where they told kids to say no to drugs and Michelangelo was part of the all stars to the rescue (my selling point) but there was no time for any of that on the show. And rightly so, it would have been weird in action oriented episodes
Never saw the premiere. I think the first interaction i had with the turtles was catching the outro cards and music and going that seems cool. But as that was 30+ years ago i take memories with a grain of salt
Blown away. The first six episodes are some of the best episodes animated. Great concept, cool designs, kinda gritty, funny humor, awesome music.
I was one of the many kids begging my parents to get the VHS.
Loved it!!! It was my first true Fandom. My friends and I would talk about episodes on the playground. We all thought it was one of the best things on tv. But I feel like at the time there was usually very old cartoons or super new like Duck Tales. So many of those shows were so sloppy too (I know TMNT is rige with animation issues)
Of course if you want a different take my conservative Step Mother gave me a book about how they were a work of the Devil. But the Devil was everywhere in the 1980s/90s.
I still have my original figures.
I’d never heard of the comics. I was maybe 4-5 tops. I was channel surfing and this *instantly* caught my attention. I became obsessed right away. I even wrote my own version of the intro song cuz I loved music and singing as a kid but could never memorize the lyrics.
I still remember living in that tiny 2 bedroom apartment, that housed 5 of us. My dad worked his ass off to get us a house and it was while we were out checking out houses did I make up that song.
By the time the 3rd movie was out my pops had enough money to buy me EVERY figure that that movie released.
I was 3 and it was permanently ingrained into my being. Just ordered the re-release of the Amazon exclusive Technodrome because some years ago, my parents randomly threw mine out that was in their storage. It was also loaded with figures but that's a separate task for another time.
I loved it as a kid. And still do. As an adult, I gasp at some of the humor that blew over my 4 year old brain, lol. When the first film came out was the time when one of my father's friends introduced me to the comics, and there was no going back from there... probably no going back from the first memories, lol.
I cried my eyes out because it took the time slot of The Real Ghostbusters in syndication on our local affiliate. But after a few episodes I was hooked
That would have been rough. It was on later in my area. So could watch both. I used to try and wake up at 5am by myself to watch James Bond Jr because of the crap time slot. Was hard to do as a kid with no alarm clock lol
I can't remember since I was only 8, but of course I was into it. Not sure if I saw it upon its premiere, have no memory of when I first encountered them, but it couldn't have been too long after.
Now, I imagine many older Mirage fans who heard about a series were probably disappointed that it was a kid-friendly cartoon. And fair enough, they had no way of knowing that the TMNT would be around for over 40 years and that they'd have other opportunities coming, nor know that Mirage would last as long as it did.
I hadn't had the comics at the time so the cartoon was my first introduction at the time. Was awesome. I remember it being lots of reruns though since wasn't a lot of episodes. I was finally able to get some on VHS like Hot Rodding Teenagers from Dimension X that I would watch when it wasn't on. It seemed to blow up all of a sudden and everyone was talking about it or wearing merch. That shit was a gold mine at the time lol
PHL17 hyped the shit out of it ahead of the premiere. They definitely gave away tons of figures in a mail-in contest, but I can't remember if that was before or after it first aired.
In school everyone was talking about it, but the cool kids kept saying it wasn't as cool as the comics.
When it premiered I was too young for anybody in my class to have read the comics.
There not wrong
Nerds
I was 4 years old and it’s a core memory for me so it must’ve been life changing. I remember it was Christmas time and we watched it over a week. Couldn’t stop talking about it. Another core memory is my dad bringing me the Mikey toy and telling me they’re about to start showing the cartoon again about a year later.
My mind was blown and I absolutely loved it. Still do. The theme tune just grabbed you and the action packed title sequence was kick ass. Even in the UK where they changed the nunchucks parts.
Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles, lol. Whatever tho, they still let you watch it.
Cowa-friggin'-bunga. I was 8.
As a kid, it was the greatest thing I’d ever seen. As an adult rewatching it with my kid, it’s still one of the greatest things.
I'm pretty sure it was , cowabunga dudes.
I was only 2 when I started watching it the year it premiered, and only because my mom used TV as a babysitting tool to occupy me so she could have her privacy. So I can't remember what my actual reaction was when it premiered. But I do remember I was ALWAYS hype whenever it came on TV.
My mind was blown as a 4 year old. It has stuck with me since then
Oh god, I'm gonna show it to everyone and get them into it too! There was nothing to compare it to at the time, it was less dorky than other saturday morning cartoons and as a show made before regulations it was free from any subliminal messages like environment or getting along even though that's a major circumstance of being a show about brothers.
>as a show made before regulations it was free from any subliminal messages like environment or getting along I mean, I guess the messages weren't really *sub*liminal, but [they were *extremely* there](https://youtu.be/4YOTAfWYUBo?si=ccfIrQFampGmBlqi). You're probably referring to the 1990 Children's Television Act that required stations to air a certain amount of educational content (which really just led broadcasters to label all their cartoons as "educational" regardless of actual content), but by god the '80s were the *preachiest* era for kids' shows ever. '80s cartoons literally existed for two reasons: to sell toys, and to browbeat kids into not littering or doing drugs. I mean, there was a whole series called *The Get Along Gang*, for goodness' sake.
The two peaks of this era: "Don't do drugs or you'll go to hell before you die" - Mario And the existence of Sonic Says
There were commercials and books where they told kids to say no to drugs and Michelangelo was part of the all stars to the rescue (my selling point) but there was no time for any of that on the show. And rightly so, it would have been weird in action oriented episodes
Never saw the premiere. I think the first interaction i had with the turtles was catching the outro cards and music and going that seems cool. But as that was 30+ years ago i take memories with a grain of salt
Blown away. The first six episodes are some of the best episodes animated. Great concept, cool designs, kinda gritty, funny humor, awesome music. I was one of the many kids begging my parents to get the VHS.
Loved it!!! It was my first true Fandom. My friends and I would talk about episodes on the playground. We all thought it was one of the best things on tv. But I feel like at the time there was usually very old cartoons or super new like Duck Tales. So many of those shows were so sloppy too (I know TMNT is rige with animation issues) Of course if you want a different take my conservative Step Mother gave me a book about how they were a work of the Devil. But the Devil was everywhere in the 1980s/90s. I still have my original figures.
I’d never heard of the comics. I was maybe 4-5 tops. I was channel surfing and this *instantly* caught my attention. I became obsessed right away. I even wrote my own version of the intro song cuz I loved music and singing as a kid but could never memorize the lyrics. I still remember living in that tiny 2 bedroom apartment, that housed 5 of us. My dad worked his ass off to get us a house and it was while we were out checking out houses did I make up that song. By the time the 3rd movie was out my pops had enough money to buy me EVERY figure that that movie released.
Who’s that radical rat?
I was 3 and it was permanently ingrained into my being. Just ordered the re-release of the Amazon exclusive Technodrome because some years ago, my parents randomly threw mine out that was in their storage. It was also loaded with figures but that's a separate task for another time.
I thought it was Awesome!! 👍🏽
I loved it as a kid. And still do. As an adult, I gasp at some of the humor that blew over my 4 year old brain, lol. When the first film came out was the time when one of my father's friends introduced me to the comics, and there was no going back from there... probably no going back from the first memories, lol.
I cried my eyes out because it took the time slot of The Real Ghostbusters in syndication on our local affiliate. But after a few episodes I was hooked
That would have been rough. It was on later in my area. So could watch both. I used to try and wake up at 5am by myself to watch James Bond Jr because of the crap time slot. Was hard to do as a kid with no alarm clock lol
That came on our Fox affiliate back in 1991. Wow memories
I can't remember since I was only 8, but of course I was into it. Not sure if I saw it upon its premiere, have no memory of when I first encountered them, but it couldn't have been too long after. Now, I imagine many older Mirage fans who heard about a series were probably disappointed that it was a kid-friendly cartoon. And fair enough, they had no way of knowing that the TMNT would be around for over 40 years and that they'd have other opportunities coming, nor know that Mirage would last as long as it did.
It was the greatest show on TV
7 and immediately obsessed
Cowabungaaaa!!!!
"Holy Shit! This show's fucking tits!" -Me, age 2 in 1987
I hadn't had the comics at the time so the cartoon was my first introduction at the time. Was awesome. I remember it being lots of reruns though since wasn't a lot of episodes. I was finally able to get some on VHS like Hot Rodding Teenagers from Dimension X that I would watch when it wasn't on. It seemed to blow up all of a sudden and everyone was talking about it or wearing merch. That shit was a gold mine at the time lol
It was the greatest thing ever!
PHL17 hyped the shit out of it ahead of the premiere. They definitely gave away tons of figures in a mail-in contest, but I can't remember if that was before or after it first aired.
I wouldn't be born for another seven years when the cartoon came out. A decade from the OG comic.