GEEKY TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLE FACTS

THE CONCEPT FOR THE TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES

(TMNT) AROSE FROM A HUMOROUS DRAWING SKETCHED

OUT BY EASTMAN DURING A CASUAL EVENING OF

BRAINSTORMING AND BAD TELEVISION WITH LAIRD.

IT'S KNOWN THAT THE TMNT WERE NAMED AFTER

RENAISSANCE ARTISTS. HOWEVER, DID YOU KNOW THAT

THE ORIGINAL NAMES HAD DIFFERENT SPELLING. RAPHAEL

WAS “RAFFAELO” AND DONATELLO WAS “DONATO”.

AT FIRST, THE CREATORS ALSO MISSPELLED THE NAME

OF MICHELANGELO – THEY ORIGINALLY CALLED HIM

“MICHAELANEGLO”.

IN THE ORIGINAL COMIC VERSION, THE TMNT WERE A BIT

DARKER THAN MOST PEOPLE REALIZE. ORIGINALLY, THEY

WERE TRAINED BY SPLINTER FOR ONE PURPOSE ONLY,

TO KILL THE SHREDDER.

TALKING ABOUT THE SHREDDER, ONE OF THE MOST

ICONIC VILLAINS OF ALL TIME, DID YOU KNOWN THAT

HIS ARMOUR DESIGN WAS INSPIRED BY A CHEESE GRATER?

ALLEGEDLY, WHEN DOING THE DISHES ONE NIGHT,

EASTMAN ACCIDENTALLY PUT HIS ARM THROUGH A

RECTANGULAR CHEESE GRATER, WHICH GAVE HIM THE

IDEA FOR THE SHREDDER.

INSPIRED BY THIS KITCHEN UTENSIL, EASTMAN EVEN

WANTED TO NAME THE CHARACTER “GRATER” OR

“GRATE MAN” BUT LAIRD SUGGESTED “SHREDDER”

INSTEAD (THANK GOODNESS).

THE MARTIAL ART DISCIPLINE THE TMNT PRACTICE IS

CALLED NINJUTSU. IT'S A STRATEGY AND TACTICS OF

UNCONVENTIONAL AND GUERRILLA WARFARE ORIGINATING

IN JAPAN ALMOST A THOUSAND YEARS AGO.

APART FROM THE US, TMNT WERE PARTICULARLY POPULAR

IN THE UK WHERE, IN THE RUN-UP TO CHRISTMAS, THE ARMY

& NAVY STORE IN LONDON DEVOTED ITS ENTIRE BASEMENT

TO EVERYTHING TURTLE-THEMED, INCLUDING GAMES, VIDEOS,

TOYS, COSTUMES AND OTHER ITEMS.

HOWEVER, WHEN THE TNMT ARRIVED TO THE UK FOR

THE FIRST TIME, THE NAME HAD TO BE CHANGED TO

"TEENAGE MUTANT HERO TURTLES" (OR TMHT), SINCE

LOCAL CENSORSHIP POLICIES DEEMED THE WORD

“NINJA” TO HAVE EXCESSIVELY VIOLENT CONNOTATIONS

FOR A CHILDREN'S PROGRAM.

THE POLICIES ALSO HAD OTHER EFFECTS, SUCH AS

EDITING OUT THE USE OF MICHELANGELO'S WEAPON

NUNCHAKU (WHICH WERE BANNED IN 18-RATED MOVIES

BACK THEN). INSTEAD, MICHELANGELO WAS GIVEN A

GRAPPLING HOOK CALLED THE "TURTLE LINE" THAT

SERVED AS HIS SIGNATURE WEAPON FOR THE REST

OF THE SHOW'S RUN.