Reinterpretation of TMNT
The dark and violent nature of the original Mirage Studios comic presented a problem in marketing the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles brand. While this style appealed to comic reading audiences for which it was originally intended, TMNT had to be refocused in order to appeal to a market that was more profitable: children. By targeting a child audience the Ninja Turtles brand would be able to branch out into television, movies, games, and toys. As it has progressed over more than two decades TMNT has continued to change to reflect what marketers think children want at the time.
A big push to make the 1987 animated television series "family friendly" completely changed what would be the TMNT franchise. Instead of the turtles being the rough, violent crime fighters of the comics, they were turned into pizza obsessed, surfer-dude, jokesters. Occasional curse words used by the turtles in the comic were replaced with catch phrases like "cowabunga!" and "turtle power!" The portrayal of violent scenes in the television show was also greatly reduced. The evil ninjas fought and killed by the turtles in the comic were replaced by robots, so they could be easily killed off without the show portraying violent the death of humans.
Since TMNT has tried to appeal to two decades of children, it has had to reinterpret itself. Each interpretation has attempted to stay relevant with the current pop culture and style of presentation. We can see this especially in television and film. 1980's TMNT presented the turtles as overly teenage "dude" type characters using popular slang like "cowabunga". The character were goofy and fun. The 1990's shifted to the turtles being more "cool". Vanilla Ice was brought in give the second TMNT film a hip and cool feeling. Now in the 2000's TMNT has taken on the darker feeling that has become the style of action-based cartoon series. The turtles are more adult in appearance and seem more serious. They have lost much of the goofiness of the 1980's interpretation.
TMNT's flexibility and willingness to be reinterpreted through time for different audiences has probably been the source of it longevity. TMNT producers have recognized that the audience of children now is different from that of 20 years ago and they cannot be approached in the same way. By keeping the Ninja Turtles relatable to new generations, the turtles have stayed relevant. With a new TV show starting this fall, a new movie in the works, and no end to the merchandise being produced, TMNT is going to be around for awhile.
A big push to make the 1987 animated television series "family friendly" completely changed what would be the TMNT franchise. Instead of the turtles being the rough, violent crime fighters of the comics, they were turned into pizza obsessed, surfer-dude, jokesters. Occasional curse words used by the turtles in the comic were replaced with catch phrases like "cowabunga!" and "turtle power!" The portrayal of violent scenes in the television show was also greatly reduced. The evil ninjas fought and killed by the turtles in the comic were replaced by robots, so they could be easily killed off without the show portraying violent the death of humans.
Since TMNT has tried to appeal to two decades of children, it has had to reinterpret itself. Each interpretation has attempted to stay relevant with the current pop culture and style of presentation. We can see this especially in television and film. 1980's TMNT presented the turtles as overly teenage "dude" type characters using popular slang like "cowabunga". The character were goofy and fun. The 1990's shifted to the turtles being more "cool". Vanilla Ice was brought in give the second TMNT film a hip and cool feeling. Now in the 2000's TMNT has taken on the darker feeling that has become the style of action-based cartoon series. The turtles are more adult in appearance and seem more serious. They have lost much of the goofiness of the 1980's interpretation.
TMNT's flexibility and willingness to be reinterpreted through time for different audiences has probably been the source of it longevity. TMNT producers have recognized that the audience of children now is different from that of 20 years ago and they cannot be approached in the same way. By keeping the Ninja Turtles relatable to new generations, the turtles have stayed relevant. With a new TV show starting this fall, a new movie in the works, and no end to the merchandise being produced, TMNT is going to be around for awhile.