Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987 TV series)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
File:TMNT1987Series.png
Genre	Science fiction comedy Superhero
Based on	Characters created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird
Chief directors	Yoshikatsu Kasai (seasons 1–2) Bill Wolf (season 3) Fred Wolf (seasons 4–7) Tony Love (seasons 8–10)
Written by	Jack Mendelsohn (seasons 1-7) David Wise (seasons 4-5, 8-9) Jeffrey Scott (season 10)
Creative director(s)	Peter Chung (seasons 1–3) Gary Selvaggio (seasons 4–5) Frank Rocco (seasons 6–7) George Goodchild (seasons 8–9) Kyle Menke (season 10)
Voices of	Cam Clarke Barry Gordon Rob Paulsen Townsend Coleman Peter Renaday Renae Jacobs James Avery Pat Fraley Jennifer Darling Tony Jay
Theme music composer	Chuck Lorre Dennis C. Brown
Country of origin	United States
No. of seasons	10
No. of episodes	193 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Mark Freedman Sung Chul Ha (seasons 4–5)
Producer(s)	Walt Kubiak Fred Wolf Osamu Yoshioka (seasons 1–3) Rudy Zamora (seasons 1–2) Andy Luckey (seasons 3–7) Bill Wolf (season 8) Kara Vallow (seasons 8–10)
Running time	22 minutes
Production company(s)	Fred Wolf Films
Release
Original network	Syndication (1987–91) CBS (1990–96)
Original release	December 14, 1987 (1987-12-14) – November 2, 1996 (1996-11-02)
External links
[{{#property:P856}} Website]

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (initially known as Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles in the UK) is an American animated television series produced by Fred Wolf Films, and based on the comic book characters created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. Set in New York City, the series follows the adventures of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and their allies as they battle the Shredder, Krang, and numerous other villains and criminals. The property was changed considerably from the darker-toned comics, to make it more suitable for children and the family.

The pilot was shown during the week of December 14, 1987 in syndication as a five-part miniseries, and the show began its full-time run on October 1, 1988 and ended on November 2, 1996. The show was the first television appearance of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and helped launch the characters into mainstream popularity, becoming one of the most popular animated series in television history. Action figures, breakfast cereals, plush toys, and other merchandise featuring the characters appeared on the market during the late-1980s and early-1990s, and became top-sellers worldwide. By 1990, the series was being shown daily on more than 125 television stations.

Characters from the show have been included in crossovers with later entries of the franchise, including the 2009 film Turtles Forever and recurring roles in the 2012 TV series.

Series overview

Main article: List of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987 TV series) episodes

The following is an episode list for the animated television series Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles which premiered in 1987. In total, 193 episodes aired between 1987 and 1996. The first three seasons were aired in syndication. CBS aired the rest of the series on Saturday mornings.

As of August 14, 2012, all ten seasons are available on DVD in North America from Lionsgate Home Entertainment.

Series overview

Season		Episodes	Originally aired
			First aired	Last aired
	1	5	December 28, 1987	January 1, 1988
	2	13	October 1, 1988	December 26, 1988
	3	47	September 25, 1989	July 24, 1990
	4	39	September 8, 1990	December 8, 1990
	5	22	March 28, 1991	November 16, 1991
	6	16	September 19, 1992	November 7, 1992
	Sideseason	13	September 18, 1993	October 30, 1993
	7	14	October 30, 1993	December 18, 1993
	8	8	September 17, 1994	November 5, 1994
	9	8	September 16, 1995	November 4, 1995
	10	8	September 14, 1996	November 2, 1996

Episodes

Season 1 (1987–88)

Main article: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987 TV series) (season 1)

• All five first-season episodes were written by David Wise and Patti Howeth

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Animation directed by	Original air date	TV broadcast
1	1	"Turtle Tracks"	Fred Wolf & Vincent Davis	December 14, 1987 (1987-12-14)	S01E01
New York City is experiencing a crime wave. Reporter April O'Neil discovers the thieves are ninja. As a street gang attacks April, she escapes into the sewers, where four big talking turtles defeat the thugs, and take April to their lair. There April meets their mentor, a rat Splinter, who tells her his backstory as the Japanese ninja Hamato Yoshi. As the Turtles and April investigate the streets for the thieves' origins, they discover a group of robot ninjas whose uniform Splinter recognizes as belonging to the Foot Clan. Before April can expose them, she's kidnapped by the Shredder. The Turtles race to free her. First Appearances of Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, Michaelangelo, April O'Neil, Irma (Blu-ray), Master Splinter, Shredder, Bebop and Rocksteady, Burne Thompson and Vernon Fenwick.
2	2	"Enter The Shredder"	Fred Wolf & Vincent Davis	December 15, 1987 (1987-12-15)	S01E02
Foot Clan leader Oroku Saki, the Shredder decides, along with his partner Krang from Dimension X to turn two thugs into mutant henchmen using the mutagen that created Splinter and the TMNT. Thus two members of the street gang, Bebop and Rocksteady are respectively mutated into a warthog and a rhino. The Foot Soldiers kidnap Splinter, and the Turtles go rescue him at the Technodrome. Notes: First Appearances of Krang and the Technodrome. The image used during the end credits for seasons one through three is taken from this episode; specifically at 03m 19.8s, when April sees the Technodrome drilling through the ground.
3	3	"A Thing About Rats"	Fred Wolf & Vincent Davis	December 16, 1987 (1987-12-16)	S01E03
The Shredder hires the scientist Baxter Stockman, because his invention, rat-seeking robots named Mousers, can help him find Splinter. After an initial Mouser attack, the Turtles and Splinter hide in April's apartment. First Appearance of Baxter Stockman.
4	4	"Hot Rodding Teenagers from Dimension X"	Fred Wolf & Vincent Davis	December 17, 1987 (1987-12-17)	S01E04
Shredder opens the portal to Dimension X for the first time. Three teenage kids known as Neutrinos and two of Krang's stone warriors emerge. The turtles befriend the teens, but before long the two stone warriors set up a special weather making device that causes trouble. First Appearances of The Neutrinos (Kala, Dask, and Zak), General Traag and the Turtle Van.
5	5	"Shredder & Splintered"	Bill Wolf	December 18, 1987 (1987-12-18)	S01E05
Shredder transmits a message to the turtles showing off a retromutagen gun that could turn Splinter back into a human. When Splinter goes after the gun Shredder then has completed Krang's new body and puts him in it. Then after the Turtles come to help Splinter they have to deal with Krang and his new body. Then after the turtles defeat Krang and Splinter destroys that retromutagen gun to save the turtles Shredder and Krang try to open the portal again. Donatello reverses the polarity causing the entire Technodrome to be pulled into Dimension X. Notes: First Appearances of Krang's android body and the Turtle Blimp. Final episode where Vernon Fenwick is voiced by Pat Fraley.

Season 2 (1988)

Main article: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987 TV series) (season 2)

• All thirteen second-season episodes were directed by Fred Wolf.

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Written by	Original air date	TV broadcast
6	1	"Return of the Shredder"	Story by: David Wise and Patti Howeth Teleplay by: Christy Marx	October 1, 1988 (1988-10-01) January 3rd, 1990 (BBC One)	S02E01
Shredder returns from Dimension X. However, Krang says until Shredder proves himself trustworthy cause he failed to defeat the turtles and Splinter with Krang's technology, he will be denied the aid of his Foot Soldiers or Rocksteady and Bebop, who are still stuck in Dimension X. Shredder goes to a corrupt, sleazy karate school and teaches the students how to commit crimes while dressed as the Turtles in an attempt to discredit the real Turtles. Shredder also frees Baxter Stockman from custody and tasks him with kidnapping Splinter. Notes: First Appearances of Irma and Tiffany. Vernon is now voiced by Peter Renaday.
7	2	"The Incredible Shrinking Turtles"	Larry Parr	October 8, 1988 (1988-10-08) January 10th, 1990 (BBC One)	S02E02
The turtles seek out the fragments of the eye of Sarnoth, a crystal with unimaginable power. After finding the first fragment, Shredder steals it and uses it to shrink the turtles. Shredder also tries to convince Krang but Krang insists Shredder that he will only believe it if he brings the turtles on a plate for Krang. Now Splinter and April O'Neil must intervene. April is able to enlarge the Turtles, but our heroes lose in the end as Shredder escapes with the first fragment.
8	3	"It Came from Beneath the Sewers"	Larry Parr	October 15, 1988 (1988-10-15) January 17th, 1990 (BBC One)	S02E03
After discovering that a mutant plant has had its growth accelerated by the first fragment of the Eye of Sarnoth, Shredder unleashes it on the city to attack the Turtles. Meanwhile, April is lured into a trap by Shredder, and is immediately captured. However, the Turtles disguise themselves as pizza delivery boys and free her, though Shredder escapes, again, with the fragment, while the Turtles must destroy the mutant plant that is wreaking havoc on the city.
9	4	"The Mean Machines"	Michael Reaves	October 22, 1988 (1988-10-22) January 24th, 1990 (BBC One)	S02E04
Upon finding the second fragment of the Eye of Sarnoth, Shredder uses it as a power source for a supercomputer named Omnis, in the hopes of opening a portal to Dimension X. Meanwhile, the Turtles must deal with machines that suddenly go haywire all over the city.
10	5	"Curse of the Evil Eye"	Martin Pasko	October 29, 1988 (1988-10-29) January 31st, 1990 (BBC One)	S02E05
Shredder completes the eye of Sarnoth, attaches it to his helmet, and plans to unleash its power on the world. However, when the Turtles intervene, the helmet falls into other hands.
11	6	"The Case of the Killer Pizzas"	Douglas Booth	November 5, 1988 (1988-11-05) February 7th, 1990 (BBC One)	S02E06
Krang sends the eggs of Xenomorph-like creatures, which look like meatballs, in order to assassinate the Turtles. Baxter Stockman then rigs a contest so that he and Shredder can deliver the deadly pizzas to the Turtles. However, due to heavy customer demands the Turtles end up getting ordinary pizzas, and the booby-trapped pizzas are out somewhere in New York! Shredder and Baxter may have ended up becoming victims of their own plots when the pizza monsters do not discriminate between ally and enemy.
12	7	"Enter: The Fly"	Michael Reaves and Brynne Stephens	November 12, 1988 (1988-11-12) February 14th, 1990 (BBC One)	S02E07
Tired of Baxter Stockman's constant failures, Shredder sends him to Dimension X in exchange for bringing Bebop and Rocksteady back to Earth as his henchmen. When Krang, unable to find any more use for Baxter, tries to disintegrate him, a malfunction causes Baxter to instead cross-mutate into a fly. This episode was created as a tribute to the classic 1958 science-fiction horror film The Fly. Its 1986 remake film of the same name premiered one year before the series began.
13	8	"Invasion of the Punk Frogs"	Michael Reaves	November 19, 1988 (1988-11-19) February 21st, 1990 (BBC One)	S02E08
Shredder is running low on mutagen, so Krang sends a canister that ends up in the Everglades due to transdimensional problems. Shredder sees the mutagen canister broke, but did create four mutant frogs whom he befriends and gets to commit robberies, as well as to hate the Turtles. Donatello realizes Shredder is ordering robberies of chemicals in order to mass produce mutagen. The Turtles must not only face the misguided Frogs, but their job is complicated due to the NYPD now having an anti-Turtle task force. First Appearances of the Punk Frogs (Attila the Frog, Genghis Frog, Rasputin the Mad Frog, and Napoleon Bonafrog).
14	9	"Splinter No More"	Michael Reaves and Brynne Stephens	November 26, 1988 (1988-11-26) February 28th, 1990 (BBC One)	S02E09
Donatello devises a cure to make Master Splinter human again. Meanwhile, Shredder plans to open a gate to Dimension X.
15	10	"New York's Shiniest"	Richard Merwin	December 3, 1988 (1988-12-03) March 7th, 1990 (BBC One)	S02E10
A robot cop, Rex-1, helps April and the Turtles defeat an evil army of robot cops under the control of Shredder. First Appearance of Rex-1.
16	11	"Teenagers from Dimension X"	Michael Reaves	December 10, 1988 (1988-12-10) March 14th, 1990 (BBC One)	S02E11
The Neutrinos return to Earth after hearing in on the plan of Krang and Shredder to get rid of the turtles via brain-drain. Shredder finds interest in their Starmobile's ability to open dimension portals and tries to get his hands on it, and meanwhile the turtles try to get the Starmobile's main energy source running again.
17	12	"The Catwoman from Channel Six"	Richard Merwin	December 17, 1988 (1988-12-17) March 21st, 1990 (BBC One)	S02E12
A freak accident from a transporter turns April into a cat-woman. Irma meets TMNT in order to rescue her.
18	13	"Return of the Technodrome"	Michael Reaves	December 24, 1988 (1988-12-24) March 28th, 1990 (BBC One)	S02E13
While Splinter goes out on a retreat, the turtles must try to stop the Technodrome from returning to Earth.

Season 3 (1989–90)

Main article: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987 TV series) (season 3)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	TV broadcast
19	1	"Beneath These Streets"	Bill Wolf	Michael Reaves	September 25, 1989 (1989-09-25)	S03E01
The Turtles learn the cost of slacking off when Splinter is badly hurt during a confrontation with Shredder.
20	2	"Turtles on Trial"	Bill Wolf	Michael Reaves	September 26, 1989 (1989-09-26)	S03E07
The intentions of the Turtles are put to the test when a controversial TV-figure portrays our heroes as menaces to society. The Turtles forego publicly clearing their name to defeat Krang and his new robotic weapon. First appearance of Krang's "bubble walker"
21	3	"Attack of the 50-Foot Irma"	Bill Wolf	Rowby Goren	September 27, 1989 (1989-09-27)	S03E08
Irma accidentally becomes gigantic and her naturally clumsy nature makes her a danger to the city. The Turtles and April O'Neil hide her and search for her cure. Title Reference: Attack of the 50 Foot Woman.
22	4	"The Maltese Hamster"	Bill Wolf	David Wise	September 28, 1989 (1989-09-28)	S03E09
Gangsters are swiping all the antiques in town. And when they swipe most of our heroes, it's up to Donatello and April to find out why. Could Shredder be behind this? Title Reference: The Maltese Falcon In this episode, Burne Thompson is voiced by Townsend Coleman instead of Pat Fraley.
23	5	"Sky Turtles"	Bill Wolf	Reed Shelly and Bruce Shelly	September 29, 1989 (1989-09-29)	S03E03
The Turtles go flying when the Shredder invents a gravity-altering device. Soon it extends to the surface and affects all of New York City.
24	6	"The Old Switcheroo"	Bill Wolf	Michael Reaves	October 2, 1989 (1989-10-02)	S03E06
The bodies of Shredder and Splinter are switched when a device is accidentally activated during a battle between the Turtles and their enemies. As Shredder plans the Turtles' demise and Splinter plans on how to get back to his body, everyone else is clueless
25	7	"Burne's Blues"	Bill Wolf	Story by: Bill Wolf Teleplay by: Gordon Bressack	October 3, 1989 (1989-10-03)	S03E17
In the middle of a summer heat wave, someone is destroying all the air conditioners and taking all the city's freon. In the meantime, Vernon and Burne go looking for the Turtles, but find something else. First appearance of Don Turtelli
26	8	"The Fifth Turtle"	Bill Wolf	Francis Moss	October 4, 1989 (1989-10-04)	S03E10
A 13-year-old boy tries his best to help out the Turtles, but with some not so optimal results. In the end, he proves himself to be a great asset to the Turtle team. First appearance of Zach and his brother Walt.
27	9	"Enter the Rat King"	Bill Wolf	Buzz Dixon	October 5, 1989 (1989-10-05)	S03E15
A mysterious, sewer-dwelling man has an unnatural ability to put rats under his control. Can Splinter resist, or will he destroy the Turtles at the bidding of the Rat King? Notes: This is the very first episode not to feature Shredder. First appearance of the Rat King. In this episode, Burne Thompson is voiced by Townsend Coleman instead of Pat Fraley.
28	10	"Turtles at the Earth's Core"	Bill Wolf	Michael Reaves	October 6, 1989 (1989-10-06)	S03E16
After witnessing a living dinosaur wander in the city and disappear abruptly, the Turtles follow its tracks into a large hole, where they discover a shocking revelation: A cave where dinosaurs still roam. Meanwhile, Shredder and his mutant goons, Bebop and Rocksteady, are also there, but to collect a crystal needed by Krang to recharge the power cells of the Technodrome. The Turtles discover that the crystal is the source for all lifeforms inside the cave, and must get it back before they are all destroyed. Title Reference: Tarzan at the Earth's Core
29	11	"April Fool" A.K.A. "April Foolish"	Reg Lodge	Michael Reaves and Brynne Stephens	October 9, 1989 (1989-10-09)	S03E02
Emperor Aleister of Malicuria comes to the United States with a sample of Lydium 90, which gets noticed by Krang as a way to power up the Technodrome, which has constant brownouts. To celebrate relations between Malicuria and the US, the Emperor hosts a masquerade ball in New York, but his bored daughter and April's exact double, Princess Mallory sneaks out for a night on the town. April crashes the party dressed as a princess, and gets mistaken for Mallory, but the masquerade is also crashed by Shredder, Bebop and Rocksteady, who plans to kidnap Mallory in order to get the Lydium 90 shard. This episode is inspired by Mark Twain's the Prince and the Pauper.
30	12	"Attack of Big MACC"	Bill Wolf	Francis Moss	October 10, 1989 (1989-10-10)	S03E23
A robot warrior, known as the Mobile Armored Computerized Combatant (M.A.C.C.), arrives from 400 years in the future in 20th-Century New York. He befriends the Turtles, but Shredder and Krang are looking to bring him to their side, at any means necessary. Ace Duck is briefly seen on the Turtles' television, making his only appearance in the series.
31	13	"The Ninja Sword of Nowhere"	Bill Wolf	Michael Edens and Mark Edens	October 11, 1989 (1989-10-11)	S03E12
Shredder gains possession of an ancient ninja sword that is crafted from an alien metal, allowing it to 'cut' through dimensions. In this episode, Raphael is voiced by Thom Pinto instead of Rob Paulsen.
32	14	"20,000 Leaks Under the City"	Bill Wolf	Bob Schooley and Mark McCorkle	October 12, 1989 (1989-10-12)	S03E18
Krang and Shredder's plan to flush out the Turtles from the sewers leaves the city flooded with water (and creatures!) from the Atlantic Ocean. Title Reference: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Notes: Final Appearance of Tiffany. In this episode, both Donatello and Bebop are voiced by Greg Berg instead of Barry Gordon.
33	15	"Take Me to Your Leader"	Bill Wolf	David Wise	October 13, 1989 (1989-10-13)	S03E14
Worried that Shredder will soon win, Leonardo takes some time off, doubting his leadership. Meanwhile, Krang and Shredder drain solar energy from the Sun for the dual purpose of powering the Technodrome and capitulating Earth into another Ice Age. Without Leonardo, the three other Turtles try to thwart Shredder while taking turns as leader, but each realizes they need to overcome their own flaws, such as Raphael sticking to a decision, Michaelangelo becoming more serious and Donatello needing to analyze even the most obvious facts. Title reference: Take Me to Your Leader
34	16	"Four Musketurtles"	Bill Wolf	Doug Molitor	October 16, 1989 (1989-10-16)	S03E32
A bump on the head leaves Leonardo thinking that he is in 17th century France, and that he and his comrades are Musketeers. Title Reference: The Three Musketeers Notes: In this episode, both Donatello and Bebop are voiced by Greg Berg instead of Barry Gordon. This episode was part of the TV Teddy video range where the titular teddy bear interacted with scenes and the presenter of the video.
35	17	"Turtles, Turtles, Everywhere"	Bill Wolf	David Bennett Carren and J. Larry Carroll	October 17, 1989 (1989-10-17)	S03E29
Shredder programs the city's new garbage collecting super-computer to collect the Turtles. But when Shredder doesn't specify 'Ninja' Turtles, the super-computer collects them all! Turtles of the city of every shape and size are not safe.
36	18	"Cowabunga Shredhead"	Bill Wolf	Duane Capizzi and Steve Roberts	October 18, 1989 (1989-10-18)	S03E04
Shredder thinks he's Michaelangelo after a computer malfunction. In this episode, Krang is voiced by Townsend Coleman instead of Pat Fraley.
37	19	"Invasion of the Turtle Snatchers"	Bill Wolf	Francis Moss	October 19, 1989 (1989-10-19)	S03E05
Aliens abduct Donatello and Rocksteady. Title Reference: Invasion of the Body Snatchers
38	20	"Camera Bugged"	Bill Wolf	Michael Edens and Mark Edens	October 20, 1989 (1989-10-20)	S03E11
A visit to Earth from a Polarisoid results in havoc when Shredder (and later, April O'Neil) comes into possession of the alien's camera, because it does more than just take pictures. First appearance of Frip the Polarisoid.
39	21	"Green with Jealousy"	Bill Wolf	Reed Shelly and Bruce Shelly	October 23, 1989 (1989-10-23)	S03E13
Shredder and Krang engineer a love potion that makes Leonardo, Michaelangelo, and Raphael all fall in love with Irma. Donatello races for an antidote before Shredder drains a naval nuclear submarine of all its power, and things get crazy when Rocksteady takes a dose of the potion and falls in love with April. In this episode, both Krang and Burne Thompson are voiced by Townsend Coleman instead of Pat Fraley.
40	22	"Return of the Fly"	Bill Wolf	Michael Reaves	October 24, 1989 (1989-10-24)	S03E30
Baxter Stockman returns for revenge against the Turtles and Shredder, while our heroes attempt to stop Shredder's plan to siphon water from an underground reservoir. Title reference: Return of the Fly In this episode, both Donatello and Bebop are voiced by Greg Berg instead of Barry Gordon.
41	23	"Casey Jones: Outlaw Hero"	Bill Wolf	David Wise	October 25, 1989 (1989-10-25)	S03E27
An eager vigilante is causing a stir in the city, while Krang and Shredder take control of all the machines in the city. Maybe this new 'hero' can help the Turtles. Notes: First appearance of Casey Jones. First episode not to feature Master Splinter.
42	24	"Mutagen Monster"	Bill Wolf	Michael Edens and Mark Edens	October 26, 1989 (1989-10-26)	S03E26
A train accident produces gallons of mutagen that drench nearby cattle. The result is a super bull with a temper! In this episode, both Donatello and Bebop are voiced by Greg Berg instead of Barry Gordon.
43	25	"Corporate Raiders from Dimension X"	Bill Wolf	David Wise	October 27, 1989 (1989-10-27)	S03E35
White-collar criminals give new meaning to the term 'hostile take-over.' Casey Jones helps the Turtles uncover who's behind a new wave of corporate crime.
44	26	"Pizza by the Shred"	Reg Lodge	Michael Edens and Mark Edens	October 30, 1989 (1989-10-30)	S03E39
Michaelangelo gets a job as a pizza delivery boy. But who's his new boss?
45	27	"Super Bebop & Mighty Rocksteady"	Bill Wolf	David Carren and Larry Carroll	October 31, 1989 (1989-10-31)	S03E21
Having had it with Bebop and Rocksteady's incompetence, Shredder and Krang use their technology to create robot duplicates of them, who are stronger and more intelligent, to keep the Turtles busy while they install a damaged mind-controlling Mesmerizer at the top of the broadcast tower at the Channel 6 building.
46	28	"Beware the Lotus"	Bill Wolf	Doug Molitor	November 1, 1989 (1989-11-01)	S03E19
A skilled, and lovely, ninja warrior is hired by Krang to defeat the Turtles. Shredder's replaced, Leonardo's met his match. First appearance of Lotus.
47	29	"Blast from the Past"	Reg Lodge	David Wise	November 2, 1989 (1989-11-02)	S03E22
Splinter suffers amnesia as the Turtles try to remind him that he is the true leader of the Foot Clan by reminiscing on their earliest adventures. Notes: This episode is mainly a clip-show. Final episode where Krang is voiced by Townsend Coleman instead of Pat Fraley.
48	30	"Leatherhead: Terror of the Swamp"	Bill Wolf	Michael Reaves	November 3, 1989 (1989-11-03)	S03E20
Our old friends, the Punk Frogs, are being terrorized by a mutant alligator in the Florida Everglades. Leatherhead teams up with Shredder to battle the Frogs and the Turtles. Notes: First appearance of Leatherhead. In this episode, both Donatello and Bebop are voiced by Greg Berg instead of Barry Gordon. In this episode, Shredder is voiced by Dorian Harewood instead of James Avery.
49	31	"Michaelangelo's Birthday"	Reg Lodge	Story by: Bill Wolf Teleplay by: Eliot Daro	November 6, 1989 (1989-11-06)	S03E28
It's Michaelangelo's birthday, but none of his older brothers seem to remember, and it frustrates him greatly. Meanwhile, Shredder and Krang discover what is possibly an "anti-mutagen" that, after testing it on three rock soldiers, can undo mutations. Shredder, Bebop and Rocksteady are sent to use it on the Turtles, and our heroes have a few close calls.
50	32	"Usagi Yojimbo"	Bill Wolf	David Wise	November 7, 1989 (1989-11-07)	S03E33
A rabbit ronin warrior from an alternate dimension is lost in our world. While the Turtles help him adjust, Shredder steals a dragon egg to unleash it on the city. Usagi Yojimbo's unwavering sense of bushido helps save the day. First appearance of Usagi Yojimbo.
51	33	"Case of the Hot Kimono"	Bill Wolf	David Bennett Carren, J. Larry Carroll	November 8, 1989 (1989-11-08)	S03E38
Someone is stealing all the kimonos in the city. After Master Splinter's favorite kimono is stolen, April's famous detective aunt helps the Turtles retrieve it. First appearance of Agatha Marbles. Second Episode without Shredder and Krang as the main villains.
52	34	"Usagi Come Home"	Bill Wolf	David Wise	November 9, 1989 (1989-11-09)	S03E36
Shredder tricks Usagi Yojimbo into battling the Turtles. Title Reference: Lassie Come Home. Final Appearance of Usagi Yojimbo.
53	35	"The Making of Metalhead"	Bill Wolf	Michael Reaves	November 10, 1989 (1989-11-10)	S03E31
Even a case of Turtle Pox cannot stop our heroes from an attempt to take down Shredder and Krang after they unleash Metalhead, a robotic fighting machine programmed to seek and capture the Turtles. Notes: In this episode, Shredder is voiced by Dorian Harewood instead of James Avery. First appearance of Metalhead.
54	36	"Leatherhead Meets the Rat King"	Bill Wolf	David Wise	November 13, 1989 (1989-11-13)	S03E37
Leatherhead arrives in New York seeking revenge for his defeat only to run into the Rat King who captures him and reveals his plans for world domination. The two villains end up arguing, then finally fighting each other instead of the Turtles. Third episode without Shredder and Krang as the main villains.
55	37	"The Turtle Terminator"	Reg Lodge	David Bennett Carren and J. Larry Carroll	November 14, 1989 (1989-11-14)	S03E24
Irma is kidnapped by Bebop and Rocksteady and is replaced by a robot that looks just like her that is programmed to eliminate the turtles. However, things seem a bit wrong as whenever the word "turtle" is said it instantly "zaps" whatever causes the word to be said with a laser. Meanwhile, the turtles try to rescue Irma from the Shredder's clutches. Notes: Final episode where Raphael is voiced by Thom Pinto instead of Rob Paulsen. In this episode both Donatello and Bebop are voiced by Greg Berg instead of Barry Gordon.
56	38	"The Great Boldini"	Bill Wolf	Francis Moss	November 15, 1989 (1989-11-15)	S03E43
The Turtles must clear their names when they are believed to be jewel thieves who stole a priceless emerald during a magic act run by a stage illusionist named Boldini. Final Appearance of Don Turtelli.
57	39	"The Missing Map"	Bill Wolf	David Wise	November 16, 1989 (1989-11-16)	S03E42
Zach's big brother, Walt, steals a rare pouch containing the only map to the Turtles' lair.
58	40	"The Gang's All Here"	Bill Wolf	James A. Davis	November 17, 1989 (1989-11-17)	S03E41
Bebop and Rocksteady put on an act to get the Turtles to eat cookies, but not any ordinary cookies, because these cookies could turn them into humans! Tempted to find out what being a human is like, Michaelangelo eats one and becomes one. While the effects wears off from time to time, they still kick back in. Meanwhile, the Turtles search for Michaelangelo with an antidote for the anti-mutagen before it destroys him, while Shredder's two mutant goons ask for help from their old gang to rob a ship. And during it all, April attempts to "join" the gang to get a story for Burne. Title Reference: Hail, Hail, the Gang's All Here
59	41	"The Grybyx"	Reg Lodge	Michael Reaves	November 20, 1989 (1989-11-20)	S03E25
Kala's pet Grybyx, which has a really bad temper whenever it gets hungry, escapes from Dimension X through a portal to Earth, causing trouble for the Turtles.
60	42	"Mister Ogg Goes to Town"	Bill Wolf	David Wise	December 15, 1989 (1989-12-15)	S03E44
An impish alien comedian from Dimension Z (who has mannerisms similar to Pee Wee Herman), escapes to Earth to cause big trouble for the TMNT.
61	43	"Shredderville"	Bill Wolf	Francis Moss	November 22, 1989 (1989-11-22)	S03E34
The Turtles enter an alternate universe in which they dreamed that they never existed, where Shredder rules the city as Shredderville. Notes: In this episode, Shredder is voiced by Dorian Harewood instead of James Avery. Loosely based on the movie It's a Wonderful Life
62	44	"Bye, Bye, Fly"	Bill Wolf	David Wise	November 23, 1989 (1989-11-23)	S03E40
An interdimensional alien spacecraft leads Baxter Stockman to his latest vengeful plot to destroy the Turtles and Shredder. Notes: First appearance of spaceship computer. Final episode where Shredder is voiced by Dorian Harewood instead of James Avery.
63	45	"The Big Rip Off"	Bill Wolf	Michael Reaves	November 24, 1989 (1989-11-24)	S03E45
After several failed attempts to get the Technodrome re-energized, Shredder and Krang run one last-ditch distraction for the Turtles at Fort Charles while Bebop and Rocksteady steal energy fuel cells from the neighboring space research center.
64	46	"The Big Break In"	Bill Wolf	David Wise	November 27, 1989 (1989-11-27)	S03E46
The Technodrome is up and running again, and it is up to the Turtles to hinder Shredder and Krang from getting to the surface.
65	47	"The Big Blow Out"	Bill Wolf	David Wise	November 28, 1989 (1989-11-28)	S03E47
After several setbacks, including firing a missile towards the turtles out at the South Dakota countryside, missing and instead blowing up Mount Rushmore, Shredder and Krang steal all of New York's electricity and charge it into a giant transdimensional gateway, designed to send Earth into Dimension X. The Turtles must defeat their enemies once and for all before Earth is destroyed by Krang's Rock Soldier army. At the end, the turtles send the Technodrome to Dimension X and are celebrated as the heroes in town.

Season 4 (1990)

Main article: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987 TV series) (season 4)

• All forty-one fourth-season episodes were directed by Fred Wolf.

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Written by	Original air date	TV broadcast
66	1	"Son of Return of the Fly II"	David Wise	September 8, 1990 (1990-09-08) (CBS)	S04E16
Vengeful Baxter Stockman and an A.I. computer return to Earth from a dimensional limbo and capture the Turtles while luring Shredder into their trap as well.
67	2	"Raphael Knocks 'Em Dead"	Jack Mendelsohn	September 8, 1990 (1990-09-08) (CBS)	S04E17
Raphael must contend with a mobster named Pinky McFingers when he is kidnapped from a local comedy club. (This is the only episode appearance of Baxter Stockman's twin brother Barney Stockman.) Note: First appearance of Pinky McFingers.
68	3	"Plan Six from Outer Space"	David Wise	September 10, 1990 (1990-09-10) (Syndication)	S04E01
With the Technodrome in serious need for new equipment, Bebop and Rocksteady are sent to Earth, disguised in human form, to capture the Channel 6 building and take it to Dimension X. To keep the Turtles distracted, Rocksteady & Bebop also deploy a robot duplicate of Master Splinter, but it malfunctions and starts going gonzo. Title Reference: Plan 9 from Outer Space
69	4	"Turtles of the Jungle"	Misty Taggart	September 11, 1990 (1990-09-11) (Syndication)	S04E02
A professor's new ray-gun causes plants to go wild and his pet ape Jocko to become a giant rampaging monkey. By using the same ray-gun, Donatello is increased to Jocko's size so he can fight the giant ape and save April from him.
70	5	"Michaelangelo Toys Around"	Ted Pedersen and Francis Moss	September 12, 1990 (1990-09-12) (Syndication)	S04E03
While trying to see the new toys at the Toy Fair, Michaelangelo stumbles upon a plot to take over a noted toy company.
71	6	"Peking Turtle"	Antonio Ortiz and Carmela Ortiz	September 13, 1990 (1990-09-13) (Syndication)	S04E04
The Turtles must battle a reanimated Terracotta Army after The Shredder steals an energy device shaped like a giant pearl, which is held and guarded by a Jade Dragon.
72	7	"Shredder's Mom"	Ted Pedersen and Francis Moss	September 14, 1990 (1990-09-14) (Syndication)	S04E05
Krang frees Miyoko Saki, Shredder's mother from the retirement community. Shredder threatens the world's governments to surrender to Krang or he will gradually raise the world's heat, which causes New York to be in the middle of a massive heat wave. The Turtles get help from Colonel Yogurt, an air force officer to thwart Shredder, who is starting to get annoyed with his mother's success.
73	8	"Bebop and Rocksteady Conquer the Universe"	David Wise	September 15, 1990 (1990-09-15) (CBS)	S04E18
On their latest trip to Earth, Bebop and Rocksteady steal a machine that makes everyone scared of everything. Title Reference: Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe
74	9	"Raphael Meets His Match"	Charles M. Howell IV	September 15, 1990 (1990-09-15) (CBS)	S04E19
Raphael wins a place at the owner of a fast food chain's party. When the yacht is taken hostage by Hi-Tech pirates he and the mysterious lizard-woman Mona Lisa work together to stop them.
75	10	"Four Turtles and a Baby"	Misty Taggart	September 17, 1990 (1990-09-17) (Syndication)	S04E06
When General Tragg and his troops attack the Neutrino planet capital, the Neutrino leaders, King Zenter and Queen Gizzla, send their infant daughter Tribble through a portal to Earth, asking the Turtles to look after her, but Tribble causes big trouble for our heroes. Title Reference: Three Men and a Baby
76	11	"Turtlemaniac"	Rowby Goren	September 18, 1990 (1990-09-18) (Syndication)	S04E07
An eccentric billionaire, Monroe Q. Flem, who is also a collector, wishes to collect every piece of TMNT memorabilia that he can get his evil hands on, including April O'Neil and the Turtles themselves. Title Reference: Lisztomania
77	12	"Rondo in New York"	Francis Moss and Ted Pedersen	September 19, 1990 (1990-09-19) (Syndication)	S04E08
A big-time Hollywood action movie star arrives in New York to promote his newest movie. Unfortunately, reality hits hard for Michaelangelo as he discovers that his movie idol is not all he's cracked up to be. Meanwhile, Shredder and Krang steal a substance that can bring inanimate objects to life.
78	13	"Planet of the Turtles"	George Shea	September 20, 1990 (1990-09-20) (Syndication)	S04E09
The Turtles must save the Earth from a massive energy drain and its Apocalyptic result by traveling to another planet where turtles are the dominant species.
79	14	"Name That Toon"	Misty Taggart	September 21, 1990 (1990-09-21) (Syndication)	S04E10
A Technodrome computer disguised as an electronic keyboard ends up on Earth, and in the most unlikely of hands.
80	15	"Slash – The Evil Turtle from Dimension X"	David Wise	September 22, 1990 (1990-09-22) (CBS)	S04E20
Bebop and Rocksteady use Krang's new Mutagen on Bebop's pet turtle Slash so he can do their housework for them. Slash runs away and is conned by an irritated entrepreneur into framing the TMNT. Note: First Appearance of Slash and Donald J. Lofty.
81	16	"Leonardo Lightens Up"	Dan DiStefano	September 22, 1990 (1990-09-22) (CBS)	S04E21
Frustrated with his bossy nature, Raphael and Michaelangelo accidentally shoot Leonardo with the personality modifying ray, turning him into a fun loving 'dude' who neglects his responsibilities. Donatello, Raphael and Michaelangelo must stop Maestro G. Cleff from destroying the city.
82	17	"Menace Maestro, Please"	Martin Pasko	September 24, 1990 (1990-09-24) (Syndication)	S04E11
The Turtles meet Irma's boyfriend Howie, who has bought an old opera house with the intent of turning it into a nightclub. The Turtles must contend with the "Phantom of the Floxy", as does Shredder, who is planning to get the Technodrome back to Earth.
83	18	"Back to the Egg"	Dennis Marks	September 26, 1990 (1990-09-26) (Syndication)	S04E13
Krang hires a multi-dimensional ring-master who intends on making the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles part of his circus by using an anti-aging serum. Leonardo and Michaelangelo are turned into 5 Year olds. Title Reference: Back to the Egg
84	19	"Were-Rats from Channel 6"	David Wise	September 29, 1990 (1990-09-29) (CBS)	S04E22
After many failed attempts from his rodent subjects to find food, the Rat King learns of an abandoned canister of mutagen lost in the sewers and claims it for himself. Then, he kidnaps Irma and Vernon and uses the mutagen to transform them into his mutant slaves, for the sole purpose of raiding food warehouses. It is later discovered that the mutations are unstable and can only be active if the Rat King plays his hypnotic flute.
85	20	"Funny, They Shrunk Michaelangelo"	Michael Edens	September 29, 1990 (1990-09-29) (CBS)	S04E23
When Michaelangelo decides to put one of Donatello's inventions on max power for his own entertainment, he ends in a—quite literally—little problem. April and Vernon get caught in the shrinking ray while getting footage of a military ship and join Michaelangelo on his wild adventure. Title reference: Honey, I Shrunk the Kids
86	21	"The Big Zipp Attack"	David Wise	October 6, 1990 (1990-10-06) (CBS)	S04E24
An alien called a "Zipp" is sent to Earth, but this little alien soon becomes a big problem.
87	22	"Donatello Makes Time"	Dennis Marks	October 6, 1990 (1990-10-06) (CBS)	S04E25
Donatello invents a machine that can freeze time, which a deranged professor steals as part of a plan to conquer the world.
88	23	"Farewell, Lotus Blossom!"	David Wise	October 13, 1990 (1990-10-13) (CBS)	S04E26
Ninja Lotus Blossom's nightmares draw her to a strange artifact in the Turtles' possession. The artifact contains an angry spirit, whose dearest wife's spirit/soul is lying deep within Lotus herself.
89	24	"Rebel Without a Fin"	Michael Reaves	October 13, 1990 (1990-10-13) (CBS)	S04E27
Dr. Polidorius, a mad scientist plotting to mutate all humanity into aquatic-beings, creates Ray (not the similarly-named Mighty Mutanimals character), who possesses several abilities of different marine species. Ray kidnaps April O'Neil, and Polidorius mutates her into a fish-woman to be Ray's mate. Title reference: Rebel Without a Cause
90	25	"Rhino-Man"	David Wise	October 20, 1990 (1990-10-20) (CBS)	S04E28
Rich tycoon J. Gordon HungerDunger runs a contest for the best superhero, with a phony diamond as a prize, to cover up a scheme to hypnotize the world. Even the Foot Clan gets suckered into this contest, with Bebop and Rocksteady dressing up as superheroes so they can win the diamond, and use to power up a laser Krang has created.
91	26	"Michaelangelo Meets Bugman"	Dennis Marks	October 20, 1990 (1990-10-20) (CBS)	S04E29
Michaelangelo meets his favourite comic book hero after he saves a weakened Brick Bradley in the sewers, and then he and Bugman take on the evil Electrozapper together.
92	27	"Poor Little Rich Turtle"	David Wise	October 27, 1990 (1990-10-27) (CBS)	S04E30
The Turtles must baby-sit and protect a young rich girl named Buffy Shellhammer from Shredder and Krang, as she knows of a formula for a super fuel needed for the Technodrome. Title reference: The Poor Little Rich Girl
93	28	"What's Michaelangelo Good For?"	Ted Pedersen and Francis Moss	October 27, 1990 (1990-10-27) (CBS)	S04E31
Michaelangelo must rescue the other Turtles when they are captured by an evil scientist.
94	29	"The Dimension X Story"	David Wise	November 3, 1990 (1990-11-03) (CBS)	S04E32
Shredder has a plan to destroy the Turtles, but with the Technodrome's portal out of commission, he is unable to challenge them on Earth, so he uses the Dimensional Teleporter to bring his enemies to Dimension X. Note: This is the final episode in which Michaelangelo uses nunchaku as his main weapon rather than a grappling hook.
95	30	"Donatello's Degree"	Jack Mendelsohn	November 3, 1990 (1990-11-03) (CBS)	S04E33
Donatello earns his degree from Sopho University, but discovers that he has been mistaken for a girl, so he asks Irma to masquerade as him. Meanwhile, the real Donatello discovers a plot by Professor Philo Sopho to destroy the Earth. Note: First appearance of Professor Sopho.
96	31	"The Big Cufflink Caper!"	David Wise	September 14, 1990 (1990-09-14) (CBS primetime) November 10, 1990 (CBS)	S04E34
The Turtles switch sides and discover that the Shredder is the main man behind a ring of cufflink thefts that has suddenly hit New York City. Title reference: The Big Caper
97	32	"Leonardo Versus Tempestra"	Misty Taggart	November 10, 1990 (1990-11-10) (CBS)	S04E35
Leonardo becomes addicted to a new arcade game, Tempestra's Revenge, which ends up affecting his usual routine. But when a freak power surge releases Tempestra from the cabinet, Leonardo has to stop her digital wrath before she becomes dangerously powerful. Note: First appearance of Tempestra.
98	33	"Splinter Vanishes"	Francis Moss and Ted Pedersen	November 17, 1990 (1990-11-17) (CBS)	S04E36
Splinter has suddenly disappeared, and a note left behind from him forces the Turtles to go their separate ways, but one by one, they are captured by Leatherhead and the Rat King.
99	34	"Raphael Drives 'em Wild"	Misty Taggart	November 17, 1990 (1990-11-17) (CBS)	S04E37
A machine called the Transmogrifier causes Raphael and a cab driver to swap bodies, and it is later discovered that a defect in that same small device could do some very big damage to the city if activated.
100	35	"Super Hero for a Day"	Francis Moss and Ted Pedersen	November 24, 1990 (1990-11-24) (Syndication)	S04E12
Gadget Man comes out of retirement after 50 years, but is tricked by Shredder into fighting against the Turtles. Title Reference: King for a Day
101	36	"Beyond the Donatello Nebula"	Dennis O'Flaherty	November 24, 1990 (1990-11-24) (CBS)	S04E38
While trying to contact the Turtle Nebula, Donatello meets an intelligent lizard alien named Algernon ("Algae" for short), who must help him and the other Turtles rescue April from a greedy man named Hostile Hiram Grelch.
102	37	"Big Bug Blunder"	Michael Reeves	November 24, 1990 (1990-11-24) (CBS)	S04E39
A failed mutagen experiment results in an invasion of giant insects and arachnids in New York City.
103	38	"The Foot Soldiers Are Revolting"	Michael Reaves	December 1, 1990 (1990-12-01) (CBS)	S04E40
A Foot Soldier named Alpha-1 has his intelligence increased, but it results in a Foot Soldier rebellion against Shredder and Krang and the duos exile from the Technodrome.
104	39	"Unidentified Flying Leonardo"	Sean Roche	December 1, 1990 (1990-12-01) (CBS)	S04E41
While helping April investigate a report of giant monsters attacking a superstitious farming village, Leonardo is mistaken for an alien from another planet. The lone Turtle must avoid being hunted down into extinction while also trying to rescue April from a mad scientist.
105	40	"The Turtles and The Hare"	Misty Taggart	March 28, 1991 (1991-03-28) (Syndication)	S04E14
The Turtles travel to a FairyTale Dimension in an attempt to save the city from Shredder's Docilizer, while also making friends with a local citizen of that dimension, Hokum Hare (based on the Hare character from "The Tortoise and the Hare").
106	41	"Once Upon a Time Machine"	Michael Maurer	March 29, 1991 (1991-03-29) (Syndication)	S04E15
Set up as a follow-up episode, Hokum Hare and the Turtles hitch a ride on a time-traveling train to 2036, where they discover that Shredder has plans for the future New York City. Ultimately, the Turtles of both the past and the future must team up to thwart Shredder before his actions cause all of time to be destroyed. Title Reference: Once upon a time Note: Final episode to be aired in Syndication.

Season 5 (1991)

Main article: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987 TV series) (season 5)

• All twenty fifth-season episodes were directed by Fred Wolf.

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Written by	Original air date	TV broadcast
107	1	"My Brother, the Bad Guy"	Dennis O'Flaherty	September 14, 1991 (1991-09-14)	S05E01
A family secret is revealed when Lieutenant Kazou Saki of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police arrives from Japan to arrest his brother Oroku Saki, who turns out to be the Turtles' greatest enemy. Shredder and Krang manage to get the Technodrome out of Dimension X and back to Earth again, but Donatello re-programs it to crash in the Arctic.
108	2	"Michaelangelo Meets Mondo Gecko"	Gary Greenfield	September 14, 1991 (1991-09-14)	S05E02
Michaelangelo's strange dreams lead him to seek out Mondo Gecko, a lizard who was caught in the same ooze as the Turtles. Gecko eventually rebels against his boss, Mr. X, and his bombing campaign. Note: First Appearance of Mondo Gecko.
109	3	"Enter: Mutagen Man"	David Wise	September 21, 1991 (1991-09-21)	S05E03
A delivery man accidentally falls into Krangs new unstable Mutagen and becomes able to transform into anyone he chooses. Shredder tricks him into helping him launch the Mutagen into space and mutate the world, but this "Mutagen Man" has other ideas.
110	4	"Donatello's Badd Time"	Misty Taggart	September 21, 1991 (1991-09-21)	S05E04
Donatello has tricked out the Turtle Van, but while taking it for a test drive, it's stolen from him by a family of robbing hillbillies. Can Donatello get the Van back in time before his brothers find out?
111	5	"Michaelangelo Meets Bugman Again"	David Wise	September 28, 1991 (1991-09-28)	S05E05
When the city is hit with a sudden termite infestation, the only superhero who can help—Bugman—is too at peace with himself to aid the Turtles in defeating it.
112	6	"Muckman Messes Up"	Francis Moss and Ted Pedersen	September 28, 1991 (1991-09-28)	S05E06
An accident causes two garbagemen to mutate into Muckman and Joe Eyeball. Muckman's slime is found to weaken the Turtles, and Shredder tricks him into working with him.
113	7	"Napoleon Bonafrog: Colossus of the Swamps"	Dennis O'Flaherty	October 5, 1991 (1991-10-05)	S05E07
While testing an experimental Muta-Shooter invented by Krang, Shredder unexpectedly turns Napoleon Bonafrog into a muscular, monstrous version of himself.
114	8	"Raphael Versus The Volcano"	Carole Mendelsohn	October 5, 1991 (1991-10-05)	S05E08
A malfunction of Donatello's latest invention ultimately results in Raphael believing he is about to die, and ultimately trying to save the world by himself Title Reference: Joe Versus the Volcano
115	9	"Landlord of the Flies"	Gordon Bressack	October 12, 1991 (1991-10-12)	S05E09
Baxter Stockman leads a swarm of flies in an attempt to conquer New York and prove his worth to Shredder and Krang so he can become human again. Title Reference: Lord of the Flies
116	10	"Donatello's Duplicate"	Jack Mendelsohn & Carole Mendelsohn	October 12, 1991 (1991-10-12)	S05E10
Tired of fixing everything in the lair, Donatello decides to clone himself so he can work on his other inventions. However, Donatello's clone turns against him and joins the Rat King in an attempt to conquer the city with a rat infestation.
117	11	"The Ice Creature Cometh"	David Wise	October 19, 1991 (1991-10-19)	S05E11
Bebop and Rocksteady botch another mutagen experiment, resulting in a giant ice creature who Bebop dubs "Frosty", and Shredder uses this monster to freeze New York solid, preoccupying the Turtles long enough for him to steal thermal explosives needed to melt the Technodrome free from the ice. Title Reference: The Iceman Cometh
118	12	"Leonardo Cuts Loose"	David Wise	October 19, 1991 (1991-10-19)	S05E12
A nerd-turned-muscleman captures three of the Turtles, and a reluctant Leonardo must ask Casey Jones for help in rescuing them.
119	13	"Planet of the Turtleoids: Episode 1"	David Wise	August 31, 1991 (1991-08-31) (prime-time) October 26, 1991 (Saturday)	S05E19
After clashing with the mutant bull and mole duo Groundchuck and Dirtbag, the Turtles and their new enemies are taken to Shellri-La by an alien "Turtleoid" named Kerma, where our heroes must help defend his planet from a two-headed dragon named Herman the Horrible. Note:Used in the frame in 2 series (parts) of Planet of the Turtleoids, starting from season 5
120	14	"Planet of the Turtleoids: Episode 2"	David Wise	August 31, 1991 (1991-08-31) (prime-time) October 26, 1991 (Saturday)	S05E20
With Herman the Horrible defeated and exposed as two renegade Turtleoid delegates on Shell-Ri-La, the Turtles return to Earth, where they must destroy Shredder's new Technodrome Mark II and then defeat Chrome Dome.
121	15	"Pirate Radio"	Misty Taggart	November 2, 1991 (1991-11-02)	S05E13
Using a hypnotic microphone and speaker, Shredder takes over a radio station and broadcasts a signal that sends the population of New York City sailing into a dimensional limbo dubbed "Krang's Chasm".
122	16	"Raphael, Turtle of a Thousand Faces"	Dennis O'Flaherty	November 2, 1991 (1991-11-02)	S05E14
Raphael's latest study of disguises leads the Turtles to attempt a rescue when he is mistaken for a mobster named "Mad Dog McMutt".
123	17	"Leonardo, the Renaissance Turtle"	Dennis O'Flaherty	November 9, 1991 (1991-11-09)	S05E15
A mad professor named Mindbender creates a law-enforcement robot named "LEX" to clean up crime in New York, but LEX ultimately starts arresting numerous innocent people for the smallest infraction. With the other Turtles unreachable, Leonardo must discover his own innate skills to stop this rogue robot before he and Mindbender declare themselves dictators of the city.
124	18	"Zach and the Alien Invaders"	Francis Moss and Ted Pedersen	November 9, 1991 (1991-11-09)	S05E16
Zach, the Turtles' young friend, is put into military camp by his parents after making numerous false reports of aliens, only to find two real aliens, Wingnut and Screwloose, brainwashing the cadets to be their army and must call in the Turtles to defeat them. Title Reference: Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders
125	19	"Welcome Back Polarisoids"	Misty Taggart	November 16, 1991 (1991-11-16)	S05E17
Frip the Polarisoid arrives back on Earth with his family for a visit, and must ultimately ask the Turtles for help in reclaiming his camera while helping them stop Krang's latest plan to conquer the city.
126	20	"Michalangelo, the Sacred Turtle"	Dennis O'Flaherty	November 16, 1991 (1991-11-16)	S05E18
While on a visit to an Egyptian Exhibit, Michaelangelo is mistaken for a Pharaoh named "Amun Turt-El", also known as "The Sacred Turtle".

Season 6 (1992)

Main article: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987 TV series) (season 6)

• All sixteen sixth-season episodes were directed by Fred Wolf.

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Written by	Original air date	TV broadcast
127	1	"Rock Around the Block"	David Wise	September 12, 1992 (1992-09-12)	S06E01
As part of his latest plan, Krang brings General Traag to Earth from Dimension X as a distraction for the Turtles, while Krang tries to turn a laser at the ice and free the Technodrome from its prison at the North Pole. Meanwhile, Donatello learns a new fighting move, Wu Wei, where one ninja turns his opponent's attack against him without action.
128	2	"Krangenstein Lives!"	David Wise	September 19, 1992 (1992-09-19)	S06E02
When Bebop and Rocksteady accidentally wreck one of the computer chips in Krang's robot body and try to replace it with a chip from a portable game system, it comes to life and goes on a rampage. While chasing after it, Shredder has a big fall which makes him suffer amnesia. Meanwhile, Michaelangelo won't stop playing a video game, much to the other Turtles' annoyance.
129	3	"Super Irma"	David Wise	September 26, 1992 (1992-09-26)	S06E03
Irma gets super magnetic powers and starts to fight crime. She decides to stop Krang's plan. When her powers wear off, the Turtles foil Krang and rescue Irma. Set on Halloween.
130	4	"Adventures in Turtle-Sitting"	Jack Mendelsohn and Carole Mendelsohn	October 3, 1992 (1992-10-03)	S06E04
Michaelangelo accidentally turns Leonardo, Raphael and Donatello into 5-yr olds with Donatello's "Food Revivafier" (a machine that turns old and rotten food fresh again), while Splinter is out.
131	5	"Sword of Yurikawa"	Marc Handler	October 10, 1992 (1992-10-10)	S06E05
A mystery ninja steals a powerful sword that belonged to his old ninja master in order to test the Turtles' ninja spirits.
132	6	"Return of the Turtleoid"	David Wise	October 17, 1992 (1992-10-17)	S06E06
A friend of the Turtles, Kerma, is hunted down by a destroyer because of a glitch in its sensors. The destroyer was supposed to hunt down a space pirate named Nerma, but the glitch made it come out "Kerma".
133	7	"Shreeka's Revenge"	Jack Mendelsohn and Carole Mendelsohn	October 24, 1992 (1992-10-24)	S06E07
A vain, galactic outlaw named Shreeka is after her power ring that Krang took from her. The problem is that April O'Neil now has the ring.
134	8	"Too Hot to Handle"	Jack Mendelsohn and Carole Mendelsohn	October 31, 1992 (1992-10-31)	S06E08
A machine is causing the Earth to move closer to the sun. Vernon's incredibly smart nephew, Foster, helps the Turtles on their adventure.
135	9	"Nightmare in the Lair"	Dennis O'Flaherty	November 7, 1992 (1992-11-07)	S06E09
Donatello's newest invention, the "Dream-o-Vision" helmet, causes Michaelangelo and Leonardo to be stuck in a nightmare world, while the lair is being terrorized by a Freddy Krueger-like person.
136	10	"Phantom of the Sewers"	David Wise	November 14, 1992 (1992-11-14)	S06E10
The Turtles help a man with a disfigured face (that was actually dried paint) stop a bank robbery.
137	11	"Donatello Trashes Slash"	David Wise	November 21, 1992 (1992-11-21)	S06E11
When an alien ray makes him a super-genius, Slash returns to Earth, bent on turning the entire population of New York City into mutant turtles like him, with the intention of turning the whole world into mutant turtles so he can become the 'One Supreme Turtle', leaving Donatello to fend him off in a battle of smarts.
138	12	"Leonardo is Missing"	David Wise	November 28, 1992 (1992-11-28)	S06E12
Leonardo gets lost and Raphael, Donatello and Michaelangelo must find him while Splinter is training. Meanwhile, after hearing about Leonardo's disappearance, Shredder and Krang use the Holographic Cloaking Machine on Bebop to make him look like the missing turtle, and have him cause trouble to ruin the turtles' reputation.
139	13	"Snakes Alive!"	David Wise	December 5, 1992 (1992-12-05)	S06E13
The Turtles try to solve a missing snake mystery, but Leonardo is afraid of snakes. A scientist who had a snake venom lab accident and turned into a snake tries to turn the city into a swamp.
140	14	"Polly Wanna Pizza"	Jack Mendelsohn	December 12, 1992 (1992-12-12)	S06E14
Michaelangelo buys a parrot and names him Ditto, although the bird really belongs to a criminal who is after a rare key around Dido's neck because the Gulubi Ruby, the gem the thief stole, is in a vault that only the key can open.
141	15	"Mr. Nice Guy"	Steve Granat and Cydne Clark	December 19, 1992 (1992-12-19)	S06E15
Donatello's "Personality Alterator" turns Raphael too nice to fight. A mad scientist uses it to turn every policeman to nice so his robots can steal money and jewels.
142	16	"Sleuth on the Loose"	Matt Uitz	December 26, 1992 (1992-12-26)	S06E16
April's aunt helps the Turtles stop a mad scientist from building a doomsday device.

Season 7 (1993)

Main article: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987 TV series) (season 7)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	TV broadcast
143	1	"Tower of Power"	Bruno-Rene Huchez	Michael Malach	September 13, 1993 (1993-09-13)	EU01
After winning a free European vacation, the Turtles journey to Paris, France. Meanwhile, Shredder, Rocksteady and Bebop are planning to steal metal from the Eiffel Tower on Bastille Day in order to power up the Technodrome.
144	2	"Rust Never Sleeps"	Bruno-Rene Huchez	Lee Schneider and Matthew Malach	September 14, 1993 (1993-09-14)	EU02
Still in Paris, the Turtles & Master Splinter visit the Louvre. Meanwhile, due to Shredder's incompetence, Krang's new Hyper Rocket Thruster becomes a Rust Encruster, with which he plans to oxidize the world's famous landmarks & monuments, unless world leaders use their power reserves to bring the Technodrome back to Earth.
145	3	"A Real Snow Job"	Bruno-Rene Huchez	Misty Taggart	September 15, 1993 (1993-09-15)	EU03
In the Austrian Alps, Krang plans to use his new invention to melt the Alpine glaciers, flooding the low-lying villages.
146	4	"Venice on the Half Shell"	Bruno-Rene Huchez	Misty Taggart	September 16, 1993 (1993-09-16)	EU04
The Turtles take a tour of Venice, Italy, just in time for the annual Mardi Gras festival, which April O'Neil is covering for Channel 6. Meanwhile, Shredder & Krang plan to hold the priceless treasures of Venice to ransom by using Krang's HydroFluxor to flood the city.
147	5	"Artless"	Bruno-Rene Huchez	Doug Molitor	September 17, 1993 (1993-09-17)	EU05
Two intergalactic art collectors are stealing the priceless artworks from the museums of Florence, Italy. The aliens are taking only artworks designed by the Renaissance masters that the Turtles are named after.
148	6	"Night of the Dark Turtle"	Bill Hutten and Tony Love	David Wise	September 18, 1993 (1993-09-18)	S07E01
After a fight with Shredder causes Donatello to be struck by a laser beam, his personality changes to become a costumed superhero known as the Dark Turtle. His mission: Seek out & destroy Shredder. Meanwhile, a dinosaur-like alien race called Triceratons, invades Earth.
149	7	"Ring of Fire"	Bruno-Rene Huchez	Michael Edens	September 20, 1993 (1993-09-20)	EU06
The Turtles & Splinter arrive in Lisbon, Portugal, just in time for the annual Running of the Bulls. Meanwhile, Shredder & the mutants will use Krang's new heat ray magnifier to burn the city to ashes using the power of the Sun unless the Turtles can stop them.
150	8	"The Irish Jig Is Up"	Bruno-Rene Huchez	Story by: Carole Mendelsohn Teleplay by: John Fox	September 21, 1993 (1993-09-21)	EU07
The TMNT & Splinter journey to Dublin, capital of the Republic of Ireland, land of myth & legend. Meanwhile, Shredder, Rocksteady & Bebop use Krang's Rainbow TransCharmer to transform all of the cute, furry animals in Dublin into vicious beasts.
151	9	"Shredder's New Sword"	Bruno-Rene Huchez	Francis Moss and Ted Pedersen	September 22, 1993 (1993-09-22)	EU08
Shredder takes possession of the mythic sword, Excalibur, and proclaims himself "King Shredder". The Turtles, along with Merlin, must take it from him or else the Medieval period will merge with the modern world.
152	10	"The Lost Queen of Atlantis"	Bruno-Rene Huchez	Michael Edens	September 23, 1993 (1993-09-23)	EU09
The Turtles & Master Splinter travel to Athens, Greece, while April & Irma buy a mysterious amulet from a flea market vendor. Unfortunately, Krang & Shredder have tracked enormous power readings straight to April's necklace, which is slowly transforming her into the Queen of the mythical underwater city of Atlantis.
153	11	"Turtles on the Orient Express"	Bruno-Rene Huchez	Doug Molitor	September 24, 1993 (1993-09-24)	EU10
The Turtles take a trip on the famous Orient Express that runs from Gare de Lyon in Paris, France to Istanbul, Turkey. But Shredder is also on board and is planning to use Krang's new Super Charger to launch the Orient Express into the world's largest oil field.
154	12	"The Starchild"	Bill Hutten and Tony Love	David Wise	September 25, 1993 (1993-09-25)	S07E02
A small alien being, named Quirx, crash-lands on Earth, with intergalactic stormtroopers in hot pursuit. The Turtles must figure out how to get Quirx back to his home planet, before Earth is destroyed.
155	13	"April Gets in Dutch"	Bruno-Rene Huchez	Misty Taggart	September 27, 1993 (1993-09-27)	EU11
In Amsterdam, Netherlands, the Turtles must stop Shredder from stealing the Duchess Diamond, that Krang needs to power his Laser Dimension Blade. Shredder has some competition though, as two bumbling thieves also want the diamond for themselves.
156	14	"Northern Lights Out"	Bruno-Rene Huchez	Ted Pedersen and Francis Moss	September 28, 1993 (1993-09-28)	EU12
While April is covering the Alternative Energy Convention in Oslo, Norway, the Turtles must track down Erik the Red Eye, a modern-day Viking & his crew, after they steal Professor Sven Svenson's scientific notes.
157	15	"Elementary, My Dear Turtle"	Bruno-Rene Huchez	Dennis O'Flaherty	September 29, 1993 (1993-09-29)	EU13
After experiencing a time-slip with an atomic clock, the Turtles find themselves in 1890, where they meet the famous detective Sherlock Holmes & his assistant, Dr. Watson, hot on the trail of Professor Moriarty, who has stolen the atomic clock with intentions to rule the future. The Turtles must retrieve the atomic clock before Moriarty uses it to change history & proclaim himself Emperor of the World.
158	16	"The Legend of Koji"	Bill Hutten and Tony Love	David Wise	October 2, 1993 (1993-10-02)	S07E03
Shredder uses a time machine to travel back to Ancient Japan in the year 1583. He plans to defeat Hamato Koji, the man who founded the Foot Clan, and Splinter's great ancestor, for if Hamato Koji is defeated, then Master Splinter would never have been born and the Turtles would forever remain ordinary turtles.
159	17	"Convicts from Dimension X"	Bill Hutten and Tony Love	Jack Mendelsohn	October 9, 1993 (1993-10-09)	S07E04
Two convicts from Dimension X are brought to Earth when Donatello's Portable Portal Generator malfunctions. Unfortunately, Vernon & Irma are transported to the Dimension X Penitentiary in their place. The Turtles must defeat these convicts & somehow save Irma & Vernon.
160	18	"White Belt, Black Heart"	Bill Hutten and Tony Love	Jack Mendelsohn and Carole Mendelsohn	October 16, 1993 (1993-10-16)	S07E05
While Splinter's sensei, Mogo-san, is visiting New York, a criminal gang of ninja, known as the Black Heart Gang, are terrorizing the city with a crime spree, and Mogo-san's grandson, Yoku, is their leader. The Turtles & Splinter must stop Shredder & the Black Heart Gang from stealing secret maps of nuclear missile sites. James Avery last time he voiced Shredder.
161	19	"Night of the Rogues"	Bill Hutten and Tony Love	David Wise	October 23, 1993 (1993-10-23)	S07E06
In an attempt to finally defeat the Turtles once and for all, Shredder assembles Leatherhead, Tempestra, Scumbug, Chrome Dome, Antrax, The Rat King and Slash to form a team that proves too much for the Turtles to handle on their own.
162	20	"Attack of the Neutrinos"	Bill Hutten and Tony Love	David Wise	October 30, 1993 (1993-10-30)	S07E07
The Neutrinos return and assist the TMNT in keeping a new invention out of Krang's clutches.
163	21	"Escape from the Planet of the Turtleoids"	Bill Hutten and Tony Love	David Wise	November 6, 1993 (1993-11-06)	S07E08
Kerma the space turtle returns once again for the Turtles help in programming his city's new defence robots but Groundchuck and Dirtbag have also returned to the city to cause trouble.
164	22	"Revenge of the Fly"	Bill Hutten and Tony Love	David Wise	November 13, 1993 (1993-11-13)	S07E09
Baxter Stockman & his alien computer return to Earth from the Dimensional Limbo & take possession of Shredder's Retro-Mutagen Ray Gun. After stealing the essences of various insects & arachnids, he uses them to turn people into mutant insects & arachnids. The Turtles must battle the creatures & turn the people back to normal.
165	23	"Atlantis Awakes"	Bill Hutten and Tony Love	David Wise	November 20, 1993 (1993-11-20)	S07E10
The Turtles discover an Atlantean city, not in ancient Greece, but in modern times. After meeting Merdude, who in reality is the true King of Atlantis, the Turtles must defeat Shredder & dethrone Bebop, who been set up as a puppet king.
166	24	"Dirk Savage: Mutant Hunter!"	Bill Hutten and Tony Love	David Wise	November 27, 1993 (1993-11-27)	S07E11
When the evil mutants Tokka and Rahzar wreak havoc on the local mall, the city hires professional mutant hunter Dirk Savage to arrest the mutant population, including the Turtles, the Punk Frogs and Mondo Gecko. But genetics billionaire turned mutant slug A.J. Howard takes advantage of Savage's inability to trust mutants for his own plans.
167	25	"Invasion of the Krangazoids"	Bill Hutten and Tony Love	David Wise	December 4, 1993 (1993-12-04)	S07E12
In order to defeat the Turtles, Krang creates 6 clones of himself to deal with them. But, when the clones start to think for themselves & Krang loses control, the Turtles must save the city.
168	26	"Combat Land"	Bill Hutten and Tony Love	David Wise	December 11, 1993 (1993-12-11)	S07E13
A new amusement theme park has opened with Shogun, Medieval & Future themed attractions. The Turtles are invited to try out the attractions, but when the robots in the park start to play too rough, the Turtles are in big trouble.
169	27	"Shredder Triumphant!"	Bill Hutten and Tony Love	David Wise	December 18, 1993 (1993-12-18)	S07E14
After bringing the Technodrome back to the surface, Shredder and Krang trap the Turtles and send them to Dimension X where they become slaves. In the meantime, Shredder and Krang are back on Earth once again as they try to take over the world.

Season 8 (1994)

Main article: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987 TV series) (season 8)

• All eight eighth-season episodes were directed by Tony Love and written by David Wise.

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Original air date	TV broadcast
170	1	"Get Shredder!"	September 17, 1994 (1994-09-17)	S08E01
Shredder & Krang are still loose on Earth, but without the resources of the Technodrome, they plan to steal equipment from the abandoned Hall of Science from the 1964 World Fair. Krang's former weapons engineer, Drakus, using the guise of Beserko, also shows up to cause trouble. Once Krang is captured by Drakus, Shredder under the impression that the turtles have Krang demands his return or he'll blow up Channel 6 with the Turtle's friends inside.
171	2	"Wrath of the Rat King"	September 24, 1994 (1994-09-24)	S08E02
While Krang tries to re-acquire the Technodrome from Dimension X, where it has been sucked into a black hole, Shredder tracks down the Rat King & makes an alliance with him in order to destroy the Turtles. Meanwhile, the destruction of the Channel 6 building has led Burne Thompson to wrongfully denounce the turtles as a complete menace at Channel 6's new location, which leads the turtles to realize that maybe their actions are hurting people more often rather than helping them.
172	3	"State of Shock"	October 1, 1994 (1994-10-01)	S08E03
A band of ninja, led by a mysterious villain named Megavolt, are stealing electronic equipment from power plants all over the city, and the Turtles are being blamed for the crimes. The Turtles must find a way to defeat Megavolt & clear their names before it is too late.
173	4	"Cry H.A.V.O.C.!"	October 8, 1994 (1994-10-08)	S08E04
A mysterious organization of mutants calling itself Highly Advanced Variety Of Creatures (H.A.V.O.C.) has surfaced in the city. Although their pro-mutant intentions seem good on the outside, what are their true motives? The Turtles must find out.
174	5	"H.A.V.O.C. in the Streets!"	October 15, 1994 (1994-10-15)	S08E05
Titanus & his H.A.V.O.C. organization are back, and this time they are planning to build a Sky Platform so that they can retrieve a lost Flux Transformer from a military base. Titanus creates a new mutant called Synapse, a being of pure energy, that can control anything mechanical. The Turtles must stop Titanus & his evil plans once & for all.
175	6	"Enter: Krakus"	October 22, 1994 (1994-10-22)	S08E06
Still after the Flux Transformer, Titanus & his mutants track its unique electronic signals, in order to locate it & get it back. Meanwhile, the Turtles have their hands full, when an enforcer named Krakus shows up. The Turtles must find out who Krakus is & whether he is friend or foe.
176	7	"Cyber-Turtles"	October 29, 1994 (1994-10-29)	S08E07
Krang & Shredder steal the Astro-Viewer, a powerful telescope, before disabling a starfighter passing over Earth. Once aboard the starfighter, Shredder steals the Fire Star, a crystalline fragment with the power of 1000 suns which renders its possessor invincible. Krang needs it in order to rule the universe & to merge Earth with Dimension X. When the starfighter's crew don power cybernetic armor in order to begin a hunt for the Fire Star, the Turtles use a set of armor for themselves to stop both the crew and Shredder.
177	8	"Turtle Trek"	November 5, 1994 (1994-11-05)	S08E08
Krang & Shredder are using the city's power to operate Krang's new Transdimensional Portal to Dimension X, so that they finally has access to their Rock Soldier armies & resources. The Turtles rescue a resident of Dimension X, named Gargon, held captive by Krang on Earth, who agrees to help track down Shredder & Krang. This episode's title is a reference to Star Trek.

Season 9 (1995)

Main article: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987 TV series) (season 9)

• All eight ninth-season episodes were directed by Tony Love.

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Written by	Original air date	TV broadcast
178	1	"The Unknown Ninja"	Mark Edens and Bob Forward	September 16, 1995 (1995-09-16)	S09E01
A mysterious young man, who has been tracking the Turtles' movements, wishes to train under Master Splinter's guidance. Meanwhile, the Turtles race to stop Lord Dregg's plans for global domination. The turtles' mutations prove to have become unstable.
179	2	"Dregg of the Earth"	Mark Edens and David Wise	September 23, 1995 (1995-09-23)	S09E02
The Turtles try to stop Dregg's Techno Gang from stealing a Proton Accelerator, but due to Carter's interference, the aliens get away. Dregg needs the device to repair his Molecular Converter, but the Turtles need to expose Dregg's true intentions.
180	3	"The Wrath of Medusa"	David Wise	September 30, 1995 (1995-09-30)	S09E03
Dregg hires an alien bounty hunter named Medusa to help capture the Turtles. The Turtles must fight off this new threat. Meanwhile, Carter realises that he is more of a hindrance than a help.
181	4	"The New Mutation"	David Wise	October 7, 1995 (1995-10-07)	S09E04
The Turtles set out to prove Dregg's true motives, after nearly getting arrested by military police at Hyper Dyne Labs. The Techno Gang steal a substance called X-Fire, a highly explosive fuel. The Turtles are also still coming to grips with their unstable mutations. Meanwhile, an alien slug, called a Slorr, hatches & begins terrorizing the city.
182	5	"The Showdown"	David Wise	October 14, 1995 (1995-10-14)	S09E05
Using a Hypno Transmitter, Dregg is disrupting all the TV stations in the city with a hypnotic signal, which becomes permanent after 20 minutes. After the Turtles destroy his transmitter, Dregg decides to replicate the Turtles' mutagen in order to make his Techno Gang invincible.
183	6	"Split-Second"	David Wise	October 21, 1995 (1995-10-21)	S09E06
A new foe appears in the form of the time-obsessed Chronos, who has thrown the city into chaos, due to all clocks malfunctioning. Can the Turtles, April O'Neil & Carter stop him before it is too late?
184	7	"Carter, the Enforcer"	David Wise	October 28, 1995 (1995-10-28)	S09E07
Dregg plans to build a Star Shield, a device that Dregg claims will protect Earth from hostile alien invaders. Meanwhile, the Turtles, with the help of April & her mini-cam, hope to expose Dregg for the fraud that he is. The Turtles also find out that Dregg has built an android replica of Carter.
185	8	"Doomquest"	David Wise	November 4, 1995 (1995-11-04)	S09E08
An interdimensional being called Doomquest comes to Earth to try to get a powerful crystal from Lord Dregg. The Turtles find that their unstable mutations are now starting to cause them to lose their intelligence whenever they mutate into their new forms. In the end, April is able to successfully expose Lord Dregg's true intentions to the world.

Season 10 (1996)

Main article: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987 TV series) (season 10)

• All eight tenth-season episodes were directed by Tony Love and written by Jeffrey Scott.

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Original air date	TV broadcast
186	1	"The Return of Dregg"	September 14, 1996 (1996-09-14)	S10E01
While the Turtles work on using fragments of the Vortex Crystal to stabilize their mutations, Lord Dregg plans to use the fragments to create another Vortex Crystal to power his Vortex Transporter. Meanwhile, Dregg's second-in-command, HiTech, is blasted into space, to be replaced by Dregg's top scientist, Mung, as his new second-in-command.
187	2	"The Beginning of the End"	September 21, 1996 (1996-09-21)	S10E02
While Raphael, Michaelangelo, Donatello and Carter work on restoring Leonardo to his regular self, Mung steals all the plutonium from a power plant in order for Dregg to build a Plutonium Ray to turn Leonardo into a radioactive killer.
188	3	"The Power of Three"	September 28, 1996 (1996-09-28)	S10E03
Learning about the Turtles' previous arch-enemies Shredder and Krang, Lord Dregg teleports them from Dimension X to the Dregnaught in hopes of joining forces to destroy the Turtles once and for all. Meanwhile, after permanently stabilizing his mutation, Carter finally leaves the Turtles & returns to college.
189	4	"A Turtle in Time"	October 5, 1996 (1996-10-05)	S10E04
After draining the Turtles' life energy & Krang's intelligence, Dregg becomes a super-being, and plans to fire the Vortex Transporter at the Sun, bringing a piece of the Sun down to Earth. If the people of Earth refuse to surrender, Dregg will cause the Earth to become a second Sun, and afterwards he will eventually do the same to every other planet in the universe. Meanwhile after learning of the situation, Carter returns, and knowing he can't handle it alone, Carter contacts the turtles' friends Landor and Merrick who brings the turtles' past selves to the present as well as Splinter mentioning to him that despite his mutation being stabilized, there is a chance that Carter can still mutate.
190	5	"Turtles to the Second Power"	October 12, 1996 (1996-10-12)	S10E05
After re-energizing the present-day Turtles, the Turtles of the past have only 3 hours to get back to their time, or they will all cease to exist. Meanwhile, during the 15 hours it took to re-energize the Turtles, the remainder of Dregg's invasion fleet has been completed and has been unleashed on the entire planet, and now the Turtles and Carter have to stop Dregg, Krang, and Shredder. In the end Shredder and Krang are sent back to Dimension X, and after sending the past turtles back to their time, Landor and Merrick give Carter an offer to come with them to their time in the future to receive medical treatment that will completely cure him of his mutation. Carter accepts and he and the turtles say their goodbyes before he teleports away.
191	6	"Mobster from Dimension X"	October 19, 1996 (1996-10-19)	S10E06
A slimy amoeba-like mobster from Dimension X, known as the GlobFather, steals the Protein Computer. The GlobFather is working for Dregg and Dregg plans to use the Protein Computer to hack into all of Earth's telecommunications systems & military computers, to control them via his own brain.
192	7	"The Day the Earth Disappeared"	October 26, 1996 (1996-10-26)	S10E07
Lord Dregg has managed to open a gigantic portal that is large enough to pull the entire Earth into Dimension X. While trying to figure out how to stop it, Leonardo, Donatello and Master Splinter are pulled through the portal, after Dregg turns the portal on them, sending each of them across dangerous alien dimensions.
193	8	"Divide and Conquer"	November 2, 1996 (1996-11-02)	S10E08
Lord Dregg, using a morphing suit capable of instantly draining life-force from others, absorbs the power of five super-beings, and multiplies their combined power a hundred fold, becoming a god. He comes after the Turtles, who must travel to Dimension X and get Krang's android body from the destroyed Technodrome if they are to defeat him.

Home releases

English-language DVD releases of the original Ninja Turtles series are handled by Lions Gate Entertainment. As of August 14, 2012, seasons 1–10 are available in North America, and seasons 1–2 in the UK, while Australia have received seasons 1-4 spanning over 9 volumes, skipping the Vacation in Europe side season (which many websites incorrectly state that they do) and the discs being released in NTSC format, instead of PAL. In Germany, seasons 1–3 plus the "Vacation" sideseason have been released on DVD by KSM Film, featuring both German and English audio tracks, with seasons 4 and 5 to follow before the end of 2011. KSM had also previously released seasons 8–10 on DVD, though these episodes did not include the English audio.

Region 1 (United States and Canada)

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (April 20, 2004) [1]

Single disc containing all 5 episodes from season 1, plus 4 bonus episodes from season 10.

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Volume 2 (April 26, 2005) [2]

Single disc containing all 13 episodes from season 2.

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Volume 3 (December 6, 2005) [3]

Single disc containing episodes 1–12 from season 3.

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Volume 4 (April 4, 2006) [4]

Single disc containing episodes 13–24 from season 3.

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Volume 5 (August 29, 2006) [5]

Single disc containing episodes 25–36 from season 3.

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Volume 6 (December 5, 2006) [6]

Single disc containing episodes 37–47 from season 3, plus episode 1 from season 4.

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Season Four (March 13, 2007) [7]

5-disc set containing all 39 episodes from season 4, plus episode 1 from season 5.

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Season 5 (August 7, 2007) [8]

3-disc set containing episodes 3–20 from season 5.

Note: This release skips over episode 2, "Once Upon a Time Machine", and the two-part season finale, "Planet of the Turtleoids".

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Season 6 (April 8, 2008) [9]

2-disc set containing all 16 episodes from season 6.

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Season 7 Part 1: The Leonardo Slice (May 12, 2009) [10]

Single disc containing episodes 1–6 from the "Vacation in Europe" sideseason. Packaged with a free Leonardo action figure.

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Season 7 Part 2: The Michelangelo Slice (May 12, 2009) [11]

Single disc containing episodes 7–13 from the "Vacation in Europe" sideseason.Packaged with a free Michelangelo action figure.

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Season 7 Part 3: The Donatello Slice (May 12, 2009) [12]

Single disc containing episodes 1–7 from season 7. Packaged with a free Donatello action figure.

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Season 7 Part 4: The Raphael Slice (May 12, 2009) [13]

Single disc containing episodes 8–14 from season 7. Packaged with a free Raphael action figure.

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – The Complete Season 8 (September 1, 2009) [14]

Single disc containing all 8 episodes from season 8.

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – The Complete Season 7 Set (November 3, 2009) [15]

4-disc set containing all 13 episodes from the "Vacation" sideseason, plus all 14 episodes from season 7.

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – The Complete Season 9 (August 16, 2011) [16]

Single disc containing all 8 episodes from season 9.

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – The Complete Season 10 (August 14, 2012) [17]

Single disc containing all 8 episodes from season 10.

Note: This release includes the two skipped over episodes from season 5, "Once Upon a Time Machine", and "Planet of the Turtleoids".

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – The Complete Classic Series Collection (November 13, 2012) [18]

Includes all volumes and episodes that were released since 2004, packaged in a collectable box with a visual similarity to the Turtle Van.

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – The Complete Season 3 (July 23, 2013) [19]

4-disc set containing all 47 episodes from season 3.

Region 2

United Kingdom

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – 3 'Turtally' Awesome Episodes from the Original TV Series (May 25, 2009) [20]

Single disc containing episodes 1–3 from season 1.

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Original TV Series – 25th Anniversary Collector's Edition (May 25, 2009) [21]

3-disc set containing all 18 episodes from seasons 1 and 2, plus 4 bonus episodes from season 10.

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Best of Leonardo (May 19, 2014)

[22]

Single disc containing 3 episodes.

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Best of Michelangelo (May 19, 2014)

[23]

Single disc containing 3 episodes.

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Best of Donatello (May 19, 2014)

[24]

Single disc containing 3 episodes.

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Best of Raphael (May 19, 2014)

[25]

Single disc containing 3 episodes.

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Cowabunga Classics (September 22, 2014)

[26]

Single disc containing 10 fan favorite episodes.

Germany

• Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles – DVD Collection (July 26, 2007) [27]

5-disc set containing all 24 episodes from seasons 8, 9 and 10.

Note: This is the only German release of the series to date that does not contain the English audio track.

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Box 1 (March 12, 2009) [28]

5-disc set containing all 5 episodes from season 1, all 13 episodes from season 2, plus episodes 1–7 from season 3.

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Box 2 (May 3, 2010) [29]

5-disc set containing episodes 8–32 from season 3.

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Box 3 (July 12, 2010) [30]

6-disc set containing episodes 33–47 from season 3, episodes 1–2 from season 4, plus all 13 episodes from the "Vacation" sideseason.

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Box 4 (October 17, 2011) [31]

6-disc set containing episodes 3–32 from season 4.

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Box 5 (December 5, 2011) [32]

6-disc set containing episodes 33–39 from season 4, plus all 22 episodes from season 5 and the first episode from season 6.

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Box 6 (February 20, 2012) [33]

6-disc set containing episodes 2–16 from season 6 and all of the regular season 7.

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Gesamtedition (November 29, 2013) [34]

22-disc set containing episodes 1–169 from season 1 to season 7.

Region 4 (Australia)

(NOTE: Some of these weblinks give inaccurate information)

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Volume 1 (March 11, 2009) [35]

Single disc containing all 5 episodes from season 1, plus 4 bonus episodes from season 10.

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Volume 2 (March 11, 2009) [36]

Single disc containing all 13 episodes from season 2.

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Volume 3 (March 11, 2009) [37]

Single disc containing episodes 1–12 from season 3.

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Volume 4 (June 3, 2009) [38]

Single disc containing episodes 13–24 from season 3.

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Volume 5 (June 3, 2009) [39]

Single disc containing episodes 25–36 from season 3.

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Volume 6 (June 3, 2009) [40]

Single disc containing episodes 37–47 from season 3, plus episode 1 from season 4.

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Volume 7 (September 9, 2009) [41]

Single disc containing episodes 2-14 from season 4.

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Volume 8 (September 9, 2009) [42]

Single disc containing episodes 15-27 from season 4.

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Volume 9 (September 9, 2009) [43]

Single disc containing episodes 28-40 from season 4.

See also

• Turtles Forever
• List of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2003) episodes

References

Seasons 1–7

The origins story in the 1987 television series deviates significantly from the original Mirage Studios comics. In this version, Splinter was formerly human, an honorable ninja master named Hamato Yoshi who studied art history as a hobby. He was banished from the Foot Clan (a Japanese dynasty of ninjas founded by one of his distant ancestors) after one of his students, the power-hungry and seditious Oroku Saki (who resented Yoshi's leadership within the clan and aspired to usurp him), set him up for an offense against a visiting master sensei. Disgraced, Yoshi was forced to leave his native Japan and relocate to New York City, where he began living in the sewers with the rats as his only friends. Saki was given command of the Foot Clan, which he corrupted and transformed into a criminal organization.

Sometime later, Yoshi adopted four turtles after they were accidentally dropped into the sewers by an unnamed boy. He returned from his explorations around New York City one day to find the turtles covered with a strange glowing ooze. This substance caused the turtles, who were most recently exposed to Yoshi, to become humanoid, while Yoshi, who was most recently exposed to sewer rats, became a humanoid rat, and was given the name "Splinter" by the turtles. Yoshi raises the four turtles as his sons and trains them in the art of ninjitsu. He names them Donatello, Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Raphael, after his favorite Italian renaissance artists.

Oroku Saki eventually leaves Japan and tracks Yoshi to New York City, where he intends to destroy him once and for all. It is also around this time that he begins working with Krang, a disembodied alien brain from Dimension X who ruled his native realm with an iron fist until he was stripped of his body and banished to Earth. Saki takes on a new pseudonym, "The Shredder", donning a suit covered with razor spikes, and complemented by a long purple cape, a metal samurai helmet, and a metal mask over his mouth. Since leaving Japan, his ambitions have grown from usurping leadership of the Foot Clan to world domination. To this end, Krang provides the Shredder with a vast array of powerful technology from Dimension X, including the Technodrome, and funds most of his schemes throughout the series.

It becomes clear early on in the series that the mutagen which transformed the Turtles and Splinter into their new forms was dumped into the sewers by Shredder in an effort to murder Yoshi, as he had mistakenly believed it to be a deadly poison rather than a transformative agent. After several years of training under Splinter, the Turtles set out to find whoever is responsible for their transformation, and upon learning that Shredder was behind it, they vow to put an end to his ongoing criminal career and restore Splinter back to his human form. Along the way, they rescue and befriend Channel 6 news reporter April O'Neil, who becomes one of their strongest allies. The Turtles, who had rarely left the sewers prior to meeting April, also began to take on the role of semi-vigilante crime fighters. Despite this, they frequently have to deal with citizens misunderstanding them, largely due to the efforts of Channel 6 newsmen Burne Thompson and Vernon Fenwick, who both distrust the Turtles and frequently and wrongfully blame them for the trouble that Shredder and Krang cause. As a result, they mainly have to rely on April (either via Turtle-com, or Channel 6 news reports) to inform them of crimes in the city, and to counteract Burne and Vernon's smear and bad-tempered campaigns against them with her own news coverage of the Turtles, portraying them as a force for good. Reluctant to expose themselves to the outside world, the Turtles initially wear disguises whenever they leave the sewers, although this is slowly relaxed as the series progresses and they gain the trust of the broader populace, whom they have saved from Shredder and other villains on many occasions.

Shredder, Krang, Bebop & Rocksteady, Baxter Stockman, and their legions of Foot soldiers repeatedly try to destroy the Turtles and take over the world. Much of their quest for world domination hinges on repowering Krang's mobile fortress, the Technodrome, and bringing it to the Earth's surface, as it was either buried deep under New York City (Season 1), stuck in Dimension X (Seasons 2 and 4), embedded in the Earth's core (Season 3), stranded in the Arctic (Season 5), or at the bottom of the Arctic Ocean (Seasons 6 and 7). However, their plans always fail, often landing the villains in humorous predicaments. Some episodes feature other minor villains, such as the Rat King, Leatherhead, Slash, General Traag and Granitor, and many others, or involve the TMNT getting themselves and the city out of a mess that they had inadvertently caused.

Vacation in Europe

Season 7 featured a "Vacation in Europe" side-season that took place during the fourth season where the Turtles, April, and Splinter win a vacation in Europe and end up fighting Shredder, Krang, and other villains across Europe.

Seasons 8–10

In the last three seasons, the show went through dramatic changes. The humor was toned down significantly, the animation became darker, the color of the sky in each episode was changed to a continuous, ominous dark-red sky (commonplace with newer action-oriented children's programming at the time), the theme song was changed, the introduction sequence added in clips from the first live-action film, and the show took on a darker, more action-oriented atmosphere. The Turtles' demeanor evolved into a more serious and determined one than in prior seasons, and they devoted most of their time to tracking down villains. The series' main antagonists—Shredder, Krang, Bebop, and Rocksteady—who had previously been depicted as dangerous but comically inept villains, were now portrayed as a more menacing, unified threat. Additionally, Krang was revealed to have seized power in Dimension X through numerous betrayals and widespread destruction, resulting in old enemies seeking vengeance. Many recurring characters and villains were written out of the show by this point, with more focus placed on the main cast. The season was also noted for the destruction of the Channel 6 building, which led to April working freelance.

At the end of the seventh season, the Turtles sent the Technodrome through a portal into Dimension X, but without Shredder, Krang, Bebop, and Rocksteady. As a result, the villains were stranded on Earth without any weapons or power, and were forced to work out of an old science building until they can find a way back into Dimension X and retrieve the Technodrome. The Turtles, taking advantage of the situation, relentlessly pursue their arch enemies in an effort to put an end to their schemes once and for all. Eventually, Shredder and Krang, along with Bebop and Rocksteady, build a new portal into Dimension X and reclaim the Technodrome, although the Turtles manage to track them down with the help of Gargon, a mutated resident of Dimension X who was being held prisoner by Shredder and Krang. At the end of Season 8, the TMNT finally banish Shredder, Krang, Bebop, and Rocksteady to Dimension X by destroying the Technodrome's engines and trans-dimensional portal, preventing them from returning to Earth.

From Season 9 onwards, Lord Dregg, an evil alien warlord from Dimension X, appeared as the new lead villain. He begins a propaganda campaign against the Turtles, turning the general population against them and in favor of him and his forces. Although Dregg is outed as a villain at the end of Season 9, the Turtles are never able to regain the trust of the broader population, due to an earlier smear campaign by Burne and Vernon that wrongfully blamed the Turtles for the destruction of the Channel 6 building. Additionally, the Turtles began to suffer from secondary mutations that temporarily transformed them into monstrous hulks with diminished intelligence, a problem that would not be completely resolved until Season 10. The TMNT also gain a new ally in the form of Carter, a brash African American male who initially sought out Master Splinter for training in ninjitsu, but is eventually exposed to mutagen and contracts an incurable mutation disease.

In the final season of the series, Dregg's sycophantic henchman Mung encounters Shredder and Krang, who are still stranded in Dimension X. They told him that they had battled the Turtles for years, but even though Shredder claimed to have destroyed them, Mung knew that he was lying. Soon afterward, Mung returns to Dregg's ship and informs him of their encounter, and Dregg decides to bring both Shredder and Krang back from Dimension X to help him fight the Turtles. However, the pair immediately rebel against Dregg and leave, continuing on where they left off before they were banished at the end of Season 8. Back on Earth, Shredder and Krang kidnap April O'Neil and do battle with the Turtles once more, although they are all soon transported back to Dregg's lair. The Turtles initially have the upper hand in the fight, but Shredder and Krang are able to subdue them after reluctantly agreeing to work with Dregg. As he prepares to drain the Turtles of their life energies, Shredder and Krang betray Lord Dregg and force him onto one of the operating tables, intending to drain both him and the Turtles of their power. Dregg, however, manages to escape and uses his microbots to capture Shredder and Krang. Although he successfully drains the Turtles and Krang of their life energies, Shredder breaks free before Dregg is able to take anything from him. Shredder spends the next two episodes finding a way to heal Krang and dispose of Dregg so that they may take control of his armies and conquer the Earth, but in the ensuing confrontation they are permanently transported back to Dimension X. Carter also bids farewell to the Turtles as he travels to the future to look for a cure for his mutation. In the final episode of the series, Michaelangelo and Donatello travel to Dimension X to retrieve Krang's mechanical body from the (now abandoned and completely destroyed) Technodrome, which is sitting on a hill standing upright (whereas at the end of Season 8, an alien plant had dragged it down into a deep pit), suggesting that Shredder and Krang initially tried to repair the Technodrome before declaring it a lost cause. Shredder, Krang, Bebop, and Rocksteady are nowhere to be seen. The Turtles eventually find Krang's suit and use it in a final confrontation with Dregg, which ends with the Turtles banishing Dregg to Dimension X. Splinter congratulates the Turtles on their victory and, now that all of their enemies have been vanquished, states that he has nothing more to teach them, calling them his equals.

Subsequent works

In 2009, the Turtles, Shredder, Krang, and various other characters from the 1987 series returned for the 25th-anniversary crossover movie Turtles Forever, in which they meet up with their counterparts from the 2003 TV series. Due to financial restrictions, none of the original voice actors were able to reprise their roles, and replacement actors were used instead.

In April 2013, Ciro Nieli, the executive producer of the 2012 Turtles series, confirmed in an interview that the 1987 Turtles would cameo in a one-hour special in season 2. Cam Clarke, Townsend Coleman, Barry Gordon, and Rob Paulsen (who voiced Donatello in the 2012 series) reprise their roles as Leonardo, Michaelangelo, Donatello, and Raphael, respectively, in the closing of the episode "Wormquake!". The 1987 turtles also had a crossover with the 2012 turtles in the season 4 episode, "Trans-Dimensional Turtles". In addition with the lead cast members reprising their roles from the episode, Pat Fraley also reprised his role as Krang who is depicted as a relative of Kraang Subprime that was banished to Earth in the 1980s reality for being incompetent. The 1987 turtles also returned during season five of the 2012 series for a three-part special, "Wanted: Bebop and Rocksteady", along with the original Shredder, Foot soldiers, Krang, Technodrome, and both Bebop and Rocksteady. Both Gordon and Clarke reprised their roles as Bebop and Rocksteady, while the Shredder is voiced by the 2012 incarnation's voice actor Kevin Michael Richardson, due to James Avery's passing in 2013.

Characters

Main article: List of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles characters

Overview

Character	Voiced by	Seasons										Specials
		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
		1987	1988	1989	1990–91	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1990–2017
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Leonardo "Leo"	Cam Clarke	Main
Donatello "Donnie"	Barry Gordon	Main
Raphael "Raph"	Rob Paulsen	Main
Michaelangelo "Mikey"	Townsend Coleman	Main
Allies and friends
Hamato Yoshi Master Splinter	Peter Renaday	Main
April O'Neil	Renae Jacobs	Main
Irma Langenstein	Jennifer Darling	Does not appear	Main						Guest	Does not appear		Silent
Carter	Bumper Robinson	Does not appear								Main		Does not appear
Landor	Kevin Schon	Does not appear								Main		Does not appear
Merrik	Roxanne Beckford	Does not appear								Main		Does not appear
Zach "the Fifth Turtle"	Rob Paulsen	Does not appear		Recurring	Guest		Does not appear	Guest	Does not appear
Casey Jones	Pat Fraley	Does not appear		Guest	Does not appear	Guest	Does not appear	Guest		Does not appear
Punk Frogs	Various	Does not appear	Guest				Does not appear	Guest	Does not appear
The Neutrinos	Various	Guest				Does not appear		Guest	Does not appear
Kerma	Jan Rabson	Does not appear				Guest			Does not appear
Villains
Oroku Saki The Shredder	Various	Main								Does not appear	Guest
Krang	Pat Fraley	Main								Does not appear	Guest
Rocksteady	Cam Clarke	Main										Guest
Bebop	Barry Gordon	Main										Guest
Baxter Stockman	Pat Fraley	Guest				Does not appear		Guest	Does not appear
The Rat King	Townsend Coleman	Does not appear		Recurring					Guest	Does not appear
Lord Dregg	Tony Jay	Does not appear								Main		Does not appear
Ch'rell The Utrom Shredder	Scottie Ray	Does not appear										Main
Other characters
Burne Thompson	Pat Fraley	Recurring									Does not appear
Vernon Fenwick	Various	Recurring								Does not appear

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

• "Leo" (voiced by Cam Clarke) – The blue-masked turtle who wields two katana. He is the leader and commander of the Turtles and is the closest to Splinter. He is the most serious, level-headed member of the team, who values his leadership.
• "Donnie" (voiced by Barry Gordon in most episodes, Greg Berg in six Season 3 episodes and one episode of the "Vacation in Europe" side-season) – The purple-masked turtle who wields a bō staff. He is the scientist and intellectual of the team who is constantly tinkering with various inventions. Donatello's capabilities in science and technology have been key factors for the Turtles' successes in their battles with Shredder and other villains.
• "Raph" (voiced by Rob Paulsen in Season 1–9, Thom Pinto in Season 3, Hal Rayle in the "Vacation in Europe" side-season, Michael Gough in Season 10) – The red-masked turtle who wields two sai. Although Raphael is depicted as angry, impulsive, and violent in most other TMNT media, he is the comedian of the team who often comes out with sarcastic and witty remarks in the 1987 series. He provides some of the comic relief for the show, constantly breaking the fourth wall.
• "Mikey" (voiced by Townsend Coleman) – The orange-masked turtle who wields a pair of nunchakus, which is later changed to a grappling hook. He is the goofy, fun-loving "party animal" of the team who often speaks in surfer slang, and is the source for many of the show's catchphrases, such as "Cowabunga!". More so than any other Turtle, he is obsessed with pizza and enjoys experimenting with various toppings, even when the other Turtles find it gross. He is also considered to be the least intelligent member of the team, especially by Raphael. Michaelangelo is the most laid back character, though he is shown to be very skilled with his nunchaku. He also provides much of the comic relief albeit without Raphael's sarcasm.

Allies and friends

• Master Splinter/Hamato Yoshi (voiced by Peter Renaday in most appearances, Townsend Coleman in two Season 5 episodes) – A soft-spoken yet strict and wizened sensei who used to teach Oroku Saki, until the latter set him up for an offense towards his master which he did not commit and was exiled from the Foot Clan. Since then, he has lived in the sewers of Manhattan as a homeless man with the rats and his four pet turtles as his only friends. Upon being exposed to the same mutagen that changed the turtles into their present anthropomorphic forms with his DNA, Hamato Yoshi transformed into a humanoid mutant rat (as he had most recently been with the rats) and raised the Turtles as his sons (who nickname him "Splinter" from his habit of breaking wood), training them in ninjutsu. It is later revealed that one of his distant ancestors is the founder of the Foot Clan.
• April O'Neil (voiced by Renae Jacobs) – A redheaded TV reporter from Channel 6 News (later a freelance reporter in Seasons 9 and 10) who discovers the Turtles' home in the sewers and befriends the TMNT. She is frequently kidnapped by Shredder and other villains, usually as bait to lure the Turtles out of hiding.
• Irma Langenstein (voiced by Jennifer Darling) – Channel 6's clumsy, dating-obsessed secretary who debuts in Season 2. She is April's best friend who later also befriends the TMNT. Following the destruction of the Channel 6 Building in Season 8, Irma is slowly phased out of the show. A similar character would be used in the 2012 series.
• Casey Jones (voiced by Pat Fraley) – A violent, impulsive, and overzealous street-fighting vigilante who is friends with the Ninja Turtles. He fights using sports equipment and wears a hockey mask.
• Zach "the Fifth Turtle" (voiced by Rob Paulsen) – A 14-year-old who looks up to the Turtles and is their biggest fan.
  • Walt (voiced by Townsend Coleman) – Zach's older brother.
• Punk Frogs – The mutant frog counterparts of the TMNT who were accidentally mutated by Krang and trained in martial arts in the hopes that they would be a match for the Turtles. Further emulating his rival Splinter, Shredder names the four frogs after his own personal heroes: Attila the Hun, Genghis Khan, Napoleon Bonaparte, and Grigori Rasputin. Despite their innocent, docile nature, they are also extremely naive, and as such, they were easily misled by Shredder into believing that the Turtles were "evil" and that Shredder was a "good person". However, they eventually turned against Shredder and became their allies. These frogs all speak with Southern American accents.
  • Attila the Frog (voiced by Townsend Coleman) – A Punk Frog that is armed with a mace who is named after Attila the Hun.
  • Genghis Frog (voiced by Jim Cummings) – A Punk Frog that is armed with an axe who is named after Genghis Khan.
  • Napoleon Bonafrog (voiced by Pat Fraley) – A Punk Frog that is armed with a whip who is named after Napoleon Bonaparte.
  • Rasputin the Mad Frog (voiced by Nicholas Omana) – A Punk Frog that is armed with a bow and arrow who is named after Grigori Rasputin.
• The Neutrinos – An alien race of teenagers from Dimension X whose only goal in life is to have fun.
  • Dask (voiced by Thom Pinto) – The male Neutrino. He spends some time tinkering with his Starmobile.
  • Kala (voiced by Tress MacNeille) – The female Neutrino. She seems to have the strongest friendship with Michelangelo out of all the Turtles.
  • Zak (voiced by Pat Fraley) – The hipster Neutrino.
• Kerma (voiced by Jan Rabson impersonating Cliff Edwards) – A native of the distant utopian planet Shell-Ri-La (the name being a pun on Shangri-La), which is home to a peaceful, but generally defenseless alien humanoid turtles called the Turtleoids. He arrives on Earth to seek for the Turtles' help in protecting his homeworld from a few threats. Kerma was responsible for the origin of Groundchuck and Dirtbag where he led away a lion and a gorilla that Shredder intended to mutate and accidentally opened some cages that caused a red-furred cattle and a mole to be mutated instead. His species need reflective light from gold in order to energize themselves.
• Carter (voiced by Bumper Robinson) – Introduced in Season 9, he travels to New York City to study martial arts under Splinter, but is accidentally exposed to a mutagen which causes him to spontaneously oscillate between his human and mutant forms. He was an important ally to the TMNT in their battles against Lord Dregg. In Season 10, he temporarily leaves to finish his studies after Donatello stabilized his mutation, although he returns upon learning from April that the Turtles were captured by Lord Dregg, Krang, and Shredder. While on his way to rescue the Turtles, Carter found that he could still mutate. At the end of "Turtles to the Second Power", Carter accepts Landor and Merrik's offer to travel with them to the future so he can be fully cured of his mutation.
• Landor and Merrik (voiced by Kevin Schon and Roxanne Beckford) – Two time-travelers from the future.

Villains

Main villains

File:TMNT1987 Shredder.png

The Shredder, as seen in the series' opening theme sequence, and some Foot soldiers.

• The Foot Clan – An evil ninja organization.
  • Oroku Saki/The Shredder (voiced by James Avery in Season 1 to the first half of Season 7, Dorian Harewood in four Season 3 episodes, Pat Fraley in one Season 3 episode, Jim Cummings in one Season 5 episode and most of the European side-season, Townsend Coleman for the second half of Season 7, and William E. Martin in Season 8 and 10) – The nemesis of the Turtles and Master Splinter. He is usually the main villain in other media, but in this series Shredder always, against his will, has to take orders from Krang, although their relationship evolves over time into more of an equal partnership (with Shredder even risking his life to save Krang on numerous occasions). His real name is Oroku Saki, a member of the Foot Clan in Japan and a student of Hamato Yoshi/Splinter. Saki was jealous of Yoshi's leadership within the Clan and sought to usurp him. He responds by framing Yoshi for an offense towards the sensei and has him exiled. Shortly afterwards, Saki takes control of the Foot Clan and transforms it into an army of crime under his command. Along with Krang, Rocksteady, and Bebop, he is the primary antagonist of the show until the end of Season 8, when the Technodrome is destroyed and they are all banished to Dimension X. Although he and Krang return for three episodes in the final season, they are eventually sent back to Dimension X, and they are not seen again for the rest of the series.
  • Rocksteady (voiced by Cam Clarke) – One of Shredder's incompetent, oafish henchmen. Originally the Caucasian male leader of an unnamed street gang, Rocksteady was exposed to the mutagen after coming into contact with a black rhinoceros that was stolen from the zoo, transforming him into a humanoid black rhinoceros. Like Bebop, he is extremely unintelligent (although he is shown on multiple occasions to be slightly more intelligent than Bebop) and serves as comic relief for most of the series.
  • Bebop (voiced by Barry Gordon in most episodes, Greg Berg in six Season 3 episodes and one episode of the "Vacation in Europe" side-season) – An African-American male with a mohawk, sunglasses, and a nose ring who, along with Rocksteady, is one of Shredder's henchmen. Prior to meeting Shredder, he belonged to the same street gang as Rocksteady, serving as the latter's second-in-command. As part of Shredder and Krang's experiment, he was transformed into a humanoid common warthog after being exposed to the mutagen and a common warthog that was stolen from the zoo.
  • Baxter Stockman (voiced by Pat Fraley) – A blond Caucasian inventor (as opposed to the dark-haired African-American he was portrayed as in the Mirage comics) who tried to bill his rat-catching Mousers to the Ajax Pest Control company. They did not like his suggestion, saying it would put them out of business, and threw him out of the building. Embittered, he readily agrees to join forces with Shredder, who orders him to replicate his Mousers and hunt down Splinter and the Turtles. After the Ninja Turtles defeated the Mousers, Baxter Stockman was arrested and thrown into an asylum. Shredder later traded Baxter Stockman to Krang for the return of Bebop and Rocksteady. When Krang found no use for Stockman and decided to kill him, a fly that had been with Baxter in the disintegrator unit soon merged with him, turning him into a humanoid fly. He has occasionally plotted revenge against the Ninja Turtles and Shredder. Baxter Stockman has a twin brother named Barney who was also a mad scientist and threw fits whenever the Turtles mistook him for Baxter.
    • Z (voiced by Townsend Coleman) – The sentient computer found on an abandoned spaceship that allied itself with Baxter Stockman where it assists him in his plots in "Bye, Bye, Fly," "Son of Return of the Fly II," and "Revenge of the Fly."
  • Chrome Dome (voiced by Peter Renaday) – A towering robot that was created by Shredder to keep an eye on the Foot Soldiers in "Planet of the Turtleoids" Pt. 1 at the time when the Technodrome was being upgraded. It was destroyed during it's fight with the Turtles. In "Night of the Rogues", Chrome Dome was rebuilt by Shredder and is among the villains that Shredder recruited to attack the Turtles.
  • Foot Soldiers – A group of robotic ninjas that serve as Shredder's loyal soldiers.
• Krang (voiced by Pat Fraley in most episodes, Townsend Coleman in four Season 3 episodes) – An extremely intelligent, disembodied brain from Dimension X who commands the Technodrome. Like Shredder, he aspires to conquer the Earth, although he does not share Shredder's obsessive hatred of the Turtles and Splinter (instead of viewing them as more of an annoyance/obstacle), preferring instead to focus on world conquest. He funds and helps plan most of Shredder's schemes, although they often bicker with one another over tactics. In Season 7, it is revealed that Krang originally belonged to a muscular, vicious reptilian humanoid species (mainly resembling a Tyrannosaurus) with regenerative powers before he lost his body and was banished from Dimension X.
  • Rock Soldiers – The Rock Soldiers are an army of sentient rock humanoids from Dimension X. As mentioned in "Michaelangelo's Birthday," the Rock Soldiers were created when Krang used mutagen on some rocks. The Rock Soldiers are incredibly strong, but they are not very bright.
    • General Traag (voiced by Peter Renaday) – Traag is a Rock Soldier general that is loyal to Krang.
    • Sergeant Granitor (voiced by Pat Fraley impersonating Peter Lorre) – Granitor is a high-ranking gray Rock Soldier that is loyal to Krang and works under General Traag.
• Lord Dregg (voiced by Tony Jay) – An alien warlord who serves as the chief antagonist for the final two seasons of the series, following Shredder and Krang's exile to Dimension X in Season 8. At the end of the final season, Lord Dregg is banished to Dimension X as well (and presumably killed, since the Turtles had sent Krang's android suit back with him as it was about to undergo an atomic explosion). Although he starts out as a cold, calm, and calculating villain, his sanity gradually deteriorates over the course of Season 10, as he becomes increasingly obsessed with destroying the Turtles once and for all. In the process, he alienates all of his remaining followers, including his second-in-command Mung, who accuses him of losing sight of their quest for world domination. He is also the only villain other than Titanus who appears to be in more than just three episodes.
  • HiTech (voiced by Rob Paulsen in Season 9, Cam Clarke in Season 10) – An arthropod-like alien in high-tech armor who served as Lord Dregg's second-in-command. When Mung proves more efficient as second-in-command, Dregg blasts HiTech off in a pod to "orbit the galaxy".
  • Mung (voiced by Cam Clarke) – A hunchbacked beetle-like henchman of Lord Dregg who replaced HiTech in the final season. He is a technical and mechanical genius where he even surpasses HiTech himself. Mung usually supplies Dregg with his self-replicating "microbots" to build whatever he wants in a matter of hours.
  • TechnoGang – A gang of insect-like foot soldiers that serve Lord Dregg.
  • Batmen – A group of ugly winged humanoid bats that serve as the alternate foot soldiers for Lord Dregg.

Recurring villains

• The Street Gang – The first street gang is the one that Bebop and Rocksteady lead. There is another branch of the group that is led by Lugnut who Bebop and Rocksteady's faction are associated with. Both factions are loosely based on the Purple Dragons from the comics.
  • Scrag – A member of Bebop and Rocksteady's faction with wild hair and wears sunglasses. He got mutated into a mutant bat. His name came from the original storyboard for "Turtle Tracks" and a coloring book.
  • Grunt – A member of Bebop and Rocksteady's faction who sports a yellow mohawk and wears sunglasses. He got mutated into a mutant lizard. His name came from the original storyboard for "Turtle Tracks."
  • Dopey – A cap-wearing, but big-nosed member of Bebop and Rocksteady's faction who got mutated into a mutant shrew. His name came from the original storyboard for "Turtle Tracks."
  • Dumbo – A short, fat, and bald-headed member of Bebop and Rocksteady's faction who got mutated into a mutant dog. His name came from the original storyboard for "Turtle Tracks."
  • Lugnut (voiced by Townsend Coleman in "The Gang's All Here," Nicholas Omana in "Once Upon a Time Machine") – The bald-headed leader of the gang that Rocksteady and Bebop's faction are a part of.
  • Jersey Red (voiced by Renae Jacobs) – A tough woman who is a member of Lugnut's faction.
  • High Five (voiced by Rob Paulsen) – A member of Lugnut's faction.
• The Rat King (voiced by Townsend Coleman) – A homeless man living in a dilapidated portion of the New York City sewer system, not too far from the Turtles and Splinter. He usually carries around a hypnotic flute to mesmerize any rodent nearby, especially mutant rats. In these episodes featuring him, the Rat King would often enact some sort of plot to establish his own rat-controlled government and end human rule forever, thus believing that all rats (which he counted himself as) were more superior than every other species, whom he described as "inferior non-rodents". The Rat King appeared as a recurring villain from Seasons 3 to 7 onwards, until he is finally apprehended by the police in the second episode of Season 8.
• Leatherhead (voiced by Jim Cummings in three appearances, Peter Renaday in "Night of the Rogues") – A large alligator from Florida who has mutated into humanoid form when he swam through a mutagen-polluted part of his swamp. He hunted the Turtles' allies the Punk Frogs, and then went to New York to hunt the Turtles themselves. One time, he fights the Rat King, but join forces with him in later episodes.
• Slash (voiced by Pat Fraley) – An ordinary turtle from Earth that got mutated by Bebop and Rocksteady. He is a muscular, vicious humanoid turtle with brute strength, dynamic durability, spikes on his shell, vortex breath, hardened claws, and a pair of Shaolin swords, but very low intelligence (although he does temporarily acquire a genius-level IQ in his second appearance). Slash is also extremely attached to a small, plastic palm tree standing inside the bowl prior before exposure of super mutagen and calls it his "binky".
• Pinky McFingers (voiced by Peter Renaday in most appearances, Cam Clarke in "Donatello's Duplicate") – A high-ranking crime boss with a gang at his disposal. McFingers once sponsors Baxter Stockman's twin brother Barney Stockman to create a "gag-a-magnifier" device that increases the comedy power of jokes. They planned to hook up the funniest comedian to it and transmit the joke waves all over the city, making everyone hysterically helpless. This enabled McFingers and his two goons would go out and rob the city. He and his men kidnapped comedians until they kidnapped Raphael. They tied Raphael up in a sack and took him to their hideout where strapped down, McFingers tells him of his brilliant plan. Being the funniest comedian, Raphael is forced to start telling his jokes. However, the rest of the turtles rescue him and the other comedians and turn the device against Stockman and the McFingers gang, all of whom end up arrested.
• Big Louie (voiced by Peter Renaday) – A high-ranking gangster with a gang at his disposal who sometimes works with the Shredder.
• Tempestra (voiced by Gaille Heideman) – A sorceress from the arcade game "Tempestra's Revenge" who was brought out by a freak thunderstorm. She possesses telekinetic powers, can create different creatures to fight for her, and can control the weather. After Leonardo encountered Tempestra upon playing the arcade game, he called in the rest of the Turtles to fight her. Tempestra was defeated when Leonardo trapped her in the circuit board from the wrecked arcade game. In "Night of the Rogues", Tempestra was freed offscreen by Shredder who is among the villains used by him and Krang to destroy the Turtles where she was the one who led them. Tempestra has also appeared in three video games associated with this show.
• Groundchuck and Dirtbag (voiced by Robert Ridgely and Pat Fraley) – A mutant red-furred cattle in armor and a mutant mole who were accidentally created by Shredder's mutagen due a series of events caused by Kerma.
• H.A.V.O.C. – Short for Highly Advanced Variety Of Creatures, H.A.V.O.C. is a gang of mutants. The Turtles meet H.A.V.O.C. in the process of thwarting a robbery, meeting mutants and H.A.V.O.C. members Raptor, Amok, and Overdrive, and then later, the H.A.V.O.C. leader, Titanus. The Turtles find out that while H.A.V.O.C. has offered the Turtles a safe haven from those who think they are the villains, H.A.V.O.C. is actually creating mutants instead of protecting them and actually tries to turn the entire city into mutants. The Turtles spend a few episodes of season 8 battling H.A.V.O.C. After they get rid of the boss, none of the other mutants appear again.
  • Titanus (voiced by Ron Feinberg) – A large unspecified mutant from the future who is the leader of H.A.V.O.C. In his final appearance, he ends up trapped in the time of dinosaurs and vows to have revenge against the Turtles if it is the last thing he ever does.
  • Amok (voiced by Townsend Coleman) – A mutant goat.
  • Highbeam (voiced by Rob Paulsen) – A mutant firefly.
  • Magma (voiced by Barry Gordon) – A lava mutant. He and Seizure were ordered by Titanus to make mutants.
  • Overdrive (voiced by Cam Clarke) – A mutant cheetah.
  • Ram Mystic (voiced by Rob Paulsen) – An unnamed ram mutant with mystical powers.
  • Raptor (voiced by Pat Fraley) – An unspecified mutant bird of prey.
  • Seizure (voiced by Rodger Bumpass) – A mutant centipede. He and Magma were ordered by Titanus to make mutants.
  • Synapse (voiced by Pat Fraley) – A convict that desired revenge against the Turtles since they defeated him in "Get Shredder." In H.A.V.O.C. in the Streets, Titanus breaks him out of jail and turns him into an electric mutant. Synapse keeps the Turtles busy for a while until Donatello forces him through a ham radio, leaving him trapped on the radio airwaves.

Other characters

• Channel 6 News Staff – The workers of Channel 6 News that often have involvements with the Ninja Turtles. Following the destruction of the Channel 6 News building during Season 8, these characters slowly faded out of the show. The old Channel 6 building also made a cameo appearance in the crossover movie Turtles Forever as the 2003 Turtles take a detour in the dimension of their 1987 counterparts.
  • Burne Thompson (voiced by Pat Fraley in most episodes, Townsend Coleman in three episodes of Season 3) – April's stubborn and irascible boss at Channel 6 News, and the human antagonist of the Turtles. Based on Marvel Comics' J. Jonah Jameson, like Jameson with Spider-Man, he wrongfully believed the Turtles were a "menace" and encouraged April to expose them since he usually had to pay for the damages caused by the Turtles' battles. His hatred for the TMNT intensified following the destruction of the Channel 6 building by Shredder in Season 8, an incident he falsely blamed on the Turtles. He often favored Vernon more, which was likely due to the fact that Vernon shared Burne's distrust of the TMNT and did not hesitate to cast a negative light on them in his news coverage. In the 2014 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film, a genderbent adaption of this character named Bernadette Thompson was used where she was portrayed by Whoopi Goldberg.
  • Vernon Fenwick (voiced by Pat Fraley in Season 1, Peter Renaday in Seasons 2–8 and Townsend Coleman in one Season 5 episode) – April's cameraman, rival news reporter, and the second human antagonist of the Turtles. In Season 1, he had more of a serious and dedicated personality, although shades of the cowardice and rivalry with April that would define Vernon's character throughout the rest of the series would sometimes surface. Despite that, he was still willing to help April get her story in the Season 1 finale, "Shredded and Splintered". From Season 2 onwards, he was written as a selfish, egotistical, opportunistic, and cowardly cameraman and co-reporter who would often go to great lengths to steal April's thunder, although he was quick to cede all of the more "dangerous" assignments to April, not willing to put himself in harm's way. Like Burne, he wrongfully believed that the Turtles were a menace to society and often actively participated in Burne's anti-mutant campaigns, even though the Turtles had saved his life on many occasions. Vern appears in the 2014 TMNT film and its 2016 sequel portrayed by Will Arnett.

Production

Development and writing

By 1986, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic series by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird had experienced two years of success. At that time, New York-based licensing agent Mark Freedman – who had previously handled Hanna-Barbera's library of characters and was establishing his own licensing company – was contacted by a connection in the toy industry and introduced to the property. Though initially in disbelief at the title, he found it growing onto him and decided to approach California toy manufacturer Playmates Toys to pitch a toy line based on the property. The uncertain company requested that a television deal be acquired first, and after the initial five-episode series debuted, they released their first series of Ninja Turtles action figures in the summer of 1988. The two media would correspond in marketing and popularity for many years to come.

David Wise and Patti Howeth wrote the screenplay for the first 5-part miniseries. When the series continued in the second season, comic artist Jack Mendelsohn joined the show as the executive story editor, and collaborated on story concepts and additional characters with John Schulte and John Besmehn of PANGEA, who were writing presentation scripts, background stories, and character bios for their client, Playmates Toys. Wise went on to write over seventy episodes of the series, and was executive story editor for four later seasons as well. Wise left the series partway through the ninth season, and Jeffrey Scott took over as the story editor and chief writer for the rest of the show's run.

The animation work for the early episodes of the series were handled by Japanese anime studio Toei Animation. The budget for the first five episodes of the series was almost $2 million.

Voice acting

Casting for the show took place in Los Angeles. During recording of the voice acting, all the main cast recorded together. According to Renae Jacobs, voice-actress of the reporter April O'Neil, working together "was great for camaraderie and relationships. We played off each other...there was a lot of ad libbing".

Also according to Jacobs, the actors frequently undermined the efforts of the show's creators to make the show grittier and more serious, instead embracing silliness and jokes for both children and adults.

"They [the Turtle voice actors] were kind of like the Marx Brothers, The Stooges, Laurel & Hardy, Burns and Allen and all of those wonderful, fabulous old radio personalities and early movie personalities all rolled up into one. Those guys put the heart and soul into those turtles and came up with those personalities".

— Renae Jacobs, Interview

Soundtrack

Through most of the series, the episodes featured a recurring background music which reflected the mood of the situation, as well as leitmotifs for settings such as the Technodrome, the New York City sewers, Channel 6, etc. The soundtrack was composed by Dennis Challen Brown (credited as "D.C. Brown" and later as "Dennis C. Brown") and Chuck Lorre. Lorre recorded the theme song (and performed the spoken parts) and later became a successful television producer. The performer of the song was James Mandell (aka Miles Doppler).

Broadcast and release

Syndication

The show was in Saturday morning syndication from October 1, 1988, to September 9, 1989, and became an instant hit. The show was expanded to five days a week and aired weekday afternoons in syndication in most markets from September 25, 1989, to March 29, 1991, with reruns airing until September 17, 1993. Starting on September 8, 1990 (with a different opening sequence), the show began its secondary run on CBS's Saturday morning lineup, beginning as a 60-minute block from 1990 to 1993, initially airing a couple of Saturday exclusive episodes back to back. There would also be a brief "Turtle Tips" segment in between the two episodes which served as public service announcements about the environment or other issues. There were at least 20 "Turtle Tips" segments that were produced and aired. Beginning in 1994, the show began airing as a 30-minute block until the series ended.

Although the last episode broadcast on CBS on November 2, 1996, reruns of Seasons 8, 9 and 10 continued to air until August 30, 1997. That would be the last time the show would be reran on any television network in the United States for almost 26 years. Episodes from Seasons 1–7 were rerun on the USA Network's USA Cartoon Express from September 13, 1993 to September 15, 1996 (the last time any episode from prior to Seasons 8-10 would air on television in the United States for nearly 27 years). Fred Wolf Films, owners of the rights to the show, have licensed the series to Lionsgate Home Entertainment, who have been responsible for the DVD and retail streaming releases.

On July 20, 2023, at San Diego Comic Con, it was announced that to coincide with the release of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, Nickelodeon had acquired the broadcast rights to the series from Fred Wolf Films. With the acquisition, the series would become available on Nickelodeon's branded channels and other digital platforms later that month, starting with Nicktoons on July 31, 2023.

International releases

• In Australia, the show's original run on the Seven Network ended in 1996. From 2013 to 2020, reruns aired on 10 Peach, Currently aired on Nickelodeon in August 2023, Everynight at 11pm and repeat every weekdays at 3pm.
  • Despite being a PAL region, the series always aired under the US “Ninja” title in Australia. The first season of the show premiered as a two-part (90 minutes each) prime-time miniseries on the Seven Network in February 1990 before shifting to a 3:30 p.m. timeslot for Season 2. Later, after ratings fell, it was moved to a morning timeslot in January 1994 as part of Agro's Cartoon Connection until its end in 1996. The show was mostly uncensored, airing under its original name with occasional edits, including the editing of Season 1.
• In New Zealand the series screened on TV3 from early 1990 onwards, just weeks after TV3 began broadcasting. Season 2 and Season 3 were first screened weekdays initially at 5:30pm and later moved to an earlier timeslot, season 2 and 3 were repeated several times over in 1990. Season 1 aired as lost episodes which screened on Saturday evenings at 6:00 p.m. between September and October 1990. Season 4 was picked up in 1991 with TV3 first screening the episodes that aired in the US on CBS followed by the syndicated episodes. From 1992 to 1996 TV3 screened the later seasons on Saturday mornings, the "Vacation in Europe" episodes were screened in 1993.
• In the Republic of Ireland, the series ended its original run on August 9, 1998, but the show was regularly rerun on RTÉ Two until 2008. In Yugoslavia the series was broadcast on RTS from 1991 to 1994 and on RTV Pink from 1998 to 2002. In Denmark, the show is aired every weekday at 6.00 am on TV 2.
  • In the Republic of Ireland, the series was initially known as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles just like the US version and the intro sequence was unedited when it debuted on RTÉ Two as part of the Irish TV strand The Den with the airing of the second season in September 1990. After the first two episodes were broadcast, the name was changed to the Hero Turtles version and the intro was edited, except for season one. Scenes with Mikey's nunchucks and the word ‘ninja’ were always edited out in the actual episodes, though. Episodes were also cut a bit midway through at the point where there would be a commercial break, perhaps because there were no ad breaks during shows on The Den. The show was very popular in Ireland and aired a lot on weekday afternoons on RTÉ in the mid 90s with season 1 being placed between 3 and 4. The European Vacation eps first aired in Ireland in December 1990. In 2007–2008, episodes were aired in their original US unedited form.
• In the United Kingdom, the series was originally released under the name Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles (TMHT). This was due to the controversy surrounding ninjas and related weapons such as nunchaku at the time. The intro sequence was heavily edited because of this, replacing the word ninja with hero or fighting, using a digitally faded logo instead of the animated blob, and removing any scenes in which Michaelangelo wields his nunchaku, replacing them with clips from the show. Scenes of Michaelangelo using his nunchaku were likewise edited out of the episodes themselves, which led the American show runners to drop the weapons from the series entirely in the fourth season in order to make the show more appropriate for the international airings. The weapons were replaced with a grappling hook called the "Turtle Line" that served as Mikey's signature weapon for the rest of the show's run. The word 'ninja' was also edited out of any speech within the show, often leading to some awkward sounding dialogue.
• The TMHT version was aired in other European countries, including the Republic of Ireland (except series 1, which had the original title), The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Poland, Hungary, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Finland, in local dubs (the Finnish version was in English with subtitles, while Polish was in English with a voice-over translation). In Denmark, the English censored version was aired on the national broadcaster TV2. It had subtitles as well, however, only seasons 2 and 3 were aired in this fashion. Season 1 was aired as one spliced feature, instead of the original five-part miniseries. The movie was titled The Epic Begins, and included heavy edits from each of the five episodes, and was also released to VHS in the US in 1988.
• In Russia on the TV channel 2×2 a dubbed version in Russian was shown on September 25, 1993. On June 9, 1997, the channel shut down, and the show was discontinued. After it resumed broadcasting in 2003, a re-run with an old dubbed version began on the 2×2 from April 1, 2013. Since February 11, 2021, there is a new dubbed version on TV channel 2x2.
• In Sweden, TV 3 Sweden, which aired from London, aired seasons 1-3 between 1990 and 1993, while TV1000 aired seasons 4–6 with subtitles and the "Vacation in Europe" episodes dubbed. The series was dubbed into Swedish by Mediadubb. Sun Studio also dubbed some chosen seasons 1-3 episodes into Swedish, for home video releases in 1991, later rereleased to DVD. In Sweden, the home video releases kept the original title, "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles".

Home video releases

VHS

The series has seen numerous releases on VHS in Region 1 by Family Home Entertainment, beginning in 1988 and continuing through 1996. Several tapes were released as part of marketing promotions with corporations such as Burger King and TV Teddy.

UK videotapes were initially released using the censored Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles title.

LaserDisc

Six LaserDisc collections of selected episodes were released in North America in 1989. Releases continued through at least 1996.

DVD

Starting in April 2004, DVD releases began in region 1. The series has since seen numerous releases as part of DVD compilations.

Region 1

Lionsgate Home Entertainment (through FHE Kids Entertainment and Family Home Entertainment) has released the entire series to DVD in Region 1. Initially it was released in volumes, with each volume containing 9–13 episodes in its original production order, with the exception of the first volume, which included bonus episodes from the last season. After six volumes, it was announced that the series would now be released in season sets, starting with season 4. However, the episodes "Once Upon a Time Machine" was omitted in the season 4 set and the 1991 prime-time special "Planet of the Turtleoids" was omitted from the Season 5 set, but are included in the Season 10 set as bonus episodes. The DVDs do not include the Turtle Tips PSAs.

On November 13, 2012, Lionsgate Family Entertainment released Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – The Complete Classic Series on DVD in Region 1. The 23-disc set features all 193 episodes of the series as well as bonus features. It also contains special collectors edition packaging.

On July 23, 2013, Lionsgate re-released all 47 episodes of season 3 together in a 4 disc box set.

A compilation of selected episodes, Cowabunga Classics, was released on July 29, 2014.

Region 2

The first volume of the 25th Anniversary Edition, containing all episodes from the first two seasons in a PAL format as well as some bonus material from season 10, was released for Region 2 DVDs by Lionsgate Home Entertainment in the UK and the Republic of Ireland on May 25, 2009. 4 DVDs containing 3 episodes each based around Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael and Michaelango were released on May 19, 2014. DVDs of the series were also released by German distributor KSM GmbH between May 2007 and February 2012.

Region 4

The show was released in Australia by Lionsgate Home Entertainment between 2009 and 2016. All episodes from the 1987 series were released in sixteen volumes. The discs are in Region 4, but unusually, they are in NTSC picture format, instead of PAL. The first six DVDs are more or less duplicated from the Region 1 discs released in America, however unlike the American release, Season 4 was broken down into several separate volumes (7 to 9).

Video on demand

United States

Lionsgate Home Entertainment has also released each of the seasons in digital format which are sold separately on several digital platforms such as Amazon and iTunes in Standard Definition only. While "Once Upon a Time Machine" is included with Season 5, "Planet of the Turtleoids" is included with Season 6.

Following Nickelodeon's acquisition of the distribution rights for the series, several seasons have been re-released under Nickelodeon's branding, also in Standard Definition only. The first two seasons were made available for streaming September 19, 2023 on Paramount+.

Reception

IGN named TMNT as the 55th best show in the Top 100 Best Animated TV Shows. While the story diverged heavily from the original conception of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with the universe of the original Mirage comics, the 1987 television series is largely the most notable and popular incarnation and drove the franchise to the phenomenal status it would achieve in popular culture. Co-creator, Peter Laird, has publicly shared his distaste with the show on numerous occasions but has also acknowledged that it was extremely successful with and beloved by its audience and, while he would have preferred a different approach to the material, it might not have been as popular as what was produced. Retroactively, the cross-over film Turtles Forever established a common multiverse continuity between all Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles variations.

At the time, the series was criticized by various groups for its violent content and commercialism. The extensive line of toys and other licensed products also attracted criticism. The Australian Council for Children's Films and Television accused the show of being a 30-minute toy commercial.

External links

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles at IMDb
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles at the Big Cartoon DataBase