Turtle Power: Journal Article Analysis 1-3

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles made their movie debut in 1990 and their sequel later on in 1991. In the early 90’s however the turtles started off in comic books. Also around 1984 Teenage mutant ninja turtle action figures came out and came right off the shelf as quick as a wink. The story behind these Turtles is simple. 4 normal turtles living in the sewers of New York City get exposed to some “Radioactive Waste” which makes them stronger and more intelligent then ever seen. From the help of their master “Splinter” they learn ninjitsu where the must stop the evil “Shredder” from taking over the world. Splinter was one a simple pet to a great ninjitsu master until one day the evil shredder sent his evil henchmen the foot to destroy his little Japanese town. Splinter got away and made it to New York where he also fell in the Radioactive waste and became wise. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles actually started out as a spoof to the Marvel Comic Daredevil. There was one part of the comic book in Daredevil where he was trained by a master called “Stick” and he must stop “The Hand” from destroying the world. Daredevil was also affected by Radioactive Waste and it heightened his senses but has for the turtles not only did it heighten their intelligence it made them strong as well. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was a big hit around this time. Teenagers could relate to the turtles for the simple fact that the turtles where teenagers as well. Eating pizza, skateboarding, and playing pranks on each other is what a typical teenager does. When the first comic book arose in stores in 1984 and the turtles where now taking off it was all based on the fact of the Regan/ Bush Era. While the Berlin Wall was coming down and research into the Strategic Defense Initiative, Americans were concerned about nuclear war and the turtles showed a new light to nuclear waste. Also around this time many toys were based of the Regan years where the evil empire Soviet Union was shaping. Many Toys like He-Man: Master of the Universe and GI Joe and even the turtles where a sign that there are hero’s among the United States and we will stop the world from evil. While most toys that dealt with hero’s typical white or Caucasian members with a strong build and weapons to help them along the way, The turtles broke the mold by being green and not from a typical American background. Many differences that also came along that He-Man and GI Joe fought against evil all the time, no matter what the cost. The turtles are a laid back, fight for justice and only actually took up a battle when one of their friends of family was in trouble. The turtles hit the action figure market so rapidly cashing in over 500 million dollars in one year. The turtles was a popular culture break through and are still going strong with the animated TV series today. A lot of kids even I remember trying to be a ninja turtle doing kicks in the air and fighting shredder. It gave light to the fact that we cant take nuclear war too serious but also be a little concerned. the Ninja Turtles formed part of a collective sigh of relief among Americans at the conclusion of the Cold War. Their resurgent longevity bears testament not only to their inherent originality but also to their identity as one of America’s most effective psychological self-defense mechanisms against the apocalyptic threat that nuclear weapons still pose: a sense of humor.

Bisges, J. (2007) Turtle power!: How Four Mutant Teenagers Nuked the Entertainment Industry, Vol. 41, Issue 6, p. 918-933