Real Reasons The different colored masks of the blue ninja turtle are important

Teenage Mutant’s blue ninja turtle colored masks have become synonymous with the characters, as well as their signature weapons. Even casual fans are aware that Leonardo wears blue, Raphael is red, Michelangelo is orange, Donatello prefers purple. Is there any meaning to the colors used by half-shell heroes?

Blue Ninja Turtle

The turtles debuted in 1984. They were introduced into the world by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, an artist/writer team. However, the original comic books were printed in black and the weapons were the only thing that separated the brothers. The turtles would have been shown in color, but they’d be wearing red masks. So where did the leap to the colors that fans now know?

According to Laird’s 2012 blog post, the decision to color-code turtles was an arbitrary one that allowed for easier identification of characters – although it wasn’t made by their creators. Laird stated that “My memories of this are that there wasn’t any specific discussion about which Turtle should be given which color based on how it matched their personalities or whatever.” It is possible that there was some discussion at Fred Wolf’s and Playmates about the matter, but I’m not sure. Playmates was responsible for the hugely successful blue ninja Turtle line of toys. Fred Wolf was the creator of the popular original cartoon that aired from 1987-1996. Laird said that the colored bandanas would appear in the TMNT films, and retroactively made their way into comics. However, Laird didn’t think the changes were too significant. “Frankly I would have been happy if all the Turtles were in red bandanas. But I also recognize the value in giving each one a distinct color.”

Teenage Mutant

Laird and Eastman were happy with the tonal shift and addressed it in 1989’s Teenage Mutant Blue Ninja Turtle. The cartoon versions were referred to as an editorial by the duo. We’ve let the wild side happen and we love it. They realized that their characters had two distinct fanbases. The comics were dark and violent, and they continued to appeal to the younger audience while the cartoons and toys satisfied the older one. Laird and Eastman realized that there was enough room for both the Turtles’ two versions.

Blue ninja turtle masks are now ffxiv mod archive a staple of pop culture and the distinctive colors have been a trademark for fans. Although they all started in monochromatic red, the colors, along with the characters, themes and tone, have changed over time. While the Teenage Mutant Blue Ninja Turtle Blue, Red, Orange, and Purple Masks are some of their most distinctive features, it is likely that they were introduced only through a cartoon adaptation and a toy line hoping to brighten things.