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| Heroes in a half shell. |
Leonardo (Leo) Raphael (Raph)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles burst onto the Saturday morning cartoon scene in the late 1980s and remained popular through most of the 1990s. As Alex describes them: "They are teenagers, who became mutant turtles after mutagen was poured on them, and they learned to become ninjas." That's a pretty fair description of Leonardo (the leader), Donatello (the smart one), Raphael (the tough guy) and Michelangelo (the funny guy). The turtles live in the sewers of New York City and are trained by the all-knowing Sensei Rat, Master Splinter, who also acts as the boys' adoptive father. They fight the Krang, the Foot Clan, Dog Pound, Fish Face, Baxter Stockman, the ultimate bad guy known as Shredder, and slew of other enemies, most of whom are also mutants or at least aliens from other planets.
Last year, Nickelodeon brought TMNT back and now there is a new generation of kids addicted to these characters. So much so that we flew to Orlando, Florida to spend the weekend with the turtles, enjoy a pizza dinner with them and engage in a ninja training at the Nickelodeon Suites Resort. The Nick Hotel is offering special TNMT weekends through the end of the year.
