# Inspired by Enola's Superman thread..what about the Ninja Turtles? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 28, 2003, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inspired-by-enolas-superman-thread-what-about-the-ninja-turtles/158076 "2003-02-28T05:49:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![80sHairMetalMaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/8/ed655f/32.png) [@80sHairMetalMaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/80sHairMetalMaven)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2003, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inspired-by-enolas-superman-thread-what-about-the-ninja-turtles/158076/1 "2003-02-28T05:49:15Z")
I was a HUGE Ninja Turtles fan as a kid and still hold a special feeling for them in my heart. I have also owned a few real turtles over the years. I got curious and read Enola’s Superman thread and got to thinking. Was there something in that nuclear radiation that mutated the turtles that changed their digestive system as well? IIRC, real turtles cannot subsist on a diet containing a lot of meat. They require great amounts of grains and veggies, as well as a lot of water( both for drinking and swimming in). And is it really possible to live in the sewers of NYC and not get noticed at all? And are the Turtles circumsized, since creator Stan Lee is Jewish?;j IDBB:confused: ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2003, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inspired-by-enolas-superman-thread-what-about-the-ninja-turtles/158076/2 "2003-02-28T05:57:34Z")
Stan Lee did not create the TMNT. Eastman and Laird did. ---
**Author:** ![brianjedi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@brianjedi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brianjedi)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2003, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inspired-by-enolas-superman-thread-what-about-the-ninja-turtles/158076/3 "2003-02-28T05:59:11Z")
The Turtles were **not** created by Stan Lee. They were created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. Anyway, the Turtles were really cool back in the day. I fondly remember watching the cartoon every day (yes, I know the cartoon is about as close to the comic as the USSR was to democracy) and thinking that the Turtles were the greatest. Turtle Power! ---
**Author:** ![80sHairMetalMaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/8/ed655f/32.png) [@80sHairMetalMaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/80sHairMetalMaven)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2003, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inspired-by-enolas-superman-thread-what-about-the-ninja-turtles/158076/4 "2003-02-28T06:00:23Z")
Hah.Thank you for correcting me. I was wrong. I also was a HUGE fan of both the animated series, the video games( I could kick ass at those games) and the movies.Especially the movies.🙂 IDBB ---
**Author:** ![Sock\_Munkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Sock\_Munkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sock_Munkey)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2003, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inspired-by-enolas-superman-thread-what-about-the-ninja-turtles/158076/5 "2003-02-28T06:49:10Z")
Snapping turtles eat meat as a regular part of their diet and others species get by just fine in the desert. The big issue for them is heat. The temperature underground is far more stable than on the surface and a human sized turtle has enough mass to hold heat fairly well. ---
**Author:** ![Vorae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d78d45/32.png) [@Vorae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vorae)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2003, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inspired-by-enolas-superman-thread-what-about-the-ninja-turtles/158076/6 "2003-02-28T10:19:15Z")
What was up with their obession with April O’Neill? I always wondered what exactly they intended to _do_ about that. Now I’m thinking about _Planet of the Apes_. And _Star Trek_. Trans-species love between humanoids is…weird. ---
**Author:** ![80sHairMetalMaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/8/ed655f/32.png) [@80sHairMetalMaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/80sHairMetalMaven)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2003, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inspired-by-enolas-superman-thread-what-about-the-ninja-turtles/158076/7 "2003-02-28T16:09:47Z")
**Sock Munkey** you said > [@](#): > > Snapping turtles eat meat as a regular part of their diet and others species get by just fine in the desert . But IIRC,the Ninja Turtles weren’t spawned from desert tortises or snapping turtles but ordinary sliders that you can buy at the pet store. I realize that pet turtles such as these have webbed feet but how in the heck does that turn into somewhat normal hands/feet for a mutated turtle?Granted each Ninja Turtle only had three fingers on each hand and each foot had two toes but neither of these were webbed.Nor did they sport claws,as most pet turtles tend to do. IDBB ---
**Author:** ![Shade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@Shade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shade)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2003, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inspired-by-enolas-superman-thread-what-about-the-ninja-turtles/158076/8 "2003-02-28T17:09:55Z")
I don’t mean to be a spoil-sport but isn’t the premise that they were mutated to become 6ft humaniod pizza-eating creatures. If you can’t accept that, don’t watch the show 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Amp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Amp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amp)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2003, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inspired-by-enolas-superman-thread-what-about-the-ninja-turtles/158076/9 "2003-02-28T17:18:44Z")
They weren’t 6 feet. More like 4’ to 4’5". They were shorter than your average human. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Carnage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/max_carnage/32/12775_2.png) [@Max\_Carnage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Carnage)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2003, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inspired-by-enolas-superman-thread-what-about-the-ninja-turtles/158076/10 "2003-02-28T17:34:00Z")
In a round about way, Stan Lee DID create the turtles. Splinter explains to the young turtles that they were mutated when a young boy pushed an old man from the path of a speeding truck. When the truck swerved, a container of radioactive material fell from the truck, struck the boy in the face (esp the eyes), and then rolled into the sewer where its contents caused the turtles to evolve. That young boy would grow up to be the blind superstar of print and screen…Daredevil, a Stan Lee creation. And now you know the rest of the story. Good day. ---
**Author:** ![Amp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Amp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amp)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2003, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inspired-by-enolas-superman-thread-what-about-the-ninja-turtles/158076/11 "2003-02-28T17:45:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Max Carnage \* > \*\*In a round about way, Stan Lee DID create the turtles. Splinter explains to the young turtles that they were mutated when a young boy pushed an old man from the path of a speeding truck. When the truck swerved, a container of radioactive material fell from the truck, struck the boy in the face (esp the eyes), and then rolled into the sewer where its contents caused the turtles to evolve. > > That young boy would grow up to be the blind superstar of print and screen…Daredevil, a Stan Lee creation. > > And now you know the rest of the story. > > Good day. \*\* I had heard this such a long time ago that and when the DD movie came out I wanted to ask about it here but I started to doubt my memories and didn’t want the true comic geeks to laugh at me. Now, is this canon? Do the turtles exist in the Marvel Universe alongside of Spider-Man, The Hulk, The X-Men, and others? ---
**Author:** ![80sHairMetalMaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/8/ed655f/32.png) [@80sHairMetalMaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/80sHairMetalMaven)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2003, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inspired-by-enolas-superman-thread-what-about-the-ninja-turtles/158076/12 "2003-02-28T18:00:11Z")
But I thought that…oh never mind.I DO remember from the DD movie that he said he’s from Hell’s Kitchen which is NYC,home of the Ninja Turtles.I don’t know if they ever existed in the same Marvel Universe alongside Spidey and the gang. Twould be interesting to find out. And if they WERE spawned from common,pet-shop red sliders,then how come there is no red mark on the sides of their heads as there are on any other common red slider you’d find at the pet store or in a pond? IDBB ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Carnage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/max_carnage/32/12775_2.png) [@Max\_Carnage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Carnage)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2003, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inspired-by-enolas-superman-thread-what-about-the-ninja-turtles/158076/13 "2003-02-28T18:56:41Z")
No they aren’t in the same univers. And it’s never explicitly told that the boy in the origin story was Matt Murdock, but we all knew. It was just a tribute. As far as I know, in TMNT Universe, that boy died of radiation poisoning. But in another tribute to DD, the ninja clan the turtles fight (human in the comics, robots in the cartoon) were called the Foot Clan. In DD/Elektra comics, they often fought a ninja group called the Hand. Also DD’s mentor and trainer was Stick, while the turtles had Splinter. ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2003, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inspired-by-enolas-superman-thread-what-about-the-ninja-turtles/158076/14 "2003-02-28T19:41:25Z")
A turtle’s penis is internal; it comes out through a dorsal vent. It has no foreskin or other circumcisable structure. Hey… a new sig? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Controvert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@The\_Controvert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Controvert)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2003, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inspired-by-enolas-superman-thread-what-about-the-ninja-turtles/158076/15 "2003-02-28T19:57:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Max Carnage \* > \*\*Also DD’s mentor and trainer was Stick, while the turtles had Splinter. \*\* Splinter walked around with a walking stick. And now you know the rest of the rest of the story. ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2003, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inspired-by-enolas-superman-thread-what-about-the-ninja-turtles/158076/16 "2003-02-28T20:00:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by I\_Dig\_Bad\_Boys \* > **IIRC, real turtles cannot subsist on a diet containing a lot of meat. They require great amounts of grains and veggies, as well as a lot of water( both for drinking and swimming in).** Ah, but the Ninja Turtles’ primary diet consisted of pizza, which has grains (the crust) and veggies (the pizza sauce). And given their penchant for ordering weird toppings, they probably derived some of their necessary turtle-nutrients from those, too. ---
**Author:** ![Sauroposeidon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c4cdca/32.png) [@Sauroposeidon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sauroposeidon)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2003, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inspired-by-enolas-superman-thread-what-about-the-ninja-turtles/158076/17 "2003-02-28T21:13:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Enola Straight \* > \*\*A turtle’s penis is internal; it comes out through a dorsal vent. > \*\* Are you sure dorsal is the right term? That would mean the vent is on the turtle’s back. ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2003, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inspired-by-enolas-superman-thread-what-about-the-ninja-turtles/158076/18 "2003-02-28T21:24:06Z")
Aha. Perhaps Ventral vent is better. maybe not. ---
**Author:** ![80sHairMetalMaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/8/ed655f/32.png) [@80sHairMetalMaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/80sHairMetalMaven)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2003, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inspired-by-enolas-superman-thread-what-about-the-ninja-turtles/158076/19 "2003-02-28T21:41:01Z")
Ventral sounds right.🙂 Or at least that’s what I remember from HS biology. I only followed the series up until I was like in 9th grade when it became uncool to watch the Turtles. Was there ever a mutated girl turtle? Also…would that mutation cause them to be infertile? Inquiring minds want to know! IDBB ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Carnage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/max_carnage/32/12775_2.png) [@Max\_Carnage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Carnage)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2003, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inspired-by-enolas-superman-thread-what-about-the-ninja-turtles/158076/20 "2003-02-28T22:24:59Z")
There was a female turtle: Venus De Milo Not sure how she came about, but I’m sure she was cartoon only. Possibly even toy only. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inspired-by-enolas-superman-thread-what-about-the-ninja-turtles/158076.md?page=2)