TurtleTracksPodcast

In this episode, host Brian VanHooker chats with Lawrence Klein, the man who TMNT creators Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird dubbed their "First Fan." Following the release of their first comic, Klein sent Eastman and Laird their first fan letter and later struck up a friendship with them that lasted decades. Klein is currently selling his extensive TMNT collection through Hakes auctions. The sale las...

From GraniteCon 2026, Turtle Tracks Podcast host Brian VanHooker hosted the New Hampshire convention's TMNT panel, which focused on the subject of The Mighty Mutanimals and their various iterations. Featuring Kevin Eastman, Ciro Nieli, Ken Mitchroney, Beth Mitchroney, Steve Lavigne, Tom Waltz, Jim Lawson, Kevin Siembieda, and Mateus Santoluoco, the panel discusses the Mutanimals from the Archie Co...

In this episode, host Brian VanHooker chats with Dan Berger, who worked for years on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles at Mirage Studios. Berger wrote and drew a variety of TMNT comics and worked for years on the TMNT newspaper comic strip. He shares his memories from his work on TMNT as well as his memories from Mirage Studios, from the heyday of TMNT to the end of his time there, after Nickelodeon ac...

In this episode, host Brian VanHooker chats with artist Dave Wachter, who has been a major part of IDW's run of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics. Wachter was the artist during IDW's City at War storyline, including issue #100. He also talks about why he likes drawing Splinter so much. Sound engineeting by Ian Williams. Follow TURTLE TRCKS PODCAST on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/turtle_t...

In this episode, host Brian VanHooker chats with Brandon Gash, a prolific toy scultpor for a wide array of TMNT toys. Here Brandon discusses his work for companies like Mondo and Super 7, including Mondo's Super Shredder figure and their 1/6 scale Donatello figure. He also sculpted the 2003 TMNT figures for Super 7. Brandon discusses the artistry of that work as well as the difficulties behind it....

In this episode, host Brian VanHooker chats with Francisco Paredes and Maxwell Beaudry, the co-executive producers of the new Nick Jr. series, Teeny Mutant Ninja Turtles. Here, the co-creators of the series discuss where the concept came from, the challenges of aging down the TMNT and how several classic iterations of the franchise informed their choices for the preschool-age cartoon. Sound engine...

In this episode, host Brian VanHooker is joined by writer Erik Burnham, artist Sarah Myer & colorist Luis Antonio Delgado. They discuss the upcoming conclusion of IDW's long-running series Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Saturday Morning Adventures and celebreate the best moments of the series. The continuation of the 1987 cartoon series, Saturday Morning Adventures has been running since 2022 and t...

In this very special episode, host Brian VanHooker chats with the four actors who played the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in the 2023 film TMNT: Mutant Mayhem. Nicolas Cantu, Micah Abbey, Brady Noon & Shamon Brown Jr. talk about getting cast in their respective roles, improvising in the film and that it was like working with Ice Cube. Sound engineering by Ian Williams. Follow TURTLE TRACKS PODCAST...

In this episode, host Brian VanHooker chats with writer PAtrick Ehlers and artists MAteus Santolouco about the release of their upcoming book, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Anatomy of a Mutant, releasing August 4, 2026 from Insight Editions. Featuring new art from IDW comics veteran Mateus Santolouco, and a scientific look at the characters the characters from the IDW TMNT run, the book is a beaut...

In this episode, host Brian VanHooker chats with Julio Galvez, owner of WE CAN BE HEROES COMICS in Chatsworth, California and founder of COMICS & COCKTAILS, a quarterly event in Burbank, CA. On July 25, 2026, Comics & Cocktails will be throwing an event right near San Diego Comic Con called Turtles By the Beach featuring TMNT artists like Ben Bishop, Luis Antonio Delgado, Raymond Gay, Chris Johnso...

Get your tickets now for Granite Con 2026, which runs from September 19 to 20, 2026 at the Doubletree by Hilton and the SNHU Arena in Manchester, NH ( https://www.granitecon.com/ ). In this Turtle Tracks episode, host Brian VanHooker is joined by Chris Proulx, one of the co-founders of Granite State Comic Con, a must-see destination for fans of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, as it takes place n...

On the day of the grand opening of the TMNT Pizzeria in Los Angeles, founder Andy Nguyen joins host Brian VanHooker to talk about the origins of the restaurant. An old-school Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fan, the TMNT Pizzeria has been the dream project for Nguyen for an entire decade and its now finally happening! Sound engineering by Ian Williams. Follow TURTLE TRACKS PODCAST on Instagram: https...

In this episode, host Brian VanHooker chats with the guys at Frothy Beard Brewing Company about their TMNT-inspired beers they've offered over the years, including "Shadow Sessions" which is now available for preorder. Owner Michael Biondi and in-house artist Chris Miller chat about the history of the brewery and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles-inspired beers they've offered since 2020, as well a...

In this episode, host Brian VanHooker is joined by Tim Stahl, head of marketing at Wonderland Amusements, who are releasing a new TMNT Pinball machine now available for Preorder. Sthal talks about the history of Wonderland Amusements and working with IDW comics artist Mateus Santuolouco on designing the newest TMNT pinball machines, designed to be an affordable alternative to conventional pinball...

For my work at Polygon Magazine, I got a first look at the upcoming preschool TMNT show, TEENY MUTANT NINJA TURTLES. Check out the first 6 stills and an exclusive video clip here: https://www.polygon.com/exclusive-first-look-at-the-next-tmnt-show/

For the 35th anniversary of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze host Brian VanHooker interviewed Kurt Bryant and MArk Ginter, the guys who performed inside the suits of Tokka and Rahzar. This was a part of an interview you can find here: https://www.polygon.com/35-years-tmnt-2-tokka-rahzar-interview/ Sound engineering by Ian Williams. Follow Turtle Tracks Podcast on Instagram:...

In this episode, host Brian VanHooker welcomes back Pat Linden, the VP of Boys Marketing at Playmates Toys, who brings some breaking news to the podcast. Find out the final TMNT releases for Playmates Toys before they are done with the license after 40 years at the end of 2026. This includes the SDCC exclusive and other previously unannounced releases. Sound engineering by Ian Williams. Follow TUR...

In this episode, host Brian VanHooker is joined by Archie Comics TMNT Adventures artist Chris Allan and Virgil Cardamone, the owner of Mahoning Drive-In theater in Lehighton, Pennsylvania. Mahoning Drive-In is the last full-time 35mm Drive-In theater in the world and on June 5th and 6th 2026 they will be hosting a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles-themed weekend showing the first two films from the 199...

In a very special 200th episode, host Brian VanHooker welcomes Brian Henson to the program. The son of Jim Henson, Brian Henson played a huge role in the 1990 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film, including being its lead puppeteer and its second unit director, Here, Henson shares stories from the set of the film and what the process was like building the TMNT for Jim Henson's Creature Shop. Sound en...

In this episode, host Brian VanHooker welcomes back a man integral to early TMNT history, Ralph DiBernardo. Beginning in the early 1980s, Ralph DiBernardo was friends with Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, who would frequest his comic book business at a New Hampshire flea market. When Eastman and Laird created the first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic, Ralph bought 500 copies and debuted the comic...

In this episode, host Brian VanHooker chats with Gene Luen Yang, current writer of IDW's ongoing TMNT series, as well as Tom Waltz, who wrote the first 100 issues. This was for an interview conducted for Polygon: https://www.polygon.com/idw-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-comics-interview-gene-luen-yang-tom-waltz/ Sound engineering by Ian Williams. Follow TURTLE TRACKS PODCAST on Instagram: https://w...

In this episode, host Brian VanHooker chats with Ace St. Germain of Cortopia Studios, the company making the first-ever TMNT VR game: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Empire City. The two discuss why Karai is the main villain and how the game is developing. This interview was originally for Polygon. Read the article here: https://www.polygon.com/tmnt-empire-city-vr-preview/. Sound engineering by Ian...

A special announcement for TMNT fans! On March 19, 2026, Dimension X Toys ( @dimensionxtoys ) will be hosting an online art show on Instagram featuring over 100 artists and their TMNT-inspired work!

In this episode, host Brian VanHooker chats with French artist and toy designer Sylvain Plantier, also known as SNZ Toys. The two discuss what Turtle-Mania looked like in France as well as how his designs for a custom Playmates Toys-style robotic Tokka and Rahzar ended up in NECA's cartoon line. Sound engineering by Ian Williams. Follow TURTLE TRACKS PODCAST on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com...

In this episode, host Brian VanHooker chats with Colin Stein, the author of "The Art of Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The 320 page book by IDW Publishing tells the making of the short-lived Nickelodeon series as well as the Netflix movie which concluded it, Availbe for pre-order until 3/9/26 and releasing on 4/14/2026. https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/796421/the-art-of-rise-of-...