TurtleTracksPodcast

In this episode, host Brian VanHooker talks with Sophie Campbell of IDW's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics. Campbell began her association with TMNT back during the Mirage days when she did some work on Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and moved over to IDW when Nickelodeon bought the property. Beginning with issue #101, she became the writer of the series as well, taking the Turtles i...

In this episode, host Brian VanHooker chats with Kellan Jett, a visual development artist on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem. Jett did two years of work on the project, being one of the first artists hired. He designed Baxter Stockman's home, the TCRI Cycle and his concept artwork was the very first image released for Mutant Mayhem. Sound Engineering by Ian Williams

In this episode, host Brian VanHooker chats with story artist John Jackson. Jackson boarded a number of memorable moments from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, including the sequence in the bowling alley and the action montage set to "No Diggity." Sound engineering by Ian Willaims.

In this episode, host Brian VanHooker chats with Justin Runfola, a character designer and visual development artist on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem. Runfola describes growing up as a TMNT fan, designing the chop shop goons in Mutant Mayhem and what might have been with his Shredder concept art. Sound engineering by Ian Williams.

In this episode, host Brian VanHooker talks to fellow TMNT podcaster and super fan Speeky Geeky, known for the Speeky Geeky podcast, his TMNT deep dives on YouTube and his interviews with NECA. The two have an in-depth discussion about Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem and talk about their favorite NECA TMNT releases. Sound Engineering by Ian Williams

Host Brian VanHooker talks to TMNT superfan Joey of the Instagram account Ninja Toitles. Ninja Toitles has a massive following online and they speicalize in making awesome pins and stickers of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Sound Engineering by Ian Williams

Our coverage of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem continues with the film's lead character designer, Woodrow White. Host Brian VanHooker goes down the list of villains from Bebop and Rocksteady to Ray Fillet and Scumbug as White talks about the influences and inspirations behind each. Sound Engineering by Ian Williams

In this episode, host Brian VanHooker talks to Emmy winner J. J. Villard, who designed the logo for "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem." Villard recounts his childhood love of the Ninja Turtles and what went into the design for the new film's logo. Sound engineering by Ian Williams.

For the 30th Anniversary of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: Turtles in Time, host Brian VanHooker is joined by Eric Allard, Rick Stratton and Dwight Roberts of Allfx, the spcial effects house that made the film's Turtle suits. The guys take you behind the scenes of building the turtles and what it's like following the Jim Henson Creature Shop. Sound Engineering by Ian Williams.

In this episode, host Brian VanHooker talks to arist Manuel Conde, who oversaw the art and writing of the Mexican version of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures. Most American TMNT fands are unaware that the Mexican TMNT Adventures was its own series with its own original characters — which means there's still some little-discovered TMNT stories from the days of Turtle Mania! sound engineering...

In this episode, host Brian VanHooker talks tohis friend Mike Coates, who goes by @ninjaturtlepies on Instagram. Coates has built an obsession around finding out everything possible about the 1991 Hostess Ninja Turtle Pies and shares his knowledge and journey with TMNT fans, especially since their recent appearance on "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia." Sound Engineering by Ian Williams

In this episode, host Brian VanHooker talks with illustrator Jim Engel. They discuss Engel's extensive work on McDonald's Happy Meals and other toy lines, as well as his work on properties like the Muppets, the Marx Brothers and Looney Tunes. Naturally, there's a bit of Turtle talk as well, as Engel was one of the most recognizable artists on licensed properties during Turtle Mania. Sound Engineer...

In this episode, host Brian VanHooker speaks with animation verteran Peter Hastings about the 2012 TMNT series. Hastings was an executive producer early on in the series and he shares some behind-the-scenes stories about helping organize the show and find its way onto Nickelodeon. Sound Engineering by Ian Williams

Host Brian VanHooker welcomes Dan Clark and Michael Mayhew from Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation. Clark was the showrunner for the short-lived series while Mayhew was a writer. In this episode, they talk about the creation of Venus De Milo, finding a new villain for the TMNT and what Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles co-creator Peter Laird felt about the show. Sound Engineering by Ian Williams

In this episode, host Brian VanHooker is joined by none other than Judith Hoag, who played April O'Neil in the 1990 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie. Hoag talks about meeting Jim Henson, her experience with NECA toys and why she wasn't in the sequels. Sound Engineering by Ian Williams

In this episode, host Brian VanHooker is joined by actor Sab Shimono, who played Lord Norinaga in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III and provided the voice for Mr. Murakami in the 2012 TMNT series on Nickelodeon. Shimono recounts his memories from the set of the third Turtles film and the experience of working with legends like Harrison Ford and Robin Williams. Sound Engineering by Ian Williams

Brian VanHooker is joined by his friend Merso X, the man behind the fan game TMNT Rescue Palooza. Merso joins Brian to announce the game "Pizza Time!" which is described on https://www.merso-x.com/ as "a graphics hack of the NES port of 'Burger Time', with a TMNT theme. You control Pizzaface and must walk over pizza ingredients while avoiding the Ninja Turtles. This hack was inspired by the action...

In this episode, host Brian VanHooker is joined by famed toymaker James Groman. Groman is the designer behind NECA's Universal Monsters Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles line and he shares the process behind toys like Frankenstein Raphael, Mummy Michelangelo, Leonardo the Hunchback and Invible Man Donatello. Sound Engineering by Ian Williams

This time, host Brian VanHooker is joined by two guys responsible for some of the greatest toys from your childhood: Steve Varner and Howard Chang. Varner is the founder of Varner Studios,which made many of the classic TMNT toys for Playmates back in the day, while Chang was an illustrator at Varner back in the classic TMNT days. Sound Engineering by Ian Williams

In this epsiode, host Brian VanHooker talks to animation veteran Eliot Daro, the production Supervisor of the 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon. Daro recalls what it was like to be overseeing the show during Turtlemania and explains why he made the decisionto switch over to the "Red Sky" look in laterseasons. Sound Engineering by Ian Williams.

Host Brian VanHooker is joined by animation veteran Larry Houston. In addition to landmark shows like X-Men: The Animated Series and Ghostbusters, Houston was a storyboard artist on the classic 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series, the 2003 series and Turtles Forever. In the interview, Houston explains what it was like working on the cartoon during Turtle-Mania and what it was like working wit...

In this episode, host Brian VanHooker is joined by Eisner Award-winning comic book writer Paul Jenkins. Before going onto write stories like Hellblazer, Inhumans, Werewolf by Night and Origin, Jenkins worked at Mirage comics doing much of the licensing work during the onslaught of Turtlemania. Jenkins recalls his time at Mirage and his long-running friendship with Kevin Eastman. Sound engineering...

In this episode, host Brian interviews Rich Horn of "TMNT: A Collection." Rich Horn is a lifelong TMNT fan, dating back to the original Mirage comics and he is the keeper of a monumental piece of Ninja Turtles History. Horn owns the original negatives used to print the first two printings of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 and he has put together a museum-worthy exhibit to display them. In this ep...

It's a flashback to 1990's TMNT "Coming Out of Their Shells Tour" with actor David Shatraw, who was in the Michelangelo suit for the stage show. Shatraw joins host Brian VanHooker to discuss his memories of the tour, including why those turtles didn't have shells, which of those songs were his favorite to perform and what it was like to be on Oprah as a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle. Sound Engineeri...

In this episode, host Brian VanHooker welcomes back Townsend Coleman, the voice of Michelangelo in the 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon. Townsend recalls getting started in show business and what the inspiration was behind voices like The Tick, Waldo and, of course, Mikey. Sound Engineering by Ian Williams