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Disney-MGM Studios and Disney’s Hollywood Studios have
always found a way to find characters that were popular with children and bring
them into the park, regardless as to whether it was a Disney created character
or not. One of the earliest incarnations of this feat was the inclusion of four
Renaissance artists who fought crime… What? They were turtles? Named after
artists by their master after they were mutated from ooze? Yeah, right!
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Oh…
Seriously though, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles made
their debut at Disney-MGM Studios in the summer of 1990, and stuck around until
1996. Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello, and Raphael would roll out onto New
York Street in their TurtleVan, also lovingly known as the Party Wagon. While
the turtles engaged in a dance-ninjutsu hybrid, April O’Neil would belt out the
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles theme song. After the brief show, the turtles and
April would scatter about the street signing autographs and taking pictures for
a while before jumping back in the Party Wagon and heading out.
When the turtles arrived on the scene, in the forms of a
cartoon series, video games, and films, I was the perfect age to be persuaded
by their Turtle Power. Although based upon a comic book series from Kevin
Eastman and Peter Laird, the grittier turtles were beyond my reach for a few
more years. I always wondered why Splinter didn’t make the journey to meet
guests at Disney-MGM Studios, but those thoughts were short lived as I made my
way to meet my favorite turtle, Donatello. (I’m the scraggly, scrawny looking
kid on the left.)
Whether you were drawn to the characters from the films or
cartoons, or just thought the music was catchy enough to draw you over to New
York Street to see what was going on, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were the
preludes to other characters such as the assortment of Power Rangers that have
shown up over the years. They may no longer inhabit Disney’s Hollywood Studios
(although, has anyone checked the sewers lately?), they occupy a special place
in the history of the park’s meet and greets!
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3 comments:
I too remember the Turtles meet and greet! Which is weird because I was NOT a Ninja Turtles fan, but this has always been a main memory of that trip on my first visit to MGM. I also disctinctly remember meeting very large versions of the Muppets. Not quite sure why those are like the only things that stick out from that trip for some reason. Don't remember rides as much, but can remember meeting those characters like it was yesterday!
I'm sad I missed this! Love the photos.
If they had included Splinter in the lineup, I'd have happily waited an hour in line to get a photo, even as an adult! Maybe Disney was leery of people making rat/mouse comparisons. :)
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