by Patrice Downing, Contributing Writer

Andrew Jackson once housed a 1,400 pound wheel of cheese in the White House foyer for almost two full years. No, neither of those numbers is a typo: 1,400 pounds of New York dairyman, Thomas S. Meacham’s finest, sat quietly aging in the hallway of the White House for two very smelly years (the hot D.C. summers must have made that an absolute delight in the days before air conditioning). The pungent present was finally both devoured, and demolished, by a flock of fromage-flinging festival frequenters invited to celebrate George Washington’s birthday. How did I come into possession of such a bizarre set of facts? That was one heck of a ride that started with a Nate Bargatze special and spiraled downhill, until I finally ended up in a big pile of stinky, smashed-up stilton on the floor of the White House halls. Every month in Fact on Fiction, we journey together, following a cavalcade of clues, in search of source material behind some of the hottest newly released films, because buried beneath the fabricated surface is where the most intriguing stories usually begin.

“Heroes in a half shell.” 

Did you just instinctually say, “Turtle Power”? If you did, it could be because you grew up in the ‘80s or ‘90s watching the original animated series endlessly on afternoon reruns while playing with your chunky four-and-a-half-inch action figures. Maybe your kids were the ones enraptured with the reptilian crime fighters and you were coaxed into sitting in a theater to  watch them battle on the big screen. You might have even come to love the mischievous mutants in later iterations during their 2003, 2012, or 2018 CGI series. However you were first introduced to TMNT, there’s no denying they have a timeless appeal to younger generations. That may be in part due to the fact that they were developed by a couple of guys who come across as never having quite grown up themselves. 

Unlike prior months’ subjects (Barbie and Transformers), TMNT has a plethora of fact-based content available for us to explore the origins of our favorite crime-fighting teenage terrapins. There are several podcasts, my favorite being Jamie Logie’s Everything ‘80’stwo-part episode, dedicated to the evolution of the reptilian quad squad, from comic to big screen. Then there’s what I’m sure you’ve guessed by now is one of my favorite series, The Toys That Made Us, on Netflix with their turtle-centric offering (seriously, if you haven’t seen this or The Movies That Made Us, you’re really missing out on some of the silliest yet most well researched factual content out there). But when it comes to learning about the Turtles’ origins, there’s really only one documentary that serves as the definitive source of all things green and mutant.

2014’s Turtle Power (currently streaming on Paramount+) is by far the most comprehensive documentary out there when it comes to the origins of the nocturnal teen ninjas. Long before they became CGI creations on the big screen, had animated adventures in the ‘80s, or lived as chunky action figures, and even prior to the sassy siblings donning different colored bandanas, they were a square, oversized comic book, created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. Turtle Power takes the pretty standard documentary approach of interspersing pictures, videos, news, and advertisements between interviews and voiceover from the creators themselves, as well as a host of artists, production staff, and folks from the distribution and licensing side of things. What makes this documentary special is the story of Eastman and Laird themselves. The first part focuses on these two creative forces that just seem destined to succeed. They were fortunate enough to find each other, get along (for a while), and through pure tenacity, pool their talents and make their art the way they wanted it, how they wanted it. Not many can say that. While most artists have to make concessions in order to get established before being allowed the luxury of creative freedom, Laird and Eastman rejected the idea, and bet on themselves to win. They financed their first book and didn’t even succumb to the size and shape of traditional comics. After their initial printings sold out, readers wanted more, and with that, the hard-shelled heroes cemented their place as pop culture fixtures for the next 40 years.  

With the comic books a success, it wasn’t long before toy developers came knocking on their door. I’m not exaggerating when I say, the researchers at Turtle Power were able to talk to basically every part of the creative team involved, from those securing the licensing rights, to the original toy sculptor, reps from Playmates Toys, and screenwriters of the original show. The middle of this documentary spends time telling the entire story from the written page, to posable action figures, and ultimately the popular animated Saturday morning cartoon that primed the Turtles to be a box office sensation. I find the collaboration between the toy designers and screenwriters to develop differing personality and visual traits for each turtle to make them distinct from their comic book iterations, combined with the voice actors’ inflection and idiosyncrasies, fascinating. The sheer number of people that had seemingly small input into what would be lasting iconic features really boggles my mind.  Would generations of kids still be quoting Michelangelo’s catchphrase if he yelled “Whoa” instead of “Cowabunga” in the first animated episode? Could kids identify the boys as easily if the action figures were never given monogrammed belt buckles and contrasting bandanas? Is Leonardo believable as a leader if he sounds like Sean Penn in Fast Times At Ridgemont High? And most importantly, what’s going to be on the pizza they order on next week’s episode? All these little details fused together to make the Turtles the powerhouse they remain today.  

The remainder of Turtle Power is rounded out with some amazing footage from behind the scenes of the creative process during the production of 1990’s cinematic release, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.  Mostly guided through by interview footage from the legendary Jim Henson’s Creature Shop puppeteer, Kevin Clash (Sesame Street’s Elmo and TMNT’s Splinter), we get an in depth perspective on the physical rigors and limitations faced bringing the tenacious turtle teens to life on the big screen in a time before CGI accessibility was prevalent. With the live action movie a hit, the Turtles then took to the road, like so many ‘90s IPs, and toured with a live rock-n-roll style stage show. I know it sounds ridiculous, but back in the ‘90s, basically every IP, from Muppet Babies and Eureeka’s Castle, to Barbie and Double Dare, had a traveling show, touring malls and stadiums around America, and the Turtles were no exception. While it was no surprise to find out they had a live action show, it was a delightful discovery to see who one of the original costume actors promoting the tour turned out to be (a well known actor and comedian whose identity I won’t spoil). 

No matter when you came to love the angsty antics of Raphael, the tech savvy ingenuity of Donatello, the grounded wisdom of Leonardo, or off-the-wall weirdness that is Michelangelo, Turtle Power has something for you. While grounded in the pre-2000s era of Turtle mania, even fans who have only experienced the newer movies and post-90s series will find something to love about the history and development of these pop culture mainstays. 

I hope you learned a little something (whether it be terrapin or cheese wheel related) and that you’ll join me again next time to explore the exploits of one of my all time favorite authors whose real life puts most modern movie plots to shame. Until then, keep following the breadcrumbs, exploring rabbit trails, and continue on the quest to find the Fact On Fiction.

You can follow Patrice Downing on Twitter and Letterboxd