TurtleTracksPodcast

For the 100th episode of Turtle Tracks Podcast, host Brian VanHooker is joined by the stars of the original 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon series, Cam Clarke (Leonardo), Barry Gordon (Donatello), Rob Paulsen (Raphael) and Townsend Coleman (Michelangelo). In lieu of a standard interview, the foursome compete in a quiz show called "Name That Mutant," based on trivia from TMNT 1987.

Sound Engineering by Ian Williams

In this episode, host Brian VanHooker welcomes the prolific actor, writer, director, creator Robert Ben Garant, best known for playing Junior on 'Reno 911!' (a show which he also co-created). For nine months, from 1990 to 1991, Robert Ben Garant was part of the advance team for the Pizza Hut-sponsored 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Coming Out of Their Shells' music tour. Dressed as Michelangelo, Garant visited schools, as well as radio and local TV programs, to promote the tour along with writer/actor/comedian Michael Ian Black (who played Raphael). During the interview, Garant recalls stories from his unique perspective of Turtle-Mania, including getting swarmed by children in Mexico and having to pretend-fight an old man on a local TV station in Puerto Rico.

Sound Engineering by Ian Williams.

In this episode, host Brian VanHooker chats with Gary Dolan, the executive accounts manager for Bull Airs Sneaker company. In addition to being a TMNT collector and super fan, Dolan has been a big part of the Bull Airs sneaker company, which specializes in custom-made pop-culture infused sneakers, including a wide array of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles sneakers.

Sound Engineering by Ian Williams.

In this episode, host Brian VanHooker chats with Sarah Myer, a regular artist on IDW's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Saturday Morning Adventures. Myer shares the influence the 1987 TMNT cartoon had on them and shares how they developed their own take on the chracters. The two also nerd out pretty hard over that cartoon and it's bizarre and often hilarious sensibilities.

Sound Engineering by Ian Williams.

In this episode, host Brian VanHooker chats with actress Paige Turco, who played April O'Neil in the second and third Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles films. In it, she recounts what it was like conversing with the Jim Henson suits and how uncomfortable her outfit was in TMNT III. She also shares an exclusive, never-before-revealed piece of TMNT history about herself and TMNT co-creator Kevin Eastman. (They were engaged!!)

Sound engineering by Ian Williams

In this episode, host Brian VanHooker talks with Shawn Lee, the letterer on IDW's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series. Lee has been with the series since issue #2 back in 2011, and here he reviews more than a decade of being on the longest running TMNT series in any medium.

Sound engineering by Ian Williams

In his second appearance on Turtle Tracks, Ralph DiBernardo of Jetpack Comics shares details about Portmouth Mini-Con 40, coming April 27th and 28th to Portsmouth, New Hampshire in 2024. He even makes a guest announcment EXCLUSIVE to Turtle Tracks!

Sound Engineering by Ian Williams

In this holiday-themed edition of the Turtle Tracks Podcast, host Brian VanHooker explores one of the more bizarre deep cuts in TMNT history: the direct-to-VHS musical special "We Wish You a Turtle Christmas." Guest Tish Rabe is the author of over 200 best-selling children's books, but she's also the writer of "We Wish You a Turtle Christmas" and "Turtle Tunes," two live-action specials from 1994 which utilized the suits from the "Coming Out of Their Shells" musical tour. In the episode, the two discuss how she came to work on the specials, what the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles got Splinter for Christmas and Michelangelo's opera-singing.

Sound Engineering by Ian Williams

In this episode, host Brian VanHooker chats with Gavin Smith of IDW comics. Gavin has done work on the ongoing IDW Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series and he discusses what influenced his take on the TMNT. He also talks growing up in the TMNT fandom during Turtle-Mania.

Sound Engineering by Ian Williams

In this episode, Brian VanHooker interviews Paul Allor, a prolific writer for IDW comics. In addition to writing several stories in the main IDW TMNT continuity, they are the writer for the recent Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles vs Street Fighter series, which featured a number of epic fights between the main characters in each franchise. Allor also discusses some of the original characters they've helped develop, like Pepperoni and Zodi.

Sound Engineering by Ian Williams