Turtle Tracks - 055 - The Last Ronin Oral History: Bobby Curnow

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 figure accessory from NECA Toys, and was suggested to me by Brian VanHooker from the Turtle Tracks Podcast." Sound Engineering by Ian Williams.

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 with legends like Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. Sound Engineering by Ian Williams.

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 by Ian Williams.