Michelangelo's Birthday

Short Version: It's a very special day for Michelangelo... only his brothers seem to have forgotten all about it. Unknown to Mikey, the other Turtles are only pretending that they have no idea it's his birthday, in order to launch a surprise party on him later. As the day progresses, and Michelangelo gets more and more irritated and upset, Leonardo begins to feel as if he, Raphael, and Donatello are stretching the joke just a little too far. But his concerns are ignored by the others, who believe Michelangelo's present state will make his surprise party even better. Michelangelo, depressed and frustrated, surprises them all before they can surprise him…by running away! Before they can go after him, the remaining TMNT hear reports of Shredder, Rocksteady, and Bebop, embarking on a rampage through New York. Splinter volunteers to locate Michelangelo, whilst the remaining Turtles do battle with "Tin-Grin". Shredder has armed himself, however, with an offshoot of the same mutagen, that once transformed the Turtles from tiny babies to their present martial-arts kicking state. He tries to use it on the green machine during their battle, but the Turtles are too fast for him. and his force retreats. On his way though, he bumps into Michelangelo. Subduing the turtle, Shredder straps him to a device that begins pouring out the mutagen! Will Michelangelo spend his birthday (and the rest of his life) looking like he did on the actual day he was born?

Long Version: The show starts in the turtles' Lair, with Michelangelo making some kind of pizza-cake. But when he walks into the living room, where his brothers are, they eat the pizza-cake, and are acting like the day is any other day. When Michelangelo leaves the room, upset about how his family has forgotten his birthday, his brothers give each other high-fives about how they fooled Michelangelo. Leonardo starts to feel bad for his youngest brother.

Elsewhere, in the Earth's core, Krang has forced Shredder out of the technodrome and Shredder is complaining about it. A Rock Soldier has knocked over some kind of goo he was working with, that turns the lava into a puddle of goo. Krang sees it as an opportunity for a horrible plan.

Mean while, back at the turtles' Lair, the turtles and Splinter are training. Michelangelo is kind of dropping a few hints about his birthday, but his family doesn't seem to be getting any of them.

Back to the technodrome, Krang has created an anti-mutagen that he believes will return the turtles back into their previous form, as little pets. Krang sprays some on one of the Rock Soldiers, but it fails. But when he throws the whole thing at three soldiers, they become the rocks they once were. Krang believes that the only way for the anti-mutagen, is to spray is on at least three of the turtles together.

Later, back in the Lair, Michelangelo is giving his family one last chance at guessing what day it is. But since they're just pretending, they blow that chance, and Michelangelo runs out of the room. Leonardo really begins to see just how upset their joke has made Michelangelo, and he begins to feel that they are stretching the joke too far. But his concerns are ignored by his brothers. Raphael insists that what they're doing is 'too much fun'.

In his room, Michelangelo is writing a note to his family. When he's done, he runs away.

Topside, Shredder, Bebop and Rocksteady decide to trash one of the streets, which they believe will attract the authorities, which will attract a friend of the turtles'. That friend will call the turtles, and the turtles will try to stop Shredder. The Shredder then tells Bebop and Rocksteady to starts destroying the area and causing mass panic.

Returning to the Lair, Donatello is watching television when April calls, reporting that Shredder, Bebop and Rocksteady are destroying everything near the Channel 6 News Building. Donatello says  that they'll be right there, but as he, Leonardo and Raphael are leaving, they notice that Michelangelo isn't with them. Splinter answers their wonders, saying that he found a note in Michelangelo's room about his running away, and he reads the note out loud. Leonardo talks about how he knew they should have ended the joke about them forgetting Michelangelo's birthday sooner, and Donatello says that it looks like Michelangelo surprised THEM before THEY could surprise HIM. Splinter says that he will look for Michelangelo, while the others go stop Shredder.

The turtles go Topside, and fight, but Shredder, Bebop and Rocksteady get away. Instead of Leonardo, Donatello and Raphael finding Shredder Bebop and Rocksteady, Rocksteady, Bebop and Shredder find MICHELANGELO and take him captive!

Shredder has Michelangelo strapped into a machine that slowly pours the anti-mutagen and has Rocksteady contact the turtles via Michelangelo's Turtle Com. Once the turtles have been contacted, Shredder and his lackys go to meet with the turtles.

Later, Michelangelo is still trapped in the machine and the anti-mutagen is going to fall any second. But Michelangelo manages to escape, right before the mutagen falls and burns right through the table he was strapped in. He goes off to find his bros.

In the Turtle Van, Raphael asks what they're gonna do when they find Shredder. Leonardo informs him that they're gonna have to do anything he wants since Shredder has Michelangelo. They soon meet up with their enemies and they drive off, Shredder in the van.

Elsewhere, Michelangelo is one the streets, looking for his brothers, when Splinter shows up. Michelangelo has a pretty good idea about where his brothers are heading, and he and Splinter go to find them.

When the turtles get to where Shredder had hid Michelangelo, all that's there is a puddle of mutagen, which they believe is the last of their youngest brother.

Shredder sprays the turtles with his mutagen, but instead of de-mutating them, it just blows them up to the size of balloons. Then, Michelangelo and Splinter appear.

Shredder, Bebop and Rocksteady get away, but Splinter says to leave them, because he and his sons have (Sigh) 'larger' problems to deal with. Splinter uses some kind of mothball to return his children to their original size.

Returning to the Lair, the turtles give Michelangelo the surprise party they were planning for him.

Writer
Eliot Daro

Story
Bill Wolf

Character voices

 * Leonardo (Cam Clarke)
 * Donatello (Barry Gordon)
 * Raphael (Rob Paulsen)
 * Michelangelo (Townsend Coleman)
 * Splinter (Peter Renaday)
 * April O'Neil (Renae Jacobs)
 * Shredder (James Avery)
 * Krang (Pat Fraley)
 * Rocksteady (Cam Clarke)
 * Bebop (Barry Gordon)
 * Burne Thompson (Pat Fraley)
 * Vernon Fenwick (Peter Renaday)

Locations

 * Turtles' Lair
 * Shredder's hideout
 * Technodrome
 * Earth's core
 * City streets
 * Channel 6 building

Vehicles

 * Turtle Van
 * Transport Module

Gadgets

 * Turtlecoms
 * Com-Link
 * Flushomatic

Trivia

 * Rocksteady breaks the fourth wall when he turns towards the audience and said; "He must have seen this episode before."
 * Introduces the Flushomatic.
 * April gives Michelangelo a kiss at the end of the episode, she had kissed Donatello before in Sky Turtles.
 * Michelangelo also breaks the fourth wall, by saying; "Ya know, some birthdays, a dude oughta just stay in bed and catch somes Z's. You know what I mean?'

Errors

 * The blown-up Turtles have no knee pads for four shots in a row.
 * In the exact same shot, they have an extra finger and an extra toe.
 * Also have gains a few plastral plates while ballooned up.
 * Turtles are hatched, not born.
 * If the turtles are supposed to be the same age, they would have likely all hatched on the same day.
 * When Shredder enters the Turtlevan, He makes a very strange pose behind Raphael