Invasion of the Punk Frogs

Invasion of the Punk Frogs is episode number 13 of the 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon series. It is the eighth episode of season two (1988). This episode was written by Michael Reaves. It originally aired on November 19, 1988, in syndication. It is available on the DVD box set released on April 26, 2005. It is the first episode of the Punk Frogs.

Plot Summary
Shredder wants Krang to send more mutagen to create more mutants to stop the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Krang launches the mutagen canister through the dimensional portal, but an “ion storm” in Dimension X causes the canister to land in the Florida swamps instead of New York City. Shredder goes to Florida to recover the canister and meets four talking mutant frogs. He takes them back to New York City.

At Channel 6, April O’Neil gets information that four big frogs were seen in Florida. In New York City, the TMNT are busy fighting Bebop and Rocksteady, who were wreaking havoc in Times Square to distract the TMNT.

Shredder trains the frogs in martial arts and give them names: Attila the Frog, Genghis Frog, Rasputin the Mad Frog and Napoleon Bonafrog. Shredder sends the frogs to rob a bank. The local authorities believe that the TMNT are responsible for this and create an Anti-Turtle Force, led by Captain Hoffman.

Thanks to April, the TMNT find the frogs at a local chemical supply company, but the frogs escape with a batch of chemicals. Donatello realizes that the chemicals that the frogs stole are two-thirds of the ingredients needed to make more mutagen. April finds a company that manufactures the last ingredient, but as the turtles pursue a truck transporting the final ingredient to the company, they see the Anti-Turtle Force arrives on the scene and freeze dry the frogs.

The TMNT escape from being freeze dried and then decide to save the frogs and take them back to their sewer lair. Splinter says that they have to free the frogs if they want to be trusted, and take the risk of being attacked. The TMNT free the frogs, and the frogs understand that Shredder was a “bad guy.” The TMNT and the frogs team up to lure Shredder into a trap. The frogs return to Shredder's secret hideout, claiming they heard the TMNT mention that they're hiding the fourth ingredient at the old Stonewall Prison. Bebop and Rocksteady know where it is, having been prisoners there once, but the prison has been abandoned for years. Shredder, Bebop and Rocksteady go to the prison where they meet the TMNT. TMNT show Shredder that the frogs are now on their side. The Anti-Turtle Force arrives, allowing Shredder, Rocksteady and Bebop to escape. The TMNT and the frogs also escape, and the frogs return back to the Florida swamps. =Notes=

Character voices

 * Leonardo (Cam Clarke)
 * Donatello (Barry Gordon)
 * Michaelangelo (Townsend Coleman)
 * Raphael (Rob Paulsen)
 * Splinter (Peter Renaday)
 * April O'Neil (Renae Jacobs)
 * Burne Thompson (Pat Fraley)
 * Irma Langinstein (Jennifer Darling)
 * Shredder (James Avery)
 * Bebop (Barry Gordon)
 * Rocksteady (Cam Clarke)
 * Krang (Pat Fraley)
 * Genghis Frog (Jim Cummings)
 * Atilla the Frog (Cam Clarke)
 * Rasputin the Mad Frog (Nicholas Omana)
 * Napoleon Bonafrog (Pat Fraley)
 * Captain Hoffman (Jim Cummings)
 * Mother at Florida Swamps (Jennifer Darling)
 * Boy at Florida Swamps (Renae Jacobs)
 * News Reporter (Peter Renaday)
 * Mayor

Locations

 * Turtles ' Lair
 * City streets
 * Technodrome
 * Shredder's hideout
 * Okefenokee Swamp
 * Mallory Chemical Plant
 * Argus Chemical Supply Warehouse
 * Channel 6
 * Stonewall Prison

Animation errors

 * The canister of mutagen changes size each time it's seen in this episode.


 * One of the Rock Soldiers loading the mutagen canister into the dimensional portal is animated like a grey version of General Traag, All of the Rock Soldiers would appear in this way in "Return of the Technodrome".


 * When Irma says, "Wait! You don't have a car!" to April, her left eye is drawn a bit oddly. It's slightly larger than her right, and the iris is a bit too far down.


 * The Turtles' TV set changes color and model when it zooms in on the news report about the Punk Frogs.


 * Leonardo's katana become the size of Ginzu knives when he lifts the manhole cover for the Turtles to escape the cops.
 * When Bebop and Rocksteady are about to fight the Turtles, Bebop speaks in Rocksteady's voice.

Continuity Errors

 * Irma starts off this episode trying to goad April into admitting that she "knows the Turtles", even going on to say, "You're the one who knows them!" Uhh, hello?


 * The 'holographic projector' that disguises Shredder's true appearance can also grant the Punk Frogs real clothes to wear. Holograms do not work that way!


 * Earlier in the episode, the Turtles have mounted up their TV on a wall stand. Later on, it's back on the floor again.


 * It's nighttime when the Turtles first meet the Frogs, but it's daytime once they leave the building.


 * Rasputin blows a seemingly bottomless well into the pathway of the van, but when it's seen from the blimp angle, it's only a slight crater in the ground.

Real World/Cultural References

 * When the boy tells his mother that the frogs are not "...the creatures from the Maroon Lagoon", he's making a reference to the monster movie classic "Creature from the Black Lagoon."


 * The Punk Frogs themselves are named after infamous figures in world history, namely Attila the Hun, Napoleon Bonaparte, Genghis Khan and Grigori Rasputin (otherwise known as Rasputin the Mad Monk.)


 * Krang states that the canister landed in the Okefenokee Swamp, which is one of the largest peat-based swamps in North America. He has his facts slightly mixed up, however...while a part of the swamp does reside in Florida, a major part of it is actually in Georgia.


 * One of Rasputin's arrows gives off a blinding light upon impact, similar to a Flash Grenade. It's also reminiscent of another superhero with multi-purpose arrows, the Green Arrow.


 * Stonewall Prison is a dead ringer for Alcatraz Island.

Logic Errors

 * Why does it take two Stone Warriors to hurl a canister of mutagen through the portal? The way it bounces off of water as it falls through the vortex suggests that it's extremely light, and it's not really all that big, either, further evidenced by Shredder picking it up with one hand later on. Perhaps Krang's troops should hit the Bowflex machine more often.


 * When the canister leaks radioactive goop into the swamp river, it courses through the stagnant water at a very rapid pace, before coming to a (rather convenient) halt right at the boy's feet. The background even suggests that the ooze had a good way to go down the river, so why did it just stop flowing?


 * This episode seems to follow the trend that Turtle Tracks started; when the Punk Frogs appear before the family, they high-tail it and run instead of leaping into the van and driving off.


 * Several of Shredder's shenanigans have him exposed to the general public in full costume, but as he announces he's heading to Florida, he's basically asked, "You're going there looking like that?" by Rocksteady, to which Shredder replies by showing off his image inducer, which alters his appearance. That's fine and all, but it leaves one to ponder: why hasn't Shredder done this before?


 * Is anybody else thrown off by the fact that all four Turtles trip over a lamppost when chasing after Bebop and Rocksteady? Seriously, how did they not see it?


 * Seriously, Shredder trained the Punk Frogs that quickly? Where did he possibly find the time to teach the Punk Frogs martial arts, given the timing of this episode?


 * Why didn't the Punk Frogs sense that Shredder was a creep sooner?


 * April's computer only has 18 keys.


 * Krang keeps the knowledge of the last ingredient for the mutagen "as a surprise to keep Shredder on his toes." Really.

Trivia

 * This is the first appearance of the Punk Frogs. Who aren't remotely punkish as much as they are....country bumpkins.


 * The weapons wielded by the Punk Frogs have medieval/western overtones to them, in contrast to the Turtles' Asian-originated weapons.


 * Shredder's hologram projector disguise is basically his Oroku Saki character model....dressed in pink.


 * When Shredder leaves Rocksteady and Bebop in charge while he heads to Florida, the pair are seen laughing to themselves dimwittedly, but immediately right before the scene cuts to the Channel 6 building, they can be seen scowling rather menacingly at the camera (blink, and you'll miss it.)


 * Seriously, you know something is wrong when Bebop and Rocksteady call Shredder out on the gaping plot holes in his plans. For example, as stated above, when Shredder prepares to leave, Rocksteady calls him out on his armor being less than conspicuous. Also, when Shredder introduces the Punk Frogs, Bebop points out that the Turtles are trained ninjas who'd mop the floor with them.


 * Apparently, the events of Turtles on Trial are still lingering, as the mayor describes the Turtles as 'terrorising the city long enough' and assembles an 'Anti-Turtle' task force to deal with them, despite there only being one reported incident with creatures very vaguely described (and assumed to be) turtles.


 * The Punk Frogs hate pizza. They love Chinese food.


 * Shredder's plan of creating an army of powerful mutants would be revisited and realised by another Shredder in Turtles Forever.
 * Rocksteady carries a yellow comlink with a different design to that of Shredder's, this may have been what the animators had intended for them to look like until deciding to create identical versions for them from the third season onwards.
 * When the News Reporter is interviewing the Mayor and Captain Hoffman, they are standing in front of a building with Kubiak written on it referencing the show's producer Walt Kubiak.