The Incredible Shrinking Turtles (1987 TV series)

	Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1988 Season; October 1, 1988 - December 31, 1988 ; List of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles episodes
	Episodes: "Return of the Shredder"; "The Incredible Shrinking Turtles"; "It Came from Beneath the Sewers"; "The Mean Machines"; "Curse of the Evil Eye"; "The Case of the Killer Pizzas"; "Enter: The Fly"; "Invasion of the Punk Frogs"; "Splinter No More"; "New York's Shiniest"; "Teenagers from Dimension X"; "The Catwoman from Channel Six"; "Return of the Technodrome"; 1987 Season – 1988 Season – 1989 Season – 1990 Season – 1991 Season – 1992 Season – 1992-1993 Vacation in Europe sideseason – 1993 Season – 1994 Season – 1995 Season – 1996 Season

“The Incredible Shrinking Turtles”
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987 Cartoon) episode
	; Title Card
Season Code:	2
Episode:	2
Original airdate	October 8, 1988
Written by	Larry Parr
Producers:	–
Episode chronology
"Return of the Shredder"	"It Came from Beneath the Sewers"

This article was transwikied from Wikipedia.

The Incredible Shrinking Turtles is the seventh episode of the American animated series Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, a part of the larger Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise. It is the second episode of the second season of the program, originally aired on October 8, 1988. The episode was written by Larry Parr. It is available on DVD in the box set released on April 26, 2005.

Plot summary

The Turtles are practicing martial arts in Central Park, when a "dude" who is supposed to be Shredder arrives. When knocked down, he reveals himself to only be Michelangelo who joked. Just then, an alien spacecraft crashed into a small pond. The Turtles dive into it and rescue the alien pilot from drowning. The pilot tells the Turtles that the "Three Fragments of the Eye of Zarnov" accidentally fell towards the Earth from the spacecraft when it crashed. They have to find it before it comes into the "wrong hands", because the fragments have alien powers. The pilot then disappears (dies?). The Turtles don't know that Shredder has tracked them down, and hides behind the shrubs and listens. But before, he gave the Turtles a tracking device, a "Crystal Converger", to use in their search for the fragments.

Shredder and Baxter Stockman contacts Krang in the Technodrome in Dimension X. Shredder wants his Foot soldiers, but Krang says no.

The Turtles drive around the streets of New York City, searching for the fragments. The tracking device led them to the docks. They don't know that Shredder is following them. The Turtles grab the fragment, but Shredder arrives and takes it out of their hands. After a fight, Shredder aims the fragment at the Turtles and discovers the secret power of the fragment: The fragment shrinks the Turtles down to mere inches. The Turtles escape down to Splinter in the sewers before Shredder can take the Crystal Converger from them.

Splinter contacts April O'Neil to help them. Just then, Shredder uses the fragment to shrink skyscrapers, including the Empire State Building, to impress Krang. Baxter Stockman shows Shredder a new invention: a "Heat Seeking Turtle Scope."

Meanwhile, the water in the sewers send away the Turtles out of the sewers and down into the river, where Baxter Stockman is in a rowboat and pick them away to Shredders hideout. At the hideout, Shredder show Krang how he will smash the Turtles to death with an iron pipe. Krang is impressed.

Meanwhile, Splinter and April are driving around the streets of New York City, searching for the Turtles. They are stuck in the traffic. Splinter has a feeling where the Turtles are, and he is right. When they arrive at Shredders hideout and crash through the front door, April activates the Turtle Van catapult and Splinter jumps out and attacks Shredder. While Shredder and Splinter fight, April takes the fragment and aims it towards the Turtles, who go back to "normal" size, but Shredder and Baxter Stockman escape with the fragments.

Back in the sewers, Splinter jokes and gives the Turtles small pizza.

Character voices

Leonardo (Cam Clarke)
Donatello (Barry Gordon)
Michelangelo (Townsend Coleman)
Raphael (Rob Paulsen)
Splinter (Peter Renaday)
April O'Neil(Renae Jacobs)
Burne Thompson (Pat Fraley)
Shredder(James Avery)
Krang (Pat Fraley)
Baxter Stockman (Pat Fraley)
Empire State Building Security Guard (James Avery)
Alien (Cam Clarke)

Notes

Animation Errors

The plank of wood that Shredder uses to trap Raphael at the start of the episode changes position and angle in each cutscene showing it.
After the security guard had freed the man from the shrinking Empire State Building, the shot of the building was not seen shrinking slowly to its current point but instead cut to its smaller state instead.
The buttons on Shredder's comlink were missing when Krang allowed Shredder to finish off the Turtles with the crowbar.

Continuity/Logic Errors

The Turtles seriously couldn't tell that was Michelangelo in that Shredder disguise? One would think the orange armbands and the exposed green skin would have given him away....
Michelangelo says that he made the mask from an old pizza tray, but it looks more like a colander.
Oddly enough, shrinking monuments and buildings will affect everything except for anybody who happens to be in them at the time. Once shrunken, said buildings can also be neatly picked off of the ground, completely ignoring any silly things like internal plumbing or a foundation that you might be thinking of.
When the Turtles start to grow within the confines of the jar, the glass expands with their bodies, almost as if it's made out of rubber. Let's ignore the obvious facts that not only does glass not work that way, but the Turtles should have been crushed/severely injured by their expanding bodies being forced against the glass.

Trivia

This is the first episode in the series where a living character clearly dies on screen. Immediately after the alien passes away, he even leaves behind a coffin-shaped burn mark (or shadow) on the grass.
Until the episode "Curse of the Evil Eye", all of the episodes from this point onwards focus on the Turtles and Shredder trying to get all of the pieces of the Eye of Zarnov.
Mere moments before Shredder grabs the gem, look at Donatello's hand. It raises up, almost as if Donatello wanted to hand it over to Shredder.
The Turtles get trumped rather badly at the start of this episode by the Shredder, but a few of the mistakes made can be chalked up to inexperience on their part (It's hinted at the beginning and Splinter even hints at this towards the end). For example, Michelangelo confronts Shredder while putting one foot over an obvious snare, Raphael gets trapped by an easily avoidable plank of wood and Leonardo just stands there and watches Shredder advance towards him, which results in him being easily disarmed and netted.
If Shredder wanted to be rid of the Turtles so badly, why did he even bother putting air holes in the jar once he captured them?
Once Shredder gets the upper hand against Splinter, he leaps towards him and turns on the machine in the process with his foot. However, from the way it's drawn, it looks like it was done purely by accident. Shredder's dialog when the machine is stopped by Donatello's staff makes it sound like he did it on purpose, which makes this situation a tad odd. All according to plan?
- Also, it didn't appear as if Shredder would have released Splinter at all on the cheese wrapping machine. Isn't he concerned that he'd end up crushed himself?
Shredder using a gem to shrink down a city will be revisited again in the video game "The Hyperstone Heist."
This episode was adapted to comic book format in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures #3-4 published by Archie Comics.
Bebop and Rocksteady do not appear from this episode up until The Case of the Killer Pizzas.

Quotes

Shredder: Now to crush you miserable reptiles one by one!!

Raphael: Guess again frying-pan face!!

- Once again, Shredder gets no respect. Perhaps if he didn't name himself after a kitchen utensil?

Shredder: Net result: Four trapped turtles! Haha, I made a funny!

- Shredder thinks he's funny. Splinter would have begged to differ.

Shredder: Smothered by a cheese-wrapping machine, A fitting end for a rat!!!!

-Shredder on the concept of irony.

Shredder: (observing the Turtles through binoculars) The fools! They're leading me to the fragments! (calling) Baxter?! (cut to Baxter relishing in ice cream cone) Connect me with Krang in Dimension X immediately!

Baxter: But my cone is melting in the sun! (whips up a piece of ice cream and savours)

Shredder: "Silence toad!! Do as I say and NOW!!!

Baxter: (meekly) As you wish, Master!

- Better recognise, Baxter.

Donatello: Y, You guys go on, I can't run any farther!

Leonardo: Never! We'll make our stand here!

Raphael: Kinda like Custer did?!

Shredder: Who needs Foot Soldiers, when a single foot will take care of you insects! (poises foot to crush them)

- Raphael doesn't realise that Custer wasn't defeated by a giant foot.

Shredder: Oh, the alien crystal has done it's work beautifully! Baxter: Yes Master, Magificently!

- Baxter, channeling Igor, apparently.

Shredder: (holding up shrunken Empire State Building) And this will be the crown jewel in my collection! Now Krang will have to send my my Foot warriors!

- Why?

Shredder: (holding the shrunken Turtles in a glass jar) Well Krang, What have to to say now?

Krang: (through Com-Link) Mmm! Perhaps I have underestimated your evil abilities after all!

Shredder: My thoughts exactly!

Krang: (to Turtles) What have you to say now, mini mutants?

Donatello: (banging on glass) "You'll never get away with this, Krang!!!"

Leonardo/Raphael/Michaelangelo: "Huuuhh?"

Donatello: Well, you gotta admit it..sounded good!

(Shredder then puts the jar on a nearby table and then produces a crowbar)

Shredder: And now Krang, For your viewing pleasure, You shall witness the final, agonising moments of the Turtles demise!

Krang: Splendid! Let the show begin! If I had hands, they'd be sweating in anticipation! {C

Donatello: "Can't we discuss this like human-beings?"