Time Travelling Turtles is a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (comic strip), published in various syndicated U.S. newspapers. This comic strip ran from October 4, 1995 to December 29, 1995.
Appearing in Time Travelling Turtles[]
Major characters[]
Minor characters[]
- Casey Jones
- Raptor (debut)
- Renet (debut)
- Santa Claus
- Santa’s Elf (debut)
- Savanti (debut)
- Shredder
- Mr. Troglodyte (debut)
Species[]
- Aliens
- Dinosaurs
- Lambeosaurus
- Raptor
- Triceratops
- Humans
- Chimpanzee
- Mutant rat
- Mutant Turtles
Locations[]
Objects and vehicles[]
Summary[]
Splinter tells the Turtles that he is happy they are home after their trip into space. A very animated Michaelangelo begins telling Splinter the story of their travels, but his father falls asleep. Donatello asks Leonardo what’s next and Leo says his new hobby is rest and relaxation. From the next room, Mike calls out that he just got an electric guitar and amplifier. He’s holding the guitar which is hooked up to a huge amplifier. He begins playing and the sound shakes the lair. Mike stops to ask Don if that was too loud, but his brother can’t hear him. All around the lair is broken glass. Mike keeps playing the guitar and shaking up the lair. His brothers want to know where he got that stupid guitar. The next panel shows Shredder who says his plot to destroy the Turtles should be coming along well and step two is the accordion. Finally, Splinter wants to know where the noise is coming from, and Don says that Mike is playing the guitar. A moment later, the sound is cut off and Mike is shown holding the broken guitar. Leo says he’s sorry that Splinter broke his guitar. Mike says it’s okay because it was loud and obnoxious and that he’s outgrown that now. If anyone needs him, he’ll be in his room… smashing on his new drums.
Later, Leo is reading a book when Don walks up to ask if he wants to… Leo interrupts by snapping at him that he’s trying to relax and to leave him alone. On a beach in Bermuda, Raphael asks where Leo is, and Don says he’s busy relaxing. When all are back home, Splinter announces that Casey Jones now lives in the lair. Raphael shouts that there’s no room and Casey has to go. Leo tells him to be reasonable and that Casey can stay. Then Splinter informs Leo that Casey is living in his room. Leo yells that there’s no room and Casey has to go.
Casey makes a speech that if they don’t want him to live there, just give the word. He knows it’s crowded so all they gotta do is speak up because if they want him to go, just say so. Mike peeks around the corner then and asks Casey what he’s doing in there all by himself. Then Casey tells the Turtles that while they are deciding if he can live there, he’s leaving because his date is on her way. The Turtles freak out that Casey told someone where they live. There is a knock on the door and Casey assures the Turtles that it’s okay, his date is cool and wicked cute. He opens the door and the girl standing there is also wearing a hockey mask.
As time passes, the Turtles are shown in various activities, from watching television, to reading, to playing video games. At one point, they decide to play baseball indoors, sure that Splinter won’t mind – despite the fact that the living room is filled with breakables. Donatello sighs that he is bored, when suddenly a mysterious woman teleports into the lair. She holds out a short rod and tells him that if a big monster comes looking for it, to hide. When Don has the rod, the woman vanishes into thin air. Don rushes into the living room to tell them about his encounter. When he informs them that she said a big monster might come looking for it, Raph asks why he took it from her. Don asks if he mentioned that she was real pretty.
Raph asks Don what the rod does, but Don hasn’t had time to study it. He says it might be some sort of weapon. He presses on the ends and all of the Turtles are teleported back in time. Don then adds that it might be a teleportation device. Leo wails that he wants to go home and Raph wonders where they are now. Leo says it smells musty and sulphury and Mike says it’s too hot and humid. Then Don tells them he thinks they went back in time. Standing behind his brothers is a huge Brachiosaurus. The Turtles look around and see several types of dinosaurs, including Triceratops, Tyrannosaurus, and Lambeosaurus – and then they duck into a cave to hide.
They are in the Cretaceous period and Raph wants to know what they are gonna do. Don says he’ll look it up in his guidebook and pulls the book from his shell. Mike asks about him carrying around a prehistoric guidebook in his shell and Don says you’re never sure when you might need one. Mike says that if it were anyone but Don, he’d be worried. Don announces that they have to get out of the cave because this is a rare chance to observe living dinosaurs. They step out and see a Triceratops. Don tells his brothers that the guidebook says she’s a harmless herbivore – until she swallows him. Leo points out that she hasn’t read that book.
Mike makes the observation the paleontologists were incorrect in thinking dinosaurs were slow moving, or feathered, or brightly colored, or… pea brained. Just as he says this, a Raptor walks up to him and asks where these paleontologists live because she’s going to eat them. Walking alongside the raptor, Mike asks if dinos are an intelligent species. The raptor says she guesses so and when asked if they have a social structure, she responds in the affirmative. She explains that they have a complex societal hierarchy wherein the most affluent and powerful representatives weave the fabric of their utopian government. Mikey translates that to might makes right, and the raptor says they prefer “survival of the fittest”. The others realize that Mike is missing and guess that he’s probably off looking for something to eat.
The raptor has taken Mike to a hill overlooking a valley filled with dinosaurs. She tells him to pick the one he wants, and she’ll hunt it for him. Mike asks if she has any microwave pizzas. They begin having a discussion about the fact that Mike is from the future. The raptor asks what dinosaurs are like in his time and Mike has to tell her that they are extinct. He also tells her that their bones are on display in public museums, which she thinks is ghastly.
Renet, the mysterious woman, suddenly appears in front of the other Turtles. She tells them she’s been looking everywhen for them and wants the time wand. Renet explains that the rod she gave them is a portable time travel device. Raph tells her they noticed, and she snaps that they weren’t supposed to use it. When Raph says they didn’t mean to, she asks for it back and she’ll take them all back home. Unfortunately, Don can’t find the time wand and realizes he left it in the cave. Leo shouts at him to go get it, and Don says to calm down, he’s sure nothing could happen to it. Meanwhile, in the cave, Mr. Troglodyte has found the wand and accidently activates it. He is immediately zapped into the lair and begins jumping up and down shouting “Ook? Ook?” Splinter turns to tell Casey that one of his friends has arrived to see him.
Inside the cave, Donatello discovers that the travel rod is gone. Renet clutches her head and says she hopes that the evil time warrior Savanti didn’t come and take it. Don asks if he’s looking for it. He is, because Savanti arrives at the lair and tells Splinter to relinquish the rod of time unto him or be vanquished. Of course, Splinter has no idea what he’s talking about and tells him so. Savanti looks disconcerted for a moment, and then asks to use the bathroom. Unfortunately, Savanti locks himself in the bathroom for hours and Splinter has to try and talk him into coming out. Savanti finally does so, and Splinter starts to tell him he’s sure he’ll find the rod soon, but then Mr. Troglodyte steps out into the open. When Savanti sees that he has the wand, he jumps him, but Mr. Troglodyte fights back and rips into his attacker.
In dinosaur land, Don tells Renet that she’ll just have to take them home without the time wand, since they lost it. However, Renet informs him that she can’t, that she came there via a stationary unidirectional time portal and was going to use the wand to take them all home. Without the wand, they are stuck in this time zone. Don says he longs for the day when he’s a Retired Mutant Ninja Turtle. Raph spots Mike coming over a hill, and his brother calls out that he wants them to meet his friend. Raptor gets right in Raph’s face to say “howdy” and the Turtle yelps. All three of Mike’s brothers and Renet duck into the cave. Mikey spends some time trying to convince them that Raptor is friendly.
They all finally come out and Renet recaps the situation they are in. Meanwhile, at the lair Savanti is trying to trade his pogs, comics, baseball cards, and an autographed photo of Pat Sajak for the time rod. Mr. Troglodyte refuses to hand it over. When Savanti starts begging, Mr. Troglodyte activates the time rod and vanishes. Savanti begins having a tantrum and Splinter offers him some tea, but Savanti says he’s an evil time warrior and doesn’t drink tea. Splinter then offers him fresh out of the oven muffins, which he accepts. In the dino land, everyone is lamenting the fact that they are stuck in time. Suddenly, Mr. Troglodyte appears in front of them.
When the Turtles try to jump Mr. Troglodyte to grab the time rod from him, he gets scared and activates it. Mike can’t believe they scared him off and that they are trapped in this era again. Raptor says that it’s not so bad in prehistoric times and Mike wants to know what could make it any worse. Raptor says that she could eat him and he informs her that doesn’t make him feel any better. In the lair, Savanti tells Splinter he’s leaving and has accepted that he’ll have to live without the time rod. He adds that he’ll have to apply himself to a task suitable to his personality as an evil, nefarious and insidious time warrior. The next panel shows him at his campaign headquarters where he is running for President.
Mr. Troglodyte then appears behind Renet and begins ‘talking’ to her with a series of "ooks". He offers her the time wand, and she thanks him before racing off to tell the Turtles that she got it back. Mr. Troglodyte breaks the fourth wall to say that all she had to do was ask politely. The excited Turtles are zapped home by Renet, leaving behind a disgruntled Mr. Troglodyte, who is left cleaning up their litter. Once in the sewers, the Turtles thank Renet for getting them home. She tells them she has to take the time rod back to the future. Since apparently Savanti has given up the chase, she’s in the clear. Renet says she bop into the next millennium and put the time rod in some safe place. Cut to Santa Claus. One of his elves is trying to keep track of Renet’s location and Santa notes that his job used to be so uncomplicated.
Renet bids the Turtles good-bye and takes off. The Turtles then realize it’s almost Christmas (thanks to the date on the comic strip, which they point out) and they need to shop. Leo says it’s a good thing they have those reminders, one of which at the bottom of the panel reads “don’t forget my present! – Berger”. Raph tells him “Don’t get smart”. The Turtles soon arrive in the lair and wish Splinter a Merry Christmas! Suddenly, Raptor appears behind Mike and shouts “Happy Holidays!”. Mike asks how she got there, and Raptor says she didn’t want to become extinct, so she tagged along with them. The elf in Santa’s workshop informs him that a Raptor is with the Turtles and Santa says he’ll check the ice box for any leftover Triceratops steaks.
The Turtles begin opening their Christmas gifts. Mike receives a new skateboard, Leo gets an original Major Matt Mason action figure, and Raph is delighted to get a Metallica CD. Don is thrilled with his moleculoid reverse-tab confabulator – just what he wanted. Splinter looks back at the reader to express his enjoyment of happy holidays. Later, he enters the very cluttered living room with a broom and wishes he’d have asked Santa for a bulldozer.
Raphael asks where the dinosaur went and Mike says he doesn’t know, last he saw her she was making her Christmas wish list. Raph wonders what she asked for. On the South Pole, the elf calls out to Santa about the new elf he hired. He tells Santa that she keeps trying to eat the reindeer. The new elf is Raptor, who claims she thought it was an infestation. Raphael goes out to get some groceries and when he knocks, Mike asks who’s there. Raph calls out that it’s Raphael – open the door. Mike tells him to say the magic word. Raph looks at the reader and states that he hates Turtles.