Tales Of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' 10 Best Easter Eggs & References

Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles continued to expand the Mutant Mayhem universe with its fun new stories, and the series also featured plenty of Easter Eggs and references in the process. The spinoff show was split into two separate stories, with the turtles facing off against Bishop and her mechazoids in the first part before doing battle with the East River Three in part two. Although there were some new additions, Tales of the TMNT‘s voice cast was mostly similar to Mutant Mayhem, as the majority of the actors reprised their roles and didn’t miss a beat.

Despite Tales of the TMNT‘s animation style deviating from Mutant Mayhem‘s, the two projects share a similar tone and vibe, giving this universe a distinct identity. While Tales of the TMNT provided more solo time for each turtle to help flesh out their character, it also strengthened the group dynamic that the 2023 movie created, making the protagonists’ relationships even better. The spinoff even decided to embrace TMNT: Mutant Mayhem‘s Easter Eggs and references by featuring a number of franchise callbacks while mentioning other media, and the best ones helped add to the show’s humor and personality.

10 Donatello & Wingnut Mention Avatar: The Last Airbender Theory

The Classic Animated Show Gets A Shout-Out In Tales Of The TMNT

Avatar: The Last Airbender is one of the greatest animated shows of all time, and Tales of the TMNT manages to sneak in a line about one popular theory. At the beginning of the East River Three arc, Raphael is walking through the base and passes Donatello and Wingnut having a conversation about Avatar: The Last Airbender. Rather than talking about their love for the show, the two are debating whether Kuzon could be Zuko’s grandfather, which is a popular theory among the community.

The obscure reference doesn’t serve much value to the plot, but it helps distinguish Donatello and Wingnut’s personalities while also paying homage to the show. Donatello and Wingnut clearly lean towards the nerdier side compared to other characters, but this allows them to make some of the best references in the show. Although the two franchises have never had a mainstream crossover, they both revolve around young characters fighting against injustice, making the nod to ATLA a fun inclusion.

9 Rod Reenacts Godzilla Vs Kong With Action Figures

Pete Davidson’s Character Can Be Spotted Playing With Toys Of A Gorilla & A Large Reptile

Godzilla Vs Kong has become a huge cinematic spectacle in the last few years, and there’s a small Easter Egg in Tales of the TMNT referencing the franchise. During episode 5, the show explores Bishop’s origins story where Rod can be seen playing with some toys, and these figures seem to depict the iconic monsters doing battle once again. One figure resembles a large gorilla, much like King Kong, while the other seems to be a giant reptile that could easily be viewed as Godzilla.

While the show never explicitly states that these figures are supposed to be of Godzilla or King Kong, picking these two specific animals feels too intentional to be a coincidence. Mutant Mayhem has already proven that this version of the TMNT will mention plenty of pop culture references, even if they have nothing to do with the franchise. Therefore, Rod’s Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles scene seems to suggest that the Monsterverse’s biggest characters still hate each other even in this more light-hearted universe.

8 Splinter & Leonardo’s Batman References

The TMNT’s Old Ally Is Mentioned Several Times

Batman is no stranger to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles universe, as the two franchises have crossed paths before, and The Caped Crusader has once again been mentioned by the turtles. The new spinoff show continues Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles‘ Batman obsession, as the classic DC character is name-dropped on several occasions. During the Tales of the TMNT second arc, Raphael impersonates Splinter, putting on a deep voice for his father while narrating the story, which causes the turtles to question why he sounds like Batman.

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The show pokes fun at this several times, while also giving Leonardo a Batman moment of his own. Throughout the season, Leonardo makes various speeches which his brothers constantly call out and joke about, eventually leading to Donatello telling him, “You’re not Batman.” Leonardo hilariously replies in a deep voice, quickly saying “I am Batman“, potentially referencing Kevin Conroy’s famous line. Given that TMNT and The Dark Knight have had several crossovers, including a movie, Tales of the TMNT mentioning Batman feels fitting, especially after Mutant Mayhem also brought up the superhero.

7 Tales Of The TMNT Features Multiple Anime References

One Piece & Akira Are Both Mentioned In The Spinoff Show

Alongside mentioning Avatar: The Last Airbender, Donatello and Wingnut also show their love for anime by bringing up some iconic franchises. One Piece is one of the biggest animes of all time, and also one of the longest, which Tales of the TMNT jokes about through Wingnut, who claims she’ll “Never finish One Piece” while struggling to defuse a bomb. Despite already being a mainstream hit, One Piece‘s live-action Netflix show and remake will only help make the franchise even more relevant, making Tales of the TMNT‘s reference incredibly timely.

In addition, the spinoff show also mentioned Akira, a classic anime movie from 1988. Animes have undoubtedly become much more mainstream in the last few decades, but Akira was inspirational in helping revolutionize the genre, and Tales of the TMNT paid its respect to the film. Donatello and Wingnut mention the legendary Japanese project on several occasions throughout episode 10, and it’s even used to help calm Wingnut down, proving how important the movie is to her.

6 More Pop Culture References

Tales Of The TMNT Is Full Of Pop Culture References

Pop culture references were a big part of Mutant Mayhem, and Tales of the TMNT continued this by including plenty of little nods to other franchises. Donatello mentions both Star Wars and Star Trek, comparing his situation with Wingnut to when Luke, Leia, and Han got stuck in Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope. His Star Trek comment comes after a near-death experience, suggesting his life flashed before his eyes and all he saw was reruns of Star Trek: Enterprise. Friends, MacGyver, and Steven Spielberg also get shoutouts in episode 10, which is packed with references.

Michelangelo also brings up some fun pop culture moments throughout the show, mentioning artists like Kendrick Lamar and Baby Keem. However, the best reference by far actually comes from one of the show’s new characters, Lee the Eel. She mentions not wanting to commit robbery, since eels already have a bad rap after The Little Mermaid, poking fun at Flotsam and Jetsam’s antagonistic role in the film. With Mutant Mayhem going heavy on pop culture references, it makes sense that Tales of the TMNT would do the same, which is a charming aspect of the series.

5 Leonardo’s Rise Of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Callback

Leonardo’s Episode 1 Speech Resembles A Moment From Rise Of The TMNT

Leonardo plays a big role in Tales of the TMNT as the first story is told through him, and one moment in the very first episode resembles a scene from Rise of the TMNT. After being split from his brothers, Leonardo struggles to fight off one of Bishop’s mechazoids, even with April’s help. His solo struggles lead to a moment of self-doubt, claiming he is nothing without his brothers, and this line sounds very similar to something the character says in Rise of the TMNT.

It’s a very subtle callback, but one that connects the two iterations of the character and shows how important the other turtles are to the self-proclaimed leader. With Tales of the TMNT paying homage to the underrated show, the modern era for the turtles looks great and makes the upcoming Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movies more exciting, since characterization is clearly still important, even in a more chill universe like Mutant Mayhem.

4 Goldfin Is Named After A James Bond Movie

The Not So Subtle Name Is Confirmed To Be A James Bond Reference

Goldfin is one of the new villains introduced in Tales of the TMNT, and his on-the-nose name is unsurprisingly inspired by the James Bond movie, Goldfinger. While this reference is hardly the most obscure in the show, it is still a fun nod to the 1964 film, and the origins of the name are hilariously called out in one entertaining scene. After explaining his backstory and finally revealing his alias, April asks if he watched a lot of James Bond movies growing up, to which Goldfin pauses before replying “Yeah.”

Splinter even weighs in, saying those are good movies, adding some humor to the antagonist’s villainous speech. The scene perfectly highlights the style of humor the franchise likes to explore, happily poking fun at the simplicity of the name while also finding the perfect excuse to bring some fun references to this TMNT world. With Goldfin even having some Bond-like qualities in terms of his menacing speeches and bold plan, it makes the 007 connection perfectly suited to his character, who could return in the future.

3 Leonardo Gets Thrown Through A Window… Again

The Blue-Masked Turtle Continues His Long-Standing History With Windows

Windows have never been Leonardo’s friend in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise, and the spinoff show continues this long-standing feud. Having been thrown through plenty of glass in the past, Leonardo once again smashes through a window after Pigeon Pete unintentionally flies him into one. Unfortunately for the blue-masked turtle, it wasn’t his first rodeo when it comes to dealing with his greatest enemy, as various other depictions of the TMNT have featured this same scenario.

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In 2003’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle‘s animated series, Leonardo suffers a similar fate as he is thrown through a window right in front of his family. An almost identical instance happens in the 2012 show, and even the 1987 animated adventure has Leonardo smash through glass, this time on his own accord. Leonardo vs windows has been a bit of a running gag for the franchise and even extends to the comic books, so Tales of the TMNT including this fun Easter Egg acts as a playful callback.

2 Michelangelo’s Love For Cats

Michelangelo Gets Over His Fear Of Cats In Tales Of The TMNT

Although Michelangelo is afraid of cats in Mutant Mayhem, Tales of the TMNT highlights his character development as he not only shows affection for Mr. Whiskers but even saves him during the episode. In Mutant Mayhem, Michelangelo subtly reveals he is afraid of cats, which seems like an unimportant line, but it helps show the progress he has between the 2023 movie and the spinoff show. With Mikey getting over his fear, he seems to have actually taken a liking to the animal, much like other depictions of the character.

Michelangelo’s love for felines has been a well-established part of the TMNT franchise, so seeing him finally come around to them in this universe is a nice touch, alongside being a fun call back to Mutant Mayhem. He even owned a cat named Klunk in one TMNT story, showing it is a core part of his character, and Tales of the TMNT thankfully didn’t ignore this, making his solo episode in the second arc even better.

1 Mutant Mayhem Callbacks

The Events Of Mutant Mayhem Are Mentioned Several Times In The New Show

While Tales of the TMNT has numerous great Easter Eggs and references, its callbacks to Mutant Mayhem are by far its strongest. One scene involving Bishop perfectly highlights the destruction that the turtles’ fight with Superfly caused in New York, proving why not everyone sees them as heroes. After finally building a robot in her sister’s memory, Bishop’s life work was destroyed in an instant when Superfly tore through the building which collapsed on her creation. The scene offered a new perspective on Mutant Mayhem‘s big fight and helped explain why Bishop hates all mutants.

A similar scene in the second story explains how mutants were responsible for the East River Three’s origins. When Mutant Mayhem showed Superfly falling into the river alongside his dangerous mutation machine, other animals in the sea became mutated, and the spinoff show revealed this accident affected Goldfin, Lee the Eel, and Mustang Sally. Getting this perspective of one of the movie’s most important scenes was refreshing and it helped show the ramifications of the movie didn’t simply end with the credits, proving how compelling Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles‘ callbacks were.

Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

A spin-off of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is an animated action-adventure series that sees the titular heroic turtles strike out on their own in an all-new storyline penned for television. Voice actors Micah Abbey, Shamon Brown Jr., Nicolas Cantu, and Brady Noon will return to reprise their roles as the four turtles.

Cast

Brady Noon , Nicolas Cantu , Micah Abbey , Shamon Brown Jr.

Seasons

1

Showrunner

Christopher L. Yost , Alan Wan