The cartoon series Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which as the name suggests features four mutated ninja turtles, was first shown in the US in 1987 and became an instant TV-hit. Because of its big success, the British were soon eager to buy the series, but due to a strict “protection of minors” law, the series had to be censored there. For the most part only scenes showing Michelangelo using his nunchucks were edited or removed. Furthermore, dialogues were edited to turn the word ninja into hero. However, sometimes complete scenes are missing due to the use of that infamous word! In addition to that, sound effects were added in fighting scenes to make them sound funnier and less scary.

Comparison between the censored German version and the uncensored original US-version .
The German version of the complete Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles series is based on the censored UK-version and can therefore be used as a reference for the censorship of that version. However, it is possible that there are still minor changes between the two European versions, which are not listed here.

Both, the censored version and the original version were taken from the DVD-box released by KSM in Germany. The German version is played slightly faster, which makes it difficult to compare the two versions. Therefore, the time references might not be 100% accurate.

This episode was cut 7 additional times, which amounts to a running time of 31,92 seconds. Two cuts contain fade-outs. At 2 points in this episode footage was used twice in the censored version. This footage has a running time of 4,2 seconds.

Comparison of the Episode

6:56
Shredder beats all four Turtles one after another. However, in the censored version the viewer does not know how Shredder managed to overwhelm Michelangelo. The answer to this can be found in the original version. After Shredder has given Donatello a kick, he kneels down expecting the next attack. After that he counts out the Turtles with his fingers
Shredder: "One down, three to go".
Suddenly, Michelangelo appears behind him and spins around his nunchucks. Unfortunately, one of his leg is looped in a rope.
Michelangelo: "Say adious dipstick. You're about to get dusted".
Then Shredder turns his head around. Now, a close up of the looped leg is shown in both version. This doesn’t make any sense in the censored version, as the previous part is missing there.
6 sec.

6:57
The rope belongs to a crane. Shredder jumps toward the crane and pushes one of its levers. Michelangelo is pulled up into the air and ends up dangling from the crane head first. At the end of that scene Shredder gives a snidely comment. The next scene (with Raphael) was also removed because Michelangelo is in the background.
Raphael: "My turn, bozo".
5,92 sec.

7:17
Here, the censored replays a scene that was already shown earlier. First the rope and then Shredder standing next to the crane are shown. This seems to be an attempt to explain how Michelangelo got into his awkward position.
-2,84 sec.

7:19
After that scene the censored version cuts to Shredder, who jumps up high and cuts the rope, which causes Michelangelo to fall down to the ground. Of course, this scene is also shown in the uncensored but it begins slightly earlier, since the viewer is shown how Shredder enters the picture and prepares to jump. The last picture shows the part where the uncensored version continues.
2,72 sec.

7:21
This is already the next censorship-related cut. The censored version does not show how Michelangelo hits the ground, only the previous fall is shown. Instead a scene that was shown earlier is replayed. Shredder lands and turns around. In his hand he holds a splinter of the eye of Sanos, which he, a couple of minutes before, caught from Donatello. The inserted scene is slightly longer than the original footage.
-0,08 sec.

original version:	censored version:

7:52
Shredders Hand reaches for the shrunken Turtles in a close-up. After that a fade-out (to the commercials) follows. Both were cut out. After the fade-out an almost identical replay of the scene is shown, also in both versions. However, in the replay the hand is not shown in a close-up.
9,68 sec.

15:08
Again a fade-out, as well as some parts of the scene before and after, was removed. The Turtles are drifting toward the grid longer. After the fade-out only the water is shown before the Turtles re-enter the picture.
5,2 sec.

20:00
A short passage in which Michelangelo uses his nunchucks was cut out.
1,12 sec.