Turtles

In days when my world was small and my best friend lived five doors down Maze Place, I used to watch and play Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. On Friday nights I would get out my collection of action figures. I used furniture and a couple of plastic storage shelves on wheels as buildings to create cities where Michelangelo, Donatello, Raphael, and Leonardo could bravely rescue April O'Neil or other characters in need. My friend Ben gave each member of his collection a Ziplock bag with their name so that he never lost a nunchuck, skateboard, pizza, mask, or accessory. I owned a good 20-30 action figures, watched the 8:00 and 8:30am episodes without fail on Saturdays, and may have even pretended to like pizza more because the Turtles were enamored by it.

I loved Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as a kid.

I still love them. My brother bought me a TMNT T-shirt a couple years ago that draws complements whenever I wear it. I even spent an afternoon last year picking through the entire list of action figures from my era of Turtles. And yes, I owned quite a few of them.

Somehow the Turtles have seen a recent revival and been reincarnated with fresh cartoons and a couple of full-length feature films. When the newest version came to theaters, I figured it was time to revisit some childhood joy, and I offered to take my nephew Zeke to see it once it reached the dollar theater since he had become a Turtles fan himself. (My crafty mom made a turtle shell to complete Zeke's TMNT costume for Halloween last year.)

I picked Zeke up for the matinee on Saturday morning. We splurged for a food ticket and got a giant pack of Nerds candy (which he later spilled in the back seat of my car, so I'll be finding Nerds for years). The show was pretty true to the Turtles I knew from childhood. Leonardo was the leader. Raphael was the hot-headed rebel with a soft spot. Donatello was the brainy technology genius. Michelangelo had a weakness for pizza, parties, and girls. The Shredder had a mysterious, menacing presence. Splinter exuded wisdom. April O'Neil was fearless, intrepid, and loyal. I enjoyed the show, but I enjoyed watching Zeke's joy even more. I saw my five-year-old self in his big eyes and little body.

This year of being at home is worth savoring for moments like these. Zeke will soon be a teenager himself and far beyond these moments. I only have so long being the cool uncle that sugars him up and returns him to his parents. It's worth the Nerds rolling around my car, a few bucks, and a Saturday afternoon to make a new memory from an old one.