Coin-A-Bunga, Dude!
"Play pinball, dudes!"
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a 1991 pinball machine based off the multi-media franchise of the same name (more specifically the 80's cartoon), made by Data East. It was designed by Ed Cebula and Joe Kaminkow, with artwork by Kevin O'Connor and Paul Faris.
It has a number of somewhat interesting features, such as a spinning pizza ala Whirlwind, two prominent ramps, and a sewer shot that caused the ball to momentarily disappear under the playfield. Unfortunately, these features weren't enough to redeem the game in the eyes of most pinheads, who condemn it as generic and boring, arguing that it could've used the license better — a common complaint with many of Data East's pinballs (such as Back to the Future).
This pinball machine contains examples of:
- Alliterative Name: The "Bronco Bumpers".
- Down the Drain: The ball can disappear under the machine by shooting it into the manhole, then reappear from the "pop-up manhole cover".
- Excuse Plot: Even moreso than most pinball machines.
- Evil Laugh: The Shredder does one of these.
- Gotta Catch Them All: The four turtles must be collected for multiball.
- Highly-Visible Ninja: The Foot Soldiers, who are dressed in bright purple outfits.
- Match Sequence: Three regular turtles enter the screen, flipping their shells to reveal a number, changing several times before one eventually reveals the final number.
- Navel-Deep Neckline: April on the backglass has her shirt open all the way to her stomach.
- Off-the-Shelf FX: The playfield is decorated with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles action figures.
- Progressive Jackpot: Spelling T-U-R-T-L-E-S, which starts the Millions round.
- Secondary Adaptation: A 1991 pinball game based on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987), which itself is based on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Mirage).
- Skill Shot: When you plunge a ball into play, the left ramp is lit for 250K*ball in play. If you successfully shoot it before hitting another playfield target, the right ramp is lit for the same amount.
- Spectacular Spinning: The spinning pizza.
- Spelling Bonus: T-U-R-T-L-E-S starts the Millions round.
- Surfer Dude: The announcer (presumably one of the turtles) certainly sounds like one.
- Title Scream: Done at the beginning of a new game.
- Title Theme Drop: While the main theme is already played during a normal game, starting Multiball prompts a version with the original lyrics to play.
- Totally Radical: Oh, so very much.
- Trademark Favorite Food: Pizza, of course."Serious pizza!"
- Welcome to Corneria: Expect to hear certain soundclips a lot."Everybody, out of the sewers!"
"Serious pizza!"
"Wipeout!"
"Gimmie three!"
