The Coming Out of Their Shells tour was a Concept Album-turned-stage musical from 1990 sponsored by Pizza Hut starring the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
With the popularity of the original cartoon making the Turtles Household Names, the turtles decide to become rock stars so that they could reach out to their fans in-person and share their music with the world. Unfortunately, their show is interrupted by the evil machinations of The Shredder, who, with his Mad Scientist minion Baxter Stockman, plans to end all the music in the world. Will the turtles stop them in time?
While the show is often lambasted for its wafer-thin plot and poor production design, it has since become a Cult Classic by fans of the Ninja Turtles for its tongue-and-cheek premise and Ham and Cheese delivery, making it a Fountain of Memes on the internet. The show even had a sequel — Gettin' Down in Your Town — in 1992 that showed in Six Flags Great America.
The show was originally available live and in Pay-Per-View, but has long since stopped production. The show is only available on VHS, but it has since been uploaded onto YouTube free to watch by fans of the turtles.
Coming Out of Their Shells provides examples of:
- Adaptational Wimp: This version of the Turtles are very easily frightened off by a device that is meant to nullify music (not their mutated physiologies, music) and seem reluctant to fight at all.
- Bond Villain Stupidity: When the Turtles retreat when the De-Harmonic Convergence Converter hurts them... somehow, Shredder captures April and ties her up right next to the De-Harmonic Convergence Converter's control panel.
- Captive Audience: After Shredder beats the Turtles in the second act, the Shredder locks all the doors to keep the audience from escaping (while demanding that they get out) and then starts riffing on the audience.
- Denser and Wackier: While the '87 Cartoon was fairly dense and wacky to begin with (especially after
Executive Meddling set in), the cartoon had nothing on this. Mutant ninjas who are supposed to keep themselves secret flaunting themselves on-stage in Glam Rock attire? Songs about pizza and stone-skipping? A villain that wants to take over the world instead trying to end all music because of a personal dislike of it? Singing about how much he dislike's music? You get the idea. - Highly-Visible Ninja:
- Most versions of the turtles, no matter how unsubtle they were, were at least taught by Splinter to practice stealth. Not this version. This version of Splinter taught them to start a rock band and go up on stage in front of millions of people to play music, making their status as ninja more of an Informed Attribute.
- The Shredder and his Foot Ninja are just as guilty, the Shredder boasting — or should we say yelling at the top of his lungs — about his Evil Plan to the audience.
- Hypocritical Humor: Shredder doesn't just declare his hatred of music, he sings about it!I hate music
I hate music and you heard it first I love it when the band never rehears
I hate music I think it's the worst - Idiot Ball: April (and the audience) tries to convince the turtles that the Shredder is there, but the four of them just brush them all off. When they hear his Evil Laugh bellow across the stage, they immediately make up a mutant ("Ground Hum") to try and explain it away.
- Laughably Evil: The Shredder will typically punctuate his monologuing with boats of hearty laughter.
- MacGyvering: Donatello manages to make vests that cloak them from the De-Harmonic Convergence Converter using magnetic strips on the back of their American Express cards.All of the Turtles: Don't leave home without it!
- Ode to Food: It wouldn't be a Ninja Turtles Musical without a song all about their love of pizza, as is the case with "Pizza Power".But pizza power
A flying saucer food delight
Pizza power
Oh, that's what makes us feel all right! - Pacified Adaptation: The show itself seems to be trying to push a pacifistic narrative. While other versions of the turtles were taught ninjitsu by Splinter and pushed to exercise stealth and anonymity, here it's the exact opposite; Splinter teaches them The Power of Rock and how they should reach out and touch hearts, which makes them the least ninja-like iteration of the turtles yet (and that's saying something). There is only one fight scene and its mostly the Turtles throwing around foot-based puns when Shredder's minions show up.
- Sealed Room in the Middle of Nowhere: Shredder's fate had the Turtles banishing Shredder to a Prison Dimension, which suspiciously looks like an empty room.
- Shout-Out: Midway through the show, the turtles do a parody of Jeopardy!, with the question being "A turtle's favorite word would be this." A flawed parody, as they don't phrase the answer in the form of a question."Cowabunga!"
- Surprisingly Sudden Death: While the show is overall ridiculous, it takes an out-of-nowhere dark turn when the Shredder vaporizes Kip on-screen!
- Take That!: The Shredder, the guy who's big defining quality in this musical is his hatred of music, uses the De-Harmonic Convergence Converter to take away all music in the world. Well, all music with the possible exception to Barry Manilow.
- Villain Song: "I Hate Music" is Shredder's one song, singing about how much he hates music.
