Although Netflix’s new Stranger Things spinoff, Tales from ’85, isn’t flawless, fans particularly enjoyed its surprising reference to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Stranger Things has always heavily featured 1980s pop culture since it first began. The show was originally conceived as a mix of Stephen King and Steven Spielberg – combining Spielberg’s heartwarming depictions of childhood and suburban life with the unsettling horror elements found in King’s stories from that time period.
It’s not surprising that the first Stranger Things spin-off, Tales from ’85, appears to take inspiration from a classic ‘80s cartoon. The glowing green substance that brings zombie pumpkins back to life in the show is exactly the same as the goo that famously transformed ordinary turtles into the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Stranger Things: Tales from ’85’s Mutagen Looks An Awful Lot Like TMNT’s Green Goo
The substance causing the plants to come back to life and grow into monsters strongly resembles the ooze that transformed the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, suggesting the show’s creators included this connection on purpose. This idea is reinforced by Stranger Things: Tales from ’85, a spinoff series that was originally envisioned as a classic Saturday morning cartoon within the Stranger Things universe, making the tribute even more obvious.
The new Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 includes a playful visual reference to a popular ‘80s cartoon, but the connection runs deeper than just a quick nod. Like Tales from ’85, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles started as a more adult-oriented story before being adapted into a kid-friendly cartoon. While movies like Robocop, Rambo, and The Toxic Avenger are well-known for becoming surprisingly family-friendly animated series, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles also began as a project intended for mature audiences.
Stranger Things: Tales from ’85’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Nod Highlights The Netflix Spinoff’s Biggest Change
The first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic books, created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, were actually quite dark and violent. However, when the franchise expanded to include toys, cartoons, and movies, it became more family-friendly. Originally, the comics were a gritty parody of Daredevil, and the ninja turtles were portrayed as ruthless assassins who often killed their enemies in graphic detail.
Similar to how Stranger Things lightened its original tone for Tales from ’85 to appeal to a wider audience, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles TV series was much more lighthearted and less violent than the comics it was based on. The visual reference to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in the spinoff series works in two ways: it’s a fun nod for fans of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but also quietly suggests that the Stranger Things spinoff, Tales from ’85, is moving away from the darker, more mature themes that defined the show’s early seasons.
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2026-04-30 17:40