From the entertainment news website Entertainment Weekly's
'Inside TV' television news column:
'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' producer: How 'booyakasha' became the new 'cowabunga'
Old-school fans of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise may have noticed something interesting in the run-up to Nickelodeon's upcoming animated reboot: the lack of cowabungas.
The Turtles’ standby catch phrase — first introduced in the '50s by The Howdy Doody Show and later popularized by TMNT's Michelangelo – has so far been conspicuously absent from the new series. Meanwhile, another four-syllable exclamation has appeared in its stead: booyakasha, a word strongly associated with Sacha Baron-Cohen’s Ali G character.
What, we wondered, is up with that? Ciro Nieli, executive producer of Nickelodeon's TMNT update, had some answers for us.
“There was a lot of talk about what the new 'cowabunga' was, or whether it should even remain 'cowabunga,'” Neili tells EW. "We hadn't initially come up with anything yet because we didn't really necessarily need it [at the time]."
“But then when we were at the record, one of the actors — Greg Cipes, who actually plays Michelangelo — just kind of went for it,” Nieli explains. “When he said it in the room, there were a lot of executives there. I think it was our first record. And it was that moment when he said it — I think he just really pulled it off and kind of won everybody over in the room. And it stuck.”
But diehard fans shouldn’t mourn the loss of cowabunga just yet. “That cowabunga replacement is one of many things we say,” Neili says. “And we might actually — I think cowabunga might be coming. We just wanted to wait on it. We didn’t want to do everything at once.”
So, today's children are about to witness a cowabunga-free Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, at least for a while. How do you TMNT OGs take that news? Do you applaud the new series’ decision to develop its own voice, or is this on par with suddenly giving the gang an alien backstory? Let us know!
Tags: EW Exclusive, Nickelodeon, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, TMNT, TV Scoop
Also, from
WhatCulture!:
New Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles TV Show Replaces Cowabunga With “Booyakasha”
Oh my! The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fans have had more than their fair share of bad news in the last 12 months so it should come as no real surprise that the latest buzz regarding the franchise is also going to ruffle a few feathers. Not that turtles have feathers.
According to Entertainment Weekly, a world famous Ninja Turtles catchphrase will not be uttered during the premiere season of the new TMNT TV show which is airing on Nickelodeon in the US and [Nickelodeon] in the UK. That's right Turtles fans, “Cowabunga” is out. The new buzz word in the sewers of New York City? “Booyakasha”.
The show’s producer Ciro Neili had this to say:“There was a lot of talk about what the new ‘cowabunga’ was, or whether it should even remain ‘cowabunga. We hadn’t initially come up with anything yet because we didn’t really necessarily need it [at the time]. But then when we were at the record, one of the actors — Greg Cipes, who actually plays Michelangelo — just kind of went for it. When he said it in the room, there were a lot of executives there. I think it was our first record. And it was that moment when he said it — I think he just really pulled it off and kind of won everybody over in the room. And it stuck.”
Exactly why a phrase most commonly associated with Sacha Baron-Cohen’s alter-ego Ali G is being used in a kids TV show considering they officially shouldn't have watched any Ali G is beyond us, however Neili assures us that Cowabunga is not gone forever – probably.
“That cowabunga replacement is one of many things we say. And we might actually — I think cowabunga might be coming. We just wanted to wait on it. We didn’t want to do everything at once.”
So how do we all feel about this change? Are the catchphrases of classic shows as important as the stories and characters themselves? Will you be watching the cowabunga-less Teenage Mutant Ninja/Hero Turtles? And is this the biggest travesty since Ninja was replaced with Hero in the UK? Have your say below.
