1991 · Data East
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Known for Yellow ramp, Green ramp, Sewer and Turtle banks. Smoky purple and tan sky, stone or sewer wall texture and painted wooden frame in teal green.
- Year
- 1991
- Maker
- Data East
- Type
- Solid state
- Display
- Dot matrix
- Players
- 4
Known for
- Ramp
Yellow ramp
- Ramp
Green ramp
- Lane
Sewer
- Target
Turtle banks
- Captive ball
Captive ball
- spinning disc
Pizza wheel
- Mode
Twin Millions
- Mode
Awesome Scoring
On the playfield
Toy 1
- Pizza wheel spinning disc
Ramps 2
- Yellow ramp
- Green ramp
Captive ball 1
- Captive ball
Targets 2
- Turtle banks
- Save April target
Lane 1
- Sewer
Backbox 1
- Turtles backbox lights
On the backglass
Who and what
- creature Green-skinned muscular humanoid turtle, upper left, orange eye mask, brown chest shell, arm raised holding a weapon, snarling open mouth
- creature Green-skinned muscular humanoid turtle, left of centre, red eye mask, brown chest shell and shoulder pads, mouth open in a snarl, facing right
- creature Green-skinned muscular humanoid turtle, lower left, purple eye mask, brown chest shell, very broad toothy grin, facing right
- creature Green-skinned muscular humanoid turtle, lower right, blue eye mask, brown shell straps, facing left and up
- woman Pale skin, shoulder-length wavy auburn hair, tight sleeveless yellow-gold outfit, standing to the right of centre, facing the viewer
Setting
- Smoky purple and tan sky
- Stone or sewer wall texture
- Painted wooden frame in teal green
Text on it
- DATA EAST
- TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA
- TURTLES
- SPINNER
- ACTIVE BALL
- SCORE VALUE
- MYSTERY "X"
- INSTANT 3 BALL
- LITE TWIN MILLIONS
- MYSTERY VALUE
- LITE LOOPING
- LITE EXTRA BALL
- BALL IN PLAY
- CREDIT
How it plays
-
Modes 6
- Twin Millions
- Awesome Scoring
- Super Awesome Scoring
- Victory Lap
- Looping
- Last Chance
-
Multiballs 1
- Three-Ball Multiball 3-ball
-
Goals 1
- Awesome Shot
-
Awards 4
- Splinter Award
- Instant 3 Ball 3-ball
- Spot Turtle
- Big Value
Made by
- Design
- Joe Kaminkow
- Design
- Ed Cebula
- Art
- Kevin O'Connor
- Art
- Paul Faris
- Software
- Rehman Merchant
- Sound
- Neil Falconer
The cast
- Donatello
- Raphael
- Michaelangelo
- Leonardo
- Splinter
- April
Reference
Linked terms
- Yellow ramp also called Looping ramp
- Green ramp also called Victory Lap ramp
- Sewer also called Sewer lane also called Release
- Turtle banks also called Turtle targets
- Captive ball also called Splinter captive ball
- Pizza wheel also called Pizza disc
- Twin Millions also called Lite Twin Millions
- Looping also called Lite Looping
Playfield vision analysis
Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.
Playfield
- red
- yellow
- green
- black
Fingerprint: Thrasher, ornate golden clock face centered with scissor-bladed chomper mouth biting to its right, three egg bumpers glowing in top third, two green and one tall pink, roaring green monster head behind bumpers, lower centre packed with bright green purple blue padded tubes over red arc
A huge ornate golden clock face with Roman-style numerals sits dead centre, with a scissor-bladed chomper mouth biting just to its right. Three egg bumpers glow in the top third — two green and one tall pink — in front of a roaring green monster head. The lower centre is packed with bright green, purple and blue padded tubes and arrow flippers over a red arc. 'HOLD EITHER FLIPPER FOR INSTANT INFO' appears on black plaques in both bottom corners. The title THRASHER sits in red-and-yellow block letters on a teal banner with gold medallions at the top.
Setting
- Dark night sky / green-blue wash behind the skyline
- Grey-blue city skyscrapers across the middle band
- Red and orange radiating speed-burst pattern on the lower playfield
Symbols
- Playing-card suits (spade, club, diamond) in the red-bordered panel right of centre
- Black-and-white checkered racing flag
- Arrow motifs on the slings and lane guides
- Circular medallions flanking the top banner
- Star and lightning-bolt bursts
- Hourglass and clock faces
- Barrels and oil drums scattered mid-field
- Number roundels with digits
Notable shapes
- Large circular golden clock face in the centre
- A pointed arch or tower cutout rising from the apron between the flippers
- A tall yellow lane cluster in the upper left
- A red triangular starburst left of centre
- An hourglass-shaped green tribal emblem right of centre
- Triangular sling cutouts flanking the lower playfield
Art motifs
- Chrome mechanical fittings and gears
- Green tribal sun emblem
- Radial speed lines in red, orange and yellow
- Graffiti-style lettering
- Yellow lane guides with red dot inserts
Themes
- Motorcycle speedway
- Biker
- Hot rod racing
- Dragster
- Monster creature
- Urban night skyline
- Destructive machinery
- Arcade action
Title on it
- Thrasher
Text on it
- THRASHER
- SKILL SHOT
- HOLD EITHER FLIPPER FOR INSTANT INFO
- HOLD EITHER FLIPPER FOR
- Total Production 3250
- MILWAUKEE WISCONSIN U.S.A.
| Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Monster | A large snarling green reptilian or demon head with wide open jaws, red eyes and sharp white teeth, positioned at the top centre directly behind the three egg bumpers |
| Other | A hooded skull or grim-reaper face printed on a black rectangular card in the upper left, above the skill shot plate |
| Vehicle | A chrome and orange hot-rod / dragster nose and engine graphic in the centre-right, appearing to burst through a checkered flag |
| Other | A yellow kangaroo- or dog-like cartoon animal figure in a red-and-yellow starburst panel left of centre, above the clock |
| Creature | A pair of grey-blue intermeshing scissor blades or chomper teeth immediately right of centre, biting at a metal ball |
| Other | A small black silhouetted figure with an orange helmet or hair on a stage-like platform right of centre, behind the rail |
| Other | A small purple and blue humanoid figure at the lower right, arms raised, standing on the red arc near the sling |
| Other | A green and purple draped figure or tentacled form at the lower left, beside the left sling |
A tall, brightly coloured playfield shot from above, dominated by a red, yellow and green palette with a dark green-blue night backdrop. At the very top, a wide teal banner carries the title THRASHER in chunky red block letters outlined in yellow, flanked by two round gold medallions, with a narrow strip of tiny white lettering directly beneath it. Below sit three egg-shaped bumpers — two glowing green either side of a taller pink/magenta one in the centre — mounted in front of a snarling green monster head. Upper left is a yellow lane area with round light inserts and a red-and-yellow SKILL SHOT plate; a black card with a hooded skull sits above it. The centre of the field is dominated by a large ornate golden clock face, flanked by a red-and-yellow geometric starburst on the left and a green tribal-style sun or gear motif on the right, with grey-blue skyscrapers rising in the middle band. Lower centre is a mass of green, purple and blue inflatable-looking tubes over a red arc, with a five-drop-target bank of red squares and two lit white pop bumper caps above two white flippers. Both lower corners carry black instruction plates reading HOLD EITHER FLIPPER FOR INSTANT INFO. A large white specification sticker with dense patent text and a Total Production line sits on the apron, flanked by a central raised cast logo plate. The artwork is comic-book airbrushed, with heavy black outlines and strong neon colours, and the glass shows broad diagonal reflections.
Backglass vision analysis
Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.
Backglass
- green
- yellow
- purple
- orange
Fingerprint: teenage mutant ninja turtles in enormous gradient capitals, four green humanoids with colored eye masks crowding frame, purple-masked one grinning at left, pale enormous crossed-X of staffs dominating center, auburn-haired woman in yellow-gold right of center, turtle-shell-pattern grille discs anchoring corners, teal frame, instruction apron below
The single most memorable element is the enormous yellow-green gradient TURTLES wordmark filling the top third, with a huge pale crossed-X of two wooden staffs dominating the centre of the artwork behind it. Four green muscular humanoid turtles with coloured eye masks crowd the frame, the lower-left one wearing a purple mask and grinning widely with his teeth showing. A woman with long auburn hair in a tight yellow-gold outfit stands to the right of centre. Two circular yellow turtle-shell-pattern grille discs anchor the bottom left and bottom right corners, either side of the six-panel amber instruction apron.
Setting
- Smoky purple and tan sky
- Stone or sewer wall texture
- Painted wooden frame in teal green
Symbols
- Large pale crossed x of two wooden staffs
- Turtle shell motifs on the four figures
- Two circular yellow turtle-shell-patterned grilles
- Brown chest shells and shoulder pads
- Eye masks in orange, red, purple and blue
Lettering
- Teenage mutant ninja in compact heavy black sans-serif capitals on a red bordered banner; turtles in very large yellow-to-green gradient capitals with thick black outline and drop shadow, slightly arched
Themes
- Mutant turtles
- Martial arts
- Comic book
- Team of four
- Confrontation
Title on it
- Teenage mutant ninja turtles
Text on it
- DATA EAST
- TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA
- TURTLES
- SPINNER
- ACTIVE BALL
- SCORE VALUE
- MYSTERY "X"
- INSTANT 3 BALL
- LITE TWIN MILLIONS
- MYSTERY VALUE
- LITE LOOPING
- LITE EXTRA BALL
- BALL IN PLAY
- CREDIT
| Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Creature | Green-skinned muscular humanoid turtle, upper left, orange eye mask, brown chest shell, arm raised holding a weapon, snarling open mouth |
| Creature | Green-skinned muscular humanoid turtle, left of centre, red eye mask, brown chest shell and shoulder pads, mouth open in a snarl, facing right |
| Creature | Green-skinned muscular humanoid turtle, lower left, purple eye mask, brown chest shell, very broad toothy grin, facing right |
| Creature | Green-skinned muscular humanoid turtle, lower right, blue eye mask, brown shell straps, facing left and up |
| Woman | Pale skin, shoulder-length wavy auburn hair, tight sleeveless yellow-gold outfit, standing to the right of centre, facing the viewer |
A painted backglass in a teal green wooden frame, split into an illustrated upper panel and a lower instruction apron. A red banner edged in black carries TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA in heavy black block capitals, and below it TURTLES fills the width in enormous yellow-to-green gradient capitals with thick black outline. A DATA EAST mark sits top left. The art shows four green-skinned muscular humanoid turtles with brown chest shells against a purple and tan smoky background: one upper left with an orange eye mask swinging a weapon overhead, one left of centre in a red mask snarling, one lower left in a purple mask grinning broadly with teeth showing, one lower right in a blue mask. A large pale X of two crossed wooden staffs dominates the centre. To the right of centre stands a pale-skinned woman with wavy auburn hair in a tight yellow-gold sleeveless outfit. BALL IN PLAY and CREDIT labels sit above a dark display window in the lower centre. The bottom apron has a yellow-green header strip and six amber instruction panels, flanked by two circular yellow turtle-shell-patterned grille discs.