10 Mind-Blowing Facts You Didn't Know About The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
4. The Original Film's Suits Needed 3 People To Operate
The Jim Henson Company, like their founder, are the best in the business when it comes to puppetry and practical effects. This is due to them cutting no corners and giving no quarter when it comes to the puppets they create. No matter how complex or difficult the method for operating a puppet or setting up a prop is - if there's no other way to do it - they'll usually just suck it up and do it anyway.
Case in point, with the heat and humidity of North Carolina, combined with the weight of the suits themselves, it should come as no shock that the 1990 Ninja Turtle suits each required three people operating them at once.
That's one dude in the suit itself during fight scenes, and two guys who would operate the more subtle facial expressions (eye movements, small mouth gestures etc.) during more still moments, such as the scene where Donnie and Mickey are waiting for their pizza.
And that's not even counting the voice actors, who had to dub over every line because it was impossible to say the lines clearly while wearing the suit. Needless to say, it was a hassle just making one of these suits work for a scene, but when you watch the movie, it all looks effortless. And that's why the Jim Henson Company is the Jim Henson Company, and everyone else is everyone else.