This article does not cite any references or sources. (April 2007) Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

This comics-related article or section describes an element of the series in a primarily in-universe style. Please rewrite this article to explain the fiction more clearly and provide non-fictional perspective.

April Harriet O'Neil is a fictional character in the Mirage Studios franchise Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. In each of the many TMNT continuities, she is good friends with the Turtles: Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello and Michelangelo. Mirage Studios is an independent American comic book company founded in 1983 by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. ... In comic books, first appearance refers to first comic book to feature a character. ... Kevin Baines Eastman (born May 30, 1962) is an American comic book artist. ... Peter Laird Peter Alan Laird (born January 27, 1954 in North Adams, Massachusetts) is an American comic book artist. ... Alice, a fictional character based on a real character from the work of Lewis Carroll. ... Mirage Studios is an independent American comic book company founded in 1983 by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. ... TMNT redirects here. ... Leonardo (or Leo), a fictional character, is one of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT). ... Raphael (or Raph), a fictional character, is one of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT). ... Donatello (or Don, or Donnie), a fictional character, is one of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT). ... Michelangelo (or Mikey, occasionally Mike), is a fictional character, one of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT). ...

Comics

In the original Mirage Comics storyline, April, who originally sported a yellow rain coat and jeans, was a skilled computer programmer and worked as an assistant for Baxter Stockman, helping to program his Mouser robots and demonstrating their operation. After she discovered that Baxter was using the Mousers to burrow into bank vaults and steal from them, she attempted to flee Baxter's workshop and found herself in the sewers running for her life, with several Mousers in pursuit. Three of the Turtles happened to come across her and save her; they later successfully fended off a Mouser invasion after Baxter programmed them to attack the Turtles. Dr. Baxter Stockman is a fictional scientist who has appeared in several versions of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles show and comic. ...

April's antique shop came under attack by The Shredder and the Foot Clan (who had come for the Turtles), and was destroyed in the ensuing battle. She and the Turtles retreated to a farm house where she later had disturbing dreams about the Foot Clan's attack. During the mid-90s, April became romantically involved with Casey Jones and the two eventually adopted a child named Shadow. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Arnold Casey Jones is a character from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series. ...

In Volume 2 of the TMNT comics, April was attacked and injected by a huge robot controlled by Baxter Stockman's brain (apparently, Baxter escaped capture, placed his brain in the body of a robot and sought out to get revenge on April). It wasn't revealed until Volume 4 that April was injected by nanobots that seemed to have caused sterility as well as was nearly killing her from the inside. With the help of the Utroms, the turtles sent turtle versions of nanobots to stop Baxter's versions and saved April before they would reach her brainstem.

Despite this, April remained sterile. Later Rennet would appear and take April back to her past to discover the truth behind her origins. It was revealed, at the time, that April's parents couldn't have children, and April actually turned out to be a drawing made by the same crystal Kirby used in Donatello # 1 to bring drawings to life. But due to April being drawn in ink, not pencil like Kirby's drawings, it might explain why she hasn't disappeared yet. This news came to a crushing blow to April, finding out she wasn't real led her to leave the city to deal with this new revelation. Since Volume 4 is on hiatus, it's unknown if she'll tell the turtles, Casey or Shadow about this.

For the most part, while many fans gave credit to referencing the same crystal Kirby used way back in Donatello # 1 in the old Volume 1 days, most hated the fact that April was revealed to be a drawing. Many felt it ruined her character, since despite the Mutant turtles, rats, vigilantees, Triceratons and other things, April was meant to be the only 'real world' type character in the series, and this new origin only made her another freak in the series.

Unlike the other versions of her character, the Mirage Comics version of April has dark brown/black hair. All future incarnations of April that came afterwards are redheads. Woman with red hair Man with red hair Red hair (also referred to as auburn, ginger, ranga or titian) varies from a deep orange-red through burnt orange to bright copper. ...

April also appeared in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures comic produced by Archie Comics, which began as re-tellings of cartoon episodes but were eventually spun off into original stories. In this series, she began as a carbon copy of her animated counterpart, but the writers developed her into a competent warrior after training with Splinter. Because of her frequent adventures with the Turtles, she lost her job at Channel 6 and became a freelance reporter. Archie also published 2 sets of 3-part April O'Neil mini-series. TMNT Adventures Mini-Series #1 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures was a comic book series published from August 1988 to October 1995 by Archie Comics. ... Archie Comics is an American comic book publisher known for its many series featuring the fictional teenage Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper, Veronica Lodge, Reggie Mantle and Forsythe Jughead Jones characters created by Bob Montana. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Channel 6 is a fictional TV-channel in New York City, which is seen in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series. ...

The second issue of the Dreamwave Productions series (based on the 2003 animated series) focused entirely on April, consisting of a dream sequence showing how she had been pressured into a scientific career by her family despite having interest in journalism, an obvious homage to the 1987 cartoon. Dreamwave Productions is a Canadian art design studio and comic book publisher, best known for their multiple Transformers comic book series. ...

Animated series (1987-1996)

In the original TMNT animated series, April O'Neil (whose middle name was purported to be Harriet) was a television reporter for Channel 6 News. She was employed by Burne Thompson, though due to her headstrong nature and passion for her work, she expressed frequent disagreement with the assignments he gave her. She also butted heads on a regular basis with Vernon Fenwick, the director/camera operator whose enormous ego compelled him to scoop April on her stories whenever possible. April was best friends with Irma, the secretary at Channel 6. Her Channel 6 News Van was a blue van that had classic headlights and the Channel 6 News logo on each side. The Channel 6 News Van is often likely based on a Volkswagen T2^{[citation needed]}. Though it remains unclear whether this was required work attire or her particular fashion sense, April later could usually be found wearing a distinctive yellow jumpsuit. She lived in an apartment in New York City, though during the course of the series, she was forced to relocate several times due to a variety of indirectly Turtle-related mishaps. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (known as Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles in the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, Germany and Sweden) is an American animated television series, produced by Fred Wolf Films and Murakami-Wolf-Swenson, Inc. ... Channel 6 is a fictional TV-channel in New York City, which is seen in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series. ... The Volkswagen Type 2 (aka Transporter) was the second automotive line introduced by German automaker Volkswagen. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ...

In 1987, having been employed at Channel 6 for less than a year, April was reporting on a series of thefts of high-tech scientific equipment, apparently by a ninja (ostensibly components Shredder was securing for use in the Technodrome), when she came under attack by a gang of punks. Thinking quickly, she managed to squeeze into a storm drain and ran from the mob until she hit a dead end. As it happens, the Ninja Turtles were nearby and soundly beat the punks. They took her back to their sewer lair for rest and recovery where they explained their origins to her. At first, she believed them to be responsible for the equipment thefts, but they agreed to provide her with the true culprits if she provided her assistance. April quickly became the Turtles' link to the outside world, since their unusual appearance effectively precluded them from functioning aboveground without some sort of disguise. Jiraiya, ninja and title character of the Japanese folktale Jiraiya Goketsu Monogatari. ... The Technodrome preparing to leave a Dimension X asteroid during the episode My Brother, the Bad Guy The Technodrome is a fictional semi-spherical tank-like mobile fortress of Krang and The Shredder, the main villains on the 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon series and the Archie Teenage Mutant...

April's friendship with the Turtles resulted in the opportunity to film exclusive footage of their encounters with Shredder, but despite her intimate knowledge of the details of their lives, she tended to keep her professional news reports about them impersonal and mysterious. She was a vocal champion of their cause, despite the opinion of the general populace (an opinion shared by Burne Thompson) that the Turtles were a menace to the city. April was frequently captured by Shredder, quite often as bait in order to lure the Turtles out of hiding in order to unleash his latest attempt at destruction upon them, and was often tied up and/or gagged. April's innate curiosity and determination placed her in danger on several occasions as well. Her most important contribution to the Turtles was her experience in doing research on the Channel 6 computers and alerting the Turtles to trouble and possible case leads.

April O'Neil, as shown during the final seasons

April was normally portrayed as a capable woman, but also filled the role of the typical plot device of damsel-in-distress. Her obsession with "getting a story" led to numerous instances of poor judgement which often resulted in her getting captured for the Turtles to save. Image File history File links File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...

Following the destruction of the Channel 6 building in the season eight episode Get Shredder!, April continued to work for Channel 6 for the remainder of the season, but by season nine, April worked as a freelance reporter. During these three seasons, she exchanged her yellow jumpsuit for a brown leather jacket. This outfit was more practical and less conspicuous than her classic form-fitting "banana suit." She continued to help the Turtles, even after the defeat of Shredder and his subsequent exile to Dimension X. Interplanetary space in Dimension X. This article is about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon/comics location. ...

There was also a two-part OVA series in Japan, in which April was voiced by Emi Shinohara. Original Video Animation ), abbreviated OVA ), is a term used for anime titles that are released direct-to-video, without prior showings on TV or in theaters. ... Emi Shinohara (篠原 恵美 Shinohara Emi), born Emiko Shinohara (篠原 恵美子 Shinohara Emiko, born August 8, 1963) is a well-known seiyū. She is employed by 81 Produce. ...

Motion pictures

Judith Hoag as "April" (Motion Picture)

In the first TMNT motion picture, April (played by Judith Hoag) was a television reporter (though she worked for Channel 3 news in this case) working for Charles "Chuck" Pennington, and did a series of stories on mysterious thefts in New York City whose culprits vanished without a trace. One night when leaving work, she was accosted by teenage thieves in league with the Foot Clan, but the Turtles saved her by knocking out and tying up the teens under the cover of darkness. In the aftermath April discovered and grabbed Raphael's lost sai, but Raphael soon followed her and took back the weapon and saved her again when she was attacked by a group of Foot Ninja. Unsure what to do with her, he carried her unconscious form to their sewer lair. Though her fear of rats initially got the better of her, she eventually came to regard the Turtles as friends, and even allowed them to live in her apartment after the Foot Clan discovered and destroyed their sewer dwellings. Chuck fired April for a while, though this is the only title in the TMNT franchise April O'Neil has lost a job^{[citation needed]}. Image File history File links April ONeil, as played by Judith Hoag File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links April ONeil, as played by Judith Hoag File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Judith Hoag (born on June 29, 1968 in Newburyport, Massachusetts, USA) is an American actress and acting teacher. ...

Mirroring the Mirage Comics storyline, the Foot once again attacked the Turtles in the antique shop, prompting April, the Turtles, and a wounded Raphael to retreat to her family's farmhouse. She kept a journal documenting their forced sabbatical in addition to drawing sketches of the Turtles. During their respite, April also developed a kind of love-hate relationship with Casey Jones.

In the second and third movies, April was played by Paige Turco. In TMNT III, April was temporarily transported to feudal Japan. April also made a live-action appearance in the TMNT: Coming Out of their Shells musical tour, during which her role was to incite the live audience to interact with the stage performers and encourage the Turtles when needed. She was played by Sherie Rene Scott. Paige Turco (born May 17, 1965) is an American actress. ... Sherie Rene Scott is an American actress and singer. ...

April appears in the 2007 film voiced by Sarah Michelle Gellar; following the continuity from the previous films, it appears that she and Casey Jones are living and working together in a shipping firm, engaged in a relationship. It is she who finds Leonardo at the start of the film, having been in the area seeking an artifact for Max Winters. No mention is made of her past as a journalist, but it is instead implied that she has taken up archaeology as a career. TMNT (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in some countries), to be released March 22, 2007 in Israel and Russia and on March 23, 2007 in the United Kingdom and the United States, It will be the fourth film released in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise. ... Sarah Michelle Gellar (born April 14, 1977) is an American actress. ... For referencing in Wikipedia, see Wikipedia:Citing sources. ...

She has taken up martial arts training from Splinter, purchasing a suit and armor from Japan and becoming skilled in the use of katana, apparently leaving behind her past as a 'damsel in distress'. This is demonstrated as April and Karai fight it out while, Casey, Splinter and the other turtles battle the Foot in order to save Leonardo. This appears to be corroborated in a collectible booklet packed in with her action figure for the film, which implies that she has become a master of the katana. The figure itself includes a katana, tonfa, and two shoulder armor pads; this outfit would be replicated for the film. It is also noted that in the beginning of the film, she wears something similar to Lara Croft's normal outfit. For other uses, see Katana (disambiguation). ... A Wooden Tonfa The tonfa, also known as tong fa or tuifa, is a traditional Okinawan weapon from which the modern side-handled police baton is derived. ... Lara Croft is a fictional British video game character and the heroine of the Tomb Raider series of video games, movies, and comic books. ...

Animated series (2003-Present)

April got a radical costume change for the new incarnation of the animated series produced by 4Kids Entertainment, but her role was similar to that of the Mirage Comics character. Again, she served as an assistant to Baxter Stockman until his Mouser experiments got out of control, and after the Turtles saved her, she became a faithful friend and ally to them. 4Kids Entertainment (NYSE: KDE) (commonly known as 4Kids) is an American film and television production company specializing in the acquisition, production and licensing of childrens entertainment around the world. ... Dr. Baxter Stockman is a fictional scientist who has appeared in several versions of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles show and comic. ...

As in the Mirage Comics, April owned an antique store which came under attack by The Shredder and the Foot Clan, who had come for the Turtles, and which was destroyed in the ensuing battle. However, when she returned home from the Northampton farmhouse where she had been staying, she decided to rebuild the store and re-opens.

In the episode, "Secret Origins: Part III", the creators of the show paid homage to the original cartoon by having April don a yellow jumpsuit familiar to fans. This also includes a pinned label that reads "9", but during a mock interview it slips, turning into the familiar "6". Posing as a reporter in order to help the Turtles escape from the TCRI building, April stalled the military and bought the Turtles enough time to defeat the Shredder. Upon their escape, Leonardo jokes that April seems to have an aptitude for a career as a reporter. She responds with a sarcastic: "maybe in another lifetime". Casey Jones made a wisecrack that her jumpsuit might have been more appropriate for moving toxic waste. Secret Origins is a three-part episode (thirty-second through thirty-fourth) of the animated series Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2003), which originally aired on January 17, 2004 January 24, 2004 and January 31, 2004. ...

This version of April makes much more use of her scientific expertise and she often uses her computer skills to aid the Turtles. This has also meant that she has developed a closer relationship to Donatello, who shares many of her interests. The two have even showed signs of a romantic attraction but have done little to capitalize on this. According to a bio book given to Toys 'R' Us, they share more of a brother/sister relationship, similar to that of twins. Toys Я Us NYSE: TOY is a toy store chain based in the United States. ...

April is also shown to have an attraction to Casey Jones, though their contrasting personalities often make them bicker. By the third season, the two are shown to be dating and seem to have a serious relationship. In the Fast Forward season it is revealed that the two eventually marry and have children. The two of them also found a computer company. April doesn't appear in this season in person, but her great-grandson Cody does, and many references are made to her.

April also has developed a modest knowledge of combat skills after training with Splinter. In this series, she rarely plays the helpless damsel-in-distress role, and her quick thinking is often a key to the Turtles' survival. Indeed, in the second season episode "April's Artifact", the turtles refer to her as "Jungle Girl" due to them being sucked into a jungle-like realm. Not only does she come across as being an accomplished fighter and wind-surfer, she also saves the lives of three of the turtles near the end of the episode. She is voiced by Veronica Taylor. Aprils Artifact is the forty-seventh episode of the animated series Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2003), which originally aired on May 1, 2004. ... Veronica Taylor (born April 9, 1978) is an American voice actress. ...

Video games

April has appeared in most of the TMNT video games, usually as the damsel in distress who has been captured by the Foot Clan. In TMNT IV: Turtles in Time for SNES, she kicks the story off with a brief report and appears onscreen in the SNES version to encourage the Turtles to fight when the player characters are idle. She also appears as a playable character in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters for Sega Genesis. Her game sprite bears no resemblance to the cartoon likeness. A poster for The Perils of Pauline (1914). ... The Super Nintendo Entertainment System or Super NES (also called SNES and Super Nintendo) was a 16-bit video game console released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia, and Brazil between 1990 and 1993. ...

In Konami's new series of TMNT games based off the animated series, April resembles her cartoon counterpart. Like in the new show, she is no longer a mere damsel-in-distress but often shows up in various cutscenes to give advice and advance the plot of the game. In TMNT: Mutant Melee, April is once again a playable character and participates in multi-player battles. Konami Corporation ) (TYO: 9766 NYSE: KNM SGX: K20) is a leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys, trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, slot machines and video games. ...

Action figures

In the TMNT toy lines produced by Playmates Toys, April O'Neil has appeared in several action figure incarnations. The first of these had a limited production run, notable for the lack of a blue stripe running along the side of her jumpsuit, and is considered valuable to collectors. The more common yellow-striped version quickly replaced it and had much greater circulation. (One item of note is that the badge above her breast pocket that read "PRESS" was removed after Playmates became concerned that children would interpret the text as directions for a gimmick and expect a reaction after following those instructions.) An alternate version of April, with a different head sculpt (closer to her cartoon incarnation) and orange boots and details was a further modification made to the original figure. At one stage, a 13" version was slated for production to accompany the other similar-sized figures, but was never produced. Other notable April figures include the 1988 version, dubbed simply "April," with purple accents on her jumpsuit; "April, the Ravishing Reporter," which was the first such figure to feature rooted hair; "April, the Ninja Newscaster," who came with one of each of the Turtles' signature weapons; and "Mutatin' April," part of the Mutations assortment in which April could transform into a humanoid cat (inspired by the original series episode "The Cat Woman from Channel Six"). This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The Cat Woman from Channel Six is episode 17 in the 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon series. ...

For the new TV series, Playmates introduced two April figures, a standard sized April with bonus Mouser robots and a miniature April.

External links

• April's profile on Official TMNT website