Celebrated every year on May 23, World Turtle Day is aimed at drawing attention and knowledge about turtles and tortoises, and increasing awareness about the measures that should be taken to help them survive and thrive in their natural environment against the vicissitudes of the ecosystem.
One of the oldest species known to mankind, turtles are also considered auspicious in India. Folks cosplay as turtles to raise awareness about the dangers meted out to their natural habitat as a result of human activity as well as natural causes. In popular culture, especially movies and animation, turtles have been depicted in many ways.
On World Turtle Day 2020, here are our top five turtle characters that won our hearts :-
Squirtle
Squirtle Squirtle! What it rhymes with is just anyone’s guess. And that’s what this adorable little Pokemon derives its inspiration from. Squirtle is a small Pokémon that resembles a light blue turtle. While it typically walks on its two short legs, it has been shown to run on all fours in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. It has large, purplish or reddish eyes and a slightly hooked upper lip. Each of its hands and feet have three pointed digits. The end of its long tail curls inward. Its body is encased by a tough shell that forms and hardens after birth. This shell is brown on the top, pale yellow on the bottom, and has a thick white ridge between the two halves. The anime has shown that it can be found living on secluded islands with other members of its evolutionary line. In the past, Skull Bash was its signature move.
Crush
Crush is a sea turtle who speaks in the manner of a surfer dude. He helps Marlin and Dory get to Sydney Harbour to rescue Nemo. His nicknames for Marlin and Dory are “Jellyman” and “Little Blue”, respectively. After he transports Marlin and Dory to their destination to find Nemo, Marlin asks Crush how old he is to which he replies, “150, dude, and still young!” Probably. the best way to describe Crush is a surfer punk who loves and cares for his son, Squirt.
When it comes to traveling the ocean’s currents, no one has as much fun as Crush. The 150-year-old sea turtle is young at heart with a laid-back surfer dude attitude that lets him go with the flow. But Crush is no drifter; he loves nothing more than the thrill of riding the rollicking East Australian Current (EAC) with his offspring. When Crush encounters Marlin and Dory, he’s more than happy to help them find their way, provided they can hold on for the wildest ride of their lives.
Speed
Mr. Lorenzo Trudgealong “Speed” is a turtle the supporting character of The Swan Princess. Odette, Derek, Jean-Bob and Puffin’s friend. He is wise but lazy at most times due to his slow nature. Even though he is slow on land, he is a fast swimmer, thus earning him the name, Speed. He says or does things slowly. He also has a bit of a sarcastic, witty streak to him, particularly towards Jean-Bob.
Gamera
Gamera is a Kaiju created by the Daiei Motion Picture Company and now owned by Kadokawa Pictures. The original 1965 Gamera was released to rival the success of Toho Studios’ Godzilla during the “monster boom” of the 1960s. The character has gained fame and notoriety as a Japanese icon in his own right.
Michelangelo
Physically the smallest of the Turtles and the least mature, Mikey is easily distracted and enthusiastic about… well, pretty much everything. He’s also extremely creative. He has a thousand ideas, and every now and then, one of them will be brilliant. This combination of creativity and lack of focus gives him a kind of “flow” that the other Turtles cannot match. He’s a social mutant and more than the others, pines to be part of the real world.
“Mikey here. I’m definitely the funnest of all my brothers. I love video games, skateboarding, pranking my brothers and duh, pizza!! Who does NOT like New York City Style Pizza? I mean, THEY’RE THE BEST!!! Speaking of pizza… I’m hungry.”