I might have missed this, but I didn't see anyone mention Ernie playing the stunt double for Donatello. He was mentioned briefly in an Inside Kung Fu article shortly after the first movie was released, and I remember the big commotion was how the fights were more karate oriented than based on actual ninjitsu,
You can download Sidekicks episodes on YouTube. I just saw the pilot, and--it seems almost like yesterday. (brief note: I thought I saw Don Cheadle playing one of the thugs, and coincidentally, some guy posted the same comment.)
Yep, it's Don Cheadle.
Ernie was indeed Don's stunt double for the first movie. I remember an interview with him in TMNT magazine around the time the second movie came out, in which he revealed that at first he didn't have any interest in TMNT or the first movie until he saw the toys and other merchandising; he saw how huge it was, and he wanted to be a part of it.
I looked for a Sidekicks vid on youtube a while back, just out of curiosity, and I didn't find anything. Of course, that may be because this video wasn't posted until later. This brings back so many memories. Ernie's stunts in "Sidekicks" were what inspired my lifelong interest in the martial arts in the first place. The idea that a tiny little kid could defend himself against much larger bullies was very attractive to me.
I find it amusing that there was controversy in Inside
Kung Fu about ninjutsu accuracy. I mean, c'mon, this is TMNT ... what were they expecting?