Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (franchise)

''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' is an American media franchise created by the comic book artists Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. It follows Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello and Raphael, four anthropomorphic turtle brothers (named after Italian Renaissance artists) trained in ninjutsu who fight evil in New York City. Supporting characters include the turtles' rat sensei Splinter, their human friends April O'Neil and Casey Jones, and enemies such as Baxter Stockman, Krang, and their archenemy, the Shredder.

The franchise began as a comic book, '' Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'', which Eastman and Laird conceived as a parody of elements popular in superhero comics at the time. The first issue was published in 1984 by Eastman and Laird's company Mirage Studios and was a surprise success. In 1987, Eastman and Laird licensed the characters to Playmates Toys, which developed a line of ''Turtles'' action figures. About US$1.1 billion of ''Turtles'' toys were sold between 1988 and 1992, making them the third-bestselling toy figures ever at the time.

The action figures were promoted with an animated series, which premiered in 1987 and ran for almost a decade. In some European regions, the franchise was called ''Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles'' due to the violent connotations of the word "ninja". Three live-action films were released; the first, released in 1990, became the highest-grossing independent film up to that point. Numerous video games have also been released. In 2009, the franchise was purchased by Viacom, now Paramount Global. Viacom commissioned a new comic series, two new live-action films, and new animated series.

History

1983–1986: Conception and first comics

The comic book authors Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird met in Massachusetts and began working on illustrations together. In 1983, Laird invited Eastman to move in with him in Dover, New Hampshire. That November, Eastman drew a masked turtle standing on its hind legs armed with nunchucks.'''' Laird added the words "teenage mutant". The concept parodied several elements popular in superhero comics of the time: the teenagers of ''New Teen Titans,'' the mutants of '' Uncanny X-Men'' and the ninjas of ''Daredevil'', combined with the comic tradition of funny animals such as Howard the Duck.

Eastman and Laird developed the concept into a comic book. They considered giving the turtles Japanese names, but instead named them after the Italian Renaissance artists Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello and Michelangelo, which Laird said "felt just quirky enough to fit the concept". They developed a backstory referencing further elements of ''Daredevil'': like Daredevil, the Turtles are altered by radioactive material, and their sensei, Splinter, is a play on Daredevil's sensei, Stick.

In March 1984, Eastman and Laird founded a comic book company, Mirage Studios, in their home. Using money from a tax refund and a loan from Eastman's uncle, they printed copies of first issue of '' Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' and advertised it in ''Comics Buyer's Guide Magazine.'' This attracted the interest of comic distributors, and all 3,000 copies were sold in a few weeks.'''' Sales of further issues continued to climb.''''

1987–1989: Toys, animation and video games

In 1987, Eastman and Laird licensed ''Turtles'' to Playmates Toys. Between 1988 and 1997, Playmates produced ''Turtles'' toys including around 400 figures and dozens of vehicles and playsets. About US$1.1 billion of ''Turtles'' toys were sold in four years, making them the third-bestselling toy figures ever at the time, behind '' GI Joe'' and ''Star Wars''.''''

Influenced by the success of ''He-Man'', ''G.I. Joe'' and '' Transformers'', which had promoted toy lines with animated series, Playmates worked with the animation studio Murakami-Wolf-Swenson to produce the first ''Turtles'' animated series, which premiered in 1987 and ran for almost a decade. It introduced ''Turtles'' elements such as their color-coded masks, catchphrases, love of pizza and distinct personalities. To make it acceptable to parents and television networks, the series had a lighter tone than the comics, with no expletives, less violence and less threatening villains.'''' In the United Kingdom and some other European regions, the franchise was renamed ''Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles'' for the violent connotations of the word "ninja".

The first ''Turtles'' video game was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in 1989, the first of several developed by the Japanese company Konami. It sold approximately four million copies, making it one of the bestselling NES games.'''' In response to concerns that the series was drifting from its origins, Eastman and Laird published an editorial in the comic in 1989, writing: "We've allowed the wacky side to happen, and enjoy it very much. All the while, though, we've kept the originals very much ours." Eastman later said there was "some stuff that we wish we hadn’t said yes to", and Laird wrote of his dislike for the softer tone of the animated series.''''

1990s: First films, franchise expansion and commercial peak

The early 1990s saw the commercial peak of the franchise. The first ''Turtles'' film was released in 1990, featuring costumes designed by Jim Henson's Creature Shop. It was based more closely on the comic than the animated series, with a darker tone. It was the fourth-highest-grossing film of 1990 and the highest-grossing independent film at that point, earning more than US$200 million worldwide. A sequel, ''The'' ''Secret of the Ooze'', was released the following year. With a rushed production and a lighter tone, it received weaker reviews and was less successful at the box office. '' Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III'' (1993) was aimed at the Japanese market, the largest foreign market for US films at the time, but failed to see release there and saw weaker reviews and sales.

In 1990, a stage musical, ''Coming Out of Their Shells'', featuring the Turtles as a rock band, played 40 shows across the United States.'''' The musical was sponsored by Pizza Hut and promoted with an appearance on '' The Oprah Winfrey Show.'' A soundtrack album and VHS were released.'''' After the animated series ended, a live-action television series, '' Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation'', was created in 1997 with Saban Entertainment. It introduced a fifth, female turtle, Venus de Milo. The series was canceled after one season;'''' Laird later said it was the only licensed ''Turtles'' project he "truly regrets".''''

2000s–present: Sale to Nickelodeon and further series

Eastman sold his share of the ''Turtles'' franchise to Laird in 2000. In 2003, 4Kids Entertainment launched a new animated ''Turtles'' series, which ran for seven seasons, concluding with a television film '' Turtles Forever'' in 2009.'''' Laird had a role in the production, creating a closer adaptation of the original comic.'''' A computer-animated ''Turtles'' film, ''TMNT'', was released in 2007 and earned $95 million at the box office.''''

On October 21, 2009, it was announced that Laird had sold the franchise to Viacom. He said he had tired of working on ''Turtles'', writing: "I am no longer that guy who carries his sketchbook around with him and draws in it every chance he gets." In August 2011, IDW Publishing launched a new ''Turtles'' comic series, with Eastman as co-writer and illustrator. A third animated series'''' premiered in September 2012 on Nickelodeon, and ran for five seasons before ending in 2017.

A fourth live-action ''Turtles'' film, produced by Platinum Dunes, Nickelodeon Movies, and Paramount Pictures, directed by Jonathan Liebesman and produced by Michael Bay, was released on August 8, 2014. It received negative reviews, but was a box-office success. A sequel, ''Out of the Shadows'', directed by Dave Green, was released in June 2016.

A fourth animated series, '' Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'', premiered in 2018 and ran for two seasons. A film sequel to the series released in 2022 on the streaming service Netflix. Two additional films are in development; '' Mutant Mayhem'', produced by Seth Rogen, and a live-action reboot produced by Bay.

Characters

In most versions, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are created when four baby turtles are exposed to radioactive ooze, transforming them into humanoids. They fight evil in New York City, where they reside in the sewers.

Leonardo, the leader, is the most disciplined and skilled turtle; an expert swordsman, he wields two katana and wears a blue bandana. Raphael, the strongest and most reckless turtle, wears a red bandana and uses a pair of sai. Donatello uses his intellect to invent gadgets and vehicles; he wears a purple mask and uses a bo staff. Michelangelo is the least disciplined and most fun-loving turtle, and is usually portrayed as the fastest and most agile. He wears an orange bandana and uses nunchucks.

Splinter is a mutant rat who is the wise adoptive father of the Turtles and teaches them ninjitsu. In some iterations, he was once the pet rat of ninja master Hamato Yoshi; in others, he is a mutated Yoshi. The Turtles are assisted by April O'Neil, who is variously depicted as a news reporter, lab assistant or genius computer programmer. In most versions, she is pursued romantically by Casey Jones, a hockey mask-wearing vigilante who usually becomes an ally of the Turtles.

The Turtles' nemesis is the Shredder, who leads the criminal ninja clan known as the Foot. His real identity is usually the ninja Oroku Saki. In most versions, the Shredder's second in command is Karai, a skilled martial artist; in some iterations she is the Shredder's daughter. The Shredder allies with Baxter Stockman, a mad scientist, and Krang, an alien warlord. Krang was introduced in the original animated series, and was inspired by the Utrom race from the comics. Also created for the series were the Shredder's buffoonish henchmen, Bebop and Rocksteady, a mutant rhinoceros and warthog.

Comics

Mirage Studios (1984–2014)

Eastman and Laird's ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' premiered in May 1984, at a comic book convention held at a local Sheraton Hotel in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. It was published by their company Mirage Studios in an oversized magazine-style format using black and white artwork on cheap newsprint, limited to a print run of 3000 copies. It was initially intended as a one-shot, but due to its popularity it became an ongoing series.''''

After publication was temporarily assumed by Image Comics for the third volume (see below), Laird (by then the sole owner of the franchise) and Lawson relaunched the main series at Mirage with a fourth volume in 2001. Following the sale of the franchise to Nickelodeon in late 2009, Laird retained the right to continue the Mirage series, but no issues have been released since the release of No. 32 in 2014, and Mirage Studios was wound down in 2021.

All total, the main Mirage series lasted for 129 issues, spanning four separate volumes of 62, 13, 23, and 32 issues, respectively.'''' Additional one-shot issues and miniseries were published over the years. Mirage also published a companion book entitled '' Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'', which was designed to fill in the gaps of continuity in the TMNT universe.

Image Comics (1996–1999)

In 1996, Image Comics co-founder Erik Larsen, seeing they there were no TMNT comics in active publication, oversaw a relaunch of the comics through Highbrow Productions, his studio at Image, with writing by Gary Carlson and art by Frank Fosco. This third volume of the main series, intended as a continuation of the Mirage comics, saw Splinter become a bat, Donatello a cyborg, Leonardo lose a hand and Raphael become scarred and assume the identity of the new Shredder. The series was canceled in 1999 after 23 issues without a conclusion. In 2018, IDW began reprinting the series in full color as ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Urban Legends'', and commissioned Carlson and Fusco to create three additional issues to tie up the unfinished story.

Archie Comics (1988–1995)

From 1988 to 1995, Archie Comics

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