Lego Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was a

Lego theme A Lego theme is a product line of Lego construction toys produced by The Lego Group based on a central concept. Before 1978, Lego produced several construction sets with common themes, but they were not necessarily branded as part of a single se ...

based on the

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' is an American media franchise created by the comic book artists Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. It follows Leonardo (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Leonardo, Michelangelo (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Miche ...

entertainment franchise first created by

Kevin Eastman Kevin Brooks Eastman (born May 30, 1962) is an American comics artist, comic book artist and writer best known for co-creating the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with Peter Laird. Eastman was also formerly the editor and publisher of the magazine ...

and

Peter Laird Peter Alan Laird (born January 27, 1954) is an American script (comics), comic book writer and comics artist, artist best known for co-creating the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with writer and artist Kevin Eastman. Early life and career Laird wa ...

. It ran from 2012 to 2014 and included sets based on both the 2012 animated series from

Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television television channel, channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its List of assets owned by Param ...

and the 2014 film by

Michael Bay Michael Benjamin Bay (born February 17, 1965) is an American film director and producer. He is best known for making big-budget, high-concept action films characterized by fast cutting, stylistic cinematography and visuals, and extensive use of ...

Overview

The product line focuses on the turtles emerging from their sewer home for the first time. They use their ninjutsu training to fight enemies in present-day

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. In addition, a life-sized Lego model of Shredder displayed at

San Diego Comic-Con San Diego Comic-Con International is a comic book convention and nonprofit multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California since 1970. The name, as given on its website, is Comic-Con International: San Diego; but it is co ...

, along with Lego sets based on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles television series and feature film. Lego Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles aimed to recreate the main characters in Lego form, including Leonardo, Raphael, Michaelangelo and Donatello.

Characters

Leonardo Leonardo is a masculine given name, the Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese equivalent of the English, German, and Dutch name, Leonard Leonard or ''Leo'' is a common English masculine given name and a surname. The given name and surname originate ...

: Leonardo, called "Leo" for short, is an enthusiastic

ninjutsu , sometimes used interchangeably with the modern term , is the martial art strategy and tactics of unconventional warfare, guerrilla warfare and espionage purportedly practised by the ninja. ''Ninjutsu'' was a separate discipline in some tradit ...

student, who wears a blue mask, and fights with two swords called Niten Ryu. He leads the various missions of the Turtles. *

Donatello Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi ( – 13 December 1466), better known as Donatello ( ), was a Republic of Florence, Florentine sculptor of the Renaissance period. Born in Republic of Florence, Florence, he studied classical sculpture and use ...

: Donatello, called "Donnie" for short, is in charge of the design and manufacture of all of the tools and weapons in the Turtles' arsenal. He is also a gifted hacker. He wears a purple mask and fights with a

bō A ''bō'' (棒: ぼう), ''bong'' (Korean), ''pang'' (Cantonese), ''bang'' (Mandarin), or ''kun'' (Okinawan) is a staff weapon used in Okinawa. ''Bō'' are typically around and used in Okinawan martial arts, while being adopted into Japanese ar ...

which also can be converted to a

naginata The ''naginata'' (, ) is a pole weapon and one of several varieties of traditionally made Japanese blades (''nihontō''). ''Naginata'' were originally used by the samurai class of feudal Japan, as well as by ashigaru (foot soldiers) and sōhei ( ...

via a blade inside one end of the staff. *

Raphael Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino, better known as Raphael (; or ; March 28 or April 6, 1483April 6, 1520), was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. List of works by Raphael, His work is admired for its clarity of form, ease of ...

: Raphael, also called "Raph", wears a red mask and fights with two sai. Known for his rage, he commonly takes it out on Mikey, and on occasions Leo, due to their feud. He acts as the muscles of the Turtles' attacks. *

Michelangelo Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (; 6 March 1475 – 18 February 1564), known as Michelangelo (), was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet of the High Renaissance. Born in the Republic of Florence, his work was insp ...

: Michelangelo, known as "Mikey", is the least mature of the turtles and is a lover of video games, skateboarding, pranks and pizza. He wears an orange mask and fights with two

nunchaku is a traditional Okinawan martial arts weapon consisting of two sticks (traditionally made of wood), connected to each other at their ends by a short metal chain or a rope. It is approximately 30 cm (sticks) and 1 inch (rope). A person wh ...

which also can be converted into

kusarigama A is a traditional Japanese weapon that consists of a ''kama'' (the Japanese equivalent of a sickle or billhook) on a kusari-fundo – a type of metal chain (''kusari'') with a heavy iron weight (''fundo'') at the end. The ''kusarigama'' is said ...

via a blade inside of one of the sticks of each nunchaku and extra lengths of chain stored in the other. He brings a brighter mood than his brother towards the team.

Launch

''Lego Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' was launched at

New York Comic-Con The New York Comic Con is an annual New York City fan convention dedicated to comics, Western comics, graphic novels, anime, manga, video games, cosplay, toys, Film, movies, and television. It was first held in 2006. History The New York Comic ...

in 2012. As part of the marketing campaign, The Lego Group released the first wave sets based on the 2012 animated series from Nickelodeon. Each set featured different vehicles, lair and combat robot. Minifigures were also released, including Leonardo, Raphael, Michaelangelo and Donatello.

Construction sets

According to

Bricklink Lego A/S (trade name: The Lego Group) is a Danish toy production company based in Billund, Denmark. It manufactures Lego-brand toys, consisting mostly of interlocking plastic bricks. The Lego Group has also built several amusement parks aroun ...

, The Lego Group released a total of 23 Lego sets and promotional polybags as part of ''Lego Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' theme. The product line was eventually discontinued by the end of 2014. In 2012,

The Lego Group Lego A/S (trade name: The Lego Group) is a Danish toy production company based in Billund, Denmark. It manufactures Lego-brand toys, consisting mostly of interlocking plastic bricks. The Lego Group has also built several amusement parks aroun ...

had a partnership with

. The Lego Group had announced that the first wave sets based on the 2012 animated series from

was released on 20 December 2012. The 6 sets being released were Kraang Lab Escape (set number: 79100), Shredder's Dragon Bike (set number: 79101), Stealth Shell in Pursuit (set number: 79102), Turtle Lair Attack (set number: 79103), The Shellraiser Street Chase (set number: 79104) and Baxter Robot Rampage (set number: 79105). In addition, 2 polybag sets released as promotions are Kraang's Turtle Target Practice (set number: 30270) and Mikey's Mini-Shellraiser (set number: 30271). The two exclusive minifigures are Shadow Leonardo and Kraang were given away at New York Comic-Con and the Rockefeller Lego store, respectively, to promote the theme. In 2014, the second wave sets was released on 2 April 2014. The 8 sets being released were Karai Bike Escape (set number: 79118), Mutation Chamber Unleashed (set number: 79119), T-Rawket Sky Strike (set number: 79120), Turtle Sub Undersea Chase (set number: 79121) and Shredder's Lair Rescue (set number: 79122). Also included Turtle Lair (set number: 10669) released as a sub-brand of the ''

Lego Juniors Lego Juniors was a product range of the construction toy Lego, designed for children aged 4 to 7 years old. It acts as a transition from the ''Lego Duplo, Duplo'' to the regular ''Lego System''. ''Lego Juniors'' initial release was on February 14 ...

'' theme. In addition, Flashback Shredder (set number: 5002127) polybag set have been released as promotion. These included a 5 key chains with a key chain attached to the minifigures of the Donatello, Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael and Splinter. Later, the sets based on the 2014 film by

was released on 8 July 2014. The 3 sets being released were Turtle Van Takedown (set number: 79115), Big Rig Snow Getaway (set number: 79116) and Turtle Lair Invasion (set number: 79117). The theme was designed primarily for children aged 5 to 14. Later, it was announced that the theme was discontinued and no longer available at the LEGO Store or online shop. However, the theme was eventually cancelled, with

Mega Bloks Mega Brands Inc. (formerly Mega Bloks Inc. and Ritvik Holdings) is a Canadian children's toy company currently owned by Mattel. Mega Bloks, a line of construction set toys, is its most popular product. Its other brands include Mega Construx, Mega ...

receiving Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles license for brick-based construction sets.

Web shorts

The 8 web shorts have been released on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

inspired by both the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012 TV series) as well as the Lego toyline.

Notes

References

External links

* {{Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Products introduced in 2012 Products and services discontinued in 2014 Toy animals