Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) (fictional character)
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) are a group of fictional characters created by Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman in the early 1980s. These anthropomorphic turtles are brothers who were transformed by a radioactive incident and trained in ninjutsu by their sensei, a rat named Splinter. Residing in a New York City sewer, the turtles—Donatello, Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Raphael—fight crime and confront their archenemy, the evil Shredder, along with his Foot Clan. Each turtle is characterized by a distinct colored mask and weapon, and they are named after famous Italian Renaissance artists.
The TMNT gained immense popularity in the late 1980s and early 1990s, expanding into a wide-ranging franchise that includes comic books, animated television series, feature films, and action figures. The original animated series debuted in 1987 and became a cultural phenomenon, leading to several sequels and reboots over the years. The franchise has evolved, with various adaptations tweaking the characters' stories and tones to appeal to different audiences, including younger viewers. Recent iterations include a 2022 Netflix film and a 2023 theatrical release titled "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem," which showcases the enduring legacy of these beloved characters.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) (fictional character)
The team known as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) is a set of fictional characters who were created by Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman in the early 1980s. The four Ninja Turtles are brothers—teenage anthropomorphic turtles who were mutated as a result of a radioactive incident. The turtles, who live in a sewer beneath New York City, are trained in the art of ninjutsu by their sensei, a rat named Splinter. Together, the turtles fight crime in the city and battle various foes, including the evil Shredder and his gang, the Foot Clan. Each of the turtles wears a uniquely colored mask and has a signature weapon. Additionally, each turtle was named for a different Italian Renaissance painter. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles foursome includes Donatello (also known as Donny), Leonardo (Leo), Michelangelo (Mikey), and Raphael (Raph). The Ninja Turtles, an extremely popular fad during the late 1980s and early 1990s that stretched into the early twenty-first century all over the world, existed as successful comic books, cartoon television series, feature films, toys, and more.
Brief History
Laird and Eastman first conceived the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles while joking around one night at Laird’s home in Northampton, Massachusetts. While the pair goofed around and watched television, Eastman drew a comical picture of a turtle standing on two legs, wearing a mask, and bearing a pair of nunchucks. Laird found Eastman’s drawing hilarious and decided to draw his own version of the ninja turtle. The pair went back and forth, comparing pictures, until Eastman came up with one drawing of four ninja turtles. Laird added the title, "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," and the idea was born.
Laird and Eastman began developing the characters and decided to publish a single comic book issue. They used a small tax refund as well as a loan from Eastman’s uncle, and they dubbed themselves Mirage Studios. They used the money to print just over three thousand copies of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. With the small amount of remaining funds, Laird and Eastman created a basic press kit for the comic book, sending it out to various media publications. When they debuted Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles at a comic book convention in New Hampshire in 1984, they were surprised to discover that the little press kit had actually worked and helped them sell every copy they had printed. Laird and Eastman decided to release follow-up issues of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as a response to the surprisingly high demand for the story. When it eventually came out, their eighth issue sold over one-hundred thousand copies.
Action Figures
Laird and Eastman’s comic continued to grow in popularity, and the pair was soon contacted by Mark Freedman, a licensing agent who wanted to help the franchise expand. The first opportunity came by way of Dark Horse Miniatures, which in 1986 produced a set of small lead figurines of the turtles. The following year, Mirage Studios began discussing an action figure deal with Playmate Toys. Playmate was reluctant, however, to make a deal with Mirage without the security of a television contract, and it required that a contract be signed first. After securing the television deal, Mirage Studios joined forces with Playmates and animators at Murakami-Wolf-Swenson; then began the work of developing the turtle’s backstory for the packaging. The creative team helped craft many of the franchise’s signature phrases, including the rallying cry, "Turtle Power!" The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle action figures were extremely successful throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s. They sold more than any similar toy that had been marketed and brought in millions of dollars in revenue. After a succession of film, television, and comic adaptations both continued and created new story lines for the characters into the first decades of the twenty-first century, maintaining interest in the franchise, Playmates released further, customized versions of the action figures as the line of toys remained popular.
Television Series
In response to Playmate’s reluctance to enter into a deal before certain conditions were met, Mirage Studios sought out a television contract for the franchise. Initially intended as a five-episode miniseries, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles television show first aired on December 28, 1987. The show was not an immediate success, and, in fact, it had to be rerun three times before it became a hit. The show’s popularity was bolstered by the release of the action-figure line, and the series subsequently became a syndicated Saturday morning cartoon in 1988. After thirteen more episodes, the show had become a hit and got picked up by Westinghouse Broadcasting Company. Westinghouse sent the show to the CBS network and provided funding for the animation. The television series launched the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles into international stardom, and the show subsequently ran for ten seasons—until 1996. After the show was canceled, a live-action series, Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation, was launched in 1997, and this new version included a fifth, female member of the team. However, the show was taken off the air after just one season.
The two television series stayed true to the original comic books in many ways, but to be appropriate for the young target demographic, the shows had to be modified. The comic books were dark in tone and showcased a significant amount of violence and foul language. When the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were brought to TV, much of this aspect of the storytelling was removed. Instead, the series converted the crusading reptiles into a goofy group of brothers who loved pizza. A reboot of the original TV series began in 2003 on Fox Box, and this reboot followed the original comic books more closely. The show lasted seven seasons and aired its final episode in February 2009. Between 2012 and 2017, Nickelodeon hosted five seasons of a new, computer-generated animated series. Beginning in 2018 and continuing through 2020, the network aired two seasons of the animated series Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Films
In 1990, the four brothers appeared in their first feature film, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The film was live-action, with actors appearing in animatronic costumes built by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop. The film was extremely successful and inspired two sequels—Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze (1991) and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: Turtles in Time (1993). A fourth film, TMNT, was released in 2007, but it was shot entirely using computer graphics. In 2009, Laird and Eastman gave up their rights to their creation, and Mirage Studios sold the franchise’s rights to Nickelodeon. Under the new ownership, a rebooted Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was released in 2014, featuring computer-generated Turtles alongside live-action stars such as Megan Fox. A poorly performing sequel, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows, was released in 2016. Spawned by the 2018–20 television series, Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie appeared on Netflix in 2022. Following an announcement that actor and producer Seth Rogen would helm a new film iteration of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, it was revealed in early 2023 that stars such as John Cena, Paul Rudd, and Jackie Chan had joined the voice cast. The film, titled Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, hit theaters in the summer of that year, performing relatively well at the box office and earning critical praise overall. Upon its success, a follow up movie was announced in 2024 with a planned release date of October 9, 2026.
Bibliography
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Travis, Ben. “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem Sequel Confirmed for 2026.” Empire, 29 Feb. 2024, www.empireonline.com/movies/news/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-mutant-mayhem-sequel-2026/. Accessed 29 Dec. 2024.
Summers, Megan. "Every Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Movie & Series (in Chronological Order)." ScreenRant, 21 July 2023, screenrant.com/every-movie-tv-adapatation-tmnt-chronological-order/#teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-1990. Accessed 29 Dec. 2024.