The American media property known as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or TMNT was developed by comic book creators Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. It centers on the anthropomorphic turtle brothers Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello and Raphael, who battle evil in New York City using their ninjutsu skills.
The turtles’ rat sensei Splinter, their human companions April O’Neil and Casey Jones and foes like Baxter Stockman, Krang and their archenemy, the Shredder all play supporting roles. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the comic book that gave rise to the franchise was created by Eastman and Laird as a spoof of certain features then common in superhero comics.
The first issue, Mirage Studios, the business owned by Eastman and Laird released in 1984 was an unexpected hit. In 1987, Playmates Toys received a character license from Eastman and Laird and created a line of Turtles action figures.
Between 1988 and 1992, Turtles toys were sold for around US$1.1 billion making them the third-best-selling toy figures ever at the time. An animated series that debuted in 1987 and ran for almost ten years promoted action figurines.
In 2000, Laird purchased the Turtles franchise from Eastman. Laird sold it to Viacom in 2009. A new animated series, two new live-action movies and a new comic book series were all ordered by Viacom.
What is the History of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?
In Massachusetts, Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird met and started collaborating on comic book drawings. Laird invited Eastman to share a residence with him in Dover, New Hampshire in 1983. In November of that year, Eastman created a drawing of a turtle wearing a mask and holding nunchucks.
The idea ridiculed a number of superhero comic book tropes that were prominent at the time including the ninjas of Daredevil, the mutant teens of New Teen Titans and the Uncanny X-Men. It also included the comic book tradition of amusing creatures like Howard the Duck.
The idea was evolved into a comic book by Eastman and Laird. The Italian Renaissance artists Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello and Michelangelo were considered as names for the turtles, but Laird believed that these names felt just quirky enough to fit the concept and decided against them.
They created a narrative that made more allusions to Daredevil. They printed copies of the first issue of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and advertised it in Comics Buyer’s Guide Magazine using funds from a tax refund and a loan from Eastman’s uncle.
Distributors of comic books became interested in it and the 3,000 copies were all sold in a matter of weeks. The number of additional issues sold grew over time. Playmates Toys received a Turtles license from Eastman & Laird in 1987.
Playmates produced Turtles toys from 1988 and 1997, comprising 400 figures, dozens of vehicles and playsets. Turtles toys were the third-best-selling toy figures ever at the time, after GI Joe and Star Wars with sales of about US$1.1 billion over a four-year period.
Playmates collaborated with the animation studio Murakami-Wolf-Swenson to create the first Turtles animated series which debuted in 1987 and lasted for almost a decade. Playmates were inspired by the success of He-Man, G.I. Joe and Transformers, which had pushed toy lines with animated programs.
It debuted characteristics of the Turtles like their colorful masks, catchphrases, love of pizza and unique personalities. The series featured a softer tone than the comics with no expletives, less vἰolence and fewer menacing villains to make it acceptable to parents and television networks.
Because the word “ninja” carries a vἰolent connotation, the franchise was renamed Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles in the United Kingdom and certain other European countries. The first of multiple Turtles video games created by the Japanese company Konami was published for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in 1989.
It was one of the best-selling NES games with sales of almost four million copies. The Turtles played in a rock band in the theatrical musical Coming Out of Their Shells which performed 40 performances across the country in 1990.
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