Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Stand the Test of Time
A toy Donatello of the Ninja Turtles. (Photo by Maggie Collins)
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) may have emerged onto the pop culture scene in the 80s, but they are still going strong in the year 2012.
These four mutant adolescents have had success in just about every franchise possible: toys, movies, T.V. shows, comics, videogames, and even food boxes are just some of the many things that have the turtles’ faces on them.
People may have seen the ninja turtles’ shows or movies, but few know the history behind the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
TMNT was created by struggling artist Kevin Eastman and his friend, Peter Laird. The two men scraped enough money together to self-publish a single comic book about their newly created characters. Originally, the single-issue was just supposed to be a parody of the most popular comics in the early 1980s, which were Daredevil, New Mutants, Cerebus, and Ronin.
TMNT was created by struggling artist Kevin Eastman and his friend, Peter Laird. The two men scraped enough money together to self-publish a single comic book about their newly created characters. Originally, the single-issue was just supposed to be a parody of the most popular comics in the early 1980s, which were Daredevil, New Mutants, Cerebus, and Ronin.
The two men were surprised when their “wacky” characters were going to be made into a series of comic books. Mirage Studios began to publish the comics in 1984.
The turtles have starred in four feature films. The first three were all live-action films released in the early 90s. Warner Brothers released the animated fourth film in 2007. According to Paramount, the next movie is set to release in 2014.
On December 28th, 1987 their first animated television series began. What started out as a five part miniseries quickly became a regular Saturday morning show. The first T.V. series had the same main characters as the comic books.
Each turtle is named after an artist from the Renaissance era. The four turtles are Leonardo (Leo), Michelangelo (Mikey), Donatello (Donnie), and Raphael (Raph). The turtles’ sensei and adoptive father is Splinter, a japanese mutant rat who knows the art of ninjutsu from his former (human) owner. Every great action series must have a villain. The turtles’ archenemy is Shredder.
The Turtles’ first series ended in 1996, but there was no time for breaks. A live-action television series began in 1997 called Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation. This series followed the events of the TMNT movies that had come out in previous years. In the series, a new turtle is introduced named Venus de Milo. She is skilled in the mystical arts of the shinobi or unorthodox warfare.
Unfortunately, adding this new character didn’t help the series. Due to “loose ends” the series was cancelled after one season.
It would be five more years until the turtles got their second animated series. In 2003 a darker feel was created in this series, due to the fact that the producers wanted to stay close to what happens in the comic books. The series lasted until 2009, where it ended in a television movie called Turtles Forever.
It would be five more years until the turtles got their second animated series. In 2003 a darker feel was created in this series, due to the fact that the producers wanted to stay close to what happens in the comic books. The series lasted until 2009, where it ended in a television movie called Turtles Forever.
This year the turtles made a comeback in their third animated series. Nickelodeon has picked up the global rights to the TMNT franchise from the original owner, Mirage Group. There will be at least 26 half-hour long episodes. Don’t expect the same old turtles though. Some new changes have been made in the series.
In this series, Donatello and Michelangelo who have had “blunt” weapons now have more “mild” weapons. This is due to the fact that it the show is now on a children’s network.
Whether you are a late 80s kid, or a 2012 kid, you most likely know who the famous Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are. It seems that there can never be enough of those mutant, pizza loving, shelled ninjas.
