This article chronicles a bit of the history of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, one of the biggest pop culture phenomena that, created in the late 1980s, continues to span the ages, capturing the hearts of generations and inspiring products, official or fan-made, everywhere.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) is an American media franchise created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird in 1984. It follows four turtle brothers—Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, and Michelangelo—trained in ninjutsu who battle evil in New York City. Originally conceived as a parody comic, TMNT grew into a multimedia empire spanning comics, animated series, films, video games, and merchandise, becoming one of the most successful toy and entertainment brands worldwide.
The text is based on a video from the Coleção em Ação Show channel originally published on November 3, 2019. It’s a nostalgic journey through the cartoons, toys, games, curiosities, films, and everything else that was and is part of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles universe!
Origins in an underground joke
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles first appeared in May 1984 in the US, in a comic book by the small Mirage Comics, created by Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman. The duo, fans of comics like Frank Miller’s Daredevil and X-Men, blended ninja influences, mutants, extreme sports, and a touch of humor to create four anthropomorphic turtles—Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo—named after Renaissance artists, trained by a rat sensei, also a mutant.
The initial story, published in Brazil by Nova Sampa, was dark and violent, with the red-banded Turtles mercilessly facing the villain Shredder. What began as a bar joke became an underground hit, even foreshadowing many elements that would dominate the 1990s.
Trivia: the Turtles were hit by a chemical that nearly transformed a young boy into Daredevil, an explicit homage to the Marvel hero, but this was toned down when the franchise went professional.
25 insane facts about TMNT
By Marvelous Videos.
Commercial explosion: cartoons and toys
The real boom came with the 1987 cartoon, produced by Murakami-Wolf-Swenson and CBS. Adapted for children, the series featured colorful stripes (blue for Leonardo, red for Raphael, purple for Donatello, orange for Michelangelo) and distinct personalities: Leonardo, the leader; Raphael, the rebel; Donatello, the genius; and Michelangelo, the pizza lover. Villains like Shredder, the mutant Krang (from Dimension X), and the clumsy Bebop and Rocksteady captivated kids everywhere.
The series, with 10 seasons and nearly 200 episodes (1987-1996), was a resounding success, fueled by Playmates Toys, which launched one of the largest toy lines in history, rivaling Star Wars. In Brazil, a company named Glasslite brought out their always incredible jerry rig versions, reusing molds from other toys. In fact, the combat van, the turtle balloon and the ninja skateboards were dream toys, while crossovers with Star Trek and themes like the Wild West, that eventually show up, showed the line’s creativity.
1987 opening theme music
Cinema and beyond
In 1990, the semi-independent Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film surprised with its faithfulness to the comics, with a darker tone and actors like Elias Koteas (Casey Jones). Despite scaring some parents, it remains a fan favorite to this day, and is, in fact, the best of the whole bunch. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze (1991) featured Vanilla Ice and his “Ninja Rap,” while the third film (1993), set in feudal Japan, flopped. That one is pretty awful indeed.
In 2007, a CGI animation revived the franchise, but it was Michael Bay’s version (2014-2016) that revamped the Turtles with over-the-top action and classic villains like Krang. A crossover with Batman (2019) and encounters with Ghostbusters in IDW Comics kept the franchise relevant.
The Turtles meet the Shredder for the first time
Games and other media
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles also dominated video games. Among the classics, we can mention true gems like the NES games (one of them quite famous for its difficulty) and that Konami machine that made us spend tons of tokens to see the game through to the end. Competitive fighting games like Tournament Fighters (Mega Drive and Super Nintendo) also marked their eras.
The franchise also had an insane Japanese anime in 1996, with turtles evolving like Pokémon, and series like the Saban live-action series (featuring the controversial Venus flytrap) and Nickelodeon animations (2012 and 2018), which divided opinions with their overly childish tone.
Legacy
From an underground indie comic book to a cultural empire, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have captivated generations, blending action, humor, and a unique style that made them instantly recognizable worldwide. In 2000, Eastman sold his share of the Turtles franchise to Lair. In 2009, Laird sold it to Viacom, now Paramount Skydance Corporation, but it’s alive and kicking.
Playmates continues to release toys, and IDW keeps the comics alive with creative stories. The franchise proves its timelessness by evolving without losing its essence: four ninja turtles fighting crime in New York.
TMNT‘s impact endures not only in entertainment but also in the collective imagination, proving the franchise’s timeless relevance. This universe truly has made its mark and still has everything it needs to continue leaving its mark, if treated with the respect which works of this caliber deserve, of course.
We tried our best to capture the spirit of the franchise, but now we’re inviting fans to share their memories too. What was your favorite toy or game? Did you like the movies or the cartoon better?
Leave your comments and dive into this mutant adventure!
Cheers!
More info and superheroes
Details
- Categories: Animated series, Articles
- Views: 5