Information about Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Initially appearing in comic books, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are an animated fictional team of four turtle mutants, who are trained by their sensei, Master Splinter, to become skilled Ninja warriors. From their home in the sewers of Manhattan, they battle petty criminals, evil megalomaniacs, and alien invaders, all while remaining isolated from society at large.

Published by Mirage Studios in 1984, the concept arose from a humorous drawing sketched out by Kevin Eastman during a casual evening of brainstorming with his friend Peter Laird. Using money from a tax refund together with a loan from Eastman's uncle, the young artists self-published a single issue comic intended to parody four of the most popular comics of the early 1980s: Marvel Comics' Daredevil and New Mutants, Dave Sim's Cerebus and Frank Miller's Ronin.

Much of the Turtles' mainstream success occurred in 1986.  In January 1988, Playmates Toys Inc, a small California toy company who expanded the Turtles  into the action figure market. Accompanied by the popular Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series, the TMNT were soon catapulted into pop culture history. At the height of the frenzy, in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Turtles' likenesses could be found on a wide range of children's merchandise, from PEZ dispensers to skateboards, breakfast cereal, toothpaste, school supplies and cameras. The original cartoon series was featured on VH1's I Love The 80's and the toys based upon the show were ranked 33 in I Love Toys.  In the 2000s there is a resurgence in the Turtles' popularity with the success of the recent animated series, a new line of Playmates action figures, Konami and Ubisoft's video games, and a computer-animated feature film.

• Leonardo (Blue) — Leonardo is known in all incarnations of the title as the leader of the group, he is courageous, decisive, deadly, and a devoted student of martial arts. As a strict adherent to Bushido, he has a very strong sense of honor and justice. He wears a blue mask and wields a pair of ninjaken (literally "ninja sword"), although every incarnation mistakenly identifies his swords as "katana." He is named after Leonardo Da Vinci.
• Raphael (Red) — The team's anti-social bad boy, Raphael has an aggressive nature and seldom hesitates to throw the first punch. He is an intense fighter. His personality can be alternately fierce and sarcastic, and he intensely loyal to his brothers and sensei. He is good friends with Casey Jones, having met him one night on patrol and challenged him to a fight. The two have since frequently patrolled together. Raphael wears a red mask and wields a pair of sai. He is named after Raphael Sanzio.
• Michelangelo (Orange) — The easy-going and free-spirited Mike provides much of the comic relief. While he loves to relax, this Turtle also has an adventurous and creative side. He wears an orange mask and wields a pair of nunchaku. He is named after Michelangelo Buonarroti. His name was originally misspelled "Michaelangelo" by Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman -- at the time they were using a typewriter and had no way to perform spell-check.
• Donatello (Purple) — The brilliant scientist, inventor, engineer, and technological genius. He is perhaps the least violent Turtle, preferring to use his intellect to solve conflicts. He wears a purple mask and wields the bo. He is named after the sculptor Donatello.
• Master Splinter — The Turtles' sensei and adoptive father, Splinter is a mutant rat who learned the ways of ninjutsu from his own master, Hamato Yoshi.
• April O'Neil — A former lab assistant to the mad scientist Baxter Stockman, April is the plucky human companion of the Turtles. She embarks on many of the Turtles' adventures and aids them by doing the work that the Turtles themselves cannot do in public. During the early height of TMNT popularity, April was depicted as a television news reporter.
• Shredder — A villainous ninjutsu master called Oroku Saki. In every incarnation of the TMNT franchise, he has been the archenemy of Splinter and the Turtles. He is also the leader of the Foot Clan.
• Casey Jones — A vigilante who has become one of the Turtles' closest allies, Casey fights crime with an assortment of sporting goods (baseball bats, golf clubs, hockey sticks, cricket bat etc.) while wearing a goalie mask to protect his identity.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Products

Links for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles