Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Origins

Origin

• Created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird in 1984 as a humorous comic book series
• Originally self-published, later picked up by Mirage Studios

The Turtles

• Four teenage anthropomorphic turtles, named after famous artists of the Italian Renaissance:
  1. Leonardo (Leo) - brave, wise, and the leader
  2. Donatello (Don) - gentle, intelligent, and the scientist
  3. Raphael (Raph) - hot-headed, aggressive, and the rebel
  4. Michelangelo (Mike) - fun-loving, creative, and the youngest

Allies

• Splinter: a wise and skilled martial arts master, also a mutated rat
• April O'Neil: a human journalist and friend of the Turtles
• Casey Jones: a human vigilante and ally of the Turtles

Enemies

• Shredder (Oroku Saki): the leader of the Foot Clan and arch-nemesis of the Turtles
• Krang: an alien warlord and enemy of the Turtles
• The Foot Clan: a powerful and evil organization

Media Adaptations

• 1987 animated series: a popular cartoon that aired for 10 seasons
• 1990 live-action film: a commercial success, followed by two sequels
• 2012 animated series: a computer-animated series that aired for 5 seasons
• 2014 live-action film: a reboot of the franchise, followed by a sequel in 2016

Origin

• The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) was created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird in 1984
• The first TMNT comic book series was self-published, then later acquired by Mirage Studios

The Turtles

• There are four teenage anthropomorphic turtles named after famous artists of the Italian Renaissance
• Leonardo (Leo) is the brave, wise, and leader of the group
• Donatello (Don) is the gentle, intelligent, and scientist of the group
• Raphael (Raph) is the hot-headed, aggressive, and rebel of the group
• Michelangelo (Mike) is the fun-loving, creative, and youngest of the group

Allies

• Splinter is a wise and skilled martial arts master who is also a mutated rat
• April O'Neil is a human journalist and friend of the Turtles
• Casey Jones is a human vigilante and ally of the Turtles

Enemies

• Shredder (Oroku Saki) is the leader of the Foot Clan and arch-nemesis of the Turtles
• Krang is an alien warlord and enemy of the Turtles
• The Foot Clan is a powerful and evil organization

Media Adaptations

• The 1987 animated series aired for 10 seasons and was popular
• The 1990 live-action film was a commercial success, followed by two sequels
• The 2012 animated series was a computer-animated series that aired for 5 seasons
• The 2014 live-action film was a reboot of the franchise, followed by a sequel in 2016