1983–1986: Conception and first comics
The comic book authors Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird met in Massachusetts and began working on illustrations together. In 1983, Laird invited … See more

First animated series (1987–1996)
Debuting in 1987 as a five-part miniseries and becoming a regular Saturday-morning syndicated series on October 1, 1988, the first animated series follows the adventures of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and their … See more

The franchise generated merchandise sales of $175 million in 1988 and $350 million in 1989. By May 1990, it had generated $650 million in domestic retail revenues. By 1994, it was the most merchandisable franchise, having generated total … See more

In most versions, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are created when four baby turtles are exposed to radioactive ooze, transforming them into humanoids. They fight evil in New York … See more

Mirage Studios (1984–2014)
Eastman and Laird's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles premiered in May 1984, at a comic book … See more

The Turtles have starred in seven theatrical feature films. The first three are live-action features produced in the early 1990s: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze (1991), and Teenage Mutant … See more

In 1989, the Japanese company Konami released the first TMNT game for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). It was followed in the same year by a TMNT arcade game, which was ported to the NES as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Arcade Game. … See more