Do You Want To Know The Awesome History of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?
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Carl Roberts 
To celebrate the release of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem on the physical formats, we present the awesome history of the Characters!
The hit animated movie Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is now available to buy on digital download and physical formats. The movie opened in cinemas back in August to critical acclaim and terrific box office (Read our review here.) With the release of the film, we present the history of the characters from their first inception right up to the present day.
THE AWESOME HISTORY OF THE TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are some of the most beloved characters ever made And this year they made their animated movie debut with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem. To celebrate its release on home entertainment, we’ll be taking a look at the awesome history of the Turtles. Where they came from and all the wacky and wonderful iterations they’ve had before now.
The iconic franchise is the 18th most successful in history. Which is even more radical when you find out where they come from.
ORIGINS
Unlike most other franchises, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were created by two friends who loved comic books. And were trying to make each other laugh. In 1984, Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman worked for their local magazine. They were good friends as they both wanted to be like their shared idol, Jack Kirby. And become comic book artists for Marvel or DC. They spent their days either working at the failing magazine or washing dishes in restaurants. But they spent their nights drawing and brainstorming ideas for comic books.
One night, just to try and make Peter laugh, Kevin sketches a turtle with nunchucks (left) and hands it to Peter. Peter claps back with his rendition (right) and writes the Ninja Turtles title above them. Kevin then adds “Teenage Mutant” in front, and the rest is history. They turned two into four, and gave them names based on Renaissance painters and personalities based on themselves and their friends. Leonardo, the leader. Donatello, the nerdy turtle. Raphael, the hothead. And Michaelangelo, the goofball.
TURTLE MANIA
In the late 80s, the independent comic started selling out across America. TV producers then began discussing with Eastman and Laird about the potential of a cartoon TV show. Once it was made, the show exploded. Raphael, Donatello, Michelangelo and Leonardo are all about friendship, brotherhood, pizza and defeating evil. And their infectious personalities and ethos were spreading across the world. The cartoon became the number one in America for two years straight, and the toys started to take over.
Playmates had perfectly translated the zany and wacky fun of the TV show into action figures. Turning the turtles into a $350M per year industry. The toys were selling out across America, with everyone wanting their own ninja turtles. This led to Hollywood wanting to turn the turtles into movie stars. Sadly, Eastman & Laird drifted apart, and the comics ended in 1993.
THE LIVE-ACTION MOVIES
The first film was instantly iconic and an absolute hit when it came out in 1990. Perfect timing to propel the Turtles into 90s pop culture, and they fit right in. The sequel, The Secret of the Ooze, was immediately ordered and came out a year later in 1991. The third movie in the series did not perform as well at the box office. This led to heaps of conspiracy and mystery surrounding of the unreleased fourth movie, which was allegedly going to include a fifth turtle and an evil April O’Neil!
THE EDGY ERA
In 2014, Transformers director Michael Bay released his iteration of the radical turtle dudes. Giant hulking CGI turtles and Megan Fox as April O’Neil – the Michael Bay turtles featured tons of action and explosions, with Will Arnett providing laughs along the way.
THE LAST RONIN
In 2020, the bromance was restored, and Peter Laird & Kevin Eastman made up and
returned to write the dark, definitive final comic of their original run from the 1980s. Set in a post-apocalyptic future, the graphic novel follows the final surviving turtle on a mission to avenge his fallen brothers by killing the grandson of Shredder, the world’s new overlord. It is a touching, emotional story filled with fantastic action and concepts, such as the unknown final turtle using all four of his brother’s iconic weapons, as you can see on the cover here. And the comic was unbelievably successful, making the top ten best-selling books in 2020!
MODERN DAY
The latest iteration of the totally tubular turtles came out this year and is definitely the best yet. In their first animated theatrical film, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles face a new, ooze-ridden threat in Ice Cube’s villainous Super Fly. Director Jeff Rowe said he wanted the spectacular animation to come across as though a student had doodled the movie themselves, in the back of a classroom. With Jackie Chan as Master Splinter, John Cena, Seth Rogen, Paul Rudd, Post Malone and Rose Byrne as Super Fly’s goons, and Brady Noon, Shamon Brown Jr, Nicholas Cantu and Micah Abbey as the infectiously enthusiastic and energetic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
The wildly entertaining and action-packed hit TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: MUTANT MAYHEM is available to Download and keep on Digital for fans to watch at home, on 4K Ultra HD ™, Blu-ray™, and DVD and 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray SteelBook from Paramount Home Entertainment.
Trailer Source: Paramount Pictures
Introducing Carl! As the News Editor at Future of the Force, Carl has been an invaluable member of our team since early 2016. His expertise and dedication have made him an integral part of our editorial staff. Beyond his professional role, Carl is a fervent supporter of Liverpool F.C. and an avid follower of pop culture. He has a deep passion for Halloween, Friday the 13th, and the iconic movie franchises Star Wars and Star Trek.
He can be found either at his neighborhood cinema, enjoying the latest releases on the big screen, or at home streaming the newest blockbuster movies.
