The Evolution of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
IMDb traces the history of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles from their inception and rise in the 1980s and '90s to 'Mutant Mayhem,' their latest animated incarnation from producer Seth Rogen.
In 1984, Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman self-publish the first issue of "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles." In 1987, Playmates Toys licenses the Turtles and develops an animated series to promote its upcoming toys, which brought in $1.1 billion over the next four years. The cartoon and action figures establish the Turtles' distinct personalities as well as their passion for pizza, colored masks, and "cowabunga" catchphrases. In 1989, Teenage Mutant Ninja video games debut for Nintendo and at the arcade. More than 40 games have been released in formats from Playstation to pinball. In March 1990, the Turtles hit the silver screen, grossing more than $200 million, the highest-grossing independent film up to that time. Two live-action sequels and a Vanilla Ice collaboration follow ... but with diminishing returns.
In 1997, a live-action reboot series adds a controversial fifth Turtle named Venus de Milo. The decision to add Venus splits Laird and Eastman's partnership, and "Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation" is canceled after one season.
From 2003 to 2016, there are two more reboots on TV, plus two live-action films, where computer-generated Turtles took over for the guys in rubber suits.
A fourth animated series debuts in 2018, this time going back to their early teen years. "Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" ends in 2022 with a movie on Netflix.
And in 2023, the Turtles return to theaters with a new computer-animated feature. 'Mutant Mayhem' producer Seth Rogen hopes to bring youthful energy (tech and all) back to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.