Playmates Toys Action figures based on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise have been produced by Playmates Toys since 1988.

The TMNT follows the journey of four young brothers (Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo, and Donatello) who have been mutated (via the definitely-very-scientific mutagen ooze) from baby turtles to turtle-human hybrids and live in the sewers of New York learning ninjutsu from their rat sensei/adopted dad, Splinter.

Leonardo was given twin katana, Raphael twin sai, Michelangelo nunchucks, and Donatello a bo staff.

Since 1988, countless numbers of figures have been made, making TMNT one of the most successful toylines in history. Many of the earlier figures are highly desired by collectors now, so they fetch extremely high prices on the secondary market.

Playmates Toys The first issue was published in 1984 by Eastman and Laird's company Mirage Studios and was a surprise success. In 1987, Eastman and Laird licensed the characters to Playmates Toys, which developed a line of Turtles action figures.

The core elements of the franchise remain the same: four pet store turtles are mutated by a secret chemical that transforms them into humanoid mutants, who then become ninjas to defend New York City from various threats.

Venus That honor goes to Venus, TV's first (and still only) female Ninja Turtle. Unlike her male counterparts - Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello and Michelangelo, all of whom were named after noteworthy Renaissance artists - Venus got her name from the famously arm-less Greek statue depicting the goddess Aphrodite.

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' weapons reflect their personalities and were assigned by their father, Splinter, to teach them important lessons and skills.

The katana Splinter gave Leonardo are weapons that should really be drawn on instinct, encouraging him to both act and react with speed rather than overthinking. Leonardo's a master with the katana, taking on some of the Turtles' greatest enemies in one-on-one duels.

The Turtles Were Teenagers, So They Were Relatable These days, most superheroes or heroes, in general, are grown-ups, which gives the younger audience something to look up to, but it was special that the heroes kids idolized were supposed to be a few years older than them.

10 Most Powerful Turtles in TMNT Canon (Ranked)

1. 1 Donatello. Donatello is a certified genius with inventions that could match those of Marvel Comics' Reed Richards.
2. 2 Slash.
3. 3 Leonardo.
4. 4 Raphael.
5. 5 Michelangelo.
6. 6 Jennika.
7. 7 Venus.
8. 8 Metalhead.

One night in 1983 - and neither can remember why - inspiration struck. Eastman drew a humanized turtle wearing a ninja mask and carrying a katana blade. The idea of a slowpokey turtle as a swift and wily ninja cracked them up. By the end of the evening the artists had created four tortoises.

Originally created in 1983 by the comic book artists Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were imagined as a kind of postmodern, semi-ironic sendup of the popular superhero comics of the era, particularly Marvel's Daredevil and X-Men.

Born of a radioactive accident, raised by a talking rat, and named for Renaissance painters, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - cool-headed leader Leonardo, fun-loving Michelangelo (misspelled as “Michaelangelo” in early stories), bookish Donatello, and hot-tempered Raphael - delivered vigilante justice to the streets of ...

In the live-action adaptations of the cartoon, it took three people to play one turtle. There were two puppeteers and one person inside the turtle suit. Michael Bay's turtles were based on celebrities. For examples Leonardo has Russell Crowe's eyes and Nelson Mandela's lips.

After being severely wounded by Karai, Jennika is transformed into a mutant turtle when Donatello uses Leonardo's blood to give her an emergency blood transfusion. As a mutant turtle, she wears a yellow mask and wields tekkō-kagi.