Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987 TV series)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Also known asTeenage Mutant Hero Turtles
Genre
Based onCharacters created
by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird
Story byJack Mendelsohn (seasons 1–3, 6–7)
David Wise (seasons 4–5, 8–9)
Jeffrey Scott (season 10)
Directed byFred Wolf (seasons 1-6)
Bill Wolf (season 3)
Bruno-Rene Huchez (season 7)
Bill Hutten (season 7)
Tony Love (seasons 7-10)
Creative directorsPeter Chung (seasons 1–3)
Gary Selvaggio (seasons 4–5)
Frank Rocco (seasons 6–7)
George Goodchild (seasons 8–9)
Kyle Menke (season 10)
Voices of
Theme music composerChuck Lorre
Dennis C. Brown
Country of originUnited States
No. of seasons10
No. of episodes193 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producersMark Freedman
Sung Chul Ha (seasons 4–5)
Producers
AnimatorToei Animation
Running time22 minutes
Production companyFred Wolf Films[1]
Original release
NetworkSyndication (1987–91)
CBS (1990–96)[2]
ReleaseDecember 28, 1987 (1987-12-28) –
November 2, 1996 (1996-11-02)
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (also known as Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles in some regions) is an American animated television series produced by Fred Wolf Films, and based on the comic book characters created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. Set in New York City, the series follows the adventures of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and their allies as they battle the Shredder, Krang, and numerous other villains and criminals. The property was changed considerably from the darker-toned comics, to make it more suitable for children and families.

The pilot was shown during the week of December 28, 1987 in syndication as a five-part miniseries, and the show began its full-time run on October 1, 1988, and ended on November 2, 1996. The show was the first television appearance of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and helped launch the characters into mainstream popularity, becoming one of the most popular animated series in television history. Action figures, breakfast cereals, plush toys, and other merchandise featuring the characters appeared on the market during the late 1980s and early 1990s and became top sellers worldwide.[3] By 1990, the series was being shown daily on more than 125 television stations.

Characters from the show have been included in crossovers with later entries of the franchise, including the 2009 film Turtles Forever and recurring roles in the 2012 TV series for Nickelodeon.

  1. ^ Solomon, Charles (December 28, 1987). "'Ninja Turtles' Crawls Out, Lands on Back". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 6, 2017.
  2. ^ Carter, Bill (November 26, 1990). "THE MEDIA BUSINESS; Ninja Turtles Save the Day For CBS Children's Lineup". The New York Times. Retrieved October 6, 2017.
  3. ^ "Shell Schlocked". Entertainment Weekly. October 12, 1990. Archived from the original on June 30, 2014. Retrieved December 19, 2010.