A media franchise , also known as a multimedia franchise , is a collection of related media in which several derivative works have been produced from an original creative work of fiction, such as a film , a work of literature , a television program , or a video game . Bob Iger , chief executive of the Walt Disney Company , defined the word franchise as "something that creates value across multiple businesses and across multiple territories over a long period of time.”
78-568: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles , commonly abbreviated as TMNT , is a media franchise created by the comic book artists Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird . It follows Leonardo , Donatello , Raphael and Michelangelo , four anthropomorphic turtle brothers trained in ninjutsu who fight evil in New York City. The franchise encompasses printed media, television series', feature films, video games, and merchandise. The franchise began as
156-550: A new Turtles comic series , with Eastman as co-writer and illustrator. A third animated series premiered in September 2012 on Nickelodeon , and ran for five seasons before ending in 2017. A fourth live-action Turtles film , produced by Platinum Dunes , Nickelodeon Movies and Paramount Pictures , directed by Jonathan Liebesman and produced by Michael Bay , was released in August 2014. It received negative reviews, but
234-600: A character or fictional world becoming popular in one medium, and then expanding to others through licensing agreements , with respect to intellectual property in the franchise's characters and settings. As one author explains, "For the studios, a home-run is a film from which a multimedia 'franchise' can be generated; the colossally expensive creation of cross-media conglomerates predicated on synergistic rewards provides an obvious imperative to develop such products." The trend later developed wherein franchises would be launched in multiple forms of media simultaneously; for instance,
312-472: A comic book, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles , which Eastman and Laird conceived as a parody of elements popular in superhero comics at the time. 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 . About US$ 1.1 billion of Turtles toys were sold between 1988 and 1992, making them
390-483: A continuation of the Mirage comics, saw Splinter become a bat, Donatello a cyborg, Leonardo lose a hand and Raphael become scarred and assume the identity of the new Shredder. The series was canceled in 1999 after 23 issues without a conclusion. In 2018, IDW began reprinting the series in full color as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Urban Legends , and commissioned Carlson and Fusco to create three additional issues to tie up
468-437: A few weeks. Sales of further issues continued to climb. In 1987, Eastman and Laird licensed Turtles to Playmates Toys . Between 1988 and 1997, Playmates produced Turtles toys including around 400 figures and dozens of vehicles and playsets. About US$ 1.1 billion of Turtles toys were sold in four years, making them the third-bestselling toy figures ever at the time, behind GI Joe and Star Wars . Influenced by
546-485: A franchise can even be created, which ultimately leads to the creation of brand worlds. Since the creation of Disneyland in 1955, bringing fictional media franchises to life through the theme parks slowly became increasingly popular as the way to perfectly blend tourism and real-life involvement with media itself. Similar to transmedia, the concept of bringing fictional media into a non-fictional space where fans can immerse themselves in real-life versions of elements from
624-400: A masked turtle standing on its hind legs armed with nunchucks to make Laird laugh. Laird added the words "teenage mutant". The concept parodied several elements popular in superhero comics of the time: the teenagers of New Teen Titans , the mutants of Uncanny X-Men and the ninja skills and training of Daredevil , combined with the comic tradition of funny animals such as Howard
702-424: A modeling agency, several television shows ( Playboy's Penthouse , in 1959), and even its own television channel . Twenty-five years later, Playboy released private clubs and restaurants, movie theaters, a radio show , direct to video films, music and book publishing (including original works in addition to its anthologies of cartoons, photographs, recipes, advice, articles or fiction that had originally appeared in
780-805: A mutant warthog and rhinoceros. Other villains often faced by the Turtles include the alien Triceratons, the Purple Dragons street gang, and the Rat King , who can command hordes of rats to do his bidding. Eastman and Laird's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles premiered in May 1984, at a comic book convention held at a local Sheraton Hotel in Portsmouth, New Hampshire . It was published by their company Mirage Studios in an oversized magazine-style format using black and white artwork on cheap newsprint, limited to
858-410: A pair of New York City police officers. In 2011, IDW Publishing acquired the license to publish new collections of Mirage storylines and a new ongoing series. The first issue of the new series was released in August of that year. Eastman and Tom Waltz wrote the book, with Eastman and Dan Duncan providing art. In 2017 issue No. 73 of the comic was published, making it the longest running comic series in
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#1732780746363936-425: A print run of 3000 copies. It was initially intended as a one-shot, but due to its popularity it became an ongoing series. After publication was temporarily assumed by Image Comics for the third volume (see below), Laird (by then the sole owner of the franchise) and Lawson relaunched the main series at Mirage with a fourth volume in 2001. Following the sale of the franchise to Nickelodeon in late 2009, Laird retained
1014-482: A role in the production, creating a closer adaptation of the original comic. A computer-animated Turtles film, TMNT , was released in 2007 and earned $ 95 million at the box office. On October 21, 2009, it was announced that Laird had sold the franchise to Viacom . He said he had tired of working on Turtles , writing: "I am no longer that guy who carries his sketchbook around with him and draws in it every chance he gets." In August 2011, IDW Publishing launched
1092-538: A series of high-quality action figures based on character designs from the original Mirage comics. In 2012, a new toy line and a new classic toy line from Playmates were announced to be released. 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
1170-454: A team of supporting characters. A monthly comic inspired by the 2003 TV series was published by Dreamwave Productions from June to December 2003. Leonardo told her to do it. It was written by Peter David and illustrated by LeSean Thomas . In the first four issues, which were the only ones directly adapted from the TV series, the story was told from the perspectives of April, Baxter, Casey, and
1248-480: Is a play on Daredevil's sensei, Stick . In March 1984, Eastman and Laird founded a comic book company, Mirage Studios , in their own home. Using money from a tax refund and a loan from Eastman's uncle, they printed copies of the first issue of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and advertised it in Comics Buyer's Guide Magazine. This attracted the interest of comic distributors, and all 3,000 copies were sold in
1326-641: Is based on long time TMNT comic artist Mateus Santolouco. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Legends , a free-to-play Role-playing video game was released by Ludia in summer 2016 for iPhone , iPad , Android , and Kindle Fire . It is based on the 2012 TV series. The turtles are playable characters in the DC Comics fighting game Injustice 2 as a part of the "Fighter Pack 3" DLC , with Corey Krueger, Joe Brugie, Ben Rausch and Ryan Cooper voicing their roles. The 1987 versions of Leonardo, Michelangelo, April O'Neil and Shredder appear as playable characters in
1404-478: Is often referred to by the simpler term "media franchise". The term media franchise is often used to describe the popular adaptation of a work into films, like the popular Twilight book series that was adapted into the five films of The Twilight Saga . Other neologisms exist to describe various franchise types including metaseries , which can be used to describe works such as Isaac Asimov 's Foundation series . Multimedia franchises usually develop through
1482-582: Is pursued romantically by Casey Jones , a hockey mask-wearing vigilante who usually becomes an ally of the Turtles. The Turtles' nemesis is the Shredder , a criminal mastermind clad in samurai-like armor, who leads the ninja clan known as the Foot . His real identity is usually the ninja Oroku Saki. In most versions, the Shredder's second in command is Karai , a skilled martial artist; in some iterations she
1560-428: Is the Japanese term for a transmedia franchise. The term media mix gained its circulation in late 1980s and is first used to describe adaptations of Sakyo Komatsu 's Japan Sinks , but the origins of the strategy can be traced back to the 1960s with the proliferation of anime , with its interconnection of media and commodity goods. Some of the earlier popular Japanese franchises such as Vampire Hunter D in
1638-483: Is the Shredder's daughter. The Shredder allies with Baxter Stockman , a mad scientist who is often transformed into a mutant fly in his appearances, and Krang , an alien warlord. Krang was introduced in the original animated series, and was inspired by the Utrom race from the comics, though he sometimes depicted as a Utrom himself. Also created for the series were the Shredder's buffoonish henchmen, Bebop and Rocksteady ,
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#17327807463631716-466: Is the community of fans that indulge in many of its media and are committed to interacting with and keeping up with other consumers. Large franchise-based fandoms have grown to be even more popular in recent years with the rise of social media platforms, as many fans seek to interact with one another for discussion, debate and even to create their own fan-made pieces of media revolving around the franchise, on websites like tumblr , Reddit and Fandom . In
1794-474: Is usually portrayed as the fastest and most agile. He wears an orange bandana and uses nunchucks . Splinter is a mutant rat who is the wise adoptive father of the Turtles and teaches them ninjitsu . In some iterations, he was once the pet rat of ninja master Hamato Yoshi ; in others, he is a mutated Yoshi. The Turtles are assisted by April O'Neil , who is variously depicted as a news reporter, lab assistant or genius computer programmer. In most versions, she
1872-598: The Turtles franchise to Laird in 2000. In 2009, Laird sold it to Viacom , now Paramount Global . The franchise has continued with new comic book series, television series, films and video games. The comic book authors Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird met in Massachusetts and began working on illustrations together. In 1983, Laird invited Eastman to move in with him in Dover, New Hampshire . That November, Eastman drew
1950-491: The fantasy and science fiction genres. Similarly, fantasy, science fiction films and television shows are frequently adapted into animated television series , video games, or both. A media franchise does not have to include the same characters or theme, as the brand identity can be the franchise, like Square Enix 's Final Fantasy or the National Lampoon series , and can suffer from critical failures even if
2028-423: The 1980s and Pokémon in the late 1990s, acted as benchmarks in the country's transmedia dominance. The latter in particular began as a video game available on Nintendo 's Game Boy , and crossed through the media of television, film, news, and other non-media related realms, such trading cards, merchandise, and more. A number of Japanese media franchises have gained considerable global popularity, and are among
2106-423: The 2017 fighting game Brawlhalla . Media franchise A media franchise often consists of cross-marketing across more than one medium. For the owners, the goal of increasing profit through diversity can extend the commercial profitability of the franchise and create strong feelings of identity and ownership in its consumers. Those large groups of dedicated consumers create the franchise's fandom , which
2184-411: The 2021 platform fighting game Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl ; the 2023 sequel, Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 , features Raphael and Donatello, as well as the returning April. In the games, Cam Clarke , Townsend Coleman , Barry Gordon , Rob Paulsen , and Jim Cummings reprise their roles from the 1987 animated series while Abby Trott voices April. The turtles also appeared as playable characters in
2262-462: The 25th anniversary of the franchise. Nickelodeon acquired the global rights to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles from the Mirage Group and 4Kids Entertainment, Inc. and announced a new CGI-animated TMNT television series. The 2012 version is characterized by anime-like iconography and emphasis on mutagen continuing to wreak havoc on the everyday lives of the Turtles and their enemies; in addition,
2340-595: The Duck . Eastman and Laird developed the concept into a comic book. They considered giving the turtles Japanese names, but instead named them after the Italian Renaissance artists Leonardo , Donatello , Raphael and Michelangelo , which Laird said "felt just quirky enough to fit the concept". They developed a backstory referencing further elements of Daredevil : like Daredevil , the Turtles are altered by radioactive material, and their sensei , Splinter ,
2418-417: The Japanese company Konami . It sold approximately four million copies, making it one of the bestselling NES games. In response to concerns that the series was drifting from its origins, Eastman and Laird published an editorial in the comic in 1989, writing: "We've allowed the wacky side to happen, and enjoy it very much. All the while, though, we've kept the originals very much ours." Eastman later said there
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2496-677: The NES as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Arcade Game. In 1991, Konami released The Manhattan Project for the NES, and another arcade game, Turtles in Time , which was ported to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) in 1992. Later in 1992, Konami released The Hyperstone Heist for the Sega Genesis , using many elements from Turtles in Time . Konami also released a series of TMNT games for
2574-762: The Shadows , based on the 2012 TV series and developed by Red Fly Studio for the Xbox Live Arcade , PlayStation Network and Steam . In 2016, Activision and PlatinumGames developed Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants in Manhattan for the PlayStation 4 , PlayStation 3 , Xbox One , Xbox 360 , and PC. The game is described as a third-person, team-based brawler. The campaign is playable either single-player or co-op and has an original story written by Tom Waltz, IDW comic writer and editor. The art style
2652-546: The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles , which was designed to fill in the gaps of continuity in the TMNT universe. In 1996, Image Comics co-founder Erik Larsen , seeing they there were no TMNT comics in active publication, oversaw a relaunch of the comics through Highbrow Productions, his studio at Image, with writing by Gary Carlson and art by Frank Fosco. This third volume of the main series, intended as
2730-400: The best Turtles film. A fifth animated series and follow-up to Mutant Mayhem , Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles , premiered in 2024 on Paramount+ . 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 City, where they reside in the sewers. Leonardo ,
2808-459: The case of successful transmedia franchises, each different medium should expand the target demographic and fandom, build the interest of the consumers and add to the overarching story and narrative of the franchise itself. A connection between the characters, settings, and other elements of the media franchise do still exist within the different media, regardless of the fact that they are being presented in sometimes completely different ways, such as
2886-702: The company suffered a loss of HK$ 97.59 million. Playmates Toys has often been under contract as a licensee to produce toys, fashion dolls, games, and other merchandise coinciding with popular film and television media. Examples of media that Playmates has produced toys for includes Atomic Betty , Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles , Star Trek , Ben 10 , Godzilla , Frozen , Miraculous Ladybug , Pikwik Pack , and others. They were made in cooperation with various international media production companies, including Canadian company Nelvana and American companies such as Disney , DreamWorks Animation , and Nickelodeon . Playmates Interactive Entertainment Inc.
2964-758: The day-in-the-life episodes of the many different Real Housewives series. Documentaries and docuseries are other highlights of the non-fiction branch of media franchises, such as the popular Planet Earth series, which serves as both a film and television transmedia franchise. Playmates Toys Playmates Toys Limited is a Hong Kong toy company. The company was founded in Hong Kong in 1966 by Sam Chan Tai-ho as Playmates Industrial, manufacturing dolls for other companies. In 1975, Playmates began marketing their own line of pre-school toys, and in 1977 opened an American subsidiary in Boston . Another subsidiary
3042-574: The early 1990s: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze (1991), and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III (1993). The Turtles were played by various actors in costumes featuring animatronic heads, initially produced by Jim Henson's Creature Shop . The fourth film, a computer-animated film titled TMNT , was released in 2007. A reboot, also titled Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles produced by Platinum Dunes, Nickelodeon Movies , and Paramount Pictures
3120-725: The fictional worlds they love, adds to the overall narrative the franchise creates through its other media. Marvel's Avenger's Campus park is one of the many franchise-based theme parks created in recent times, following the creation of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studio's Islands of Adventure and Star Wars' Galaxy's Edge at Disneyland and Disney World . Media franchises tend to cross over from their original media to other forms. Literary franchises are often transported to film, such as Nancy Drew , Miss Marple , and other popular detectives , as well as popular comic book superheroes . Television and film franchises are often expanded upon in novels , particularly those in
3198-579: The figures, vehicles, and playsets and creator credit can be found in the legal text printed on the back of the toy packaging. In addition, Playmates produced a series of TMNT/ Star Trek crossover figures, due to Playmates holding the Star Trek action-figure license at the time. Playmates employed many design groups to develop looks and styles for the toy line, including Bloom Design, White Design, Pangea Corporation , Robinson-Clarke, and McHale Design. The marketing vice president of Playmates, Karl Aaronian,
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3276-470: The film The Matrix Reloaded and the video game Enter the Matrix were produced at the same time, using the same actors on the same sets, and released on the same day. Transmedia franchises occasionally release content through certain media that is not canon to the main or greater story that the franchise is built around, meaning that the elements of said content do not truly exist in the main timeline of
3354-607: The focus on the content of the commodity to "overlapping the commodity image with the character image". The book Anime's Media Mix: Franchising Toys and Characters in Japan, by Marc Steinberg, details the evolution of the media mix in Japan. Long-running franchises were common in the early studio era, when Hollywood studios had actors and directors under long-term contract. In such cases, even lead actors are often replaced as they age, lose interest, or their characters are killed. Spin-offs and adaptations of popular pieces of media within
3432-415: The franchise. Canon content often times breaks continuity, leading fans to speculate or seek to confirm which media are canon and which are not, which can get confusing if the franchise does not provide an answer themselves since entire media can be non-canon to the greater story, with a popular example occurring. On the other hand, specific episodes, volumes or parts of a series can be canon while others in
3510-647: The franchises history. In addition to the main series and spin-offs set within its continuity, IDW also published comics based on the 2012 Turtles animated series and the 2018 animated series, Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles . The series ended in April 2024 at issue 150, with a relaunch planned for July 2024. The Turtles have appeared in several manga series. A daily comic strip written and illustrated by Dan Berger began in 1990. It featured an adventure story Monday through Friday and activity puzzles on weekends (with fan art appearing later). The comic strip
3588-528: The handheld Game Boy console: Fall of the Foot Clan (1990), Back from the Sewers (1991) and Radical Rescue (1993). A PC game, Manhattan Missions was also released. Konami's last entries during the original run were Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters , a set of one-on-one fighting game released for the NES, SNES, and Genesis; each version is a wholly distinct game, sharing only
3666-407: The leader, is the most disciplined and skilled turtle; an expert swordsman, he wields two katana and wears a blue bandana. Raphael , the strongest and most hot-headed turtle, wears a red bandana and uses a pair of sai . Donatello uses his intellect to invent gadgets and vehicles; he wears a purple bandana and uses a bō staff . Michelangelo is the least disciplined and most fun-loving, and
3744-473: The magazine), footwear, clothing of every kind, jewelry, housewares (lamps, clocks, bedding, glassware), guitars and gambling, playing cards, pinball machines and pet accessories, billiard balls, bedroom appurtenances, enhancements, plus countless other items of merchandise. Non-fiction media franchises also exist in the television and film media, with reality TV being one of the most well-known examples; ranging from competition shows like The Amazing Race to
3822-400: The media fictional material is unrelated. Non-fiction literary franchises include the ...For Dummies and The Complete Idiot's Guide to... reference books . An enduring and comprehensive example of a media franchise is Playboy Enterprises , which began expanding well beyond its successful magazine, Playboy , within a few years after its first publication, into such enterprises as
3900-497: The mystical arts of the shinobi . The Next Mutation Turtles made a guest appearance on Power Rangers in Space . The Next Mutation was canceled after one season of 26 episodes. In 2003, a new TMNT series produced by 4Kids Entertainment began airing on the " FoxBox " (later renamed " 4Kids TV ") programming block. It later moved to " The CW4Kids " block. The series was co-produced by Mirage Studios, and Mirage owned one-third of
3978-400: The record for the highest-grossing independent film , earning more than US$ 200 million worldwide. A second film, The Secret of the Ooze , was released in 1991. With a rushed production and a lighter tone, it received weaker reviews and was less successful at the box office. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III (1993) was aimed at the Japanese market, the largest foreign market for US films at
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#17327807463634056-421: The right to continue the Mirage series, but no issues have been released since the release of No. 32 in 2014, and Mirage Studios was wound down in 2021. All total, the main Mirage series lasted for 129 issues, spanning four separate volumes of 62, 13, 23, and 32 issues, respectively. Additional one-shot issues and miniseries were published over the years. Mirage also published a companion book entitled Tales of
4134-621: The rights for TMNT games, beginning with a game based on the 2007 animated feature film , along with a distinct game for the Game Boy Advance similar in style to the Konami arcade games. A beat 'em up game Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Arcade Attack was released for the Nintendo DS in 2009, to coincide with the series' 25th anniversary. In 2013, Activision released the downloadable game Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of
4212-404: The rights to the series. Mirage's significant stake in creative control resulted in a cartoon that hews more closely to the original comics, creating a darker and more mature tone than the 1987 cartoon, though still considered appropriate for younger viewers. This series lasted until 2009, ending with a feature-length television movie titled Turtles Forever , which was produced in conjunction with
4290-525: The same medium are not, such as the fact that only some of the Battlestar Galactica comics are canon, with a large amount of them breaking the continuity of the main story. In Japanese culture and entertainment, media mix ( wasei-eigo : メディアミックス , mediamikkusu ) is a strategy to disperse content across multiple representations: different broadcast media , gaming technologies, cell phones, toys, amusement parks , and other methods. It
4368-423: The same voices from TV Tokyo 's Japanese dub of the 1987 TV series. It featured the Turtles as superheroes , that gained costumes and superpowers with the use of Mutastones, while Shredder, Bebop and Rocksteady gained supervillain powers with the use of a Dark Mutastone. In 1997–1998, a live-action series, Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation, aired on Fox . It introduced a female turtle, Venus de Milo , skilled in
4446-475: The series had a lighter tone than the comics, with no expletives, less violence and less threatening villains. In the United Kingdom and some other European regions, the franchise was renamed Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles for the violent connotations of the word "ninja". The first Turtles video game was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in 1989, the first of several developed by
4524-416: The shared, interweaving storylines and elements of Spider-Man films, television shows, comics and video games. Espen Aarseth describes the financial logic of cost-recovery for expensive productions by identifying that a single medium launch is a lost opportunity, the timeliness of the production and release is more important than its integrity, the releases should raise brand awareness and the cross-ability of
4602-460: The success of G.I. Joe , He-Man and Transformers , which had promoted toy lines with animated series, Playmates worked with the animation studio Murakami-Wolf-Swenson to produce the first Turtles animated series , which premiered in 1987 and ran for almost a decade. It introduced Turtles elements such as their color-coded masks, catchphrases, love of pizza and distinct personalities. To make it acceptable to parents and television networks,
4680-478: The third-bestselling toy figures ever at the time. The action figures were promoted with an animated series , which premiered in 1987 and ran for almost a decade. It was succeeded by several other television series. The first Turtles video game was released in 1989, the first of several developed by the Japanese company Konami . The first Turtles film , released in 1990, became the highest-grossing independent film up to that point. Eastman sold his share of
4758-529: The time, but failed to see release there and saw weaker reviews and sales. In 1990, a stage musical featuring the Turtles as a rock band, Coming Out of Their Shells , played 40 shows across the United States. The musical was sponsored by Pizza Hut and promoted with an appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show . A soundtrack album and VHS were released. After the animated series ended, a live-action television series, Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation ,
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#17327807463634836-465: The title and genre in common. In September 2002, Konami also acquired the license to adapt the 2003 TV series into a video game franchise, resulting in a new series of games with 3D gameplay inspired by the old TMNT beat 'em up games, consisting of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2003 video game) , Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: Battle Nexus , Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3: Mutant Nightmare , and TMNT: Mutant Melee . In 2006, Ubisoft acquired
4914-478: The tone of this version is similar to the original series, but also features a handful of serious episodes as well. The series ran for five seasons and ended in 2017. Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was the second Nickelodeon-produced animated series in the franchise and premiered in September 2018. It returned to using 2D animation, while also using some anime iconography, and was characterized by its lighter humor. The series aired between 2018 and 2020, and
4992-408: The unfinished story. From 1988 to 1995, Archie Comics published Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures , a series aimed at a younger audience. Initially adapting episodes of the first animated series , it soon moved to original storylines. The main series ran for 72 issues; in addition, there were numerous annuals, specials and miniseries. An ongoing spinoff series, Mighty Mutanimals , features
5070-443: The work is critical for its success. American Idol was a transmedia franchise from its beginnings, with the first season winner Kelly Clarkson signing with RCA Records and having the release of A Moment Like This becoming a #1 hit on Billboard Hot 100. The success resulted in a nationwide concert tour, an American Idol book that made the bestseller list and the film From Justin to Kelly . A transmedia franchise however
5148-477: The world's highest-grossing media franchises . For example, Pokémon 's penetration into the American market of the franchise along with others of Japanese origin, such as Yu-Gi-Oh! , gave rise to the recognition of what is variously called transmedia storytelling , crossmedia, transmediation , media synergy, etc. Researchers argue that the 1963 Tetsuwan Atomu marked a shift in Japanese marketing from
5226-442: Was "some stuff that we wish we hadn't said yes to", and Laird wrote of his dislike for the softer tone of the animated series. The early 1990s saw the commercial peak of the franchise. The first Turtles film was released in 1990, featuring costumes designed by Jim Henson's Creature Shop . It was based more closely on the comic than the animated series, with a darker tone. It was the fourth-highest-grossing film of 1990 and broke
5304-570: Was a box-office success. A sequel, Out of the Shadows , directed by Dave Green , was released in June 2016. A fourth animated series, Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles , premiered in 2018 and ran for two seasons. A film sequel was released in 2022 on Netflix . Mutant Mayhem , an animated film directed by Jeff Rowe and produced by Seth Rogen , was released in August 2023. It received positive reviews, with praise for its performances, script and stylized animation; several critics named it
5382-487: Was changed considerably from the darker-toned comics, to make it more suitable for children and families. Produced by Fred Wolf Films , the series ran for ten seasons and ended in 1996. In addition to the American series, a Japan-exclusive two-episode anime original video animation (OVA) series was made in 1996, titled Mutant Turtles: Choujin Densetsu-hen . The OVA is similar in tone to the 1987 TV series and uses
5460-434: Was created in 1997 with Saban Entertainment . It introduced a fifth, female turtle, Venus de Milo . The series was canceled after one season. Laird later said it was the only licensed Turtles project he "truly regrets". Eastman sold his share of the Turtles franchise to Laird in 2000. In 2003, 4Kids Entertainment launched a new animated Turtles series , which ran for seven seasons, concluding in 2009. Laird had
5538-630: Was followed by a feature film released on Netflix in 2022. In July 2023, it was reported that Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles , a two-season 2D animated television series spin-off of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem film, had been greenlit for Paramount+ . Production company Point Grey , which produced the film, will produce the series. The series premiered August 9, 2024. The Turtles have starred in seven theatrical feature films. The first three are live-action features produced in
5616-488: Was founded as a subsidiary of Playmates Toys Holdings which is the parent company of Playmates Toys in 1994. It is co-located with the United States branch of Playmates Toys in La Mirada, California . In September 1996, Playmates Toys' US branch and Playmates Interactive Entertainment relocated their headquarters, including 50 employees to Costa Mesa, California . At the same time, Gary Rosenfeld and Chris Archer joined
5694-506: Was founded in California in 1983; in 1984 the company went public. The company's first big success was in 1986, with the marketing of a tape-playing, electronic robot doll named Cricket . In 1989, the company marketed Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles action figures which sold extremely well. Success of the two led to a golden era from 1990 to early 1993. In 1990, Sales reached US$ 4.13 billion and net profit HK$ 1.21 billion. In 1995
5772-600: Was highly popular in the UK, where in the run-up to Christmas, the Army & Navy Store in London's Lewisham devoted its entire basement to everything Turtle, including games, videos, costumes, and other items. Playmates continued to produce TMNT action figures based on the 2003 animated series. The 2007 film TMNT also gave Playmates a new source from which to make figures, while National Entertainment Collectibles Association produced
5850-424: Was largely responsible for assembling the team of designers and writers, including John Schulte and John Besmehn , who provided the seminal writing and copy for the toy line, which in turn, filtered through to the various iterations of the television series. Never before in toy history did an action-figure line have such an impact for over two decades, generating billions of dollars in licensing revenue. The series
5928-546: Was published in syndication until its cancelation in December 1996. At its highest point in popularity, it was published in more than 250 newspapers. 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 allies as they battle the Shredder , Krang , and numerous other villains and criminals in New York City. The property
6006-410: Was released in 2014. A sequel titled Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows was released in 2016. A computer-animated reboot titled Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem was released in 2023. 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
6084-500: Was the most merchandisable franchise, having generated total revenue of $ 6 billion in merchandise sales up until then. The brand generated more than $ 1 billion in retail sales from 2003 to 2005. During the run of the 1987 TV series, Playmates Toys produced hundreds of TMNT action figures , along with vehicles, playsets , and accessories, becoming one of the top collectibles for children. Staff artists at Northampton, Massachusetts-based Mirage Studios provided conceptual designs for many of
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