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TMNT Launch Feb 8 on Fox Box

teenage mutant ninja turtles

Somewhere in a sewer, New York (January 9, 2003) � They're the biggest heroes ever transformed and empowered by globs of weird, glowing green ooze. They're a family filled with love for each other � and committed to battling evil wherever they find it. Now, they're back � with all-new adventures, amazing new allies and treacherous new foes. They're the heroes in a half-shell... They're THE TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES � and they're ready to raise shell every Saturday morning exclusively on the all-new FOX BOX beginning Saturday February 8.

From the late the 1980's through the early 1990's, kids entertainment was dominated by the original animated adventures of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT). Now, Leonardo, Raphael, Michaelangelo and Donatello return to television � backed by the same team that turned TMNT into a mega-hit.

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES was launched in 1984 as a 40-page comic book by creator Peter Laird. The all-new FOX BOX TMNT animated series combines the awesome action and irreverent humor of the early comic books � and the TMNT creator's original intent. This exciting series unfolds in a linear fashion, with each episode setting up the next � revealing surprise after surprise!

Their history is well known: One day in New York City a mysterious canister (with the letters TCRI emblazoned across it) falls off a strange truck, just as a young boy is exiting a pet store carrying a bowl that contains four newly purchased baby turtles. The strange canister strikes and shatters the bowl, and together canister and turtles spill into the sewer. The canister breaks open, covering the turtle-babies in globs of green muck.

As they bathe in the ooze, Leonardo, Raphael, Michaelangelo and Donatello are found by a kind and highly intelligent rat, Master Splinter, who scoops them up and takes them under his care. Splinter soon realizes that the green ooze is rapidly mutating both his charges and himself! Splinter, who had until recently been the cherished pet of a benevolent and gifted ninja master also learned the ninja arts by watching intently as his master practiced and perfected his ninjutsu skills. As the turtles grow, Splinter used his knowledge to become the turtle's caretaker and sensei, training them in the powerful ways of the ninja.

Then there are the villains. Remember Shredder? Well, Shredder is more villainous than ever before. The Turtles' arch nemesis, Shredder controls The Foot, a global criminal organization whose history, traditions, and practices can be traced back to ancient Japan � and just opened up a New York office! There's also Baxter Stockman, founder of the new technologies company Stocktonics. To the media he's a hero, an up and coming brilliant inventor � but in reality, Stockman's a complete madman, in league with The Foot.

Said FOX BOX executive Norman Grossfeld: "The all-new TMNT takes its main inspiration from the original comic books, where the storylines, characterization, and graphic look and feel of the comic were smart and cool. By starting with the original comic series as a jumping off point, the FOX BOX TMNT immediately has stories and characters with great depth and dimension, serious butt-kicking ninja action, strong emotional undercurrents, and sophisticated humor that will appeal to a broad audience."

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES joins the FOX BOX slate of ultra-hip animated series that includes ULTRAMAN TIGA, ULTIMATE MUSCLE, KIRBY and FIGHTING FOODONS.

About FOX BOX:

Saturday morning kids TV has taken on a whole new shape with the September 14, 2002 launch of FOX BOX. From 4Kids Entertainment, the company responsible for some of the biggest names in children's entertainment, FOX BOX is the TV network home for the all-new TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES, ULTRAMAN TIGA, KIRBY, ULTIMATE MUSCLE and FIGHTING FOODONS. FOX BOX airs Saturday mornings 8:00AM-12:00PM on Fox Network affiliates nationwide.

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES � Turtles Lore

  • In the years since the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were created, Michaelangelo, Leonardo, Raphael and Donatello have become a classic part of
    Americana.
  • Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, the creators of the Turtles, started the black and white comic book with just $1,200 in 1984. With tons of work and the support of loyal fans, they've seen the Turtles go from an underground hit to a world-wide phenomenon.
  • In 1983, Kevin and Peter were relaxing at Peter's house watching television and sketching. "We got real punchy!" Peter explains, and they started drawing cartoons to amuse themselves. At that time Peter was doing editorial illustration and advertising art while Kevin was working as a short-order cook and drawing comics on the side. As the evening wore on, Kevin eventually drew a bipedal turtle with nunchuks strapped to his arms and called it a "Ninja Turtle." Peter, aware of a nifty idea when he saw one, asked "Why not a teenage mutant ninja turtle?" and thus the legend was born.
  • Eastman and Laird liked the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle idea too much to let it remain idle in their sketchbooks. The creative duo wrote an 'origin' story that parodied Frank Miller's Daredevil and Ronin series, comics that Kevin and Peter held in high esteem. Each Ninja Turtle was named after a renowned Renaissance artist.
  • Back in those days, neither Kevin nor Peter owned a computer with a spell-checker, so Michaelangelo was misspelled as "Michaelangelo" (as opposed 'Michelangelo') � fortunately everyone seems to get the point regardless of the additional letter "a."
  • With the story written, Kevin and Peter began doing the artwork. Since the creative duo had similar styles, they were able to switch tasks back and forth. Some pages were penciled by Kevin and inked by Peter, some pages were penciled by Peter and inked by Kevin.
  • Kevin had just gotten a $500 income tax refund check, so the artists decided to self-publish the comic. They borrowed an additional $700 from Kevin's uncle Quentin Eastman and used the money to print 3000 black and white copies of the first issue of the TMNT. They had enough money left over from the printing bill to take out a single one-page advertisement in a popular comic book newspaper entitled Comics Buyer's Guide.
  • The first issue of the TMNT went to the printer on April 1, 1984! The printer finished the job in time for Peter and Kevin to debut the title at a comic book convention in Portsmouth, New Hampshire on May 5. Oddly enough, the printer hadn't printed the Turtle comic in the usual comic book format. TMNT #1 was an over-sized book.
  • Kevin and Peter decided to name their new publishing company Mirage Studios; since there wasn't an actual studio (only kitchen tables and couches with lap boards), they thought that "Mirage" was a fitting moniker.
  • On a whim they sent the package to the Associated Press as well as the United Press International. This initiative proved highly valuable, as several local newspapers ran long stories on Mirage Studios and their creation, the TMNT. This exposure created a demand for the interestingly titled comic that caught everyone by surprise! All 3000 issues sold out quickly, much to Kevin and Peter's delight! A second printing of the comic went to the printers and sold out its print run of 15,000 copies, and was followed shortly by a third printing that sold out its run of 35,000 issues! The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles hit the starting gate at full speed!
  • The success of the TMNT comic book led to other projects. As the popularity of the comic grew, attention outside of the comics industry flourished � soon, toys and TV climbed aboard, and TMNT emerged as the entertainment mega-franchise of the early 90's... And now, they're ready for a shell of a time!

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES - Credits
Executive Producers                       Norman Grossfeld
Gary Richardson
Frederick U. Fierst

Based on Characters Created By Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman

Creative Director/Consultant Peter Laird

Creative Director Lloyd Goldfine

Supervising Director Chuck Patton

Supervising Producer Carole Weitzman

Producer JoEllyn Marlow

Story Editor Lloyd Goldfine

Writers Mike Ryan
Marty Eisenberg
Eric Luke
Greg Johnson

Voice Director Susan Blu

Cast

Raphael Frank Frankson
Leonardo Michael Sinterniklaas
Donatello Sam Regal
Michaelangelo Wayne Grayson
Splinter Darren Dunstan
April O'Neil Veronica Taylor
Casey Jones Marc Thompson
Shredder Scottie Ray

Animation Company/ Dong Woo Animation Co. Ltd.
Co-Production Partner


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