All About Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Part One

• The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles had been born.

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have rebranded??? themselves again and again. Here are all the facts you never knew about the turtles, who created them, where they’ve been and where they’re going.

Turtlemania happened in the 90s’ when 100 million units sold just in the year 1990 alone. This billion dollar industry came from a Hong Kong doll maker.

The once self-published comic came to the spotlight of popular culture and became the biggest indie film of all time and a 60 million dollar mega toy line.

It was the slow and steady rise of the most unique toy line ever made. Mutants, ninjas, and teenage turtles, but it all started with lobsters. 

It All Started With Lobsters 

Kevin grew up in Maine, in a small town  and worked cooking lobsters. He consumed comic books like Daredevil, Captain America, and Batman. His favorite was Komandi: The Last Boy on Earth written by none other than Jack Kirby.

He created what we know as comic book art today, he broke the mold. Eastman said he would be Kirby when he was older. He told his parents and they were mortified. His dad even said he would help for money with college, for any school but art school.

Eastman ended up in Dover New Hampshire and met Peter Laird Laird who was working at the Daily Hampshire Gazette. He was drawing for them the the time, but not drawing what he wanted to be.

The Turtles Cocreators 

Kevin was working at the grocery store when they met. Laird invited Kevin to hang out. When Kevin walked in and Laird had a Jack Kirby original hanging on his wall, he was more than impressed.

Eastman and Laird were like-minded and had a spark. They were suddenly such good friends, they moved in together.

They began the Morage Studio, which was in their living room.

Their first joint idea was Fugitoid. They created their idea for a robot and sent it out to a bunch of companies. In turn, they got a lot of rejections

Out of nowhere, for fun, Kevin drew something to make Laird laugh and he loved it. Laird drew his own version. “If one, why not a group”  and with that, together they made the drawing and pieced together the name as well. 

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles had been born.

Turtle Time

Eastman and Laird developed characters and a story and they self-published 3275 copies. When Pete called really excited and said that all the copies sold out in days, they knew they were on to somethin.

The next order was preorders for 15,000 copies of the second issues.

With that, the two quit their jobs and started doing comic books, full-time. 

Word was spreading about the comic. It had a dark and gritty feel to it and together with the name, it was interesting and unique, too.

Issue 8 of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles sold 135,000 copies.

Mark Freedman

The turtles were a hit in the comic book circles but they wanted licensing. Mark Freedman was a freelance agent for different deals and properties and he was looking for an emerging IP to take to license to the toy industry. 

When Freedman laid out his plan, they agreed and the three guys made a handshake deal. Now it was up to Freedman to sell the idea.

People told him, “Green won’t sell and turtles aren’t superheroes,” and “Forget about it.”

The turtles idea was turned down again and again, but Hasbro’s thought it was pretty cool. His bosses boss said it was a no, though. 

But Richard Sallis of Playmates Toys may have a different take on it. So they sent him to giant stuffed replica of the turtle. 

Thomas Chan and Playmates

Playmates started in Hong Kong and was the largest doll manufacturer for many years.

Thomas Chan was a worker turned president who had worked for the company for 50 years. Toy Works turned into Playmates in 1956. The toy company wanted to diversify to preschool toys, but he wanted to go up against Mattel Hasbro and Ideal toys. He wanted his toys in the US.

The Cricket Doll came out. It was an intelligent, interactive doll. It was the doll everyone was talking about.

Cricket sold a million in US and the retail was over 100 dollars. This was a win.

Then came out Jill, a larger, more expensive and complicated doll. Jill failed though and was not the hit the company was hoping it would be. 

Went to the president at the time with the enormous stuffed turtle, the guys thought it would work and Mark Freedman made the deals for $150,000 dollars, as long as cocreators had full approval and final say with everything turtles. 

How much are you enjoying reading about the turtles? Watch for more with All About Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Part Two.