A late-night goof that spawned a multimillion dollar franchise.

Many of us are familiar with the story of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The story paid homage to the first issue of Daredevil comic book which came out in 1963, in which Matt Murdock is blinded by the radio active isotope while pushing an old blind man from the path of an oncoming truck. The creators of the TMNT extrapolated that after the canister containing the isotope struck Murdock, it collided with a bystander who was carrying a fishbowl containing his pets. The pets were four baby turtles. The turtles and the canister then fell down a grate into the sewer below, where they were discovered by a rat named Splinter. Interesting story, but what’s more interesting how the whole idea of the TMNT came about in the first place.

 

Origins

Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird were hard at work one November night in 1983 at their Mirage Studios. They were working on completing the final chapter to their Fugitoid comic book, when inspiration struck. Eastman drew a masked, nunchuck-wielding ninja turtle. He showed it to Laird, and both of them laugh at the premise.

“Laird drew a cooler one.” remembers Kevin. Consumed by his competitive spirit, Eastman topped his sketch, and decided to draw all four of them standing in a dramatic pose. That was in pencil, and Peter inked it, and added “teenage mutant” to the “ninja turtle” part. They were honestly goofing around, and thought it was the dumbest thing ever.

The more they thought about, however, the more they saw potential in what they initially thought was a dumb idea. Their work was almost done with their first and last comic book, so they needed ideas for something else. As inspiration struck again, but this time they had work on the turtles idea.

 

Names

What better way to honour your favourite Renaissance artists than to name your new superheroes after them.

• Leonardo (Leo) – The tactical, level-headed, courageous leader and devoted student of his sensei. He wears a blue mask and wields two katana swords. Also, he happens to be the most conscientious of the four and often bears the responsibility for his brothers. He was named after Leonardo Da Vinci, the Italian polymath, engineer, painter, writer, inventor, anatomist, and sculptor.
• Michelangelo (Mikey) – The most stereotypical member of the team. Mikey is a free-spirited, goofy, relaxed, jokester known for his love for pizza. He wears an orange mask and wields a pair of nunchucks or nunchaku. He’s the least mature of the four, and as much as he provides comic relief, he still has an adventurous side. He was named after Michelangelo, the Italian Renaissance painter, sculptor, architect, engineer, and poet.
• Donatello (Donnie or Don) – The technological genius, scientist, inventor, and engineer. He wears a purple mask and wields a bo. The least violent of the four, and prefers to use his knowledge to solve conflicts, but never hesitate to defend his brothers. He’s named after the Italian artist and sculptor, Donatello.
• Raphael (Raph) – The team’s bad boy. Well, there has to be one, and it might as well be him. He wears a red mask and wields a pair of sai. Intensely loyal to his brothers and sensei, he’s aggressive in nature, and never hesitates to throw the first punch. He’s named after Raphael, the Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance.

 

• Splinter – The Turtles’ sensei and their adoptive father.
• April O’Neil – A television news reporter. She embarks on many of the Turtles’ adventures and assists them by doing the work in public that the Turtles cannot.

 

 

• The Shredder -A villainous ninjutsu master called Oroku Saki, he is the leader of the Foot Clan, an evil ninja clan. The Shredder took his design inspiration from a metal cheese grater that struck Eastman as a potential weapon in the hands of the wrong person.

 

 

Childhood Memories

My earliest childhood memory of the TMNT was getting their handheld video game for Christmas. It remains one of treasured childhood toys. Well, until it was stolen. My parents had bought a new house on the other side of town, less than an hour drive from where I grew up. We were new neighbours, most people were, so settling in was not a hassle.

One Saturday, while my father was painting the kitchen walls, a friend came over. It doesn’t take long to strike new relationships as a child. We barely new each other, and he and his younger brother would come fetch me so we could go bike riding. That day though, I had domestic duties I couldn’t escape. I didn’t mind. I was glued to my new TMNT video game. I was like a teenage with a new iPhone in today’s world. While trying to explain why I coudn’t come along, I made a silly mistake of putting my game down on my chair while heeding my father’s call to come and help with something inside the house.

I rushed to get finished, my irritation was visible, but my father was relentless. If something ought to be done, it must be done right. Eventually the task was complete, and before getting feedback from my father, I was halfway through the door. One problem. My video game was nowhere to be seen. At first, I thought I may have went inside the house with it, but then again, I was too young to have a troubled and forgetful mind. My video game was stolen. That sinking feeling worked itself around my chest, and lastly my whole body. That was my pride and job. One of the best gifts ever received and now it’s gone. I quickly alerted my father to this. We rushed out to this new friend’s house. And, as usual, he denied taking my video game. That was the last time I saw it. Although a while later, his father paid for it after he confessed. I was the only child in the neighbourhood who had that video game, so it was not going to be easy to hide it for that long. Besides, kids like showing off.

 

Eastman and Laird may have stumbled across something great while fooling around but that, alone, is proof that some of the greatest ideas in the toy industry don’t need hard thinking. You just have to be in the zone. The idea of four ninja turtles, aided by some inspiration from the Daredevil comic book, had turned into a multimillion dollar industry that created movies, merchandise, toys, and games. As much as they joked that fateful night in November 1983, that this was the dumbest thing ever, it turned out it wasn’t after all.

TM.