They licensed the characters to Playmates Toys, who developed a line of Turtles action figures. In 1984, they founded Mirage Studios and self-published the first issue of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles it was a surprise success. It follows Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello and Michelangelo, four anthropomorphic turtle brothers trained in ninjitsu who fight evil in New York City.Įastman and Laird conceived the characters as a parody of elements popular in superhero comics at the time. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is an entertainment franchise created by American comic book authors Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles action figures Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles & Other Strangeness Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2018–2020).