Turtles 25th Anniversary
This year is the twenty-fifth anniversary of the first “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” series. The original first eleven issues and individual character solo one shots, long out of print, are being collected in hardcover for May publication from Mirage.
This will be accompanied by an Official Handbook To The Mirage Universe style book, profiling Turtle and spinoff characters in all their various forms.
The “Forever War” story from the Archie “TMNT Adventures” comics will be published and completed, written by Steve Murphy who wrote the originals under the pseudonym of Dean Clarrain, with art by Chris Allan.
A Donatello mini-series to close out the yearly individual Tales series is entitled “Brain Thief.”
Archie Comics will also reprint the original three-issue mini-series from Michael Dooney in their manga trade size with all new coloring.
To kick off this big milestone, Mirage Studios, Inc., owners of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles brand, and 4Kids Entertainment Inc., announced today the New Year’s Day launch of the TMNT25 Website (www.tmnt25.com), an interactive Website dedicated to the 25th Anniversary “Shell-ebration” of the TMNT and the fans who have supported the Turtles throughout the years.
The Shell-ebration will serve as an acclamation of the impressive accomplishments the TMNT have achieved over the years, including four of the highest-grossing independent theatrical motion pictures of all time, top 10 all-time worldwide sales of toy action figures, and record-setting video game sales. However, it will also mark the beginning of the next chapter in TMNT history.
The new Website is a nostalgic, highly-interactive work of art that showcases the brand’s impressive past, and features Shell-ebration events taking place during the year so Turtle fans can keep their calendars updated. A few key sections of the site include: Turtle-Power (a 411 on the Turtles), Shell-ebration (special TMNT25 sweepstakes, wallpaper and more), Road Trip (information on cities where the TMNT will visit in 2009), Get Turtle-ized (a personality quiz to see which TMNT character fans most align with), Green Team (blogs and podcasts from the road, as well as the TMNT’s cause-related activities), TMNT Gear (a showcase of TMNT products), Splinter’s Dojo (where fans can register for insider news and opportunities) and April’s Newsroom (live updates on all Shell-ebration news).
“TMNT25.com is a place where fans can go to relive 25 years of our shell-kicking ninja action, as well as get updated on the events being held throughout 2009,” said Gary Richardson, CEO, Mirage Studios. “The site is dedicated to keeping in touch with the most important people – our fans. We hope that with this resource, our fans will be plugged-in throughout the year as we party together in true TMNT style.”
Additionally, to engage TMNT fans even more, an online sweepstakes will run from January 1, 2009 until March 17, 2009. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Totally Tubular 25th Anniversary Sweepstakes (click here to enter to win: www.tmnt25.com) is one of several sweepstakes that will take place during the year. One lucky prize winner of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Totally Tubular 25th Anniversary Sweepstakes will receive an original, limited edition TMNT bronze statue and a trip for two to New York City (including airfare, hotel and spending money).
The “Shell-ebration” will provide new and old fans alike with bodacious, new multi-experiential opportunities to interact with this iconic brand including Comic-Con shows on both coasts (New York Comic-Con Feb. 6 – 8 and San Diego Comic-Con July 23 – 26), “Galabungas”, large-scale consumer and media celebrations planned for New York City and San Diego, a mobile tour (Party Bus) commemorating 25 years of the TMNT that will hit key cities across the country, screenings of the original TMNT movie, and more.
The Party Bus will kick off the mobile tour at the end of April at the NYC “Galabunga.” The Party Bus will include a video gaming station, photo booth where attendees can take pictures with the TMNT, games and prizes, and an interactive museum that will showcase memorabilia from TMNT history.
Palladium Books is still producing After The Bomb material, and is reportedly considering relicensing their classic TMNT RPG.
The original TMNT game partially mirrored the universe of the TMNT comic books, including statistics for the turtles, The Shredder, and other characters from early in the series. However, the adventures included with the book were completely independent of the TMNT universe, and brand-new characters were also presented as demo characters.
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles made their world premiere in May 1984, in a comic book created by Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman and published and distributed by Mirage Studios. A hugely successful TV series quickly followed, along with three successful theatrical films. In 2003, the Turtles were re-introduced to a new generation through a fresh animated television series, a CGI-animated theatrical movie and new merchandising program. The 25th year of TMNT will provide fans with radical, new, stimulating opportunities to experience the Turtles.
