Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) or just Ninja Turtles is a multi-media franchise created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird in November 1983. The title refers to four fictional humanoid turtles named Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo, and Raphael. They practice ninjutsu and various Japanese martial arts, while guided by a humanoid rat, Splinter, as their sensei. Their best human friend is a woman named April O'Neil.
Nickelodeon purchased the TMNT franchise from Mirage Studios in October 2009.[1]