SDCC 23: The original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon is coming back thanks to Nickelodeon

A pretty big piece of news erupting from Comic Con today, as Nickelodeon has finally acquired the rights to the classic TMNT ‘toon.

Turtle Power!

Oh has it been a while. When was the last time TMNT aired anyway? Whenever it was, it’s been ages, though that dearth is definitively over, as the original (and some still say best) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon is finally back where it belongs. Nickelodeon announced that today, as the network has acquired all 193 episodes of the Fred Wolf-produced TMNT series.

A show that was loved my millions upon millions of kids, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles adapted the work of Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird’s original Mirage comic. That book was decidedly dark and grim in tone, and a true opposite of what Wolf brought to the small screen.

Running from 1987 though 1996, the cartoon introduced many of the elements that became TMNT mainstays. Among those are Bebop and Rocksteady, who were never a part of the comics, as well as the mutant version of Baxter Stockman and even Krang, who was adapted from the comics’ Utrom race.

While those old black and whites started the Turtles off, it was really the cartoon that cemented the superhero team as the pop culture force that it still is today. You’ll be able to check that out in its entirety before this month is out in the United States (via digital platforms), and internationally soon thereafter (via Nickelodeon branded channels and digital platforms).

Of course, the Turtles aren’t done there, as the team will have another completely original take hitting theaters on August 2nd, 2023. That will present the green teens as a bit younger than we’ve seen before, with new takes on many of the villains and allies that fans have come to know and love.

*Note: The header image on this story is a cover from IDW’s TMNT comic