Reuters says it all: “Nickelodeon Acquires Global Rights to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”. The price? A mere $60 million.
We’ll follow in a moment with the complete press release. You’ll notice that it mentions film, animation and toys, but says little to nothing about actual comics. Mirage CEO Gary Richardson is quoted as saying, “Nickelodeon is a powerhouse global brand, and we are confident that the company will be a wonderful steward for Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo, Donatello and all the other TMNT characters
and take them in all kinds of exciting and new creative directions.”
At his blog, Turtles co-creator Peter Laird addressed a number of issues surrounding the sale. He summed it up with the following statement:
On a final note (at least for this statement), please understand that I sold the TMNT property, not Mirage Studios. Mirage still exists, and it’s still my company. It just doesn’t own the TMNT intellectual property anymore. I’m not sure what its future will be. For a little while, it will be helping with the transition of TMNT over to its new owners. But after that…? I don’t know. What I am hoping, however, is that this little core group of creators sticks together, both as friends and collaborators. And I think that is certainly possible.
Please find the quoted original PR after the jump.
Nickelodeon to Develop New CG-Animated Television Series and Paramount
Pictures to Develop Feature Film of Renowned Global PropertyNEW YORK, Oct. 21 /PRNewswire/ — Furthering its mission to provide premium
content to its audiences, Nickelodeon–part of MTV Networks, a division of
Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B)–has acquired the global rights to the Teenage
Mutant Ninja Turtles from The Mirage Group and 4Kids Entertainment, Inc.
(NYSE: KDE). The acquisition provides Nickelodeon, the world’s number-one
entertainment brand for kids, global intellectual property rights to Teenage
Mutant Ninja Turtles, the hit television, film and video game property that
has delighted kids around the world for the last 25 years. The aggregate
purchase price for the transactions is approximately $60 million.Nickelodeon also announced plans to develop a new CG-animated television
series based on the popular superhero franchise, anticipated to premiere in
2012. Additionally, in partnership with Viacom’s Paramount Pictures, a new
release of a new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles feature film is also planned for
2012. Nickelodeon has also acquired all merchandising rights to Teenage Mutant
Ninja Turtles, and will continue to work with its original and long-standing
toy partner, Playmates Toys, which has been the creative force behind the
successful TMNT master toy program over the last two decades.“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles shares a comedic sensibility with the
Nickelodeon DNA, with added layers of action and fantasy that have kept this
property an evergreen favorite with multiple generations of audiences,” said
Cyma Zarghami, President, Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids and Family Group. “We are
extremely happy to have the opportunity to be able to focus on this property
and creatively re-introduce it to a new generation of kids.”“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a property that maintains a very passionate
global fan base, is rich with opportunity for a tentpole movie, and is exactly
the right property for us to work together with Nickelodeon,” said Adam
Goodman, President, Paramount Pictures.“Mirage has been the proud keeper of the Turtles’ brand since 1984, and in
2009 we celebrated their 25th anniversary with our legions of fans,” said Gary
Richardson, CEO, Mirage Studios. “Nickelodeon is a powerhouse global brand,
and we are confident that the company will be a wonderful steward for
Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo, Donatello and all the other TMNT characters
and take them in all kinds of exciting and new creative directions.”“We enjoyed our eight-year partnership with Mirage during which 4Kids and
Mirage re-launched the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise for a new
generation of kids around the world,” said Alfred Kahn, Chairman and CEO of
4Kids Entertainment, Inc. “We will also work with Mirage and Viacom so that
our Turtles’ licensees can be assured of a seamless transition.”Considered one of the most popular kids’ television programs of the 1980s,
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a classic, global property created in 1984 by
Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. It first debuted as a successful comic book
series and then became a hit animated TV show, a live-action television
series, and later spawned four blockbuster theatrical releases. The property
also has translated into a significant consumer products business–with DVDs,
video games, toys and more–that has generated billions of dollars at retail.Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is based on four mutant turtles–trained in the
art of Ninjitsu–who battle evil from the New York sewers. The Teenage Mutant
Ninja Turtles animated television series–jointly produced by 4Kids
Entertainment and Mirage Studios–will continue to air on “TheCW4Kids”
Saturday morning programming block on The CW network through Aug. 31, 2010.About Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon, now in its 30th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for
kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in
everything it does. The company includes television programming and production
in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online,
recreation, books and feature films. Nickelodeon’s U.S. television network is
seen in almost 100 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic
cable network for 15 consecutive years. For more information or artwork, visit
http://www.nickpress.com. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and
logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B).About Mirage Studios
The Mirage Group is a group of companies, including Mirage Studios, Inc.,
located in Northampton, Massachusetts, that owned and managed the Teenage
Mutant Ninja Turtles property from its creation in 1984 through 2009.About 4Kids Entertainment
Master licensing agent for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, 4Kids Entertainment,
Inc. (NYSE: KDE), is a global organization devoted to the creation,
development, production, broadcasting, licensing and manufacturing of
children’s entertainment products, with U.S. headquarters in New York City,
regional offices for its trading card business in San Diego, California, and
international offices in London and Hong Kong.
October 22nd, 2009 at 10:07 am
Watch it these will become like superman when they sold their rights over to the company and then their lazy wife who do drugs will try to buy it back
October 22nd, 2009 at 10:32 am
I don’t see Mirage Studios finding any success without the Turtles. I mean, what else has Mirage published recently? Well, I think I’m long past caring about the characters and here’s hoping that Nick can keep the characters alive and kicking, albiet in a kid-friendly form.
October 22nd, 2009 at 10:41 am
Nick has to compete with Disney. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them race to acquire other superhero content in order to contend with the Marvel Channel, formerly known as Disney XD.
October 22nd, 2009 at 11:14 am
Shame, why is it that BIG companies are starting to buy the small ones??????
October 22nd, 2009 at 11:16 am
Man, I hope they bring back Venus De Milo. That character was AWESOME.
October 22nd, 2009 at 11:26 am
i think the point is that Peter is tired of putting out comics in general, so don’t expect anything new from Mirage.
October 22nd, 2009 at 11:34 am
“Shame, why is it that BIG companies are starting to buy the small ones??????”
Starting to? It’s always been done this way.
October 22nd, 2009 at 11:51 am
“Watch it these will become like superman when they sold their rights over to the company and then their lazy wife who do drugs will try to buy it back”
OHHHHHHHH is THAT what happened with Superman? The judge may want to hear about this….
October 22nd, 2009 at 12:02 pm
i miss the days of the Turtles actually being hardcore and not the pizza eating kind
October 22nd, 2009 at 12:38 pm
What does Kevin Eastman have to say about the sale? Was he involved in it? Got this just sucks,haven’t seen good turtles material since Eastman and Bisley’s Bodycount.
October 22nd, 2009 at 12:39 pm
well guess thats it for non-color coded turtles. a real shame ‘cos those early mirage stories were fantastic. guess ill just have to make do with the old trades i have.
October 22nd, 2009 at 1:00 pm
TMNT is what got me into comics. (I am NOT talking about the cartoon. That was painfull to watch.) My twin and I found the first 4 TMNT graphic novels in a discount bin at a local book store. I must have been in 3rd or 4th grade. It was the best thing I can remember. Turtles killing ninjas. We were fans from the start. It saddens me that Peter wont be the driving force behind it. I will always cherish the books.
October 22nd, 2009 at 1:23 pm
“Shame, why is it that BIG companies are starting to buy the small ones??????”
“Starting to? It’s always been done this way.”
lol…I heard that the hotdog stand on the corner was going to buy Warner Brothers next week for a mear $756 Trillion.
October 22nd, 2009 at 1:26 pm
“i think the point is that Peter is tired of putting out comics in general, so don’t expect anything new from Mirage.”
I think it’s just the opposite. Peter would rather be creating something than managing something. And a property like TMNT is a a point where it needs a lot of management
If fact he pretty much says this at his blog:
http://plairdblog.blogspot.com/
Also to note: On Jim Lawson’s blog he states that Mirage has retained the rights to publish up to 18 issues of TMNT comics a year.
October 22nd, 2009 at 1:57 pm
Remember when Turtles was in black & white AND cool… now it’s fodder for 10 and under and lost any appeal to an IQ over 75… this sucks but I guess I’d sell out for 60 million too…
October 22nd, 2009 at 2:06 pm
Does that include trades?
GoGreenMachine.org was in the process of compiling a completely fan-generated TMNT tribute book. I wonder if that’s been canceled now, too.
October 22nd, 2009 at 2:46 pm
Michael Says:
October 22nd, 2009 at 10:07 am
Watch it these will become like superman when they sold their rights over to the company and then their lazy wife who do drugs will try to buy it back
Michael you are just STUPID!!!!!!!
They just made a fortune
October 22nd, 2009 at 2:50 pm
My first reaction was “bad news”. But then, loopy old Laird hasn’t done anything good with the Turtles since issue 50 of volume 1. So while it’s not thrilling to see this small time success story sell out to the major corporation, the content will probably be better.
The gritty TMNT of Volume 1 are gone forever. Glad I have a copy of every issue!
October 22nd, 2009 at 3:01 pm
Michael Says:
October 22nd, 2009 at 10:07 am
Watch it these will become like superman when they sold their rights over to the company and then their lazy wife who do drugs will try to buy it back
You know, it’s funny I sit around and read these STUPID comments from people like Mike who shoots off their mouth and doesn’t know his a_ _ from a hole in the ground. This is not the same as Seigle and Shuster. If you had 1 brain cell, you would know that. But you are just some jerk (and you are not alone) who want’s to get online and make some STUPID comments.
Please before you post such STUPID comments, THINK before you post them. Don’t be so negative. They are going to walk away with 60 million dollars.. That is not bad for a concept that is no longer popular with the fan base. How many copies did the last issue of TTMNT’s sell.
October 22nd, 2009 at 4:41 pm
After all the years of those two guys selling every sort of Turtles merchandise possible, it’s hard to believe they could even get 60 million. THey went from Indie publisher about the Ninja Turtles who drank beer and wore Metallica T-Shirts when they were an underground band. Check on the thank you not to on the inside of the Master of Puppers album. Then it became this huge overblown marketing thing about the cartoon turtles and goofy stuff. Toys, toothbrushes, clothes, and all sorts of stuff that made them tons of money and this is like the ultimate sell out after all the other sell outs.
Loved the arcade game, by the way.
60 MILLION! That’s hard to believe since the property ran out of steam in the mainstream a long time ago. Going back to school of comics was about the only thing left for these Turtles. Hopefully some more indie publishers will be nearly as fortunante and trick some big corporation out of some money.
October 22nd, 2009 at 4:57 pm
I cant believe Laird sold the Turtles. I like how he says they are keeping Mirage Studios. Like Mirage has anything significant other than TMNT.
October 22nd, 2009 at 5:46 pm
I know they’re not as popular as they used to be, but 60 million still seems kinda cheap to me. You’d think he’d be able to get at least 100 million for them.
October 22nd, 2009 at 6:52 pm
Maybe TMNT will actually be handled well now. I think they have been wasted for a long time. I hope this leads to some actually decent comics actually coming out. Laird and Co. haven’t know what to do with them for a while now. I’m glad someone else will have a chance.
October 22nd, 2009 at 8:08 pm
I don’t know how I feel about this… but everything happens for a reason. As long as this doesn’t interfere with NECA’s awesome Ninja Turtle action figures I won’t care too much.
October 22nd, 2009 at 11:26 pm
Since the relaunch of the 2k3 cartoon, the turtles have made nearly 2 billion worldwide, so yes the turtles are still a relevant and profitable property. Especially considering the turtles have been run by a tiny company like Mirage all these years.
October 23rd, 2009 at 6:41 am
I just hope they can continue publishing the Collected Edition books that they started this year. I have most of the issues, but not all, and it was great having them in one book.
October 23rd, 2009 at 7:13 am
Part of me thinks its sad that the co-creator of the Turtles, that has been working with them for 25 years, sold his rights. I respect that he wanted to move on, but there was something really cool about that. Except for Walt Disney, what other creator ever had that kind of control over his characters?
I think Disney/Paramont will do right by them. At least the incarnation that has been the most popular for the last 20 years or so.
October 23rd, 2009 at 7:19 am
I don’t know how i feel about the news. I’m kind of oblivious to it I guess. I have a lot of the IMAGE series of the TMNT which i still read on occasion. Plus I love the old video games for my super NES. This doesn’t really change anything for me.
October 23rd, 2009 at 7:42 am
Its inflation. A Mutant turtle isn’t worth what it used to be. I remember when you could buy a Rocksteady or Beebop for 2 Thundercats and a Boglin!!!
October 23rd, 2009 at 9:52 am
This news makes me want to start reading the old comics. Plus the new ones I have picked up a few here and there of the recent Tales and they effin’ rock.
October 23rd, 2009 at 3:27 pm
No disrespect but what have Eastman & Laird done after TMNT. Let them take their 60 million and walk into the sunset. All the power to them, I’m not jealous but envious for them, way to go gentlemen.
October 23rd, 2009 at 3:33 pm
JLAJRC Says:
October 22nd, 2009 at 5:46 pm
I know they’re not as popular as they used to be, but 60 million still seems kinda cheap to me. You’d think he’d be able to get at least 100 million for them.
What are you basing this on?
October 23rd, 2009 at 6:55 pm
“Except for Walt Disney, what other creator ever had that kind of control over his characters?”
Stan Sakai “Usagi Yojimbo”. I wonder if we may have seen the last of Uasgi’s involvement with the turtles, seeing how Sakai and Laird were close friends, but now he has no involvement with TMNT.
October 24th, 2009 at 2:50 am
I dont know, but would this be my creation, i wouldnt leave them. isnt peters heart attached to the ninja turtles? it makes me kinda sad, how he an kevin treated their property.
October 24th, 2009 at 7:36 am
The turtles have been in purgatory for a couple decades now…let’s hope that they get some A-level treatment and return to greatness.
Can’t be mad at Laird for cashing in (or more like cashing out –Sorry, Mirage is kaput sans TMNT. Happy retirement!) –the story of him and Eastman drinking cheap beer and doodling in a dingy New England apartment and having that turn into a global sensation–That’s one of the all-time great Indie comics stories. That’s the dream and they lived it.
I grew up consumed by TMNT–It was my favorite, hands-down. While the Eastman/Laird original stories have a gritty, homemade, punk-rock magic to them–There were also gems to be had in the cartoons and Archie series. Everyone dumps on the cartoon, but that was TMNT for the vast majority of people. And it was pretty damn awesome to my 10 year-old eyes.
The toys were amazing too.
I hope the creators have a good retirement and that TMNT gets a much needed jolt from a new generation of creators. Characters like Superman and Batman were taken to new levels by artists other than their respective creators. There’s no reason to believe that the same can not happen with the turtles.
October 25th, 2009 at 11:13 am
OK, so is there any chance we will see a collected vol 2? Vol 1 was pretty awesome so I’d really like to see them continue to collect the old series. I mean I’ve only been waiting 15 years.
October 26th, 2009 at 12:12 pm
Wow! 60 million for the entire intellectual property! Seems like a pittance for the comic that actually started the whole indie boom.
October 27th, 2009 at 4:11 am
Laird is not a simple writer/artist like Siegel and Shuster, he’s been a businessman for 20 years. If he sold it for $60 million, then it’s worth around $60 million.
A CG animated TMNT show sounds terrible, and unfortunately all future TMNT collections have been canceled. So this news sucks for me. But it’s hard to blame Peter Laird when he stuck with the TMNT for much longer than Kevin Eastman did. It’s clear that it was a lot of work for both of them.
January 17th, 2011 at 9:27 pm
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