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The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Characters first appeared in American Comic books in 1984.
The original turtles were the brain child of Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird and arose out of a humorous sketch that Kevin made during an evening of boredom of bad television.
The concept of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were that 4 teenage anthromorphic turtles named after 4 Renaissance artists and trained by a Rat Sensi named Splinter, and live in New York Cities storm sewers.
From there, these turtles fight against evil in the form of petty criminals, evil overloads, mutated animals and alien intruders.
They are the Fantastic Four of the Reptile world.
The actual Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle comic books began as single issue that was meant to be a parody of 4 other comics of the time, but the characters were big a hit.
Before Eastman and Laird knew it, the Ninja Turtles became a house hold name, featured in comic books and cartoons, cereal boxes and even as action figures.
Who Are The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Characters?
While most children can easily tell one Teenage mutant Ninja Turtle from another, parents may have a more difficult time.
So here is a guide to help you distinguish one turtle from another and impress your child with your Ninja Turtle knowledge.
Leonardo
Named for Leonardo Da Vinci, Leonardo is the courageous leader of the Teenage Mutant Ninja turtles and the most responsible of the lot.
You can tell him from the other turtles as he wears a blue mask and his weapons of choice are 2 long extremely sharp swords that he wields to cut his enemies down to size.
Michelangelo
Named for the Italian artist who painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle named Michelangelo is the free-spirited jokester among the turtles.
He is given to practical jokes and having a sense of fun.
Michelangelo is also a lover of Pizza. He wears an orange mask and his weapons of choice are a pair of Nunchakus.
Raphael
Raphael is the bad boy of the turtles. He is bad tempered and always ready for good fight.
He often is at odds with the group’s leader Leonardo, but he is loyal to his companions and ready to protect them at all cost.
He wears a red mask and his weapons of choice are a pair of Sai. (sword like weapons)
Donatello
Donatello is the geek of the group, a kind of scientist/ inventor.
He is the least violent of the group, preferring to use knowledge and wisdom as weapons in defeating his foes.
He will fight when necessary, and wears a purple mask and wields a bo staff.
Splinter
Splinter is not a Teenager Mutant Ninja Turtle, but rather the rat sensi, their teacher that taught them all they know.
He uses his wisdom and advice to help the turtles fight against the evil in the world.
There are other characters including humans who help the turtles in their battles against evil, as well as some evil characters and action figures as well.
But knowing the 4 turtle characters and being able to tell them apart will certainly make you “Wise” in the eyes of those little Ninja turtle fans!
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