Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird's TMNT comic book series debuted in May 1984. 1 / 8
The franchise achieved mainstream popularity with the release of the 1987 animated series. 2 / 8
TMNT spun off into other areas of entertainment, including video games. 3 / 8
In 1990, the first film was released, grossing $202 million worldwide. 4 / 8
At one point, TMNT was even more popular than Marvel and DC heroes. 5 / 8
The subsequent animated series continued to be successful. 6 / 8
However, the recent TMNT films failed to captivate audiences. 7 / 8
With a new film on the horizon, it's time to channel the '80s for inspiration. 8 / 8