The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were so popular throughout the '80s and early '90s 4Kids Entertainment Inc. has decided its time to share the experience with a new generation. 4Kids will produce 26 episodes of a new animated Turtles series, scheduled to premiere the first part of 2003 on the Fox Saturday morning block programmed by 4Kids.
The Ninja Turtles first made the scene by way of a comic book in May 1984 when Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman published the black and white book. "In reintroducing the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, I am pleased to say that 4Kids will be going back to the Turtles’ comic book roots," said co-creator Laird. "We anticipate that the new Ninja Turtles series will contain the same irreverent contemporary humor and compelling action sequences that the Turtles are famous for, updated for the 21st century."
The name of the animation production studio on the series will be disclosed at a later time. Mirage Licensing, Inc., a division of Mirage Studios, Inc., holds the rights to The Turtles. CEO Gary Richardson stated, "We are thrilled to partner with 4Kids to produce a new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series. 4Kids has established itself as a leading producer of quality children’s entertainment with such shows as Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh! at the top of the children’s television ratings. 4Kids also enjoys a stellar reputation as a leading merchandise licensing agent."
For more information, you can go to, www.4kidsentertainment.com or www.ninjaturtles.com