Editing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (section)

===1987–1989: Toys, animation and video games===
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In 1987, Eastman and Laird licensed ''Turtles'' to [[Playmates Toys]].<ref name="Collins-2014" /> Between 1988 and 1997, Playmates produced [[Turtles toys|''Turtles'' toys]] including around 400 figures and dozens of vehicles and playsets. About US$1.1 billion of ''Turtles'' toys were sold in four years, making them the third-bestselling toy figures ever at the time, behind ''[[G.I. Joe|GI Joe]]'' and ''[[Kenner Star Wars action figures|Star Wars]]''.<ref name="Mental Floss-2015" />

Influenced by the success of ''G.I. Joe'', ''[[He-Man]]'' and ''[[Transformers]]'', which had promoted toy lines with animated series, Playmates worked with the animation studio [[Fred Wolf Films|Murakami-Wolf-Swenson]] to produce the first [[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987 TV series)|''Turtles'' animated series]],<ref>{{Cite news|title=A bit of Ireland in those green ninja turtles|language=en-US|newspaper=[[Washington Post]]|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1990/08/21/a-bit-of-ireland-in-those-green-ninja-turtles/4e5bcfb8-d14e-497a-acb2-fa5069f43fe6/|access-date=2021-10-11|issn=0190-8286}}</ref> which premiered in 1987 and ran for almost a decade.<ref name="Collins-2014" /> It introduced ''Turtles'' elements such as their color-coded masks, catchphrases, love of pizza and distinct personalities.<ref name="Collins-2014" /> To make it acceptable to parents and television networks, the series had a lighter tone than the comics, with no expletives, less violence and less threatening villains.<ref name="Mental Floss-2015" /> In the United Kingdom and some other European regions, the franchise was renamed ''Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles'' for the violent connotations of the word "ninja".<ref>{{Cite web|date=2018-01-10|title=Secrets Of The Ooze: 15 BTS Facts About Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II|url=https://www.cbr.com/behind-the-scenes-tmnt-2-secret-of-the-ooze/|access-date=2021-10-11|website=CBR|language=en-US|archive-date=March 3, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210303001322/https://www.cbr.com/behind-the-scenes-tmnt-2-secret-of-the-ooze/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Cohen|first=Susan|date=1991-04-07|title=KID VIDEO GAMES|language=en-US|newspaper=Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/magazine/1991/04/07/kid-video-games/0436d559-c2d9-4e66-9db4-0ddede435ea1/|access-date=2021-10-11|issn=0190-8286|archive-date=May 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210517135939/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/magazine/1991/04/07/kid-video-games/0436d559-c2d9-4e66-9db4-0ddede435ea1/|url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (NES video game)|first ''Turtles'' video game]] was released for the [[Nintendo Entertainment System]] (NES) in 1989, the first of several developed by the Japanese company [[Konami]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Koch|first=Cameron|title=A history of ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' video games|url=https://www.techtimes.com/articles/162234/20160602/a-history-of-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtle-video-games.htm|url-status=live|website=Tech Times|date=June 2, 2016 |access-date=October 9, 2021|archive-date=October 9, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211009161648/https://www.techtimes.com/articles/162234/20160602/a-history-of-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtle-video-games.htm}}</ref> It sold approximately four million copies, making it one of the bestselling NES games.<ref name="Mental Floss-2015" /> In response to concerns that the series was drifting from its origins, Eastman and Laird published an editorial in the comic in 1989, writing: "We've allowed the wacky side to happen, and enjoy it very much. All the while, though, we've kept the originals very much ours."<ref>[[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Mirage Studios)|''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'']] vol. 1 No. 19, March 1989.</ref> Eastman later said they regretted approving some projects, and Laird wrote of his dislike for the softer tone of the animated series.<ref name="Mental Floss-2015" />