Angelique Jackson Cowabunga! The original 1987 animated series “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” is coming to Nickelodeon. Ahead of the theatrical release of “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem,” Nickelodeon has acquired global rights to the storied Fred Wolf series, which follows the adventures of the heroes in a half-shell — Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael and Michelangelo.
Under the deal, all 193 episodes of the original “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” — which ran from 1987 to 1996 — are set to debut digitally on Nickelodeon-owned and operated channels (such as YouTube, Pluto TV and O&O linear channels) later this month in the U.S., followed by Nickelodeon-branded channels and digital platforms internationally.
The acquisition was announced Thursday at San Diego Comic-Con during Paramount Pictures’ Hall H presentation for “Mutant Mayhem.” The popular kids franchise’s latest installment hits theaters on Aug.
2. “Mutant Mayhem” director Jeff Rowe (outfitted in a “TMNT” T-shirt) and franchise co-creator Kevin Eastman were on hand to preview the new movie, repping for the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle” crew at the slimmed-down Comic-Con in the wake of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, which prevented writers and actors from attending the convention. “There are so many people here,” Rowe said, marveling at the size of the audience as he took the stood. (Hall H, which holds about 6500 people, filled — albeit slowly — with fans in red, purple, blue and orange eye masks ahead of the “TMNT” panel’s 11:30 a.m.
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