Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Sells for $60 Million

Source: Mondo Media

Twenty-five years? It all started in 1984 with the first issue by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, with an initial print run of 3,000 B&W comics.

Over the years, we’ve reported on some record-breaking sales involving the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but never one quite this big. The Nickelodeon cable network has acquired global intellectual property rights to Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, and Michelangelo, paying a total of $60 million (or $15 million for each of the “Heroes in a Half Shell”).

According to industry news site ICv2.com, 4Kids got $9.75 million for giving up their licensing rights and Mirage Group got the rest. Reportedly the current TV show will continue through 2010, and other licenses should continue with their original arrangements.

Nick said they will debut a new CG-animated TMNT series in 2012, along with a new feature film that same year.